PROGRAM NEWS

GS Express is a monthly e-newsletter to provide timely news and updates about programs, events, registration and other issues pertinent to girl and adult members as well as staff in a Web-friendly format. In being Web-friendly, the content of GS Express will link from the e-newsletter to additional information/expanded articles on the GSWCF website. GS Express is e-mailed to volunteers, girls, parents, adult members and staff.

This printed version of GS Express serves as a resource only – the primary method of distribution is e-mail and the print version, while supplied currently, will phase out by July 2008. It is imperative that everyone in the GSWCF community updates her/his e-mail addresses or signs up to receive the e-newsletter via the newsroom on www.gswcf.org. Please communicate the importance of updating e-mail addresses and subscribing to GS Express to your troop leaders, volunteers and parents. E-mail addresses can be updated by visiting www.gswcf.org or filling out the form attached to this edition and returning it to the council.

 

The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience is:

• The new design for what girls do in Girl Scouts
• Set to launch in fall 2008 with full implementation by 2010
• Based on the three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect, and Take Action
• Girl-led, based on “learning by doing” and “cooperative learning”
• Serving the Girl Scout mission of building “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place”


Tell Your Girl Scout Leadership Story – Win a FREE Trip

We are looking for girls ages 14-17 to represent Girl Scouts of West Central Florida at the National Girl Scout Leadership Institute, Oct. 29-30, in Indianapolis. This event is sponsored by Girl Scouts of the USA and the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.

For more information on the Girl Scout Leadership Institute, please see the FAQs.

Would you like to attend the 2008 Girl Scout Leadership Institute, but don’t have the finances to help get you there? Share your Girl Scout story and win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Leadership Institute.

Consider the topics below to help frame the story of your Girl Scout Leadership experience:

  • Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. How has Girl Scouts helped you to build courage, confidence, and character? How have you helped make the world a better place?
  • Girl Scout program activities are organized around three keys to leadership: Discover (explore your values, skills and world), Connect (team up and relate with others in a multicultural world), and Take Action (make a difference in the world). How has Girl Scouts helped you to discover, connect, and/or take action?
  • The Girl Scout Leadership Experience follows three key processes: Girl-Led (girls decide on activities and help lead the way), Learning by Doing (girls learn by doing hands-on activities, and then reflect on the activity after it is completed), and Cooperative Learning (girls work together towards a common goal). How has one of the Girl Scout processes helped shape your experience?


    • Tips to consider when writing your story:
    Stories are most successful when they can stick in someone’s mind. Sticky stories are:
  • Simple – short and deep.
  • Unexpected – leave them curious; tell something that is uncommon.
  • Concrete – use examples; use sensory language.
  • Credible – make it meaningful; use anecdotes.
  • Emotional – tap into something people care about and will remember.
  • Narrative – give your story a plot.
    • Challenge Plot – talk about overcoming an obstacle.
    • Connection Plot – talk about developing a relationship that bridges a gap (racial, class, religious, etc).
    • Creativity Plot – talk about a shift in thinking or tackling a problem in an innovative way.

Story entries should be typed and limited to one page. Entries must be received by Sunday, June 15. A Live Healthy, Lead Healthy Registration form must be included with your story entry. Three to five winners will be selected and notified by July 1. Stories may be shared at trainings, events, in print and with funders. You may also be asked to attend a fall event to share your story or what you learned at the Girl Scout Leadership Institute. Entries may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
ATTN: Director of Program Services
P.O. Box 18066
Tampa, FL 33679-8066

Fax: (813) 282-8285
E-mail: afoster@gswcf.org

 

"On the Right Track – College Bound!" – 2008 Florida University Tour

(For high school girls entering sophomore year and up as of fall 2008)

Are you interested in what Florida’s universities have to offer you? Girl Scouts of West Central Florida has been invited by Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. to attend the 2008 Florida University Tour where girls will be able to explore and learn about entering college life as they view six colleges within the state of Florida. The eight-day bus tour will involve visiting six campuses, including:

  • University of Central Florida in Orlando
  • Florida College of Health in Orlando
  • University of North Florida in Jacksonville
  • Full Sail in Orlando
  • Florida State University in Tallahassee
  • University of Miami (Ocean Division)

Campus visits will include a tour of the school, workshops on admissions/financial assistance, campus culture, time management, personal economics, health, safety and more! A visit to at least one college-level class is also a possibility.

While on the tour, where possible, all meals will be eaten on campus so that girls will get the full college-life experience! The last two evenings of the tour will be spent at a local hotel where girls will learn all about student travel and work as a team to shop for and prepare a meal for the whole group.

Dates: Aug. 4-11

How to apply: Seven girls from GSWCF will have the opportunity to go on the all-expenses-paid trip sponsored by MetLife. Girls have to be in high school, and entering their sophomore year and up. Girls must write a one-page essay on “Why pursue a college degree?” and submit it to Rhondalisha Collins, Teen Program Manager, by Tuesday, July 1. E-mail to rcollins@gswcf.org, fax to (813) 282-8285, or mail to the Tampa Service Center.

