Volunteer Connections by Girl Scouts of Nassau County

Why Girl Scouts? Why not sports or music or dance or a nice nap on the couch after school? The reason is simple. Girl Scouts is the only place that you can do some very cool things. (And, for those girls and families who wish to do more, being a Girl Scout still allows time for sports, music, religious school, play dates and naps!) In Girl Scouting you have common values, found in the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Lots of organizations have value systems, but ours is inclusive of any girl who wants to join regardless of her talent, skills, ability to pay or her own faith or cultural heritage. Girls Scouts have the Girl Scout Leadership Experience where they Discover, Connect and Take Action. Our Journey curriculums allow girls to forge their paths through relationships, our environment and storytelling. Badges and awards teach girls practical skills and allow them to reach high and try things that they have not tried before. The Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards demonstrate a girl's s...

When it comes to bullying - power, authority, and leadership are very different.  In response to the now viral video of bus monitor Karen Klein being tormented by students on the bus, many have criticized the students for having no respect for authority.  They did however, have too much respect for power. There is one student who leads the torments in the video.  He calls her names, threatens her, makes inappropriate physical contact, and revels in the adoration each cruel act receives from his peers.  The other students join in, attempting to share some of his power.  Throughout the video, we hope for Ms. Klein to take back her power.  We want her to stop the bus or call for assistance, but she never does.  As the adult, she is the natural authority figure in this situation.  However, like many other targets of bullying, she appears powerless.  This is one of the biggest tolls of bullying, that it strips targets and bystanders of t...

One Girl Scout year is winding down, as another is about to begin in full force. While Association Award Events ended their course as of June 25, Day Camp is   just beginning, and the first Residence Campers at Blue Bay will arrive next week! At the Girl Scout Service Center staff are preparing for short-term summer programs for girls that will be delivered at various locations. Some Troop and groups will continue to meet over the summer, and the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Chorus -- on the heels of their successful performances in June in Washington, DC and Niagara Falls -- has July gigs on Fox and Friends, a national TV morning show, on Independence Day and with the NY Mets at Citifield on July 7 . We bid a fond and happy retirement to Pat Amoroso after 15 years of staff service. We welcome summer interns and we are already planning for a new staffing delivery system that will be ready to roll in September, in conjunction with our heightened focus on our Str...

When you think of female movie characters, which is the first one that comes to mind?  Is she a leader?  Is she over the age of 40 and does she have a minority skin color?  If your answer to any of these questions is “No,” it’s not surprising.  According to a recent study from San Diego State University, it is very uncommon to see a female movie character who exhibits these characteristics. Through the ToGetHerThere Cause, Girl Scouts USA is encouraging today’s girls to become tomorrow’s leaders.  Click here to see how Girl Scouts is encouraging girls to close the pay gap, enter STEM careers, and much more.  Here are some highlights of the findings from the San Diego State University study.  For the full study, go to http://www.wif.org/images/repository/pdf/other/2011-its-a-mans-world-exec-summ.pdf. Leadership/Occupation Only 11% of all clearly identifiable protagonists are female, 78% are male, and 11% are male/female ensembles. Male characters ...

For thousands of years, gold has been pressed into coins, crafted into jewelry, and molded into art by far-flung cultures around the globe - the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Incas come to mind, to name but a few.   Gold is rare and beautiful and does not rust. It signifies quality, excellence, and prosperity. It is also a metaphor for perfection and remains one of humanity’s most powerful symbols – whose myriad and indelible meanings have been forged over the ages. The Gold Award, the highest honor bestowed to girls by the Girl Scouts of USA, embodies many of these meanings – and is at the same time the faithful reflection of the perseverance and ingenuity of its recipients.  In fact, the path to the Girl Scout Gold Award is filled with exciting challenges that bring out the best in those special individuals plucky enough to take them on. Each Gold Award candidate must identify and research an issue affecting the community; she must then build a team and work to d...

James Langan Volunteers are what has made America great: They defend our freedom abroad; they provide disaster relief to cities and towns struck by earthquakes, tornados, floods, fires, and hurricanes; they feed the hungry, teach the illiterate to read, and help troubled minds to cope; they build houses for the poor and provide care for the elderly – and much more. Indispensable, each of these volunteers stands as an anonymous monument to the often abandoned truth that virtue is its own reward. Although it is impossible to count their selfless contributions, we can still say that the world would be vastly different – much colder, bleaker, and sadder – without them.  But they are here, and so we are blessed.          Faithful to this tradition, volunteers are also what make the Girl Scouts of Nassau County tick.  Be they Troop Leaders, Co-Leaders, Cookie Managers, Treasurers, Service Unit Members, Association Chairs, Registrars, and ...

Bully is a call to action. The question is, who exactly is being called to action? The documentary, which was released on March 30th, follows the stories of five teens who are bullied and their families. It has gained a lot of media attention because its initial R rating would have prevented many children from seeing the movie. According to Lee Hirsch, the director and a native of Rockville Center, this would have prevented those who need it most from seeing the movie. The MPAA eventually repealed its decision and made the film a PG-13 rating. The edited PG-13 version of the film will be released on April 13th. So the question is, should you take your children to see it? The movie is undeniably a must-see for parents, school staff, and anyone who interacts with children. As participants have learned through the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s Critical Issues Initiative, people often make the false assumption that bullying only hurts the target. By showing the viewpoints of targets, r...