7-23 Program Newsletter

 

New Programs and Opportunities Added! Many NEW events – virtual, in-person, and hybrid - have been added to our website! Please note that there are two different calendars on the same page: one for in person and hybrid (you choose if you want to do it virtually or in person) events and a separate list for virtual only events. View our calendar of events here.

The 2020 Girl Leadership Summit We are so excited to finally reveal the brand new badges that girls will be earning at the 2020 Girl Leadership Summit!  Yesterday, Girl Scouts announced 24 new badges in 4 topics. The topic that has inspired the theme of this year's Summit is Entrepreneurship! Because the Summit will be virtual this year, we have taken this as an opportunity to create a unique event over several weeks that will kick off on August 22 and last until October. This unique format (virtual event meeting over several weeks) will give us the opportunity to earn this badge together, and work towards something truly exciting: a pitch competition! Girls can participate in this event individually or as a troop. Girls will be creating a product or service to meet a need in the world, developing a business plan, and refining their ideas with the help of female business mentors. Girls will then pitch their ideas, Shark Tank-style, at the finale of the Summit, and compete for real cash prizes! For Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors Price: $25/ $20 until August 3 - includes CEO journal, patch, T-shirt, & badge (once final pitch video has been submitted and the badge work is complete. Girls can earn the badge through September 30, 2021) Registration will go live on Friday, July 24! July 24: Registration Opens August 3: Deadline for Early Bird Price ($20) August 22: Kickoff from Base Camp August 25: Outpost 1 September 1: Outpost 2  September 8: Outpost 3 October 3: Final Pitch Competition and Summit Presentation

Introducing 24 New Girl Scouts Badges! Girl Scouts yesterday announced 24 new badges designed to help girls practice ambitious leadership in the crucial areas of: automotive engineering STEM career exploration entrepreneurship civics many of which remain male-dominated. In a year of unprecedented global change, our country's need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater. Through new and existing programming, Girl Scouts equips the next generation of female change-makers with the breadth of knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to take charge and do good for the world, both now and in the future! LEARN MORE

Council-Wide Service Unit Meeting GSNCA Service Unit Meetings have gone virtual and council-wide! Please check with your SU Manager to find out when your SU will participate in a monthly SU virtual meeting with council staff.

Virtual Troop Training Are you thinking about running your troop virtually this year? Need some help, hints, or ideas? Join us for a Virtual Troop Training! See our calendar for the Zoom links and to register ahead of time. Thursday, July 30 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 12 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 18 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

National Bridging Week, plus Virtual Bridging Events! National Bridging Week is August 1-8, 2020! Throughout the year, your Girl Scouts found new, meaningful ways to stay connected with their Girl Scout sisters, tried new things, and made the world a better place. They grew, learned, and had so much fun with friends. Even as things looked a little different than usual, they never stopped shining! Let’s come together to celebrate your troop as they take a meaningful step forward in their Girl Scout journey and bridge to the next level. It’s the perfect time to take stock of every proud moment and memorable milestone as we look to a future filled with many more. Here's how to celebrate: Get your bridging kits! Call or email our shops to get your kits with all the supplies your troop will need: 800-734-4541 or retail1@girlscoutsnca.org Watch our Facebook Live on Wednesday, July 22 at 5:00 p.m., where we'll be showing bridging items! Attend virtual events for National Bridging Week, hosted by Girl Scouts. Make sure you get the 2020 Virtual Bridging patch, shown above! Bridging to Brownies and Juniors Aug 1, 1:00 p.m. (CT) “Bridging” a Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors y Adultas/Exalumnas (En Español) Aug 1, 2:30 p.m. (CT) Bridging to Cadette, Senior, Ambassador and Adult Aug 1, 4:00 p.m. (CT) Bridging to Brownies and Juniors Aug 8, 1:00 p.m. (CT)  Bridging to Cadette, Senior, Ambassador and Adult Aug 8, 4:00 p.m. (CT) Register for a virtual bridging event here.

