Mission Sisterhood Journey Announcements Summer 2018
includes : prep, between session activities, take action project, FAQ & gold info
The four sessions are Tuesday - Friday 9AM - 12 PM July 10, 11, 12, 13 2018 Registration Deadline Friday, June 15, 2018 DD.
Please note that the last day to drop with a refund is 7/3
PREPARATION
Pictures & Magazines Girls will be making a collage as a group art project with their impressions of sisterhood. The girls can bring personal photos with emphasis on girls and women interacting; friends, family, troop shots, etc. Also, you can bring ONE magazine to share that can be cut up.
Symbol of friendship – On day 2, the girls will be asked to bring an object from home that symbolizes friendship to them. It can be an item that is specific, such as a gift from a friend or general such as an item that reminds them of their friends or friendship.
CHECKLIST OF ITEMS TO BRING
Day 1 – Magazines & photos (as described above)
Day 2 – Symbol of friendship (as described above)
The following items should be brought every day
JOURNEY LOCATION – Sent in the announcement email
Between the sessions - reading and activities
After day 1
After Day 2
After Day 3
Please note that the last day to drop with a refund is 7/3
PREPARATION
Pictures & Magazines Girls will be making a collage as a group art project with their impressions of sisterhood. The girls can bring personal photos with emphasis on girls and women interacting; friends, family, troop shots, etc. Also, you can bring ONE magazine to share that can be cut up.
Symbol of friendship – On day 2, the girls will be asked to bring an object from home that symbolizes friendship to them. It can be an item that is specific, such as a gift from a friend or general such as an item that reminds them of their friends or friendship.
CHECKLIST OF ITEMS TO BRING
Day 1 – Magazines & photos (as described above)
Day 2 – Symbol of friendship (as described above)
The following items should be brought every day
- Mission Sisterhood Book If you purchased one from us, it will be provided to you at check in.
- Water bottle with name on it.
- A small backpack or bag to store your book, jacket, water bottle etc
- SAVE THE DATE FINAL SESSION– At our last session, July 13, a troop leader or RA (or parent, if troop leader is not attending sessions) from each troop is required to attend the last half hour from 11:30 - 12 for info on how to follow up with the journey Take Action Project completion & guiding the girls on to Gold. If you have any questions about this please email me.
JOURNEY LOCATION – Sent in the announcement email
Between the sessions - reading and activities
After day 1
- Bring symbol of friendship.
- Look over chapters 1 – 2 in book
- Do page 11 – fill out who those people are in your life & friends where you play that role,
- Do quizzes
- Take note of self-talk. page 25. Notice positive & negative things you find yourself saying. Each will share one – take note of overall ratio.
- Take notice of things you say to other people & what they say to you ? Including best compliment you ever received & something you wish someone hadn’t said to you (or something you which you hadn’t said)
After Day 2
- Read chapters 3 -4
- Glance at project planner page 68 – 77.
- Narrow down to a couple of issues you might want to choose for your Take Action Project.
After Day 3
- Read chapter 5 & pages 68 – 77 (project planner).
- Fill out pages 69, 70 &71 *. For pages 72 – 75 jot down a couple of sentences.
- COMPLETE TAKE ACTION PROJECT PLANNING PAPER – Use the “leader “guide” I gave you to see the level of detail in a good plan. You can also include info from your answers in the book project planner. Here is a new planning sheet if you need it.
| ms_plan_blank_detailed.docx |
ELEVATOR SPEECH - Practice your individual “elevator speech” to be ready to give it to an adult. You can use the prompt paper I gave you (see below for questions) or the Take Action Statement page 71 of your Mission Sisterhood book.
ELEVATOR SPEECH -15 – 30 second “elevator speech”
Your “speech” should answer the following question.
What are you doing for your Journey Take Action Project?
You can use these prompts or write your own!
The issue I’ve chosen for my Journey Take Action Project is:
The reason I chose this issue is:
The steps I will take to complete my project are:
The result I hope to have is:
ELEVATOR SPEECH -15 – 30 second “elevator speech”
Your “speech” should answer the following question.
What are you doing for your Journey Take Action Project?
You can use these prompts or write your own!
The issue I’ve chosen for my Journey Take Action Project is:
The reason I chose this issue is:
The steps I will take to complete my project are:
The result I hope to have is:
Take Action Project follow up (Final session)
LEADER/parent TALK After our session, the parent or troop leader is in charge of supervising project completion, during the last half hour of our final session. 1130 AM June 30 I will give a brief overview to the leaders & parents covering :
To prepare for meeting with the girls and evaluating their project please read the following pages under TAKE ACTION PROJECTS
A Senior level journey is designed for girls who are already attending high school. If you are attending this journey the summer after 8th grade, I suggest that you use the Journey Take Action Project plan that they create in our session as basis for your GS program during their 9th grade year. This will help serve as a better preparation for their Gold Award.
