Have You Gone On The BroomeQuest Yet?

As reported on WBNG:

After a 2011 survey reported Binghamton was the most depressing city in the country, McGinnis Miller didn’t believe it.

“I just hope people realize Broom County is a great place to live,” said Miller.

The ninth-grader mixed her love of nature and Broome County by creating BroomeQuest – a family friendly scavenger hunt.

The quest tours hikers through the county trails while combining fitness with local history. The hope is to keep the county fit and informed.

Throughout the county, 25 small boxes are hidden on trails. Inside the box is a log book and a stamp.

Miller said each hidden stamp has an emblem that celebrates the county’s history.

“It’s great to be out in nature and you can also find the BroomeQuest that show something great about Broome County,” said Miller.

For example, one stamp has a carousel horse emblem, honoring the Carousel Capital of the World.

She earned the highest honor from the Girl Scouts of the USA for the project: The Gold Award.

Since November, more than 500 hikers have taken part in BroomeQuest totaling more than 1,000 miles traveled.

“It helps people’s health to be walking and it also helps the parks get used more,” said Miller.

As the weather starts to warm, Miller said she expects more hikers to take part in her quest.

Watch the complete report by clicking here.

Have you gone on BroomeQuest yet? Share your Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award projects with us!

Bridging Ceremonies

If you haven’t been part of a bridging ceremony yet, there’s a good chance you will be. They usually take place at the beginning or end of the Girl Scout year and are a way to celebrate your transition to the next level of Girl Scouting.

Some ceremonies include activities like candle lighting or walking over a symbolic prop bridge. Or girls can walk over an actual bridge in a park or scenic area. The ceremony might also involve completing activities and earning a Bridging award, pin, or patch, like this Bridge to Senior Girl Scout Award.

A bridging ceremony is also meaningful for graduating Girl Scouts as they “bridge” to becoming Adult Girl Scouts. However you celebrate your bridging ceremony, it should be fun and memorable for everyone involved. For more ideas about bridging ceremonies, click here.

What are you doing to make your girls bridging ceremonies special?

Girl Scouts Partners With Red Cross

The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and the American Red Cross announced this week a new partnership that provides Girl Scouts across the country access to Red Cross training at reduced rates under a nationally standardized agreement. This agreement allows for an easier, more streamlined process of signing up for preparedness courses to help save lives. Councils, who will have an appointed Red Cross representative to work with, can select either full service trainings (e.g. directly) from the Red Cross, or they can choose to have staff trained to work as authorized providers. Training options under the agreement included core trainings such as CPR and First Aid, as well as Water Safety and Rescue, Wilderness and Remote First Aid, Lifeguarding, Babysitting among others. The trainings are available to both adults and girls, as age appropriate. Girl Scouts love to help others to make the world a better place. This new partnership provides a national framework to help both adult and girl members better able to provide quality public service to their communities.

Three Things for Thursday

By Lisa Kaminski; Manager, Community Development

Here are three things you can do, over the summer, to get ready for the next Girl Scout year.

Renew your Girl Scout membership – Take time now to register online through eBiz and you’ll be all set for starting up with you your troop again in September. Plus service units receive an incentive for all girls registered online by August 1st. This incentive is often used to help fund service unit events and encampments.

Build your own starter kit – Start with the grade level essentials pre-pack which includes the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, the American Flag patch, membership pins and insignia tab. Add your vest/sash, journey books, council ID set, and troop numbers. And you’ll get a great new backpack type bag to go with it all!

Begin thinking about registering for fall adult learning opportunities – check out the council website at www.gsnypenn.org and you’ll find some of the opportunities for adults coming this fall. There will be new leader nights, simply successful overnights, simply successful camping and much more!

When fall arrives and the new Girl Scout year begins you’ll be well on your way to a great Girl Scout experience!

Racing toward fun!

By Lisa Kaminski; Manager, Community Development

The sport of racing. Did you know that NASCAR began allowing female drivers back in 1949? In a male dominated sport Sara Christian became the first woman to drive in a NASCAR race. From that point there were no other female drivers until 1976, when Janet Guthrie participated in the 1976 World 600 and finished 15th, ahead of Dale Earnhart. In 2013 Danica Patrick beacme the first woman to clinch a pole position in the Sprint Cup.

Having role models in the sport has helped to make it increasingly popular to girls and women.

Are girls in your troop interested in the sport of racing? Have you thought about participating in the Race of Champions at Watkins Glen International?

This program event is taking place June 28-30 at Watkins Glen Racetrack. It is open to girls of all ages and adults and promises plenty of entertainment for the entire family! There will be racing, a driver autograph session, camping, contests, and more. Girls will also have a chance to participate in a powder puff derby!

For more information on this program, and how to register, visit the Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways website at http://www.gsnypenn.org

Take Part in A Variety of Activities And Be Power Changers!

By: Kim Dunne, Media Manager

How would you like to be a power changer? Being a power changer means you learn a new skill or try a new activity. Girl Scouts of all ages can become power changers from June 28 at 4:30 p.m. to June 29 at 9 a.m. at the South Lewis Central School in Turin.

Participants will take part in sessions on the environment and bullying and activities such as swimming and zumba. Girls will also participate in a service project. Girls that bring along a non-Girl Scout friend will even receive a special patch!

