The girls broke off into classrooms throughout the college to listen to presentations by professional Latina women who work in different career fields. In one of the classrooms, Kristy Quiñones from Best Buy led a group of 30 girls on the importance of managing personal finances.

Quiñones’ main focus was budgeting, and the plan that she instilled in the girls was to earn, give, save and spend. Girls learned about rationing their savings and dedicating certain amounts to short-term, mid-term and long-term savings along with unexpected purchases.

The girls received information about checking accounts and maintaining a budget balance sheet. While most of the girls entered the room knowing what a budget was, they all left knowing the importance of giving and proper spending within a budget.

To wrap up the conference, the girls enjoyed lunch while hearing from Fox 9 reporter, Iris Perez.

Micah Hines, General Counsel to the Office of Governor Mark Dayton, organized the day, which included tours and remarks from key female Minnesota government leaders. Minnesota State Senator Melisa Franzen and River Valleys CEO Linda Keene also joined the girls for the day.

Justice Wilhelmina Wright kicked off the day sharing the story of her path to the Capitol, which included challenges she faced on her way to becoming the first African American woman to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court. She remarked that growing up, it didn’t matter that she didn’t know any lawyers or politicians because she knew she could do both if she put in the hard work.

After a tour through the Minnesota Judicial Center, the girls took the underground tunnel to the Capitol. There, they met with Attorney General Lori Swanson. As the first female Attorney General in the state of Minnesota, Lori had a lot to tell the girls about achieving success in an area no female has ever gone before. The Girl Scouts had a lot of questions about her education and how she won her election. After Lori’s story, taking turns around the room, each girl said what they wanted to do when they got older. Doctors, lawyers, teachers and artists are some of the professions the girls aspire to be a part of one day.

After a tour of the Capitol, the day wrapped up with lunch and a visit from Minnesota Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius. To all attendees, it was a successful day at the Capitol led by some of the top female leaders in Minnesota.

In North Minneapolis, four Kappa Delta alumnae from Iowa State University recently paid a visit to the Girl Scouts ConnectZ troop of fourth and fifth graders at New Millennium Academy after being invited to their weekly meeting.

To kick off the meeting, each girl used one word to describe how her day went. All different adjectives were used, from “awesome” to “boring” and “bad.” After attendance was taken, and the Girl Scout Promise and Law were recited, the Kappa Delta women (Elise, Murial, Sue and Mary) shared their life stories with the girls.

Elise then handed out pre-sewed patterned fabric for a craft activity. The girls were tasked with looping the drawstring through the fabric to make fun tote bags. As the girls finished their bags, the Kappa Delta women passed out cosmetics, hats and mittens, hair accessories and treats for the girls to add to the bags.

The room was lit with energy while the girls were finishing their bags. One of the Girl Scouts was even overheard exclaiming, “I’m so glad I joined Girl Scouts!”

As the meeting ended and the girls were rushing out the door to catch the bus, it looked as though the “boring” or “bad” days some of the girls had described at the beginning of the meeting had been turned around by the Kappa Delta alumnae visit.

The most recent stop on the Girl Scouts ConnectZ tour was at the technical campus of Century College in White Bear Lake, MN. Century College is the largest two-year school in the state with over 10,000 students enrolled. Ten Girl Scouts from Como Park High School and White Bear Lake High School learned about education and scholarship programs at the college.

After hearing a presentation from an admissions representative, the girls had the opportunity to tour the campus and interact with Century students. They learned about several programs degrees including dental, nursing, photography, engineering and more. While not all are seniors, the tour got the girls excited about attending college after graduation.

This spring, Girl Scouts ConnectZ will visit Augsburg College (March 6) and Rasmussen College (March 15). If you would like to join the tour, please contact Debra Pridgen for more information.

Every Tuesday afternoon, anywhere from 15–30 girls gather for a Girl Scout troop meeting led by troop leaders Choua and Barbra. A ConnectZ Girl Scout troop, the girls meet in school at rotating time periods each week.

The Roseville High School Hmong Women’s Circle is similar to any other Girl Scout troop. They hold weekly meetings, participate in money-earning activities and have experiences geared toward high-school-aged girls. Throughout the year, they explore different topics such as healthy relationships and body image.

“I really enjoy Hmong Women’s Circle because we are a big girl group, and we can talk things out relating to our lives and culture and then solve them together; it really helps us bond,” explained Jojo, who has been a Girl Scout for two years.

One of the most valued aspects of every troop meeting is the opportunity to openly discuss age-appropriate topics. “We talk about a lot of stuff I didn’t learn about growing up,” says troop member Julie. “Choua is a reliable resource that we all look up to and can turn to for advice.”