EXTRA BONUS PATCH !
Girls that take an active role in creating a website have earned the Senior Website Designer Award Patch. It is one of the Skill Building badges from the Girltopia journey. It is available at the council shop.
The requirements for this badge are 1. Find a worthwhile subject 2. Find a hosting service 3. Build a blueprint 4. Create Must see content. 5 Go Live
- how to evaluate their project in terms of your own troop dynamics,
- how to help them follow up
- what to expect if they go on to Gold
To prepare for meeting with the girls and evaluating their project please read the following pages under TAKE ACTION PROJECTS
- Progression & Requirements for Take Action Projects – This explains the Topic/Issue choices, Pre-requisites, Approval Process , Suggested number of girls working together, Who the project can serve, (Target Audience), Suggested number of hours , Deadline for completion & Sustainability for Projects from level journeys all the way up to the Gold Award.
- Take Action Project Planning Process - This page is the process I took the girls through last session. It includes a list of the questions on the Girltopia Take Action Project plan as well as an excellent example of a girl’s completed project plan.
- Troop Leader Take Action Project Checklist – This is the checklist you can use at our final session to help the girls evaluate their project. I will have copies available for each troop.
A Senior level journey is designed for girls who are already attending high school. If you are attending this journey the summer after 8th grade, I suggest that you use the Journey Take Action Project plan that they create in our session as basis for your GS program during their 9th grade year. This will help serve as a better preparation for their Gold Award.
EXTRA BONUS PATCH !
Girls that take an active role in creating a website have earned the Senior Website Designer Award Patch. It is one of the Skill Building badges from the Girltopia journey. It is available at the council shop.
The requirements for this badge are 1. Find a worthwhile subject 2. Find a hosting service 3. Build a blueprint 4. Create Must see content. 5 Go Live
Examples and inspiration for Mission Sisterhood projects
Check out the Mission Sisterhood Take Action Projects page on this website for Mission Sisterhood Take Action Project examples & the Inspiration for Mission Sisterhood Projects to get some ideas.
Journey Take Action Project Final Report - http://www.workshops4girls.com/take-action-project-final-report.html
This report is optional & does not have to be turned in to workshops4girls or GSOC.
As you learned at the leader/parent talk, Journey Take Action project completion is monitored and approved by the parent or troop leader. The girls are "finished" when they meet the goals they set in their written project plan.
So why did I create it ?
Sometimes it takes girls a few months or more to finish their project and leaders/parents want something tangible to show they are done.
Sometimes girls need help describing their project, need some prompting or forget what they did.
Scouts attend without their troop & no adult attends the final session or they attend with a parent who is unfamiliar with scout procedures.
It is good practice for the Higher Awards. For the Gold Award a final report is required & it can be used as the basis for scholarship eligibility.
How should we use it ?
For troop leaders/parents who attended the final session ( or received my emails)
Use it if it helps you. If the girls are averse to filling out paperwork, (no surprise there!) the questions can be used as a basis for individual or group discussions. You can also use the questions in a similar manner to the elevator speech they gave about their project.
For girls whose troop leader did not attend the final session (or wasn’t on my email list)
It is the responsibility of the scout to give her leader a copy of her Take Action Project plan. If the leader requests it, the girl can fill out a copy of the final report when she has met the goals outlined on her plan.
This report is optional & does not have to be turned in to workshops4girls or GSOC.
As you learned at the leader/parent talk, Journey Take Action project completion is monitored and approved by the parent or troop leader. The girls are "finished" when they meet the goals they set in their written project plan.
So why did I create it ?
Sometimes it takes girls a few months or more to finish their project and leaders/parents want something tangible to show they are done.
Sometimes girls need help describing their project, need some prompting or forget what they did.
Scouts attend without their troop & no adult attends the final session or they attend with a parent who is unfamiliar with scout procedures.
It is good practice for the Higher Awards. For the Gold Award a final report is required & it can be used as the basis for scholarship eligibility.
How should we use it ?
For troop leaders/parents who attended the final session ( or received my emails)
Use it if it helps you. If the girls are averse to filling out paperwork, (no surprise there!) the questions can be used as a basis for individual or group discussions. You can also use the questions in a similar manner to the elevator speech they gave about their project.
For girls whose troop leader did not attend the final session (or wasn’t on my email list)
It is the responsibility of the scout to give her leader a copy of her Take Action Project plan. If the leader requests it, the girl can fill out a copy of the final report when she has met the goals outlined on her plan.
Gold Award info
Ready For Gold ?
