Program:
Girl Scout Leadership Experience
- Budget:
-
$4,600,000
- Category:
-
Youth Development
- Population Served:
-
Females, all ages or age unspecified
Program Description:
<div>The GSLE is a dynamic leadership development model developed by Girl Scouts of the USA in response to the findings of their 2008 research report <em>Change It Up!: What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership</em>. The GSLE underlies all Girl Scouts programming, engaging girls to discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to change the world. <br /></div>
<div>Studies have shown that girls prefer leadership opportunities that let them learn by doing, and learn in a group. Girl Scouts offers cooperative learning experiences that build confidence and skills. We help girls discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place.</div>
<p>The model of shared leadership is the one girls seem to like best—and it’s the model Girl Scouts embraces, too. We encourage girls to plan activities and initiatives, so they can see how their actions impact the lives of others.</p>
<p><strong>Girl Scouting helps girls:</strong></p>
<ul><li>Discover themselves</li><li>Connect with others</li><li>Take action, both locally and globally</li></ul>
Program Long-Term Success:
<div>The Girl Scout Leadership Experience was developed by Girl Scouts of the USA in response to the findings of their 2008 research report <em>Change It Up!: What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership</em>. Much work has been done in making sure the GSLE has been implemented throughout all our programs.<br /></div>
<div>For long-term success, one just needs to look at the 100 years of leadership Girl Scouts has provided. 80% of women business owners are Girl Scout alumnae. Two thirds of the women in Congress are Girl Scout alumnae. </div>
Program Short-Term Success:
<div>The Girl Scout Leadership Experience since 2008, has provided girls with ways to discover themselves, connect with others, and take action. For the leadership awards of Bronze, Silver, and Gold over 60 hours of community service are completed by EACH girl. River Valleys percentage of girls completing the Leadership Experience Awards is greater than the national average.</div>
Program Success Monitored by:
<div>Membership</div>
<div>Board of Directors</div>
<div>GSUSA</div>
Program Success Examples:
<p>River Valleys has a successful program serving almost 45,000 girls in our area.</p>
<ul><li>246,510 service hours provided to the community.</li><li>10,087 girls enjoyed a camping experience.</li><li>37,667 girls participated in the Cookie Program Activity.</li><li>17,541 girls registered for council-sponsored programs in 5 topic areas: STEM, Health Living, Outdoor Awareness, Career and Financial Literacy, and Leadership Progression.</li><li>899 girls grades 6-12 participated in our College Readiness program.</li><li>447 girls participated in our Girl Scout swim teams.</li></ul>
Program:
ConnectZ
- Budget:
-
$1,000,000
- Category:
-
Youth Development
- Population Served:
-
Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
Program Description:
<p><em>Girl Scouts ConnectZ</em> is partnering with schools, community facilities, and the MN Alliance with Youth to reach over 4,000 low-income girls who have not traditionally had access to Girl Scouting. <em>Girl Scouts ConnectZ</em> serves girls in grades 5-12 to close the learning achievement gap in school, ensure more girls reach post-secondary potential, and provide girls with fun, challenging activities that round out their lives. Girls who participate in <em>Girl Scouts ConnectZ</em> will receive programming in: healthy relations, self-esteem, college readiness, career readiness, financial literacy, leadership development, service learning, and outdoor experience. The <em>Girl Scout ConnectZ</em> program cost is$250 per girl. We are currently seeking funding to fill the remaining financial gap. Your gift will ensure that these girls have access to this exciting opportunity. </p>
Program Long-Term Success:
<div>This program is in its first year of existence, launching September 1, 2011.</div>
Program Short-Term Success:
<p>In order to effectively address high school graduation challenges with our programming, River Valleys has partnered with the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, a statewide youth development organization and host-coordinator for the AmeriCorps Promise Fellow program. Through this partnership, we have been awarded 15 Promise Fellows to establish and implement Girl Scouts ConnectZ in targeted schools and community facilities during the 2011-2012 school year and beyond. We will be partnering with approximately 150 public and charter schools and other community facilities throughout our region to provide Girl Scouts ConnectZ. Already, over 70 schools have signed agreements outlining their intent to partner with River Valleys during the upcoming school year. </p>
Program Success Monitored by:
<div>Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys</div>
<div>MN Alliance with Youth</div>
<div>Individual school districts</div>
Program Success Examples:
<p>To address these challenges, River Valleys has developed Girl Scouts Connect<em>Z</em>, a targeted initiative that will bring Girl Scouting to thousands of underrepresented girls in Minnesota through partnerships with schools, clubs, and other community sites. Girl Scouts ConnectZ will bring the research-based Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) to 5,500 low-income girls in grades K-12 in order to: </p>
<ul><li>close the learning achievement gap in schools; </li><li>ensure more girls reach post-secondary potential; and </li><li>provide girls with fun, challenging activities that round out their lives. </li></ul>
Program:
Outdoor Program
- Budget:
-
$2,200,000
- Category:
-
Youth Development
- Population Served:
-
Female Children ( 5 - 14 years)
Program Description:
<p>Through Girl Scouting, girls see the earth as their home. We focus on care, conservation, and responsibility to ensure the safety of our planet for future generations.</p>
<p>Girls develop outdoor awareness by:</p>
<ul><li>going to camp</li><li>learning about the environment</li><li>participating in Forever Green, our councilwide Take Action Project</li><li>working towards awards focused on outdoor education</li></ul>
<p>Girl Scout summer camp is all about trying new things, meeting new friends, and having fun. All girls in grades kindergarten through 12 are welcome — no Girl Scout experience necessary!</p>
<div>
<p>Every girl has different interests, and camp is the perfect place for her to find new interests or become more knowledgeable in the ones she already has. </p></div>
<div>
<p><strong>Camp activities include:</strong></p>
<ul><li>Games, songs, dance, and drama</li><li>Horseback riding</li><li>Canoeing, swimming, and boating</li><li>Journaling, arts, and crafts</li><li>Outdoor skills</li><li>Shopping at the camp store</li></ul></div>
<p> </p>
Program Long-Term Success:
<p>Girl Scouts provides all girls the opportunity to explore all of the traditional camp activities (and many new favorites) in an inclusive, all-girls setting. Research on all-girls education shows the importance of creating a space for single-sex learning. Dr. Rosemary C. Salomone conducted a during the research for her book <em>Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling</em>. She writes, "All-girls settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence. Research has found that single-sex schools and classes promote less-gender-polarized attitudes toward certain subjects - math and science in the case of girls and language arts and foreign languages in the case of boys."
