Change!

By Leka G.

It’s new, it’s improved and it’s change! Presenting the new council headquarters building and the new Journey books! I know we’re all sad to see the current service center and the old Girl Scout books go, but wait before you start judging this. The new building will be located at Camp Timber Ridge, with 24-hour access to the Girl Scout Badge & Sash store online. The move to the new building will take place in fall of 2009.

But you don't have to wait until then to experience the new Journey books! They are all about leadership and they are here now. By 2010, there will be a total of three books for each grade level, so you can choose what book you want to use. They are $7 for the girl book and $15 for the adult book.

We’ve also added a new Girl Scout level. Please welcome the Ambassadors! They are in 11th and 12th grade. So let's get going with change! Oh, and incase you don't know as of Aug. 1, 2008, we are now Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc.

Girl Scouts: Competent Gavalier

A summary of Gavel Club

By Rose B.

You collapse onto your bed and scream into your pillow. That speech you had to give at school was a disaster! You dropped all of your papers, then you forgot what came next in your speech and it took you an entire minute to find where you left off. You went over the time limit. You kept fiddling with your hair because it refused to stay out of your face. Your teacher gave you a "D", but you were only saved from an "F" because of the speech’s content. “I have to get better at speaking,” you think, “but how?”

Gavel Club is a speech club that has helped girls between the ages of 13 and 17 become better speakers. There are three Gavel Clubs in our council: Gwinnett, North DeKalb and South DeKalb. In Gavel Club, members are given speech books, which contain speech assignments. Everyones' first speech is the same: you get to talk about yourself! There are 10 speeches in all. If you complete all 10 speeches, you get a certificate that says you are a Competent Gavalier.

Gavel Club is a safe, helpful environment where you can learn how to become a better speaker. It is part of Toastmasters International, which is an adult organization like Gavel Club. Toastmasters is affiliated with Girl Scouts, so only Girl Scouts get to be a part of it. It is also a committee, so its officers get to attend SAIL training.

Now, you come back home from another speech you gave at school, smiling. You have been attending Gavel Club meetings for a while and have given several speeches, both during club meetings and at school. You use note cards instead of papers. When you forget what comes next, there is only a few seconds pause before you’re back on track. You are now getting "A’s" on all of your speeches at school. Going to Gavel Club meetings is also fun for you. You can’t wait for the next themed meeting! Maybe you’ll even attend the speak-off this year!

There is one thing you are sure of...that life is very good now that your grades are up and you’re making new friends!

How to cope with Girl Scout teasing

By Stephanie G.

I know I’m not the only girl out there that has been made fun of for being a Girl Scout. If you haven’t, you might start to experience it around the sixth grade. I really have no idea why our classmates make fun of us, but I know how to cope with them.

Tips on coping with Girl Scout teasing

HINT: Be confident in what you say and mean it!

Teaser example: “You have to be nerd to be in Girl Scouts. It’s for little kids, why are you still in it? It's only about selling cookies anyway.”

What NOT to say: Note: Your saying this calmly but untruthful

YOU: “Yeah, my mom makes me. I would quit, but she won’t let me. I’m going to keep begging her. I doubt it’s going to work.”

Note: You should never say something you don’t mean. If you do this, you let the teaser pull you down and it shows you care about what others say. Just be yourself and be proud of who you are.

What NOT to say: Note: Your saying it in a rude tone

YOU: “Ok, if you are going to be like that then, I’m not selling Girl Scout Cookies to you anymore. Plus, I don’t like you that much anyway. I have plenty of other friends.” Before walking away you pinch the teaser.

Note: You are standing up for yourself and that’s good, but at the same time you are being rude and using violence. By acting this way, you are letting the teaser know their comments are getting to you and they might keep teasing you for pleasure.

What TO say: Note: You are nice and truthful

YOU: “You are just labeling Girl Scouts; you don’t even give us a chance to show who we really are. We work hard in everything we do. We go camping, learn how to pitch tents, cook outside and so much more! We also donate our time to helping our community by holding food drives, making pillows for animals, giving Christmas or birthday gifts to children in need, donating Girl Scout Cookies to soldiers and so much more!

Another thing we do is earn our Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. These awards take dedication. It takes about five years or more to complete them all. In order to accomplish these we have to come up with different projects like building a pavilion at a church, painting a Girl Scout camp’s fence and making a garden plus the stepping-stones to go with it. When you finish your Girl Scout Gold award, then your name gets put on a display wall and you may even get a scholarship.

That’s not why I do Girl Scouts though. Girl Scouts makes you into a hard working young lady, it shows dedication and builds courage, confidence and character. I could keep going. Even though it’s a lot of hard work, it’s fun at the same time. Besides, I’m not follower, I’m a leader!

Note: You were calm, you didn’t make into a big deal and said it nicely (don’t care what others say).

A personal note about this article:

The examples I used above have really happened. I even used real examples about what we get to do in Girl Scouts. I also used true the examples of what a teaser has said to me but I only said the third example to them.

The only reason why I shared the fun facts above was to show you that these examples have really been used. Also, so that you know that being a Girl Scout is hard work but it pays off in many ways. I hope many of the girls who get teased from being a Girl Scout use these tips, I have. They really work because those people who made fun of me are my friends now. If you have never gotten teased I hope it stays that way.

Outside the box of Girl Scouting

By Megan B.

As an older Girl Scout, we face the unpopularity of being in an organization commonly identified by the younger Girl Scout Brownies. These cute little girls usually beat us in cookie sales. As we get older, we see girls from our troop drop out because they aren’t the same cute little girls any more and they feel they’re too cool for Girl Scouts. However, there are ways to represent the Girl Scouts outside of the Girl Scouting world...that are cool.

Change it up. Girl Scouts provides so much paraphernalia its ridiculous. Wear a sweat suit or carry a Girl Scout bag to school one day. If you can still wear your old uniform, recycle the old shirt and wear it with a pair of jeans. The cute accessories in the catalog that most of us get every year aren’t limited to just the younger girls and the adults. If you have old tie-dye projects, t-shirts, scrunchies, socks or beanies, they can all be reused as everyday statements saying, “Hey I’m a Girl Scout, I may be older, but it’s so much more fun that way.”

If you’re in high school and you’re in the process of filling out applications for school, find a way to squeeze Girl Scouting onto your list of activities. It looks great to have stuck to an organization of this quality for so long.

If you want a class ring, see if your provider will allow you to have the Girl Scout emblem placed on your ring. If you’re really bold, wear your uniform when you sell cookies at school. That would be a serious head turner. Just because you’re a teenager, that doesn’t mean you have to stop liking Girl Scouts and hide the fact that you’re productive when you’re not with your regular group of friends.

Enjoy knowing the fact that as an older Girl Scout, you are being prepared for life with skills that some people don’t acquire this early in life, if they get them at all. Use these skills every day! Recruit your friends into your troop. Have them come to a few meetings. If you learn something interesting such as how to change a tire, CPR, etiquette, self-defense or other activities, share your knowledge!

It may not be cool to keep telling people that just because you are a Girl Scout that doesn’t mean you are Girl Scout Brownie, but you can still pass the knowledge. You never know, you may be the most self-sufficient person in your group of friends, just because you were a Girl Scout!

What's happening here?

Video by: Carlisa J.

Text by: Jessi S.

Click here to see what really happens behind the scenes of a Lime Green Giraffe photo shoot.

Want to join in the fun of an LGG photo shoot? Contact Marnye Hall at (404) 312-3668.