New Badge Review: Democracy for Brownies

GSUSA recently released the new badges for 2020. They include Democracy badges for each level.  This is a review of the VTK plans for the Brownie version.

Requirements

According to Badge Explorer, Brownies find out how people in the government decide what rules are made and how they are followed.  

1. Find out about local government
2. Find out about state government
3. Find out about our country's legislative branch
4. Find out about our country's executive branch
5. Find out about our country's judicial branch

When girls earn this badge, they will know the three branches of government--and some of the things each branch is responsible for.

Find Out About Local Government

Just as for Juniors, VTK recommends visiting City Hall or a similar place, or having a guest speaker, or going to a city or town hall meeting.  

Find Out about State Government

GSUSA appears to be trying to make it easy for multi-level troops because visiting the state capitol is one recommended activity, just as it was for Juniors.  Another option is to review a provided sheet on the three branches of government and then to discuss your mayor and governor, and draw a picture of those jobs.  The final choice is to talk about how laws can be different in different states, including one in your state that is different than other states, and then the girls draw a picture of that law in action.  VTK says that if you can't find such a law, choose a different activity.  

Find Out About Our Country's Legislative Branch

The first option is to draw, paint or make a clay model of the US Capitol.  A picture is provided.  While the girls are working the leader goes over some talking points--Senate on one side, House on the other, this is where laws are made, etc.  The second choice is to discuss  your Senators and Representatives, what Congress does, and then to work as a group to write a letter to your Senator or Representative. The final choice is the visit the office of your Senator or Representative.  

Find Out About Our Country's Executive Branch

After briefly discussing that the President is the head of the Executive Branch, and the name of the current president, girls hold a campaign and election between two trivial things like cake vs pie or dog vs cat. The girls do campaign posters, speeches and then vote by secret ballot.  The second choice is to prepare interview questions for an older family member about which president has meant the most to them in their lifetime.  This is part of the VTK plan for the second meeting, but the plan says that the girls are to do the interview at home, but will be awarded the badge that day, just for preparing for the interview.  The third choice is to read two short picture books about presidents to the girls, making sure they are politically balanced, and then talk about the books, what the president does and what they would want to do if they were president. 

Find Out About Our Country's Judicial Branch

As with the Junior version, this section recommends talking to an attorney, judge, or social studies teacher about the judicial branch.  

My Comments:

On the one hand, I like the way the requirements are the same across different grade levels, which would help with multi-level troops.  On the other hand, as written, this plan requires one or two guest speakers and up to three field trips.  Trying to do it with the least leader effort would mean a guest speaker on local government, a discussion on the mayor and governor, the art project regarding the capitol, the campaign or book activity regarding the executive branch and then a guest speaker on the judicial.  I'm sure all the local social studies teachers, attorneys and judges  have nothing better to do than attend Girl Scout meetings and are wonderful at talking to second and third graders about the judicial system.  

While I see visiting City Hall as an appropriate activity for this age level, I don't think visiting the state capitol is, or visiting a Senator or Representative's office.  What do you think?