VTK: Yea or Nay?

It is my opinion, absolutely unconfirmed by GSUSA or anyone with any inside information, that we have seen the last Girl Scout Handbooks.  GSUSA started its move to digital with a few badges and Try-Its in the old prgram, and pretty much went in head-first a couple of years ago with Volunteer Tool Kit, which is their online leaders' manual.  GSUSA has made several improvments to the system based on member feedback, though honestly I don't know what those improvements are.

Daisy Cybersecurity Badges

GSUSA came out with three cybersecurity badges for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors in the fall of 2018,  While most Girl Scout Badges are available in hard copy or pdf brochures that give five (three for Daisies) requirements and three suggested activities (pick one) for reach requirement, these badges have five (or three) requirements shown on the Badge Explorer, and suggested activities on VTK, the pdf for sale DOES NOT include three suggested activities per requirement.  Rather, it is a colorful magazine-type source of information on cybersecurity for that age level.

Like other VTK plans, these contain word-for-word scripts for leaders and can be hard for some people to follow.  The VTK plans are "unplugged"; they can be done without computer access, and the idea is to teach principals, not techniques.  The talking points from the scripts are where the connections between the activities and cybesecurity are made.

Let's take a look at  the Daisy cybersecurity  badges and how GSUSA recommends earning them:

Girl Scout Way, Making Friends and Friendly and Helpful

This week our Brownies finished Girl Scout Way and continued work on Making Friends.  Our Daisies earned their "Friendly and Helpful" petal.

Honest and Fair and Copyright Law

As Girl Scouts we promise to be "honest and fair" and to "respect...others", and yet many of us are quick to put things on a copy machine or scanner and share them with others, probably believing they are being "friendly and helpful" or "using resources wisely".  What does the law say about sharing?  For the record, I am not a lawyer and I don't give legal advice.  However I have researched this issue and suggest that if you wonder if what you are considering is legal, you do the same.

Girl Scout Way and Sister to Every Girl Scout

My plans for this meeting changed the weekend before the meeting.  I had planned to continue work on Girl Scout Way, and start Making Friends for Brownies.  For Daisies I had planned to do the "Friendly and Helpful" petal.  However, over the weekend a troop of Girl Scouts in Wisconsin was doing a roadside cleanup when they were hit by a drunk driver.  Three girls and a leader were killed.  I decided to change the petal to "Be a sister to every Girl Scout".

As the girls came in I had cards for them to color--From the Bayou State to the Badger State  Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of sorrow.

My Favorite Girl Scout Memory

As someone who has been a leader on and off for fifteen years, I have a lot of good Girl Scout memories.  One in particular stands out.

Investiture, Rededication, Bridging and Juliette Gordon Low

My troops have always taken in new girls every year, and of course, we lose some too.  For that reason, I have never liked to have bridging ceremonies at the end of the year.  I just don't see any reason to buy all that stuff if girls aren't coming back.  Also, my worst attendance during the year is in the last month; it just doesn't seem like the best time for a big ceremony.

Girl Scout Way, The Promise Center and Three Cheers

Our first October meeting was kind of disjointed.  We started with the Daisies doing a coloring sheet and the Brownies working on a badge selection sheet.  Unfortunately, the Brownies didn't get far before our opening circle, during which we talked about the Girl Scout Promise.  I explained that the number one most important thing is serving God and that's what we remember when we hold up our number 1 finger.  Next is serving our country (two fingers) and other people (three fingers) and what ties it all together is the Girl Scout Law (thumb and pinkie).

We learned to sing the Girl Scout Law with hand motions.

Think LIke a Citizen Scientist

One of the new Girl Scout Journeys put out in 2018 was Think Like a Citizen Scientist. The plans are on the Volunteer Toolkit. These plans include word-by-word scripts for most meetings and many leaders find them difficult to review due to the length. Therefore, I have read them and compiled a summary. I hope you find it helpful

Update:  One thing I recommend is that you go to the GSUSA store and download their free (as of this writing) packet on this Journey. Of all the things I've seen from GSUSA, this does the best job of explaining and leading you to a TAP. 

Three Cheers for Pets?

This year I have a combined Daisy/Brownie troop.  Most of my Brownies were with me last year and are first year Brownies, but one came from another troop and had, of course, earned several badges.  Therefore, I am trying to not repeat those badges, particularly at a meeting, though I will repeat some of them via outings.

I have one Daisy who was with me last year, and she didn't join until after cookies in the spring.  She earned one or two petals last year but that was it.  My Daisy schedule, therefore, is wide open.

I looked at the requirements for the Daisy 3 Cheers for Animals Journey and the Brownie Pets badge and decided they would work well together.

Take Action?

