World Thinking Day 2013

Each year on February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from around the world gather to celebrate World Thinking Day. Thinking Day was created in 1926 as an annual time for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to "think" of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their "sister" Girl Scouts. February 22 was chosen because it was the mutual birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, and his wife, Olave, who served as World Chief Guide.

Since it's start in 1926, each year, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides have celebrated World Thinking Day by: learning about their sister scouts, participating in advocacy themed activities, fundraising for the World Thinking Day Fund, and earning their World Thinking Day badge.

This year's theme for World Thinking Day is, "together we can save children's lives." While celebrating the international sisterhood of Girl Scouts, girls are encourages to make a difference in their world by participating in a service project focused on reducing child morality rates around the globe.

For more information on earning the World Thinking Day badge or participating in activities in your community, click here.

2012 The Girl Scout Way

2012 marked the Year of the Girl and what a year it was! As we look forward to 2013 and the start of the next century of Girl Scouting, we'd like to take a moment to reflect of our accomplishments and celebrations from 2012 - all made possible by our amazing volunteers, donors, and of course our girls.

In 2012:

Girl Scouts had one of the most successful cookie sales ever! The 2012 cookie sale provided more than 10,000 girls with life skills and leadership opportunities.  And thanks to special donations from Station Casinos and Sam's Town, Girl Scouts' after-school program were expanded providing services to more than 1,000 girls throughout southern Nevada.

We Rocked the Dam with more than 1,000 Girl Scouts participating in a bridging ceremony across Hoover Dam.

The Las Vegas 51s honored our birthday with a whole game dedicated to Girl Scouts - including Girl Scout inspired jerseys and fireworks.

We celebrated a World of Girls with more than 3,000 individuals attending our 100th birthday bash/expo Cashman Center.

And as we celebrated all of the amazing accomplishments of the first 100 years of Girl Scouts, our girls continue to amaze us with more! Our girls traveled the world; gave service to those in need; and honed their leadership skills in important areas such as STEM, financial literacy, environmental issues, and healthy living. Our girls are truly changing the world. Join us in making 2013 just as special.

Kindest Regards,

Emily Smith

Chief Marketing & Development Officer

Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada

Summer Camp Inspires Future Olympian

Summer is here and Girl Scouts’ Camp Foxtail is filled with the laughter of hundreds of girls.  Many of us share fond childhood memories of summer camp – making new friends, sleeping in bunk beds, day hikes, campfires, and my favorite… s’mores.


"I'm so glad Girl Scouts got me started
on this great sport... I want to go to the
Olympics and compete in archery." - Zoey

I recently met an inspirational young lady who has a special connection to Camp Foxtail.  Zoey attended her first camp session two years ago at age 8.  While at Camp Foxtail, Zoey discovered a love of archery.  Two camp seasons later, Zoey is taking private lessons and honing her archery skills in hopes of one day making it to the Olympics.  Just think - the tradition of summer fun at camp sparked the hopes and dreams of a future Olympian.  One day we’ll all say, “We knew Zoey when she was a Girl Scout at Camp Foxtail”.  Summer camp is a place where girls like Zoey can express themselves, discover their own abilities, and enjoy the summer fun of being a kid!

Later this month, Zoey will be back at Camp Foxtail having fun with her friends and honing her archery skills.  But for many girls and their families, summer camp is still beyond their financial reach.  This year we received requests for financial aid from more than 75 girls in Southern Nevada who, by no fault of their own, simply cannot afford to attend camp.  I’m hopeful you will join me in making a gift to camp by using the enclosed donation card or visiting us online at girlscoutsnv.org.  Together we can Send Her to Camp!

Click here to read more about Zoey in a story on the Las Vegas Review Journal website.

Kindest Regards,

Emily Smith

Chief Marketing & Development Officer

Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada

Four Benefits of Summer Camp

Summer is just around the corner and for many kids that means it’s time for summer camp! Many of us share fond childhood memories of summer camp – making new friends, sleeping in bunk beds, day hikes, campfires, and don’t forget the s’mores. But camp is so much more beneficial for our kids than we may have imagined. Here are four benefits disguised behind the fun of camp:

1. The Road to Independence

Camp is a safe place for kids to learn responsibility as they are empowered to take care of themselves. Camp counselors provide structure and guidance, but kids at camp are responsible for getting themselves up and ready for the day, making their beds, keeping track of their personal belongings, and finding their way to and from the dining hall.

