Nine Girl Scout Seniors traveled with six adult chaperons over 2,000 miles from Buffalo, MN to spend a week in San Francisco. The troop has gone on two other major trips together; however, this was the first time that they did the majority of planning.

They covered a lot of ground on their trip, visiting Sausalito, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman’s Wharf and the huge redwood trees in the Muir Woods. The girls also experienced a ride on a cable car, since no trip to San Francisco would be complete without one.

While in San Francisco, the troop also met with the president of Mutual Funds at Wells Fargo and other young women on the staff. They found it very inspiring to hear how these women achieved success.

It was a great week in San Francisco for Troop 10406, and it was another reminder of all the places Girl Scouts can take them.

Last year, Alexa traveled to Tanzania with her mom, Kelly Lynn, and spent a month teaching English, art through literature, math and science to kids ages three to 13.

Researching and planning her Gold Award project and trip took about two years. Prior to the trip, she gave presentations about poverty and education issues affecting Tanzania to schools and churches in her community. She asked kids to clean out their desks at the end of the year and donate the school supplies they no longer needed. With these donations, Alexa and her mom brought four full suitcases (200 pounds) of school supplies and books with them to Tanzania.

Alexa connected a local element to everything she did abroad for her project. She worked with Minnesota school kids to create English-to-Swahili translation books that she gave to Tanzanian children. Each book had a personal message from a child in Minnesota.

In Tanzania, children take a national test at the end of their Class 7 year (equivalent to 8th grade in the U.S.) which determines if they can go on to high school. If they don’t score high enough or can’t afford high school, they can’t go. This is one of the issues that Alexa hoped to address with her project. She knew there might be only a few textbooks in the classroom in Tanzania, but once she and her mom were there, they discovered that the three- and four-year-olds they taught had never seen a story book. “Their teachers didn’t know why you would read a story book to them,” Kelly lynn added. And the middle-school-age kids had never had chapter books.

“By giving them tools to learn like books and art supplies,” Alexa said, “we are better preparing them for these national tests so that when the time comes, they can hopefully get into high school, to give them more opportunities to support themselves later in life.”

While in Tanzania, Alexa lived with a local family and had the opportunity to climb halfway up Mount Kilimanjaro, visit a Maasai village, swim with wild dolphins in the Indian Ocean, tour three national wildlife parks and experience many other new adventures.

Now that she’s back, she is planning to build a library for the school where she taught through continuing donation projects and presentations. Half of the books she collects will be donated locally to a Christmas sharing program. She hopes to inspire others to take action.

“I can see that this could become part of Alexa’s life work,” commented Kelly lynn. “I know it’s really shaped how I look at things. . . . We have kids who cut a pencil in half over there, or share a pencil because there’s not enough pencils to go around.”

For other Girl Scouts who might be starting their Gold Award project, Alexa shared some encouraging words, “Think big,” she said. “There’s nothing you can’t do. If you find an issue or a topic that you feel passionate about and you feel like you can help with it, go for it.”

UPDATE:

If you are interested in supporting Alexa’s work or sending supplies to Africa, submit your information below:

Thanks to a travel grant from Second Winds alumnae group, a River Valleys Girl Scout blasted off to Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL this summer.

“Space Academy is one of the best things that has happened to me,” Carolyn wrote in an essay after her trip. “It has taught me so many life lessons that I will use for the rest of my life. I learned more about myself and met a lot of great friends I will keep in touch with. I am so grateful for getting a scholarship, and I couldn’t have done it without help.”

River Valleys is proud that we had 10 girls from all over the council, ages 12–18, participate in destinations this past year:

• Carolyn—Space Academy
• Claire—Wyoming’s Wildlife Wonders (wildlife study)
• Emily—Outback Adventure, Australia
• Jessica—Channel Islands Adventure Expedition (kayaking)
• McKenna—Alaska Yukon River Expedition
• Megan V.—Midwest Madness, MN and WI
• Meghan C.—Happy Trails (horseback riding in the Appalachians)
• Michelle—Kenya
• Olivia—Juliette Low Camp
• Tatiana—From London to Lucerne, Europe

Trip costs ranged from $500 to $5,600. More than half of the girls received financial assistance to make their travel dream come true. Your donations make destinations possible for girls in River Valleys.

During her August vacation, troop leader and registration volunteer Kristin Odegard took a tour of Pax Lodge, the Girl Scout World Centre in London. 

Upon arriving at the Lodge, I was greeted by a girl “ranger” guide from Canada and another from Sweden. I learned that girls apply to work at the Lodge, and if accepted, they live and work at the Lodge for a four-month rotation. During that time, they are assigned duties similar to our resident camps: programming, housekeeping, kitchen duty, etc.