According to something I read that was put out by GSUSA, Take Action Projects are what Girl Scouts do.  Unfortunately, this seems to be one area where there is a huge disconnect between what the national organization is pushing and what leaders in the trenches are doing.

What is a Take Action Project?

In order to do a "Take Action Project" you first have to know what one is.  According to GSUSA, in a Take Action Project, girls team up to:

• Identify a problem they want to do something about

• Come up with a creative and sustainable solution

• Develop a team plan

• Put the plan into action

• Talk about what they learned — and what they can’t wait to do next!

Part of the idea of a Take Action Project is to provide a necessary service; the other goal is to develop leadership in the girls. 

Think Like a Programmer

Like the other "Thnk Like A..." Journeys, the plans for Think Like a Programmer are on GSUSA's Volunteer Toolkit, which many leaders find overly wordy and difficult to follow.  Therefore, I reviewed the Daisy, Brownie, Junior and Multi-level plans and have prepared this summary.  The references to page numbers come from the plans posted by Girl Scouts Farthest North.

Purpose: Solve Big Problems Step By Step:

On this Journey, Girl Scouts will do hands-on activities to learn how computer programmers think through problems. They’ll learn to follow and create algorithms, break big problems down into smaller ones, and persist when faced with challenges. 

Vocabulary:

Think Like an Engineer

Last year, GSUSA came out with three new "Think Like A...." Journeys.  The plans for them can be accessed on VTK or at the website of Girl Scouts Farthest North.  Unfortunately, those plans are long and repetitive and many leaders find them difficult to use.  

I reviewed the plans and prepared my own summary.  I hope you find it useful.

Vocabulary:

Brainstorming: is what happens when you and your troop get together to come up with ideas

Conflict:  is when people argue or don’t agree about something

Engineers are people who like to know how things work. They design and build things people use every day like computers, phones, roads, bridges and cars

Prototype is a sample when you want to show someone your idea.  It could be a drawing or something  you made to show what your idea looks like

The Purpose of the Journey is to learn to Think Like an Engineer and to use those skills to conceive, plan and carry out a Take Action Project. Girls carry out activities to learn engineering skills and spend some time at every meeting on the Take Action Project. Girls will learn to brainstorm to solve a problem, design prototypes, test them to see what does and doesn’t work, then improve their designs. 

What Is a Girl Scout Journey?

One thing that has changed since I was a girl is that Girl Scouts now have Journeys.

What is a Journey?

Journeys are Girl Scouts' service learning component, or leadership awards.  The original Journeys came out about nine years ago, when the current program started.  Rather than being a skill or activity-based award like badges, Journeys were supposed to teach girls to "discover" something about the world, to "connect" with resources and organizations in their community and to "take action"--to do something to make the world a better place.  

The publicity that came out when the Journeys did touted them as a whole new way to "do" Girl Scouts.  The number of badges was cut and the reasoning was that girls would be spending their time on these Journeys. Leaders' guides came with six to twelve lesson plans per Journey and spoke about badges, cookies and camping as being "side-trips".  Clearly GSUSA planned that girls would spend a good part of the GS year working on Journeys, and, for older girls, on the higher awards--the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.  

The original Journeys have never been enthusiastically embraced by the membership.  Leaders who use the provided plans usually have unhappy girls.  GSUSA and the councils that train leaders have jumped onto the "adapt them" bandwagon.  Make the Journeys your own; just meet these very basic requirements.  

What Is the Purpose of a Journey?

GSUSA wants Girl Scouts to "Discover" problems in their community; "Connect with resources or organizations in their community and "Take Action" to create lasting solutions to problems.  These "Take Action" projects are different from service projects in that service projects are designed to meet an immediate need, but do not address the root cause of the problem.  Take Action projects are supposed to address that root cause either by the design of the project or some educational component.  Journeys are supposed to teach girls how to do Take Action Projects so that they will be prepared for the Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Take Action Project or Community Service?

In designing a Take Action Project, Girl Scouts are supposed to ask "Why" the problem exists, and to address that reason.  For example, if girls notice that kids are getting hurt on the playground, they could donate bandaids to the school nurse (community service) but that does nothing to address the root cause.  Maybe the are getting hurt because there isn't enough mulch, so they get mulch donated and spread it.  If the girls are concerned about global warming and notice that parents are sitting in the car line for five minutes with the engines running, they might make signs encouraging them to turn off the engines.  PIcking up litter in the park is community service; realizing that the reason the litter is there is because there are no trash cans and having one installed is a Take Action Project.

I'm Back in Brownies

Every now and then I'd poke around my Blogger account and find this blog.  It has been dormant for years because it has been years since I was a Brownie leader.  But...I'm back. This year I have a mixed troop of Daisies and Brownies so, I'll write about my Brownies here.