The girls also explore college and career resources such as financial aid information, college tours and job shadow opportunities like one they recently participated in at 3M.

The year is just getting underway for this troop, but their lively meetings are already packed with discovering, connecting and taking action.

Partner with one of River Valleys’ ConnectZ troops in implementing the Girl Scout Cookie Program Activity.

• Coach girls in goal development, financial literacy, marketing and customer service skills
• Coach girls through cookie booth sales
• Coach girls in developing self-confidence
• Gain and develop skills for personal and professional growth
• Have fun as you make a difference

Short-term commitment: Jan-April (approximately 10-15 hours a month); training will be in January. Resources, training and on-going support provided.

Multiple locations available in Metro and Southern MN. Good opportunity for those who need/want a short term opportunity with scheduling flexibility.

To get started click Contact Us and put “ConnectZ cookies” in the comment box, complete a volunteer interest form or call 800-845-0787.

For the 2011-2012 program year, Girl Scouts River Valleys unveiled a new program to reach more girls in diverse and low-income communities and to serve middle and high school girls when their need for positive role models is vital. The progressive and age-appropriate curriculum helps girls discover skills and values, connect with each other and take action to create a positive future.

River Valleys’ staff, adult volunteers, interns and Promise Fellows collaborate to bring this high-quality skill-building programming directly to the girls who need it most. Liana Tessum, a River Valleys membership specialist who delivers Girl Scouts ConnectZ programming, recently shared the following story about the amazing progress she’s seen in one of her ConnectZ groups after just a few months.

We currently partner to provide programming to girls in middle school in southern Minnesota. While all girls served by the program are considered at-risk, the girls in the one group face considerable personal challenges including homelessness, physical and emotional abuse, and mental illness. The girls utilize their weekly Girl Scout ConnectZ group as a space to not only share normal issues girls face every day (relationships, body image, self-esteem) but as a place to speak truthfully about all the unique challenges they face.

When Erika* came to the ConnectZ group, she was struggling to overcome issues related to mental illness. It took Erika three weeks to feel comfortable enough to share her name with the group. She would come every week and either put her head down on the table or wander around the perimeter of the room, intentionally distancing herself from the group. Over the past three months, she has come to not only trust the girls in the group but has come to depend on the group as a place to come for inspiration, sense of belonging, advice and fun.

A few weeks ago, a very emotional and upset Erika came to the group meeting. She shared that she felt like no one liked her and she had no friends. The girls in the group rallied around her, reminding her of the friendships they had all made within the group. She also shared that what upset her even more was the frustration of owning only one sweatshirt. Other students noticed that she wears the same sweatshirt everyday and she was embarrassed. The other girls in the group shared similar stories of feeling embarrassed about the clothes they have to wear and comments other students made, and different ways they reacted to situation. Having a group of peers who shared similar feelings of sadness and frustration seemed helped Erika see that she’s not alone. In situations like this, there is not a lot that adults can say to make a girl feel better. What Erika needed most was validation and understanding from her peers—which she received in the Girl Scouts ConnectZ group.

Another girl, Sam* came to group with a much different outlook. The first day I met Sam, I invited her to join and explained that this was a Girl Scout group meeting to discuss things like healthy relationships, self-esteem and how to get ready for college. Her response was, “Oh my gosh, I’ve always wanted to be a Girl Scout!” Sam never had the opportunity to join a traditional Girl Scout troop and was ecstatic about joining the Girl Scout ConnectZ group.

At our very first meeting, she bounded into the room ready to begin. We started the session by doing a simple ice breaker introduction. After the game, she raised her hand and asked if she could share something. From under the table, she pulled out a large book about the history of Girl Scouts that she rented from the public library. The book had several pages bookmarked with pieces of paper. The girls in the group loved looking at photos from the past 100 years of Girl Scouting. After our meeting, I asked her how she got to the library. She figured out how to take the city bus downtown by herself to visit the library.

Over the past three months I’ve gotten to know Sam very well. She has very little support from family at home, moves from school to school quite often, and she and her family rely on homeless shelters for housing. Growing up, Sam watched Girl Scouts as an outsider, wanting to be part of the experience but lacking the resources and opportunity to join. The day I gave all the girls in the group their Girl Scout sash, she became emotional and said, “I’ve always wanted one of these.”

The Girl Scout ConnectZ experience does not take away the intense challenges these girls face every day. What the group does is offer a safe positive place for girls to belong where they can share who they are and plan for a positive future.

All ConnectZ girls have the opportunity to participate in program opportunities including River Valleys’ Annual Meeting, council-sponsored events, camp and college tours. The experiences help them understand how they’re part of the larger movement and give them the opportunity to practice the leadership skills they work hard to develop.

*Names have been changed.