Girl Scouting Works

In celebration of 100 years of Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) conducted a large-scale study to evaluate the impact of Girl Scouting. GSRI found that one in every two adult women has at some point been a member of Girl Scouts, and the average length of time spent in Girl Scouts is four years. Currently, there are 59 million Girl Scout alumnae.

The study further found that Girl Scout alumnae display positive life outcomes to a greater degree than non-alumnae on several indicators of success, including:

• Sense of self
• Volunteerism and community work
• Civic engagement
• Education
• Income/socioeconomic status

 

These differences are more prominent for women who were in Girl Scouts a longer period of time. Alumnae with more than three years’ experience in Girl Scouts fare better than shorter-term-alumnae with regard to:

• Sense of Self         
• Civic engagement
• Education
• Income / socioeconomic status
• Satisfaction with life
• Success
• Leadership
• Relationship satisfaction

In addition, Girl Scout alumnae rate their experiences highly. Alumnae consider Girl Scouting to have been positive and rewarding. The positive effects of Girl Scouting seem to be particularly pronounced for those women who stayed Girl Scouts longer. 

Alumnae Rating of Their Girl Scout Experience

Girl Scouting works and works very well! So consider: JOINING, DONATING or VOLUNTEERING with the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida!

Girl Scouting Works: The Alumnae Impact Study (Full Report)

Gold and Silver Award Ceremony

The Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, Inc. presented 39 local Girl Scouts with the highest girl-earned achievement in Girl Scouting – the Gold Award. The award ceremony took place on Sunday, May 6th at Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens. One hundred Girl Scouts were also recognized for earning the second highest honor in Girl Scouting – the Silver Award.

The Gold Award recognizes a girl’s personal journey through leadership skills, career exploration, self-improvement, and service. Prior to beginning a Gold Award project, a girl must have completed two Girl Scout journeys or have earned the Silver Award and completed one journey. After fulfilling the requirements, girls must identify an issue, investigate it thoroughly, build a team, create a plan, present this plan, gather feedback, take action, and lastly educate and inspire others. These requirements enable girls to develop skills, practice leadership, explore career possibilities, and discover their self-potential.


2012 Gold Award Recipients

Brittany Anderson, Valerie Arguelles, Teagan Beasley, Rebecca Bogert, Zoe Cosner, Megan DeSautel, Angela Diaz, Christine Ellenberg, Melissa Ellenburg, Victoria Fiedler, Katherine Fry, Haylee Glasel, Jenna Glick, Kimberly Gooden, Christina Guzman, Kearris Haughton, Jade Hayes, Tiffany Hernandez, Rasheba Jones, Caitlin Kaloostian, Savannah Koval, Amanda Kupke, Shannon Larson, Kira Levin, Nicole Matamala, Jah’Senya Mackenzie, Karina Montenegro, Danielle Neibar, Rachel Peacock, Stephanie Pinon, Allison Richards, Miracle Rogers, Brittany Schiffar, Rebecca Stantic, Lauren Teller, Jessica Warden, Caroline Warrell


