March 9 2016

In Defense of Girl Scouts and Leaders and Rules

Opinions    4 Comments    , , , , , , , ,

Lately I’ve been doing my fair share of GSUSA bashing.  But if you hang around me long enough, you’ll know that I am a huge proponent of Scouting.  Sure, there are some things that I don’t like about the way things are going, but I still feel there’s value in it, and I’m hopeful that one day it’ll get back on track.  I sincerely do what I can to try to “right the ship” if you will.  Maybe not successfully, and I might even end up tipping the boat over, thereby dumping everyone out, but it is not my intention to do so.

It seems like Girl Scout bashing in the media has been the “in” thing for the past few years.  Some of it is self-inflicted, sure, but some of it is just jumping on the bandwagon in my opinion.

shout
YAR!

In this case, it’s the article from this past October by Rachel Zurer called “How The Girl Scouts Failed Me.”  It appears on the Backpacker website, which I’m assuming is an outdoor magazine or website.  I know you are in awe of my powers of deduction.  Samona posted this link on my Facebook wall back when it was first published and asked for my opinion.  I’m finally getting around to it.  Just a warning – I’m going to jump around the article, so quotes won’t necessarily be in order.  I also start off by raking the author over the coals, but in the end I soften up.  Consider this a strongly worded blog post.  As opposed to a strongly worded letter. Continue reading

March 4 2016

Thinking Day State Swaps

Ideas    No Comments    , , , , , , ,

California-Outline-and-Flag-300pxOur service unit held its annual Thinking Day event last month, and this year’s theme was States.  I opened up the fifty states to the Juniors and asked them to come up with their top three choices to turn in.  California was their number one, and it hadn’t been claimed by another troop. When we got down to business after the break, all five of them claimed they didn’t choose California.  I asked which one they picked, and they each named a different state.  Good thing I had taken a picture of their list that they had originally written on the whiteboard.  I showed them the picture but they still looked at me like they didn’t believe it.  I’m not sure what that was all about except maybe their brains rotted out over the break.  I had already submitted California as our choice, so we couldn’t have changed it at that point anyway.  Continue reading

February 26 2016

How to Win Friends and Influence People

National Governance, National Operations, Opinions    2 Comments    , , , , ,

Dale_Carnegie
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. “

To get right to the point, I seem to be continuously amazed, shocked and flabbergasted at how seemingly inept the National Board and GSUSA are when it comes to managing public relations with its volunteers.  It is as if they don’t realize that ticking off people that your job depends upon is probably not the best idea.  I really don’t get it.  I’d love to sit down with some of them and just pick their brain to see where on earth they are coming from.  But then I’d probably get escorted out by security, and who wants that?  No one except Da-nice, who said she would love to take a picture of that event and post it all over Facebook.

In case you don’t know what I’m babbling about, here’s the latest from GSUSA (via a newsletter from the Historic Georgia council):  Continue reading

February 24 2016

Random Patch of the Week or Something

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    1 Comment    , ,

I lost track of what number this is.  The third or fourth installment or something.  Anyway, I was looking for some Healthy Living patches and came across this one:

hunger simulation

What?  I first thought maybe it was related to the Hunger Games, but after looking closer, there’s a box of food, so obviously it has to do with the homeless or those in need.  Please note – I am NOT making fun of the less fortunate.  I seriously want to know how you “simulate” hunger.  Make the girls not eat for two days?  Congrats, here’s a fasting patch!  I just think of flights when I hear the word simulation.  Remember that Microsoft flight simulator game?  It always locked up on me, so I never really got to play with it.  Oh well.  Here’s 37 minutes of flight simulators.  SQUIRREL!

So really, if you know what this patch is all about, let me know in the comment section.

February 20 2016

Jenny Stories!

Reminiscing    2 Comments    , , , , , ,

Well, there has been way too much serious talk on this blog lately, so I am going to change gears and go back into memory mode.

troop 20If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ll have heard me talk about Jenny, a fellow Troop 20 member.  Jenny was in the troop from the beginning to end, so we went through many adventures together.  Jenny was also one of our cookie ringers along with Caroline that allowed us to win TOP SELLING TROOP of the Northeast Georgia Council 5 years in a row!  IN YOUR FACE!

Before I begin, I asked Jenny if it was OK to post this, because I didn’t want to embarrass her.  Jenny – if you are reading this and change your mind, just let me know and I’ll give it some thought whether I pull this post or not.  Just kidding.  I will.  If you pay me enough money.  😉  These stories may also be one of those times where it’s funnier to tell it in person,  or it’s one of those “you had to be there” kind of situations.  Oh well.  Everybody’s always laughed when I’ve told them.  Oops, sorry Jenny.  I didn’t use your last name though, I promise! 🙂 Continue reading

February 15 2016

Full of Sound and Fury

National Governance, Opinions    6 Comments    , , , , , , ,

It seems the white paper that Suellen Nelles, CEO of the Farthest North Girl Scout Council, wrote back in the fall is making the rounds again.  [sarcasm]I’m sure she’s thrilled about the attention.[/sarcasm]  There’s a lot of anger and frustration out there in Leader Land, and coupled with cookie season (which makes everybody’s heads explode), it makes for a very bitter brew.  Double, double, toil and trouble.

mo money
Raising membership fees?

I read and post on the Facebook Page GSUSA, Are You Listening? from time to time when the mood strikes.  The most recent topic that has everybody up in arms is talk that membership fees are increasing.  Let me preface by stating that I am in no way making fun or mocking anybody nor am I saying that this frustration shouldn’t be vented.  I realize that many people’s hands are tied.  That said, I’ve found some of this anger toward GSUSA misplaced.  In this case, according to one commenter, national delegates voted to turn the decision to raise membership dues over to GSUSA in 2008.  (see addendum at the end) Continue reading

February 12 2016

Athens’ First Girl Scout Troop

Traditional Stuff    No Comments    , , , ,

Via the GS Catalogs collection.
Via the GS Catalogs collection.

If you know me very well, it’ll be of no surprise that I’m very much a history buff when it comes to Girl Scouts and the University of Georgia and my beloved Georgia Bulldogs.  One evening last year, I was putzing around on the Athens Historic Newspapers Archive which is part of the Digital Library of Georgia collection.  I was researching something about the UGA Redcoat Band and on a whim did a search for Girl Scouts to see what popped up.  Well check this out!  It’s a recording of the first organized Girl Scout troop in Athens!  This is from the April 22nd, 1928 edition of The Banner-Herald:
 Continue reading

February 8 2016

Cookie Reboot

Opinions    4 Comments    , , , ,

cookiesWe just finished cookie pre-orders in my council, and I heard through the grapevine that we were 12% under sales from this time last year.  I’ve read on other GS groups that other leaders are reporting that sales are down as well.

I’m not surprised.  Some people think Girl Scouts cookies have taken a hit lately with the articles floating around on the internet – because you know if you read it on the internet, it must be true, right?  Don’t try to do your own research or verify what you’ve just read or anything.  That might take effort.  Continue reading