Girl Scout
verb
Being a Girl Scout is something you DO, and it is an EXPERIENCE that no girl should miss!
Welcome. In this time of world wide pandemic, girl scouts is suffering. The socialization and education that girl scouts, as an organtization, brings to young womens lives is remarkable.
Covid started, for my family, one day last march. One day, my children were in school, with rumblings of having to take some time off. That day, they came home from school, with no idea that they would not be back in a classroom for almost a year. It was a friday afternoon, and life was as usual.
That weekend, we watched our country fall. We watched our schools close, one by one, and there was an air of uncertainty. We assumed this would be under control shortly and life would resume as normal. We joked about the hurricane like response to flood the stores and over buy everything one could imagine. We laughed at the idea of people hoarding toilet paper. We put on our masks, and we waited. And we waited. And we waited.
Eventually, we realized that this covid life is now life as we know it. We settled in. We stayed home. Our kids learned how to zoom meet for class - which was exceptionally hard for my kindergartener.
My girls suffered. A lot. All of my scouts lived within a few blocks of each other. They were used to running the neighborhood, and slipping in and out of all of our homes and it came to a sudden halt. It was hard for them to not see each other. And as we entered this extended time that requires masks, and 6 feet, I reached out to our parents to get their opinions. More recently, I reached out to other leaders to ask how they have managed it so far, and how they have addressed it within their troops. I have compiled this information here, in a few installments, and hope that leaders and parents alike find use in it.
MEETINGS
Many leaders expressed frustration with the limitations placed on meetings these days. Kids are burnt out from zoom/google meet/etc at school, and it can be a real strain for them to the have one more committment to screen time. This was also VERY council specific. As always - please consult with your council prior to making any decisions about how to meet.
Virtual meetings -
These meetings are easier to facilitate - especially during the colder months. Some of the most common ideas were the following:
**Pre meeting prep** Many leaders have put together supply packs for their girls containing items not generally found in the household needed for patches, or just something fun to make them smile, and distributed prior to the meeting.
1. Open with something fun - a social time for the girls just to catch up; a scavenger hunt for supplies for the meeting; etc - some variation on a purely enjoyable activity.
2. Focused work - badge work that is planned for the day to work with each other, or alongside of each other.
3. Closing with something positive - saying nice things about their neighbor, their life, etc.
Many leaders have given feedback on what they found to be fuctional with a zoom meeting. Some easier things to try are:
- Reformulating badge programs to fit the online or distanced forum that is so essential today.
- Offering the girls a time to socialize. The lost socialization our children are missing with Covid is an enormous loss to their generation, and its important to fit it in wherever we can.
- Fun badge or fun meeting ideas, such as:
1. Scavenger hunt
2. Recycled material fashion show
In Person meetings -
These meetings are more difficult to facilitate as they require a larger space, and more necessities. Further, many councils DO NOT allow meeting in person of any kind, so as always, please contact your council prior to any decision making.
**Pre meeting prep** Please make sure you have additional supplies with you. Extra masks, hand sanitizer, and lots of space. Remember - 6 feet is the best distance WITH masks, and 10 feet without.
In closing, we will continue to share our knowledge and experience as we continue to navigate this worldwide pandemic.
