Brownie Global Action 2017

Maya completed the Global Action 2017 (the requirements are the same as the 2016, in case you are having a hard time finding them).  This goes hand in hand with her recent reading and current role model of Malala Yousafzai.   The theme for this year’s Global Action Award is “Increasing Girls’ Access  to Education.

Although you need only complete 1 requirements, Maya selected to do #1, #3, a variation on #5, and #6.

#1: Talk to the girls in your troop about how each one of you gets to school. Maybe some girls walk with a parent or older sibling, and some ride the bus. Or maybe some girls are home-schooled and don’t need to travel at all! Can you think of ideas for ways  to help get girls to school safely in places that don’t have school buses?
Maya and the girls in her troop are all homeschooled.  She noted that girls can school anytime, anywhere, even in their pajamas or while laying in bed!  She loves the idea that we can go everywhere or nowhere at all.  We contrasted this to the other ways girls school in this area (public or private) and how they get there (walk, ride in a car, bussed).

#3: Interview a woman in your life—it could be your mom, another relative, or a family friend—about what it was like to be a girl in school when she was young. Were girls treated differently than boys? Were they encouraged to move on to study the same kinds of subjects? Were they encouraged to pursue the same kinds of careers? Does she think things have changed since then? If so, how? Are there other things that you think still need to change?
Maya and I talked about school when I was a little girl.  I told her that, especially with sports and clubs, girls and boys were treated differently.  There were sports that girls were not allowed to try out for (like Football and Wrestling) and that had no equivalent (as in baseball AND softball both being offered).  Girls were encouraged to focus our studies on the arts and humanities, while boys were directed more towards science and math.  Although this was the case, I do remember being encouraged to pursue whatever career or vocation I wanted, regardless of it's educational background.  Things have definitely changed, now that girls have significant access to STEM programs and classes.  That being said, I think that our educational system is flawed because we should offer opportunities and focus to all students while teaching to their strengths and weaknesses, regardless of gender or ability.

#5: (Variation)  Did you know that girls face challenges related to education in many countries around the world, including the United States? Read a book that focuses on girls’ education in the United States, and talk about it with your Girl Scout friends.  You might look at Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal, or choose a book  of your own.
Maya is currently reading and loving her biography on Malala Yousafzai.

#6: What if, as girls, you were not allowed to go to school? What would your life be like now? What would you do with your time? What might your life be like in the future?
Maya drew a picture that showed all of the things she wants to pursue (being a lifeguard, a police officer, and a doctor), and then how she would feel if she were not allowed to learn and do those things. 

Need the requirements?  Click here.

Brownie My Promise, My Faith Year 2

Because Maya began her Brownie Journey while her Daisy 2 year was still completing, this is her technical second year, even though she has been a Brownie less than 12 months.  Due to her grade level, she will be bridging to Juniors in the fall, and she wanted to make sure that she completed everything in the 16 months she would be a Brownie.  So her My Promise, My Faith Year 1 was completed in 2016 and her Year 2 was just completed!

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My Promise, My  Faith:  2^nd Year Brownie Pin.

1.        Choose a line from the GS Law.  Find a story about that law and apply it to your own life.

a.       Be Responsible for What I Say and Do, Honest and Fair

b.       Maya read a biography about Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.  Malala risked her life because she wouldn’t back down about her beliefs that girls had a right to be educated.  As Maya read this story, she continued to say how much she and this girl had in common: that they both loved their faith (even though they share different ones), that they both believed in education, and that everyone should be treated fairly.  She was deeply disturbed by the notion that people want to kill others for believing differently from what they believe.

c.        Section completed: 1/15/17

2.       Find a woman in your own or another faith community and ask her how she tries to use the GS Law in her life.

a.       Maya contact Malala Yousafzai through her website to find out how she uses the GS Law in her own life.   (I’ll update this once/if we get a response, but we did go through the Law and come up with ideas.)

                                                               i.      honest and fair: she wanted equal education for girls

                                                             ii.      friendly and helpful: she tried to make sure girls had access to school

                                                            iii.      considerate and caring: she cared for other girls

                                                            iv.      courageous and strong: she stood up for what she believed and even was almost murdered because of it

                                                              v.      responsible for what I say and do: she never tried to hide what she was doing or lie about it

                                                            vi.      respect myself and others: she respected herself because she wanted an education and respected other girls because she fought for their rights, too

                                                          vii.      respect authority: she stood up against an oppressive government for the rights of her people

                                                         viii.      use resources wisely: she used everything she could around her for her cause.

                                                            ix.      make the world a better place: she fought for equal education

                                                              x.      be a sister to every Girl Scout: she fought for her fellow girls

b.       Section completed: 1/16/17

3.        Gather at least 3 inspirational quotes by women that fit a line of the GS Law.

a.       Maya completed this at the annual Catholic Girl Scout Retreat, where she learned about Miriam and St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta.  She selected quotes by Mother Theresa and crafted a handout to remind her of these quotes and how they help her to live the Girl Scout Law.

b.       Section completed: 12/10/16

4.        Make something to remind you of what you’ve learned.

a.       Maya made a Mother Theresa peg doll at the Catholic Girl Scout Retreat that she keeps on her bedside table, near our quotes jar from her My Promise, My Faith part 1.

b.       Section completed: 12/10/16

5.        Keep the connection strong.

a.       At the conclusion of the Catholic Girl Scout Retreat, Maya shared what she had learned with her Girl Scout sisters and listened while they shared as well.

b.       Section completed: 12/10/16

Pin Completed: 1/16/17

Brownie My Promise, My Faith Pin (1)

My Promise, My Faith

You can earn this pin each year that you’re a Brownie.  You’ll find that Girl Scouting and your faith have a lot in common!  Complete these 5 steps to earn the pin.
1. Choose one line from the Girl Scout Law.  Find a story, song or poem from your faith with the same ideas.  Talk with your family or friends about what that line of the Law and your choice have in common.

