October 12 2016

Inclusion and the Importance of It

National Governance, National Operations, Opinions    8 Comments    , , , , , , , , ,

Before I begin, I would like to reiterate something I said in my last opinion blog post about the 2004 restructure.  I know there are those who say that we need to put the past behind us and move forward.  I agree to a certain extent.  However, putting the past behind you doesn’t mean you should forget or disregard it, because if you do this, you run the risk of repeating or not fixing your mistakes and continuing down the wrong path.  C.S. Lewis speaks to this in the following quote from Mere Christianity:

We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be and if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. We have all seen this when we do arithmetic. When I have started a sum the wrong way, the sooner I admit this and go back and start over again, the faster I shall get on.
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October 1 2016

And the FINAL Final Tally Is…

Experiences as a Leader    2 Comments    , , , , ,

leader-timeBack in June, I tallied up the hours I had put toward Girl Scouts from October 1st to May 31st for the 2015-2016 year.  I decided to keep logging them to see what the FINAL tally for the entire 2015-2016 Girl Scout fiscal year (Oct 1st – Sept 30th) looked like with the City Slickers summer camp numbers and the start of the troop year included.  Continue reading

September 23 2016

Rainbow Falls

Hikes & Outdoors    No Comments    , , , , ,

Hiking ComicQuestion:  How do you get Amy Brown to shut up?  Answer:  Take her on an extremely difficult hike when she is out of shape.

It’s starting to cool off (kinda) here in the South, and that means hiking season is back!  My hiking partner extraordinaire Becky and I kicked things off by picking apparently one of the most difficult hikes out there.  GO BIG OR GO HOME!  We discussed where we were going to go the weekend prior, and I felt drawn to Jones Gap, which is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area and very close to Camp WaBak.  Just down the road, in fact.  I suggested the hike to Becky and mentioned that it was listed as “Most Difficult” on the trail guide thinking that she would say, “Eh, let’s not be so ambitious for our first hike.”  But instead, she said, “Sounds good!” and a little voice in my head said, “Don’t do it!”  I smugly ignored this little voice and thought it couldn’t be that bad because I had been on plenty of difficult hikes before.  Continue reading

September 21 2016

National CEO Survey

National Operations, Opinions    1 Comment    , , ,

The other day I came across a link for a survey that someone had shared on the GSUSA Are You Listening? Facebook Page in which GSUSA is asking for input on qualities that should be considered during the search for the new National CEO.  It was sent via email, although the source was not revealed.  I’m guessing it came from a council newsletter, because the text stated that the survey link could be shared with volunteers, parents, or girls.  So I thought I’d check it out too, and I’m assuming it’s okay to share it.  Here’s the link to the survey.  It is due September 30th.

One question asked what challenges we think the National CEO will face in the next 2 to 5 years.  I would like to share my response.  It made me very sad to write this, and I even felt a little depressed afterwards.  But I thought I’d share it anyway:  Continue reading

September 8 2016

Restructuring and Membership Numbers

National Governance, National Operations, Opinions    11 Comments    , , , , , ,

Trefoil ThinkingEver since I started reading about the changes GSUSA made right before I began as a volunteer, I have been very curious about how we got to the point we are today and what happened between the time I finished as a girl in 1989 to when I started back as a volunteer in 2010.  I joined in the middle of a very big upheaval on both the national and council level and had no background knowledge as to what had gone on just a few years earlier.  I just knew something major had happened.  And I wanted to know what, how, and why.  Now I’m sure some people will say there’s no point in this exercise of mine because it’s water under the bridge, and we should concentrate on moving forward.  I agree about moving forward, but I also disagree about there being no point to rehashing what happened.  I am very much a big picture kind of person, and I would like to know the history and background of this upheaval to better understand how to move forward in the correct direction.  That’s just the way I work.  Plus I’m a big Girl Scout nerd, so why not? 😉  Continue reading

September 4 2016

The OFFICIAL! OFFICIAL Scarf Story

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    2 Comments    , , , , , , , , , , , ,

scarf
Behold! The OFFICIAL Scarf!

I realized the other day that I’ve been referring to the OFFICIAL Scarf throughout this blog with no explanation.  People ask, “What’s the deal with this scarf thing?”  Finally, I am going to explain the story behind the OFFICIAL Scarf!  Hold on to your hats!  Or scarves!  This is probably one of those times when something is funny to you, but once you explain it to someone else, you realize (usually while you’re telling it and watching their facial expressions) it probably sounds very bizarre and not really funny at all.  At least that’s the impression I get when I tell my husband a story like this.  That said, he gives me strange looks for most of the things I tell him.  Well, I’m going to share it anyway.  You’ve been forewarned.  Continue reading

August 22 2016

Governance vs. Operations vs. Kittens

Delegate Duties    5 Comments    , , , , ,

Welcome back to the second installment of Delegate Duties, the most exciting thing to hit the blogosphere since the launch of WordPress.com!  If you missed the first go-around, start there.  It’s not necessary to read them in order, but if you’re new to the delegate scene, it’s probably a good idea.

If there is one topic that I think trips up delegates the most and causes everyone the most frustration, it’s the Governance vs. Operations issue.  It’s something that’s usually covered in most delegate trainings, but I think it tends to go over delegates’ heads for a couple of reasons.  I’ll go into that later after defining the difference.

You can find a more thorough explanation here in this Governance vs. Operations article that’s a part of the Council Delegate Primer found on GirlScoutGovernance.com.
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August 18 2016

Cadette Handbooks

Troop Leader Resources    1 Comment    , , , , , ,

cadettesHave you woken up yet from the boring first edition of Delegate Duties?  I’m sure you are on the edge of your seat waiting for the next installment!  Just wait until I write about such exciting topics as Governance vs. Operations!

[Reverting back to normal leader mode.]

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to Girl Scout Leaders.  It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.  It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of Leaders’ fears and the summit of their knowledge.  This is the dimension of imagination.  It is an area which we call…

THE CADETTE ZONE
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August 14 2016

Delegate Duties or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Board

Delegate Duties    4 Comments    , , , , , ,

DrStrangelove
No Doomsday Machines here.

Congratulations!  You’re a council delegate.  So now what?

You can find a more thorough explanation and more in-depth articles about council governance on the Council Delegate Primer found on GirlScoutGovernance.com.

I hear and read from delegates and volunteers who want to have some kind of voice in their council, but they are unsure how to go about this.  The process can be very intimidating and overwhelming.  Many delegates and volunteers become frustrated and discouraged when they attend meetings with board and staff members, but in many cases, it’s because they are not familiar with the way these business meetings work or understand the relationships within a non-profit.   Or they are facing difficult people and politics are being played.  Regardless, you have to know the system in order to work within it.  With this new category called Delegate Duties, I would like to share what I have learned as someone who had no prior experience with non-profits and no real knowledge about governance.  I’m sure the fact that I’m still nowhere close to being an authority on these matters inspires confidence.  Yes, I’m being sarcastic.  But after hours and hours of poring through extremely boring jargon, procedures, and organizational charts, you too can be a non-authority, just like me!  Continue reading