By attending this program and becoming power changers, girls will develop positive values, develop healthy relationships, and feel empowered to make a difference in the world – outcomes of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience allows girls to Discover their interests, Connect with others in their communities and Take Action to make the world a better place.

The registration deadline is June 19 and the cost to attend is $2 per girl and $1 per  adult. Girls that are not already Girl Scouts can attend by paying the $12 Girl Scout registration fee. Financial assistance is available. To register, click here. For more information about the program contact Karen Strife at (315) 782-1890, ext. 2215 or kstrife@gsnypenn.org

Encourage girls you know to become power changers!

How Can You Be A Friend First and Help Stop Bullying?

Zoe, a Girl Scout Ambassador from Georgia, says that when she was in middle school she thought bullying would never end. But now that she’s in high school, she has found ways to move past it, including Girl Scouting. Click here to watch Zoe share her story.

Girl Scouts of the USA recently launched BFF (Be a Friend First), a national bully-prevention initiative for middle school girls. Based on GSUSA’s popular aMAZE! leadership curriculum, the program helps girls to recognized and intervene in bullying situations and lead positive change in their schools and communities. Sadly, statistics show that when a girl is bullied, 85 percent of the time nobody steps in to help her.

Additional research shows girls are more likely to bully others subtly, through relational aggression-manipulating their relationships with other girls online and off – as opposed to using physical aggression. The same studies also show that bullying behavior peaks in middle school, when the need for social acceptance is high, making this a crucial time to help girls learn to prevent bullying.

“Girl Scouts is about growing girls into leaders, which includes teaching girls to recognize when something is inhibiting their development, such as relational bullying,” says Anna Maria Chavez, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. “Giving girls the skills, support, and tools they need to stand up for themselves and others is a key component of leadership. We are creating a program that, with the guidance of adults, can help girls to make their world a better place on an issue that is important to them.”

The Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways is holding a Bullying and Helping Hands program in Utica on October 7 for elementary aged children in kindergarten through fifth grade. This is a great program to attend in order to start talking to your daughter about bullying. During the program girls will learn the dynamics behind bullying, how they can help themselves if they are being bullied, and how they can help someone else who is being bullied. The registration deadline for the program is September 23. Click here for more information.

Keep tuned to our programs and events page for other programs that are scheduled to address the issue of bullying.

Visit the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park on Girl Scout Day!

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to the first Girl Scout/Boy Scout Day at the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park on June 22 from noon to 10 p.m.

Scouts will join together for a “School’s Out” themed event. Activities will include unlimited rides, a talent show, the ultimate Scout scavenger hunt, and use of the beach.

By participating in the day at Sylvan Beach girls will develop healthy relationships, promote cooperation and team building, and feel connected to their communities both locally and globally – outcomes for the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience allows girls to Discover their interests, Connect with others in their communities and Take Action to make the world a better place.

Pre-registration is not required. Girls can buy their discounted tickets at the ticket window at the amusement park. The cost is $17.95. If troops can’t attend this date, call Ammie at (315) 280-6549 to arrange a special date for discounted admission.

Three Things for Thursday

By Lisa Kaminski; Manager, Community Development

For many troops the troop year is winding down. Troops and service unit sare holding end of year ceremonies and girls are receiving their awards and recognitions. Many girls are also getting ready to attend summer camp! here are three things in our Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways boutiques you can find right now for Girl Scouts in your life.

Girl Scouts Stainless Steel Mess Kit – Just in time for camp! Updated version of the traditional mess kit is perfect for Girl Scouts. Rugged and durable, the stainless steel kit contains the following: 1-quart pot, 7½” x 1½” fry pan/lid/plate with removable gripper handle, 6” bowl and 12 ounce cup. Mesh dish dunking bag included. Imported. $32.95

Did your Girl Scouts earn a lot of badges? Don’like to sew? Don’t trust iron-on? Try Badge Magic adhesive sheets! Some sheets come pre-cut to match Girl Scout insignia. Other sheets can be custom cut to match whatever else you need to affix to your daughter’s uniform. Ask us to show you!

Just for fun! Nylon lanyard with multi-colored “I Love Girl Scout Cookies” imprint and a green PVC trefoil charm on the clip. 16″ long

Visit one of our boutiques today or find more information on the council website, http://www.gsnypenn.org

 

Family Camping

By Lisa Kaminski; Manager, Community Development

Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways is offering registered Girl Scouts and their family members an opportunity to camp at one of our beautiful properties this summer. Camping is such a popular family activity, and adding in the chance to see and stay at one of the NYPENN properties, makes it even better!

Family camp opportunities are being offered at Camp Comstock, Camp Hoover, Amahami, and Misty Hollow. At all of these programs girls and their family members will have the chance to participate in fun activities such as art and crafts, hiking, boating, swimming, song, and games. Comstock and Hoover programs are Mom and Me programs designed for a girl and a special female adult in her life. The program at Amahami is open to all immediate family members. At Misty Hollow girls and their families could choose horseback riding as an activity.

For information on these, and any of the other summer programs being offered to girls around NYPENN, check out the council website at http://www.gsnypenn.org