The GSSA Weekly from Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama

June 23, 2016 

 


Welcome to GSSA Weekly, the council's e-newsletter. 
 
At right, the "Green Hill Juliettes" celebrate their Bridging and Rededication ceremony.  They each completed their Bronze Award as Juniors, and look forward to working on their Silver Awards.

Keep up the good work, Girl Scouts!

Want to see your Girl Scouts featured in GSSA Weekly?  
E-mail the photo with event information to communications@girlscoutssa.org.
  
See the Fun at Camp! Watch Our Facebook Page!

Camp is fun for everyone, even those of us at home!

Just follow us on Facebook to see what our Girl Scouts are doing at Camp Scoutshire Woods this week.

We are taking photos and video of the girls enjoying Camp Life.  (You'll even get to see the extremely enthusiastic "We are Table..." song).


To be sure to see all our posts, just click the "Like" button and check "See First" and "All On" -- that way you won't miss any of the fun!
Follow Us!

Check out what GSSA is up to on these social media sites:

     

 

Quick Links
Delta Kappa Gamma Patch

Delta Kappa Gamma, International Society for Women Educators, has collaborated on a patch program with the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. 

The patch program not only parallels the life of the society's founder, Annie Webb Blanton to Juliette Gordon Lowe, but also includes activities to expose Girl Scouts to a career in education. 

The local chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma would like to mentor troops who are interested in earning this patch.  More information may be found in the patch description document.

Information of this and other patches may be found on our website, on our Volunteers Resources page, as well as our GSSA Council Badges and Patches page.

Summer Scouts in Headland! 

Join us on the evenings of July 7th and 8th, and the afternoon of July 9th, for a FREE, 3-afternoon/evening STEM-based program for girls (Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts) and their parents.   

We will be doing fun STEM projects -- so fun, the girls may not even notice they are learning about science and engineering. 

Marshmallow catapults, anyone?




Sail Away Camp is our Last Resident Camp of Summer!


Visit our Summer Camp page, or download the 2016 Camp Guide for more information.  

The Value of Camp and Outdoor Skills for Girls

It is Week 2 of resident camp, and I am surrounded by giggles, learning lashing, watching swimming lessons, and the canoeing is about to begin.  Each year, I'm struck by the value of camp for girls.   We are emphasizing outdoor skills this year, so girls are learning to build fires, outdoor cooking, and other survival skills.   These skills will last a lifetime.
I'm always stunned and amazed at what they will try, given just a gentle nudge and watching kids do it.   This includes putting your face in the lake where you cannot see the bottom, working your way up on a stand up paddleboard, going down a zip line, or spending the night in a tent.   Although for us, some of these things seem like no big deal, facing your fears can be daunting at that age.   For some it is spiders, for others snakes (I'm still no real fan of snakes), and for others it is the dark of the night outside in a tent.   It is always amazing to see how they summon the courage to face down what scares them, confront it, and become a confident skilled leader.   It is good to never underestimate the power of confidence built at resident camp.
While others are spending their summer gaming, watching television, or texting, we have a large group of girls who have gone cold turkey from their electronics, and heard the bullfrogs and cricket frogs, cicadas, and birds instead.   They have hiked, learned about the outdoors, sung songs, and become tomorrow's leaders.
Continue reading on our Virtual Volunteer Blog. 

New Programs & Updates
 
Both Service Centers and the online shop will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Both Service Centers and the online shop will be closed on Wednesday, July 27 for staff picnic.
   
Upcoming Deadlines 

Event
Location
Date
Deadline
FA/CPR/AED Certification (Volunteers)  
 Montgomery
6/23
online study
Sail Away Camp (C S A)  
 Kamp Kiwanis
7/9-16
6/24
Summer Scouts (grades 2 - 6 and parents/guardians)  
Headland
7/7-9
7/1
 webinar
7/7
RSVP
Interesting in Becoming a Troop Leader? (Potential & Current Volunteers)  
 Mobile
7/7
online study
FA/CPR/AED Certification (Volunteers)  
 Montgomery
7/14
online study
FA/CPR/AED Certification (Volunteers)  
 Montgomery
7/28
online study
  
8/1
 
 
Other Opportunities
Because we want our girls to have many learning (and fun!) opportunities, we offer this additional calendar for programs that are not presented by our council. Some of these programs are presented by our volunteer Troops and Service Units, others are put on by groups in the communities we serve. Calendar listings do not imply endorsement by the council.  This calendar is available on our Events & Programs page 
Please contact the volunteer listed in the program for more information and program status.