2012 Silver Award Recipients

Sarah Abella, Christy Abraham, Natalia Alonso, Karina Alvarez, Victoria Arguelles, Megan Beauregard, Sarah Benjamin, Gabrielle Bogert, Monica Bolanos, Kala Brown, MaryJean Budebo, Briana Burke, Kayla Buttafuoco, Hailey Cannon, Andrea Cano, Sophia Carrillo, Kristiana Chinyere, Bryanna Cisneros, Alexandra Colon, Isabella Cooper, Alexandra Curbelo, Amanda Del Valle, Daniela Delphus, Gabriela Diaz, Andrea Diaz-Ariza, Juliette Dubon, Ashley Fernandez, Elizabeth Fernandez, Katherine Fernandez, Catherine Finn, Casey Frankenfield, Alexia Gallian, Lauren Garcia, Arianna Gay, Elena Gehrke, Brianna Georges-Pierre, Emily Gibson, Erika Gomez, Elana Grenet, Elisha Grob, Emily Groff, Kirstin Guidi, Erica Hernandez, Olivia Herrera, Abigail Herring, Grace Hill, Vanessa Iglesias, Lauren Koeppel, Lila Kreis, Bianca Larsh, Brooke Lehman, Rachel Leong, Kristen Leong, Raina Levin, Cassidy Little, Maya Lora, Alexandria Macajoux, Jacqueline Mantilla, Christina Miranda, Yesenia Montenotte, Lidiana Montes, Tatiana Morales, Faith Morgan, Ma'Kia Moulton, Cheyenne Mueller, Lauren Mullis, Jessica Navarrette, Bryanna Newberry, Kenya Niblack, Isabella Otruba, Katarina Otruba, Melina Paan, Melissa Perez, Natalie Perez, Nicole Perez, Andrea Peterson, Mariah Poag, Brianna Prindle, Gabriela Ramesar, Elisa Ramirez, Adriana Ramirez, Alizee Richards, Christina Richards, Alexis Rodriguez, Kelsy Ruano, Hannah Sanchez, Kaitlin Schwartz, Danielle Schwartz, Brianna Schwartz, Gena Sims, Camila Solis, Marisela Solis, Kelsey Someillan, Valeria Sonderegger, Julia Tesmond, Amari Thompson, Stefani Tolchin, Yazmeen Torres

Congratulations to all awardees!!!

For more pictures, check out our Facebook album. 

Girl Scout Greats

The Girl Scout Blog posted volunteer profiles of six Girl Scout Greats, including one from our very own Council.

Christine Benero, a tireless humanitarian, is a Girl Scout alumna and volunteer for the Girl Scouts of Colorado. “As President and CEO of the first United Way in the country, I am inspired by an organization’s ability to motivate its members to uplift their community," she states. "Girl Scouts has taught me to give back to my community and inspired me to make the world a better place.”

Cristina Moreno, an outside-the-box thinker and doer, is a Girl Scout alumna and volunteer for the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida. “As an architecture major at the University of Florida, I know how important it is for today’s young women to have STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills and knowledge in a male-dominated field," states Moreno. "Girl Scouts allowed me to pursue my passion for architecture. Today, I am taking action and giving back to my community by working with Habitat for Humanity.”

Francis Ortiz, a world-class traveler, is a Girl Scout volunteer for the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada. “I have traveled with Girl Scouts to such far-flung locales as the Sangam World Center in Pune, India, and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador," she says. "As a volunteer coordinator for the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Award winners, I have accompanied girls on unique trips. I am expanding girls’ horizons by traveling with them beyond what they thought was possible.”

Gayle Sierens, a play-by-play pioneer, is a Girl Scout volunteer for the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. “As the first woman to do play by play for a regular season NFL game, I was hopefully able to prove that football isn’t just a men’s game," states Sierens. "Girls Scouts gave me the confidence to follow my passion for sports and make a mark in the history books. Girl Scouts encourages girls to follow their dreams and believes there is nothing they can’t accomplish.”

Mary Lynn Myers, who invests in girls' futures, is a Girl Scout volunteer for the Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons. “I’ve been a longtime banking executive and served as a White House fellow, but it was as a Girl Scout that I learned about financial literacy through the Cookie Program," she says. "The Girl Scout Cookie Program gives young women the tools they need to be successful business leaders.”

Yvette McGee Brown, a fearless defender of families and children, is a Girl Scout volunteer Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland. “I’ve dealt with children’s justice issues throughout my legal career. Girl Scouts helps girls discover their confidence and develop into young women capable of making their own decisions," she states. "As the first African-American woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of Ohio, I use the advice I received as a Girl Scout to help others make the right decisions for themselves.”

GSUSA CEO Anna Maria Chávez's Visit to Miami

The Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida was honored to have Girl Scouts of the USA’s Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chávez visit Miami in honor of Girl Scouts’ 100^th Anniversary. 

Chávez began her Miami visit by attending the 9^th Annual Girls’ Night Out on Fisher Island on Tuesday, April 3, 2012.

The next morning, Chávez honored Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida’s supporters by holding a Stewardship Breakfast sponsored by Baptist Health South Florida. During this breakfast, the Mayor of Miami, Tomás Regalado and the Mayor of Coral Gables, Jim Cason both made proclamations honoring Girl Scouts’ Centennial.