• I will do my best to be… COURAGEOUS AND CARING
• “Glory in the Cross” (the Good Friday words, especially verse 2)
• Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ who redeems us with his blood.  Let us tell the story of the cross of Christ and the power of his saving love. Like a lamb he was slain; he carried our shame, to show us the mercy of God.  Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ and the triumph of God’s great love.
• Let us bring our burdens to the cross of Christ who has known our sorrow and tears.  IN the great compassion of the heart of Christ, God had walked in our hopes and fears.  He was mocked and betrayed, deserted by friends, and banished to die among thieves.  Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ and the triumph of God’s great love.
• Let us kneel in homage at the cross of Christ where we see God’s human face.  We behold the Maker of the sun and stars as he hangs on the throne of grace.  As we share in his pain, his sorrow and shame, our hearts will be tested in fire.  Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ and the triumph of God’s great love.
• Maya can be seen singing verse 2 of the Good Friday words here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o3eji-0g5Q

2. Find a woman in your own or another faith community and ask her how she tries to use that Law in her life.

• Maya emailed her Aunt Eileen, who is the music director at our church.  
• Dear Aunt Eileen  I am earning my My Promise, My Faith pin and am asking for your help.  My favorite part of the Girl Scout Law is I will do my best to be courageous and strong For part 2 of my pin can you tell me how you use that part of the girl scout law in your life and what that means to you as a Catholic.  Thank you. Love, Maya

• (The Response)  Dear Maya,  I am very proud of you for working to earn this pin. Thank you for asking me about being courageous and strong. I believe that as a Catholic and lover of Jesus I need to always try to do what is right in God's eyes. This takes courage because it might be more fun to do what I want sometimes! But then I think about how much God loves me and blesses me, and then I can't say No to Him. He gives me the strength to do His work through me.  Love, Aunt Eileen

3. Gather at least 3 inspirational quotes by women that fit that line of the Girl Scout Law and put them where you can see them every day.

• Maya selected 12 quotes from different female saints.
• “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”  -St. Catherine of Sienna
• “We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.”  -St. Teresa of Avila
• “Love God, serve God; everything is in that.” -St. Clare of Assisi
• “Whatever God gives and permits…he gives and permits it for our good.”   -St. Catherine of Siena 
• “If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him.”  –St Clare of Assisi
• “I am not afraid.  I was born to do this.”  –St. Joan of Arc
• “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring”  –St Catherine of Siena
• “Jesus…my strength, fortify me.” -St. Faustina
• “Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”  -St. Rose of Lima
  “I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be done to me according to thy word.” -Blessed Virgin Mary 
• “The source of justice is not vengeance but charity.”  -Saint Bridget of Sweden
• “I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it.”  -St. Faustina
• “Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.”  – St. Teresa of Calcutta

4. Make something to remind you of what you’ve learned.

• Maya made a craft out of the quotes from #3.  We colored one side of popsicle sticks, then taped a quote to the other side.  Maya decorated a small jar with Brownie stickers and now the jar of inspiration to be courageous and strong sits next to her bed for prayer time.

  

 

5. Keep the connection strong.  Talk with your friends and family about what you’ve learned about your faith and Girl Scouting.  Show them what you’ve made!

 

Brownie Safety Award

There are 5 requirements for earning the Safety Award for Brownies.

We utilized the checklist found on this website to complete the requirements for this pin.

Find the form here

Step 1.  We discussed safety when out at playgrounds as well as in our back yard.  Maya created a list of rules that she posted next to our backdoor.

playground rules

Step 2.  I drew a street map of the section of our Borough that we live in.  Maya then marked the important locations, like police, fire, EMTs, hospital, and local spaces we use often.  We also looked for the important numbers and wrote them down.

Marking important spots on the map

Ready to go

Step 3.  Maya and her dad went over fire safety and how our fire alarms work.  She worked on creating a safety evacuation plan in the event of a fire emergency.

Creating a fire evacuation plan for our family

Step 4.  We discussed stranger danger, calling 911, and what to do when lost.  (This dose double duty as step 1 of the First Aid badge).  We created a safety plan for the Farmer's Market that we attend weekly.

Creating a safety plan with Mommy

Step 5.  Using the computer, we researched the most common natural disasters in Pennsylvania as well as talked about what to do in the event of a natural disaster.  (This took almost 2 hours and spanned both parents, but Maya enjoyed this step the most.)

Researching with Daddy

Disaster Preparedness

Beyond the Badge:
Maya is in the process of creating mini first aid kits along with a disaster preparedness checklist to deliver to our three closest neighbors.