Deadline: July 1, 2008


Attend a Workshop with Nature’s Academy

Attention Girl Scouts! Nature’s Academy can help you take the next step along your journey of discovery. Enjoy a day of fun and adventure while you participate in a hands-on workshop at Fantasy of Flight, located in Polk City, half way between Tampa and Orlando. Each workshop includes admission to Fantasy of Flight, completion of workshop requirements, take-home crafts and the associated badge, pin, or card.

Brownie Girl Scouts
Plants: June 22, Noon – 2 p.m.
Eco-Explorer: June 22, 3 – 5 p.m.
Space Explorer: July 12, 9 – 11 a.m.
Outdoor Adventurer: July 12, Noon – 2 p.m.
Listening to the Past: July 12, 3 – 5 p.m.

Junior Girl Scouts
Careers: June 8, Noon – 2 p.m.
Weather Watch: June 8, 3 – 5 p.m.
Science in Everyday Life: June 21, 9 – 11 a.m.
Environmental Health: June 21, Noon – 2 p.m.
Eco-Action: June 21, 3 – 5 p.m.
Your Outdoor Surroundings: July 13, Noon – 2 p.m.
Finding Your Way: July 13, 3 – 5 p.m.
Making in Matter: July 26, 9 – 11 a.m.
Oil Up: July 26, Noon – 2 p.m.
Rocks Rock: July 26, 3 – 5 p.m.

Cadette Girl Scouts
Orienteering: June 7, 9 a.m. – Noon
Women Through Time: June 7, 1 – 4 p.m.
Space Exploration: July 27, 1 – 4 p.m.

Brownie and Junior Girl Scout Pricing: (includes admission to Fantasy of Flight)
One workshop: $19.50
Two workshops in one day: $33.50 total
Three workshops in one day: $40.50 total

Cadette Girl Scout Pricing: (includes admission to Fantasy of Flight)
One workshop: $23.50
Two workshops in a day: $41 total

One free adult for every five Girl Scouts and each additional adult is $17.95 regardless of the number of workshops they attend.

For reservations or additional information, please call (813) 333-6230, e-mail info@naturesacademy.org, or visit www.naturesacademy.org.

 

Want to Earn More Community Service Hours?

Cair Flight, a humanitarian flight organization headquartered in Tampa at the Vandenberg Airport, is looking for Senior Girl Scouts who need volunteer hours to help in their office posting mission logs and other data entry information.

Cair Flight is a group of pilots who work to move patients to essential medical treatment, cancer trials, etc.

For more information, visit their website or call Karen Knowles: (813) 677-6655.


Girl Training Coordinators Needed!

Would you like to serve as a resource person a few times a year to older girls in your region working towards Program Aide, Leader In Training, or the Silver or Gold Award?

Adults are needed to assist Girl Scouts and troop leaders/advisors in their Service Units by providing training and ideas. Girl Training Coordinators are Council-level volunteers who are available to present various workshops throughout the Council and/or in their region.

Commitments are based on your availability and schedule! If you are interested, contact the Teen Program Manager at (813) 281-4475, (727) 447-3350 or (800) 881-4475, ext. 249 or e-mail rcollins@gswcf.org.


Questions Regarding Camp?

Please call Registrar Kim Bruce, (813) 281-4475, ext. 253 for questions you may have regarding camp.

 

Certified Program Consultants

A certified consultant is required for many program activities. These activities include archery, lifeguarding, canoeing, kayaking and sailing. Lists of individuals currently certified and willing to work with troops and groups are available by contacting the high adventure program manager: (813) 281-4475, ext. 234.

 

See a Show at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center!

Click here to view the flyer of upcoming shows!

 

Community Tampa Bay’s Anytown: a Leadership and Diversity Awareness Program

Girls ages 14 – 18 or in 9th – 12th grades in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties are invited to participate in Anytown’s Leadership and Diversity Awareness program.

Anytown is Community Tampa Bay’s youth leadership and diversity awareness program, geared towards creating more inclusive and just schools and communities through experiential education and peer education.

The unique five-day residential training is an unforgettable leadership experience for high school students from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties during which they participate in diversity workshops covering everything from racism and stereotyping to tolerance. Community Tampa Bay is proud to say that the program was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a “Best Practice” and deemed highly effective in a study recently concluded by USF.

Hillsborough County:
June 15 – 19
August 3 – 7

Pinellas County:
July 20 – 24

The program takes place in Ellenton, and transportation is provided by Community Tampa Bay. Please find a program brochure and application enclosed.

For more information, review the brochure or visit www.communitytampabay.org or contact Jennifer Hilton Montero: (727) 568-9333. Applications are available through Community Tampa Bay’s website.