Chávez concluded her visit by having lunch with Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida’s staff, volunteers, and girls at Girl Scout Camp Mahachee.

Thanks to Anna Maria Chávez for joining our Council in a week full of memorable events!

Dove Self-Esteem Day this Saturday, October 22nd from 10am - 1pm at Camp Choee, in association with the National Dove Self-Esteem Weekend, will encourage all women and girls to develop a positive relationship with beauty to help raise their self-esteem, and thereby enabling them to realize their full potential. Girl Scouts are encouraged to bring a non-Girl Scout friend for FREE activities such as:

• Body Beautiful!
• Moves & Groves
• The Mind Makeover
• Girl Talk
• Sugar Body Scrubs
• Culture Catwalk, and many more!

Join us this Saturday, October 22nd from 10am - 1pm 

at Camp Choee, 11347 SW 160th ST, Miami, 33157. 

It's a FREE event!

The first 600 Girl Scouts to register themselves and a friend will receive a free Journey book to share and the non-Girl Scout friend will receive her first year of Girl Scout membership for free! 

To register, please contact Lois Auerbach at lauerbach@girlscoutsfl.org or 305-253-4841 ext 252.

Girl Summit Addresses Girls' Body Image

AMONTOYA@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Girls should ignore popular images of feminine beauty and create their own idea for what women should consider beautiful, speakers at a Girl Scout summit said Saturday.

“Girl Summit Live Healthy/Lead Healthy,” hosted by the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida, covered a range of topics, including the role of social media, movies and reality TV on society’s perceptions of beauty, sexualization of women in the media, and lifestyles and role models that promote emotional well being.

“Each day, girls are bombarded with media images that endorse negative messages that affect girls’ self esteem,” said Irela Bague, chairwoman of the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida. “Girl Scouts seek to expand girls’ positive media images.”

Nearly 300 people attended the summit, held on Jungle Island in Miami, among them Florida Girl Scouts and their parents, community members and representatives from each of the seven Girl Scout Councils of Florida.

Donna Shalala, president of the University of Miami, and 2008 Miss America Kirsten Haglund were the featured speakers at the event. A panel of 11 women experts held the discussion.

“I want you to take pride in yourself and believe in yourself. Make yourself strong inside because that will make a big difference in your life,” Shalala told the audience of scouts and moms.

Shalala has more than 30 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator. She served eight years as the U.S. secretary of health and human services, as well and three years in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

She told the girls in the audience to ignore negative TV images and instead try to develop a healthy and realistic perception of beauty.

According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, 90 percent of girls say the fashion industry and the media place a lot of pressure on them to be thin, and 46 percent of girls report significant distress about their body size and shape.

“The media that girls are consuming contain strong messages that girls’ worth is tied to their appearance,” said Yvonne McCormack-Lyons, one of the panelists at the event and president of the Women’s International Film and Arts Festival, which develops arts and film programs that empower women and girls.

Haglund closed the presentation with a speech about her personal struggle with an eating disorder. Having lived seven years with anorexia, she nearly died in the pursuit of thinness.

“I want to tell you right now that your body is not something you can mistreat because we only get one,” she said. “I can tell you from experience that being super thin only leads to unhappiness, malnutrition and eventually death.”

Today, Haglund is an advocate for increased awareness of eating disorders as a public health priority. She has served as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network, and has lobbied for the Eating Disorders Coalition. Two years ago, she launched the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, whose mission is to provide treatment scholarships that assist families and individuals battling eating disorders.

“I want us to all leave here today with a power within ourselves to change the way that we let those images affect us. You can choose the standard of beauty that you want to have be culturally accepted,” Haglund said.

Rebecca Corbishley, 15, said the presentation will help her be a more effective Girl Scout leader. She has been a Girl Scout for about seven years.

“I’ve always known that the media obviously affects people, but when you see statistics and hear more about it from people working to stop it, I think it makes us more aware of the effects, and it definitely empowers us.”

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/15/2455678/meeting-addresses-girls-body-image.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz1b2ivrhGX