<p> Discovery, Connection and Take Action are the different ways girls can participate in the resident camp experience. Discovery sessions are designed for girls who only have time for a shorter experience, younger girls, and first time campers. These sessions allow girls to try out many of the different activities at camp. Connection sessions are designed so that girls get to “connect” with two different activities while at camp. They choose from a menu of activities on their first day and then spend about eight hours in that activity for the week. Most girls who come to camp connect with two different activities – which can be traditional camp activities and/or something specialized that our staff may bring – such as foreign languages, creative writing, story telling, dance, etc. Take Action is designed for older girls who still want to come to camp but also want to give back to camp. These girls also choose a connection, but they may be at the level where they help to teach younger girls, or they may be involved in planning that weeks specialized activities or they may chose a service project to give back to camp. </p>
Program Short-Term Success:
<p>At Girl Scout camp, girls can experience the following: horseback riding, low ropes course/team building, dance/drama, arts and crafts, pottery (Lakamaga), archery, biking, nature and outdoor skills, outdoor cooking, GPS, sailing, fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, pontoon (Lakamaga), and water trampoline. Reading the evaluations the girls complete about their sessions at camp are a glimpse into their camp experiences. Girls learned practical skills: “There are many places to go in a storm,” one girl commented. They wrote they appreciated learning how to take fish off a hook and learning a lot about the care and maintenance of horses, learning about knots and trails, and cooking over an open fire. “Bugs don't hurt you if you leave them alone,” another commented. But they also wrote: “Don't be anyone but yourself,” “Everyone in my troop was way different, in a good way,” “Trying new things are a lot of fun!” “Teamwork is better than one person,” “To easily get past challenges in a team,” “To have more confidence in myself,” “You can make a lot of friends in 6 days,” “Give everyone a chance to become your friend,” “I don't get homesick at camp, but I get homesick a lot on trips.” “If the person you came to camp with isn't having fun, doesn’t mean you can't,” “I am strong.” </p>
Program Success Monitored by:
<p>We ask all campers and parents to fill out a post camp evaluation. Examples of some of their comments are in the activities section of this grant request. According to the American Camp Association, benefits and anticipated outcomes of the camp experience are:
<ul><li>Social Skills Development</li><li>Leadership</li><li>Communication</li><li>Participation</li><li>Self-respect and Character Building</li><li>Responsibility</li><li>Resourcefulness</li><li>Resilience</li><li>Community Living/Service Skills</li><li>Caring</li><li>Fairness</li><li>Citizenship</li><li>Trustworthiness </li></ul>
<p>Evaluations completed by campers and parents supports the benefits and anticipated outcomes of the camp experience from the American Camp Association. </p>
Program Success Examples:
<div>10,087 girls from River Valleys enjoyed a camp experience year round.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We have girls from all backgrounds and demographics and serve girls with a variety of special needs each summer. A few summers ago we had a young girl who was in a wheelchair come to camp. She also had some other health issues. She came for four days, and her time was simply amazing. We had one of our staff work with her as an “aid” at her mom’s request. She was able to participate in all of the camp programs her cabin mates enjoyed. There have been campers with hearing disabilities, many different diet and other allergies, learning disabilities, etc. Each time, we partner with the parent and the girl to make their time at camp successful. <strong></div>
<div>
<p> </strong>River Valleys camp sessions have different costs that vary based on the activities offered. River Valleys believes all girls should experience the benefits of camp. If the total cost of camp is not affordable, we encourage anyone to request a grant. Financial grants are available through the Grants for Girls program. To apply for a grant, fill out the Grants for Girls camp form found online at GirlScoutsRV.org. No proof of income is required, and all grant requests are confidential. A $10 non-refundable deposit must accompany each registration requesting a grant. During FY2010, River Valleys awarded grants to 736 girls totaling $123,937. </p></div>