First Aid/ CPR Certification Renewal Is your First Aid/CPR certification expiring soon? Completing the online portion of the training will extend your certification for up to a year or until in-person training resumes, whichever comes first. Contact Tonya tsails@girlscoutsnca.org to get a digital link. Be sure to print your completion certificate when you complete the online course.

Troop Camp Reservations Camps are open and available for use by troops. Capacity has been adjusted to facilitate social distancing. Leaders are responsible for requiring the use of masks by all participants and enforcing social distancing, head to foot sleeping, and occupancy restrictions. To make reservations, please email tsails@girlscoutsnca.org. Availability is limited and requests will be processed in the order received. GSNCA Member Pricing: Accommodations: $3 per person per night Activities: $2 per person per activity, + rental fees for equipment Activities that might be available, depending on location and availability: Swimming, boating, target sports, etc.

Every Girl in a State Park! In a partnership with Alabama State Parks and Alabama Historical Commission Sites, Girl Scouts wearing a uniform (and 1 parent) can enter the parks for $0 admission! A 10% discount can also be applied to lodging and campground reservations (some exclusions apply.) For a full list of State Parks, go to https://www.alapark.com/. For a list of Historical Commission Sites, visit https://ahc.alabama.gov/ . This incentive will be available from July 24 through l October 1, 2020. Order your Girl Scouts Love State Parks patch (shown above) by emailing retail1@girlscoutsnca.org. If you have any questions about this opportunity, email acanterbury@girlscoutsnca.org.

National S'mores Day 2020 National S’more Day is Monday August 10, 2020! Help break the World Record of Most People Making S’mores! Participate in a s’more photo competition, learn how to make the ideal marshmallow roasting fire, and listen to GSNCA CEO Karen Peterlin read a story about s’mores as she teaches valuable lessons. Categories for the s’more photo competition are: Best Toasted Marshmallow, Most Creative Ingredients, Most Photogenic Classic S’more, Most Photogenic Gourmet S’more, Most Unusual S’more, Most Creative Backdrop/Photo Set, and Most Unusual Recipe Using S’more Ingredients. Patch is included. The $2 participation fee includes participation in all event, entry into the competitions, and a patch. This is a virtual event. Monday, August 10 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. REGISTER NOW

Story Time with GSNCA's CEO Join GSNCA's CEO Karen Peterlin for Story Time! Every week is a different book. 2 lucky girls from each night will receive free copies of the book! Thursday, July 23 | 7:30 p.m. Book Selection: A Campfire Tail Thursday, July 30 | 7:30 p.m. Book Selection: Curious George Goes Camping   REGISTER NOW

Last Chance: Camp Sunshine 2.0! Join us for Camp Sunshine 2.0 - GSNCA's Virtual Camp!  July 27 - 31 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. daily Campers will receive link to make their "flat camper," an avatar that looks just like them! These "flat campers" will participate in camp activities as well as a build a camp set (think paper dolls with buildings). Campers will be assigned to units for activities. They will learn safety rules for activities, watch flat campers participate in activities, and learn how to make a modified activity that they can do at home. Crafts, camp skills, songs, and traditional camp fun will also be included in the daily schedule. For more information email acanterbury@girlscoutsnca.org. register now

National Service Project: Citizen Science Girl Scouts Give Back: Citizen Science How can you play a part in solving some of the biggest problems facing our planet? Enter citizen science, where volunteers help scientists collect data for their studies and experiments. Anyone can be a citizen scientist—all you need is curiosity and a willingness to help! This summer, your troop can contribute to important scientific research by participating in one of our Girl Scouts Give Back citizen science projects. We’ve partnered with SciStarter, an online citizen science community, to help get you going! Here’s how your troop can make a difference: Choose either the Great Sunflower Project (for girls of all ages) or the Globe at Night project (for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors) to create an account for your troop on SciStarter. Read the project’s instructions on your SciStarter dashboard and gather the needed tools and materials. Collect data for the project using the recommended tools and materials, and log the data using your SciStarter dashboard. Snap a photo of your troop’s work and share on social media using #GirlScoutsGiveBack (be sure to tag @girlscouts). Don’t forget to add your project to be counted as participating in our national service projects. If you wish to recognize your troop’s participation with a patch, we recommend the Girl Scouts Give Back patch. Learn more here! Plus, for a limited time only, you can download all activity instructions and the Take Action Guide for the Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey for free from the Girl Scout Shop!

