Girl Scout Week

WOW! We are celebrating 93 years of helping girls grow strong! Let’s do our part during the week-long celebration to honor the March 12th birthday of Girl Scouts. This year, the celebration kicks off on March 6, which is Girl Scout Sunday, and ends on March 12, Girl Scout Sabbath.

Here are some ways to celebrate the power of girls together during Girl Scout Week:

• Wear your Girl Scout pins, uniform or sash

• Participate in the council-wide service project, "Lead to Read"

• Make arrangements for your troop to raise and lower the flag at their school that week

• Have them make a bulletin board display at your school, library or meeting location

• Let the girls participate in a poster contest and hang them on display after the judging (the theme could be "What Girl Scouting Means to Me")

• Send your troop’s sponsor a thank you

• Do a Girl Scout program for your school

• Spend time with other troops

• Have an essay contest with the girls in your troop or service unit. The topic could be "What Girl Scouting is and What it Means to Me"

• Attend church as a troop on Girl Scout Sabbath or Sunday

World Thinking Day     (return to top)

When you became a member of Girl Scouts, you not only joined a national organization, but also an international organization. The national organizational is Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA); the international organization is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS.) There are girls who are members of WAGGGS in 144 countries around the world. We share many values, beliefs and celebrations in common with our "sisters". Two specific ones are the Girl Scout Promise and Law (although the wording, because of translation and culture, may differ slightly) and World Thinking Day.

World Thinking Day is a special WAGGGS day we celebrate on February 22. It is the day we promote international friendship and understanding, and think about our sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world. This date was chosen because it was the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts and his wife, Lady Baden-Powell, the World-Chief-Guide of WAGGGS from 1930 to her death in 1977.

This year WAGGGS has chosen FOOD as a theme for World Think Day. It’s time to have your girls plan their own World Thinking Day. With such a broad theme, girls could choose to go in many different directions; personal, community, national or international. They might choose to keep a personal focus on their own health and nutrition, explore diverse cultures through experiencing recipes from various parts of the world and hosting a tea tasting. Moving out into the community they may choose to address the needs of the hungry in our own community by collecting food for a food bank or serving at a soup kitchen. On a broader theme, girls might learn about what foods are produced in various parts for the world or learn about world hunger and malnutrition.

And don’t forget, the Council Shop has special World Thinking Day patches.

Juliette Low World Friendship Fund     (return to top)

One way girls might celebrate World Thinking Day is to make a donation to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. This fund is used to promote international understanding on a national level. Girls might make a donation from their troop treasury, donate their troop dues for one meeting or collect contributions from the girls.

Donations to this fund support:

• International travel opportunities for girls under the STUDIO 2B destinations programs

• The four World Centers operated by WAGGGS

• Financial aid to Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting organizations

• Juliette Low Seminars

For more information, investigate The 4 World Centers and Trefoil Around the World in our resource library and Council Shop, or visit: www.girlscouts.org and www.wagggsworld.org.

2005 Resident Camp     (return to top)

Are some of your girls already dreaming about going to another fun filled resident camp session/experience at Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani next summer? We are eagerly putting plans in place for a fun-filled 2005 Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani resident camp. The 2005 summer resident camp brochure with all the exciting details will be mailed to registered Girls Scouts in February. And to help you get an early start on your summer plans, Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani camp session dates will be posted on the council Web site in January.
Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South is committed to providing challenging program opportunities for girls in an outdoor setting. These experiences will provide girls with the opportunity to learn, grow, play, build self-esteem, become more self-reliant and display concern for others and the environment.

At Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani, girls participate in camptivities like horseback riding, archery, orienteering, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, swimming, drama, and art, just to name a few. Girls can come to resident camp for a few nights or up to two weeks during the summer. Camp is a great place to enrich lives and build tomorrow.

For more information or to find out about informational sessions in your service unit, please contact Sandy "Shamira" Kohne at the Girl Scout Service Center.

Resource Library     (return to top)

The Resource Library, located inside the Council Shop, is open to all leaders and volunteers to get ideas for programs, equipment for troop activities and other Girl Scout information.
The Resource Library is open during regular Girl Scout Service Center and Council Shop hours.

The Resource Library has:

• books that can be checked out for three weeks cover a wide range of topics including Girl Scout activities, careers, sports, science, nature, history, craft and the outdoors.

• program ideas

• ceremony ideas and equipment

• flags to borrow for a special ceremony

• activity boxes

The Resource Area in the Girl Scout Service Center lobby has:

• self service kiosks with forms to carry out troop business

• photocopier

• And so much more!

Troop Camping     (return to top)

Have you considered spending a brisk weekend enjoying the outdoors or just relaxing and doing troop planning or indoor activities at one of our winterized lodges? Girl Scout camps Annemeekee, Fisherville, Kiwani and Yataka, the Girl Scout Program/Training Center are great destinations for your troop/group to spend quality time together.

Our properties may be reserved up to four months before the intended trip. Fees for each site are listed on the Site Reservation Request form. For more information or to reserve a site, contact the Girl Scout Service Center. A site is not reserved until the site fee has been paid.

We now have property hosts who will greet you. Just check the appropriate box on the Site Reservation Request form if you would like to take advantage of this service.

While your troop/group is at camp, how about doing a service project for our sites? We have several projects that troop/groups could do. If your troop is interested in a service project while camping, please contact Mary McHugh at the Girl Scout Service Center.

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