Girl Scouts USA Conference
Denise King (Chief Executive) and Caroline Davis
(International Commissioner) are attending the 52nd Girl Scouts USA
(GSUSA) Convention in Texas. They will be sharing their experiences
over the coming days of this event for thousands of Girl Scout
Leaders from across the USA.
Day Four
Denise with Nadine El Achy, Chair of the World Board, and
Sapreet Saluja, Deputy Chair of the World Board
We started the day with a breakfast meeting with Nadine El
Achy, Chair of the WAGGGS World Board, and Mary McPhail, Chief
Executive Officer of WAGGGS, who have also been observers at the
GSUSA Convention.
We used this opportunity to update them on the current
priorities for Girlguiding UK and receive an update on their plans
for the 'Stop the
Violence' campaign which should gain more momentum over
2012.
In the final session of the Conference, Anna Maria Chavez, the
new GSUSA Chief Executive Officer, set out her thoughts on the
direction the organisation should be pursuing at the start of its
second Century. She spoke powerfully about her concerns for those
girls who are not members but who could benefit most from Girl
Scouting. She hopes to find ways to reach out to them saying that
it's not enough for 10% of girls in the USA to be Girl Scouts.
As we write this on the plane ride home we are full of ideas
from what we've seen and heard at the GSUSA Convention. We've
particularly enjoyed speaking to Leaders and girls about their
experiences of Girl Scouting and hope to find ways to use what
we've learnt to benefit Girlguiding UK. We may just need a bit of
time to get over the jet lag first...
Day Three
The Year of the Girl 2012 was launched today as the
focus for the Centenary of Girl Scouts USA.
Girl Scouting was founded in the USA in 1912 by Juliette Lowe
after she'd been inspired by a conversation with Lord Baden-Powell
(apparently the girls she involved in her vision asked to be called
Girl Scouts rather than Girl Guides). So while the sparkles and
rubber ducks are behind us in Girlguiding UK, for GSUSA the 100
year celebrations are still to come.
Tonight a big Centenary cake, a band and fireworks marked the
start of GSUSA's partying. But before that we heard from Kathy
Cloninger, outgoing Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA, reflecting on
her time leading the organisation and looking to the future. Kathy
has led important changes for GSUSA, in particular streamlining
structures by reducing the number of Councils (like our Countries
and Regions) from 312 to 112, updating the brand and revitalising
the programme with new materials for all sections that develop
girls' leadership skills.
Her message was that GSUSA is now united in its mission and, in
working towards that, has an important role to play in shifting the
gender balance in the leadership of the USA. Kathy's vision is that
more women hold positions of influence in business, politics, media
and other sectors thanks to more girls benefitting from the
experiences offered by Girl Scouting.
Day Two
Jocelyn and Abigail, a Daisy (Rainbow) and a Brownie, who we met
in the exhibition hall
Inspirational speakers took to the stage today, all
demonstrating the impact that GSUSA has made on the lives of
many.
Frances Hesselbein, former Chief Executive of GSUSA, talked
about her mantra that leadership is about who you are, not what you
do. Vernice 'FlyGirl' Armour, America's first female African
American fighter pilot, described how her experiences as a Girl
Scout helped her to set goals and 'stay ready', perfect preparation
for the career path she pursued. And ten young women offered their
insights into the projects they had completed to gain the Gold
Award, the highest award you can work towards as a Girl Scout.
Among their achievements was an initiative to encourage doctors
to clean their stethoscopes when they wash their hands to cut down
on hospital infections, another that involved partnering with a
prison to get inmates making blankets for the homeless, and one
that led a rural community to build a landing pad to speed up the
time taken for ambulance helicopters to get to patients. There were
standing ovations to recognise the difference that these women had
made.
The formal business of the Convention also got underway today.
The motion debated was to allow Councils (a bit like Girlguiding
UK's Countries and Regions) to charge an extra amount for the
services they provide on top of the annual subscription fee. It was
fascinating to hear the comments for and against from Leaders and
girls, as well as to watch the voting procedures in action. After
much discussion the motion was passed.
Day One
Denise King and Caroline Davis
'Houston we have a party' proclaim posters around the
massive convention centre that is hosting the 2011 gathering of
over 6,000 GSUSA members and their guests.
We feel lucky to have this very special opportunity to see some
of what makes the largest member organisation of WAGGGS (3.5
million strong) tick. They say everything's bigger in Houston and
we've certainly been impressed by the size of the welcome and much
else that we've seen today.
Exploring the exhibition centre there were hundreds of stalls
offering ideas, resources and services that support Girl Scouting,
including many devoted to adventure, environmental awareness,
crafts, international and - something we're less used to in the UK
- cookies! Girls sell these to fundraise and there seem to be many
different varieties, with shortbread and mint chocolate featuring
among those flavours we've managed to sample.
GSUSA's mission is to build girls of courage, character and
confidence. During tonight's opening ceremony girls danced, sang
and carried flags in front of the huge crowd with the most enormous
smiles on their faces. They were brimming with enthusiasm,
reminding us that offering girls new and exciting opportunities is
what Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting is all about.