January is National Mentoring Month but don’t do it just for this one month

January is National Mentoring Mont just don’t do it for the month of January, do it all year long. 

Let me tell you about my experiences in Girl Scouting….All my adult life I have volunteered to mentor young girls (even before I had children). I have volunteered most of my time with Girl Scouts, I have been a Brownie, Daisy, Junior and Cadette leader. WHY? I want to enhance the development of girls and provide a great way to expose them to the benefits and the importance of positive self-image, responsible personal conduct, respect for self and others, educational achievement and cultural enrichment. Girl Scouts provides a tool for me to become the voice for girls and to make a difference in my community and across the nation.

I want my girls to see a difference in the world (what’s moral, what’s ethical, VS what’s not, and remember what is always moral may not be ethical and what is ethical may not be moral).

I believe that Girl Power turns into Women Power. Girl Scouts has helped me become better at what I do. I feel with my education I can help encourage girls’ healthy living through combating Relational Aggression and promoting girl-positive media images; ensure girls feel emotionally and physically safe; promote girls’ involvement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); develop financial literacy skills; and give a voice to girls in under-served communities.

I have learned that Girl Scout strives to increase girls’ awareness about the world, promote cross-cultural learning opportunities, and educate girls on relevant global issues that inspire them to take action. Our goal is to promote a global voice for girls and foster responsible global citizens who make the world a better place.

Oh how I love the girl scouts

So for a couple of years I have taken off from leading a troop but my daughter’s have enjoyed it so this year I am going back to be a troop leader for both girls…yes on top of everything else I am doing. I think by Christmas I am going to need a vacation from the extra things I participate in. So I have read a story the St. Croix Valley area and I have taken out some of their info like last names, school info and troop number because I just don’t think kids should have their info out there like that and you can’t say you got it from me.

These two girls are doing something so great and are trying it into military families.  Kaitlyn and Kayla know what it’s like for military families and friends when their loved ones are deployed as Huntley and Glaraton have experienced this before, but what these Girl Scouts are doing for their Silver Award goes one step beyond simply “support our troops.”

The soon-to-be ninth graders,  have worked together over the summer to throw together a celebration of sorts for military families on Sept. 9 at Colby Lake Park in Woodbury. The teens from Girl Scout Troop, have spent the summer working hard planning their Silver Award project: Military Family Fun Day. The Girl Scouts Silver Award is similar to the Eagle Scout project in Boy Scouts. Participants have to log 50 hours of service, work and energy to create an event that helps the community and creates an effect on the community that will last.

So here how it works: the girls have had to get business donations, talking to people they didn’t know and managing the financial part of the project. The event features snacks, crafts, games and activities, kickball tournaments and other activities that ensure the event is fun for all ages. Family members and neighbors of the girls are volunteering to make the event a success. Prizes will go to winners of the various events and goodie bags will be given out at the end of the event.The girls’ goal for the event is to create a relaxing environment that fosters friendships among the military families that attend. Both of the teens are excited about the opportunity to meet other teens and kids who have been through what she did while her father was deployed.