2. The Great Outdoors Prevails to Electronic “Time Suckers”

Camp is a perfect way to get kids outside and active! With so many inside distractions, it can be hard to pull kids away from their cell phones and Wii’s long enough to see the sun. At camp, kids trade their button pushing and joystick maneuvering for rock climbing, mountain biking, ropes course challenges and more!

3. There’s a Leader in Every Kid

The camp setting is a small community unlike any other. The unfamiliar setting, new people, and shortened time together help kids make friends and bond. As kids make choices and direct projects, their natural leadership instincts progress. They learn to get along with others and become self-reliant without parents there to save the day.

4. I Can Do Anything! Camp, the ultimate self-esteem boost.

For many kids, camp is their first time away from mom, dad, and their extended family. This can be a huge boost to their self-esteem. Summer camp is a place where children can express themselves, discover their own abilities and mature through experiences that challenge them to discover resilience and good decision-making.
See if your child is ready for a sleep away adventure with this camp readiness assessment. Just know if they are not ready for life at camp, don’t push them. It’s better to wait a year then spoil the experience for years to come.

The New Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting!

Hi! This is Ashley and I'm a Girl Scout Senior for Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada. Recently I had an opportunity to get my hands on the new Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting books and they are awesome! I wanted to share with you some of the best parts about the new books.

• The handbook is now in a binder. This is great because now you can keep all of your Girl Scout paperwork in one place!


• Hate carrying around your badge book? The Girl's Guide is a little bigger than our old books, but it actually works out well because you can take out the info for the badge you're working on and take it with you wherever you go!


• Did I mention the Girl's Guide has style? I love the new colors and the fact that every age-level has it's own color.


• Love to customize your world? I do! And the new Girl's Guide provides space for every girl to make it her very own. You can even create your own badge.


• The new guide book has EVERYTHING!!! I can track my journey projects, badge work, and Gold Award all in one place.


• Did I mention the badges have been updated? When you think about it, that's pretty cool - we get to be the first girls to earn the new badges! And as new badges are created we can simply add them to our Girl's Guide!


• And the best part for us teen girls... no more sharing books! That's right, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors have their own books with their own badges to work on.

So here's the deal. The shop has a special - if you preorder your Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting, you get $1 off your next purchase at the shop. And save the date - September 30, Girl Scouts is hosting a launch party at the Leadership Center. See you there!

Sincerely,

Ashley Smith
Girl Scout Senior

Girls Make a Difference in the Fight Against Girl Bullying

Meet Lily, Juliana, Janelle, and Catherine!

They represented Girl Scouts of the USA and Southern Nevada by participating in a panel in front of more than 700 people at the National Girl Bullying and Relational Aggression Conference in June.

Teacher, counselors, and school administrators from all over the country gathered to discuss the issue of girl bullying and relational aggression in hopes of learning tools to recognize and stop it from happening in their schools.

Lily, Juliana, Janelle, and Catherine offered their opinions and personal experiences in the hopes that they might help change the life of girls all over the country. Here are a few of their ideas on how to combat girl bullying and relational aggression:

Take the bully out of the equation. When helping a friend deal with a bully, speak to the bully in private about the situation. A bully might not even realize the harm they are causing. By taking the bully out of the situation, they don't have to worry about what peers will think of them.

Find your (true) friends. If you've been bullied with rumors or gossip, to help ease feelings of hurt and isolation, find one or two true friends and confide how the gossip has hurt your feelings. Set the record straight by telling your friends quietly and confidently what's true and not true about you. Hearing a friend say, "I know the rumor's not true. I didn't pay attention to it," can help you realize that most of the time people see gossip for what it is — petty, rude, and immature.

Practice confidence. Practice ways to respond to a bully verbally or through your behavior. Practice feeling good about yourself, even if you have to fake it at first.

Most importantly is talk about it. It may help to talk to a guidance counselor, teacher, or friend — anyone who can give you the support you need. Talking can be a good outlet for the fears and frustrations that can build when you're being bullied.

Camp Foxtail - So much fun... and so much more.

Ask a girl about Camp Foxtail and she'll probably tell you all about the fun - but camp is so much more. A camp experience:

enhances teamwork and social skills through community living and group play

develops skills, knowledge and self-confidence through exciting, challenging and fun activities

strengthens self-reliance and independent living skills by being away from home and providing girls with exciting and enriching opportunities for personal growth.

This summer hundreds of girls will head to Camp Foxtail - many for the first time. While there, girls will participate in programs that encourage leadership through activities such as hiking, biking, rock climbing, high and low adventure courses, singing, arts and crafts, and campfires. They will make new friends and cherished memories that will last a lifetime. But most importantly, they will gain important leadership skills that will serve them well the rest of their lives.