I met a troop leader and girl from Venezuela and spoke some Spanish with them. I found out they were from a small town outside of Caracas. They had to save money for years in order to make the trip to Pax Lodge. They were staying at the Lodge and attending some of the Paralympic events taking place in London at the time.

Visitors to Pax Lodge have the option to participate in a pinning ceremony. We raised our hands to make the Girl Scout sign, recited the Pax Lodge oath and were pinned with the Pax Lodge pin. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the troop leader and girl from Venezuela presented the Lodge with a flag from their country.

I also added a patch and pin to a map of the world the Lodge keeps on a wall in the cafeteria. Visitors can add a pin on the map to represent their hometown and a patch on the perimeter of the map. At the end of the year they clear off all of the patches and pins and sell the patches in the gift shop to support programming.
Our tour guides also explained some of the programming Pax Lodge offers. Programming includes themes similar to World Thinking Day events and come from a United Nations’ list of goals they adopted.

I would highly recommend taking a group of girls to Pax Lodge or taking a tour if you find yourself in London. You can’t help but feel a real sense of sisterhood with the other residents and visitors.

Michelle traveled to Kenya with Girl Scouts from all over the United States through the Girl Scout destinations program, part of the Travel Pathway. Girl Scout destinations are travel experiences that range from two days to three weeks for Girl Scout Cadettes and older. Through destinations, Girl Scouts discover new places, gain confidence, develop leadership skills and connect with other remarkable girls.

During her trip to Kenya, Michelle and 12 other Girl Scouts connected with Girl Guides in Nairobi, interacted with kids at a Kenyan school and visited Kenyan villages. They sang and danced with people from the Maasai tribe, visited Maasai women who showed them how to make beaded jewelry, and spotted lions, zebras, water buffalo and other animals in the Maasai Mara wildlife reserve.

There is energy and enthusiasm in Michelle’s voice when she talks about Kenya. “I enjoyed myself so much,” she stated, “and the culture was so amazing. I want to go back. I don’t even know how to explain it—how it changed me. I was just very touched.”

After returning from Kenya, Michelle took action by exhibiting a poster display about Kenya at her local county fair. And this fall, she will deliver a presentation about her trip to a group of Cadettes at her local service unit. She lets people know what she did on her trip and then, if they’re interested, tells them about ways they can connect and make a difference.

Right now, Michelle is preparing to start college this fall, where she plans to study agronomy and agriculture. She said the destinations experience has given her the opportunity to travel even more and she is looking at ways to study abroad.

Ready to plan your trip to a far corner of the world? Visit travel to get started.

Traveling by motor coach, the group traveled from New Ulm, MN to southeastern United States, visiting historic and natural sites along the way. They visited the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, Kentucky Horse Park, historic Shaker Village, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Lincoln’s Birthplace National Monument and the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. In addition, the group experienced some very memorable trip highlights.

One highlight was overnight camping on an aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown, in Charleston, SC. The Girl Scouts experienced World War II history and gained an understanding of military service by sleeping in bunks, eating meals in the mess hall and exploring the ship and planes. The girls were thrilled to hear that Girl Scouts played an important role in World War II by supporting the troops, recycling essential materials, caring for injured soldiers and planting victory gardens.

Visiting Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace was another trip highlight for the Girl Scouts. They participated in a special Interest session about the history of Girl Scouting, explored Savannah and found information about Juliette Gordon Low throughout the city.
For many in the group, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean was also a trip highlight. The girls spent a day at the ocean and saw dolphins, pelicans and other wildlife. They explored the shore with a naturalist, spent an overnight at the Georgia Aquarium and learned about tidal ecology, environmental protection and care of ocean mammals.

This trip was the culmination of three years of planning for the group. It helped them learn cooperation, leadership and self reliance. By accomplishing their goal of planning and taking the trip, the Girl Scouts learned that they can successfully carry out a major project.

Troop Trip Safety Tips

Before you get started planning, remember that trips over 10 hours long or more than 100 miles away require an Activity Approval for Trips and High Adventure Activities Form to be submitted to your Service Unit Manager at least 4 weeks prior to your departure.

Trips that are more than 4 nights long, involve more than one service unit, are international, or involve high risk activities require approval from River Valleys’ staff before you start planning. A Request to Plan Form should be sent in at least 6 months prior to your departure.

Remember that some trips require additional Beyond the Troop trainings for adults and you will need to purchase additional insurance for trips over 2 nights long.

Want to know more?

• For more information on trip approval, progression, trainings, and more, check out the Trips and Travel section in Volunteer Essentials Chapter 2: What Girls Do
• Contact Lawren Graf at 800-845-0787 ext. 1523.

Choose from a variety of trips in canoeing, kayaking, biking and backpacking all over northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Wilderness trips take courage, confidence and character to the limit.