Limited Time Offer for New Lifetime Members Join as a lifetime member before July 31 and you’ll get the choice of a special gift—a scarf, cap, or graduation stole. Or, in lieu of a gift, you can have $10 donated to GSNCA. When you become a lifetime member, you help us build the next generation of leaders; we’re grateful for your support—we can’t do it without you! Lifetime membership dues are $400, or just $200 for young alums - any former Girl Scout under the age of 30. Now, when you sign up as a lifetime member, $25 of your dues will automatically fund one year of Girl Scout membership for an underserved girl in your local council. Girl Scouts can be a life-changing experience—and you can give that to a girl who might not otherwise have the opportunity. More benefits of lifetime membership: Lifetime membership card and pin Various discounts, including 10% off of Girl Scout merchandise purchased online Invitation to join an annual call for lifetime members hosted by GSUSA's CEO Invitations to memorable local and national events A monthly e-newsletter Interested in simply renewing your Girl Scout membership for the 2021 membership year? Renew now. Learn more

Preparing pre-k girls - and their families - for kindergarten Our new Kindergarten Readiness series, Make New Friends  Know a parent of a rising Kindergarten girl? We're proud to announce our new free virtual series, Make New Friends, specifically for pre-k girls and their families. Join us in helping pre-k girls conquer a successful first year.  We'll help her in her quest of making new friends, strengthening skills and becoming independent. She needs her support system now more than ever!  Help GSNCA spread the word. Register yourself for the series using the link below, or tag a pre-k parent in our Facebook post to let them know you're thinking about them and want to help them set their girl up for success! register here!   tag a pre-k parent in our facebook post!

Our retail shops are open currently for appointments! Call 1-800-734-4541 for assistance. Shops are open Monday - Friday from 10: 00 a.m. - 3: 00 p.m. with restrictions. Customers must call in advance to enter building. No more than four shoppers will be allowed in the shop at a time. Children will not be allowed in the shop. Staff will assist shoppers with the selection of items. Visitors to the office must complete a health screening, including temperature check and must wear a mask. Curbside and appointment times are still available. Introducing Zoom Virtual Shopping! Schedule your Zoom shopping experience today by emailing us at retail1@girlscoutsnca.org.

Join GSNCA for another night of Home Shopping on Facebook Live this Wednesday, July 22 at 5:00 p.m.! From the comfort of your home, you'll be able to browse exciting bridging, camp, and clearance items! We will be on the phones ready to take your order during the event. Join us at 5:00 p.m. at www.facebook.com/GSNCA/live.

August's featured council patch is the Out of this World patch! This patch program is designed to help girls learn more about the history of manned space flight, how humans adapt to living in space and women’s roles in aerospace! Check out the requirements here.

GSNCA In Person/ Hybrid Events Boating Facilitator Training August 15 | Camp Trico, Guntersville Level 2 Boating Facilitator August 15 | Camp Trico, Guntersville Honor Guard September 3 | Camp Coleman, Trussville World First Aid Day September 12 | Tuscaloosa Gen Z Outdoor Cooking September 19 | Camp Coleman, Trussville  Girl Scouts in the Park September 23 | Jasper ARRL - Amateur Radio Patch Program October 10 Alabama Music Hall of Fame Patch Event October 17 | Tuscumbia

GSNCA Online Events

Storytime with GSNCA CEO, Karen Peterlin July 23 Virtual Troop Training July 30 Camp Sunshine 2.0 July 27 - 31 Storytime with GSNCA CEO, Karen Peterlin July 30 National S'mores Day August 10 Virtual Troop Training August 12 Virtual Troop Training August 18 Girl Scout Leadership Summit Kick-Off: Save the Date! August 22