Start out with a level one trip to gain skills and learn all the basics of surviving with your group in the wilderness. Build a fire and cook your meals over it, purify your water out of the lake, pitch a tent and travel under your own power each day. On a Girl Scout wilderness trip, “I can’t” is replaced with a confident “I can.”

After mastering the basics, you can progress to an advanced level each summer, eventually participating in an amazing 18-day wilderness adventure. Girl Scout wilderness trips lay a solid foundation for a lifetime of leadership.

Whether you are joining us for a first-level trip or are returning for an upper-level trip, check out our summer trips and sign up today.

Heidi grew up in the River Valleys council where she participated in Girl Scouts. She has been a regular volunteer, including serving as a board member. She was given the opportunity to work at Sangam, a Girl Scout world center located in Pune, India. She will be sharing her experiences with us over the next few months.

Remember the feeling of waiting up for Santa Claus as a little kid? I know I got excited weeks in advance, and by Christmas Eve the anticipation made me bounce off the walls in my best red plaid church dress. Now imagine the supposedly grown-up world centre staff and guests waiting for an elephant to join in Sangam’s 45th Birthday Celebration!

For a week before, we heard Diane (one of the Community Programme Tare) telling us how many more sleeps until the elephant remained. On Sangam’s Birthday Eve, we wound up buzzing with tired excitement on the front steps waiting for her to walk in the gate and up our driveway. Since she made a long journey across Pune with her handlers, we had the pleasure of hosting her overnight in our campground. We feed her bananas that we snuck from the kitchen and saw her take a bucket bath in the morning. All this happened even before the birthday party began!

World Sangam Day (October 16) fell during an Essence of India session, when guests from Sri Lanka, USA, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Japan visited for 10 days to experience Indian culture and help us celebrate. Sangam also hosts Community Action events and seminars with different themes like Advocacy and HIV/AIDS. Anyone connected to Girl Scouts and Guides can visit Sangam as an individual or with a group for these sessions. The staff prepares activities, field trips, and service projects for participants to enjoy. During the birthday week, our guests took on challenges to discover the neighborhoods of Pune, threw a birthday party for local children, tried wearing saris and Punjabi suits for a traditional Indian feast and cooled off with a movie in the swimming pool.

On the 45th Birthday itself, we offered elephant rides, tabla drumming, laughter yoga, a puppet show, tarot card readings, and a cake cutting ceremony. Also, I coordinated a Bazaar and discussion forum with our Community Partners, local organizations working for education, girls and women, and the environment. What a beautiful day! It ended with me and Ellen (a volunteer from Sweden) singing Sangam’s farewell song to the elephant Laxmi, whose name we learned in a guessing contest.

As November comes, it means chilly water in the pool, day camp for local kids with our Tare and lots of people coming and going! It also is a kick-off time for World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) “United to End Violence Against Women and Girls”campaign. At Sangam, we’ve started a wall of comments, thoughts, newspaper collages and artwork as an expression of our support for this theme.

My name is Heidi Storm and I’ve been in India since the end of July. I’m serving as the Community Relations Intern here, which means I work with a wonderful team of women who have connections to Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding, and who come from all around the world. Arriving at Sangam was an adventure for me! After more than 24 hours in cars, airports and planes, I was welcomed by another Intern, Robyn, from Utah and then went straight to sleep! Over the course of the next weeks, I dove into the culture of India, the traditions of Sangam, and got to participate in an event with girls from the UK and Canada. We learned all sorts of things that seem very obvious to Indians, such as riding in auto-rickshaws, shopping for saris and celebrating a festival dinner sitting on the floor and eating with just our right hands! We also visited the community organizations who partner with Sangam, such as Deep Griha Society who run a family welfare organization, nursery schools, women’s groups and an HIV/AIDS program.

During my training, I came to appreciate the contrast between the peaceful setting of Sangam and the noise and bustle of India. It’s truly fabulous to have the opportunity to experience a culture so different from mine, with the support of our volunteers and staff. They always love to answer questions like “Why are there cows in the road?” or “How do you find a good place near MG Road for lunch?” In fact, after two months at Sangam, I felt like a guide for our guests and new volunteers. I always encourage them to ask questions, even though I hesitated myself at first. I think that living and working at Sangam has encouraged me to draw from a different kind of strength and look to my friends for help when I’m stumped.

With volunteers and staff from the USA, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Mexico, Nigeria, Malaysia, India and the UK, we spend a lot of time explaining stories. We even translate from English to English so that everyone understands across different accents. Sometimes we need extra time to understand people’s beliefs and ways of doing things. Still, the sweetness of living and working with such diverse women is that once we get past the language issues, we have much to learn from each other. We celebrate Indian holidays like Ganesh festival and Diwali. We had a great Mexican Independence Day a few weeks ago. We all have stories of growing up as Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in our home countries, and our dinner conversation can range from Vegemite, peanut butter and Nutella to ideas about health care and poverty in our different nations.