To find the Gold Award page on the GSOC website go to: www.girlscoutsoc.org click about girl scouts > our program >highest awards>click on the pic of the Gold award. The direct link is http://www.girlscoutsoc.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/highest-awards/gold-award.html. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the important links including:
· Gold Award dates to remember Project Proposal deadlines and Interview dates. (Stick this on your fridge & use to budget
your time)
· GSOC Gold Award project proposal support meetings Optional (but recommended) These are the days the girls can talk about
their project casually with the interviewers.
· Info on additional awards and scholarships
Required Gold Award Training. Check the GSOC calendar for dates http://www.girlscoutsoc.org/en/events/event-calendar.html
Workshops4girls Gold award page . http://www.workshops4girls.com/gold-award.html
Please my own Gold Award page for insider tips, including:
· A general overview of the process.
· Tips on how to pick a project.
· An expansion of the steps to Gold.
· Interview tips.
Things to avoid - A list of common reasons that Gold Awards get sent back for improvements.
Please go to the Inspirational Projects page on this website for great examples of people taking action in their communities at many ages. It includes links to NYWOD National Young Women of distinction.
To find the Gold Award page on the GSOC website go to: www.girlscoutsoc.org click about girl scouts > our program >highest awards>click on the pic of the Gold award. The direct link is http://www.girlscoutsoc.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/highest-awards/gold-award.html. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the important links including:
· Gold Award dates to remember Project Proposal deadlines and Interview dates. (Stick this on your fridge & use to budget
your time)
· GSOC Gold Award project proposal support meetings Optional (but recommended) These are the days the girls can talk about
their project casually with the interviewers.
· Info on additional awards and scholarships
Required Gold Award Training. Check the GSOC calendar for dates http://www.girlscoutsoc.org/en/events/event-calendar.html
Workshops4girls Gold award page . http://www.workshops4girls.com/gold-award.html
Please my own Gold Award page for insider tips, including:
· A general overview of the process.
· Tips on how to pick a project.
· An expansion of the steps to Gold.
· Interview tips.
Things to avoid - A list of common reasons that Gold Awards get sent back for improvements.
Please go to the Inspirational Projects page on this website for great examples of people taking action in their communities at many ages. It includes links to NYWOD National Young Women of distinction.
How are the Take Action Project Groups formed?
The girls choose their issue, type of project and who they will work with. They can do a solo project or work in groups.
Usually they choose girls from their troop, but they may choose to work with girls from their troop or girls they met at the session.
Troops attending may break into more than one project group.
FAQ
I sent my daughter to this journey, but I’m not the leader. Do I have to attend the final session?
I want to make sure an adult is aware of the steps needed to complete the journey Take Action project. (Girls don't always pass the info on to their leader !) After the final session, you can share the info you learned & have the scout give a copy of her Take Action Plan to her troop leader so they can monitor project completion.
How do I know when their project is complete?
A Take Action Project has no required timeline. It depends on the girl’s schedules and scope of their project. I have had girls wrap them in a few weekends or girls that spent several months. The project is done when they meet the goals they set in their written plan.
When do they have to complete it?
A senior level journey take action project must be completed by Sept 30 after their 10th grade year OR before they put in their Gold Award Proposal.
How Big Should the Journey Take Action Project be?
A senior level Take Action Project is meant to be a mini Gold Award. The project should challenge them. They should become an expert and an advocate on their topic. They should examine the root cause of the problem they are addressing and their project should be aimed at a solution. Their project should result in a measurable positive change. It is not required to be sustainable.
Only Gold Award Projects require sustainability.
Final Project Approval
After our final meeting, the journey transitions into a partnership with you & the girls as you guide them through the completion of their project. Since you are attending the last session and should have a clear understanding of the girl’s plan, it is not a requirement that I “approve” their project at the end, but I am available of you have questions or need guidance.
Final Project Approval/ Journey sign off on Gold Award Proposal
If your scout progresses to a GOLD award proposal, you (or your troop leader) are the one who signs off the project, since you (or your troop leader) is the one who supervised the completion journey Take Action Project.. The “end” date of the journey is the day they meet their final measurable goal from their plan.
How are the Take Action Project Groups formed?
The girls choose their issue, type of project and who they will work with. They can do a solo project or work in groups. Usually they choose girls from their troop, but they may choose to work with girls from their troop or girls they met at the session. Troops attending may break into more than one project group.
How can the girls share information/work together if they are from different troops?
The girls working in mixed troop groups should have exchanged contact information and divided responsibilities. That is included in their project plan. In addition, look at the How to Upload Your Video page. http://www.workshops4girls.com/how-to-upload-your-video.html
Included on that page:
1. How girls from different troops can share files to work together
2. How to get finished videos to me to be uploaded to the Workshops4girls YouTube channel
3. Supported YouTube file formats.
4. How to convert a Power Point Presentation to a YouTube compatible format.
A note about PSA (Public Service Announcements) video, blogs, websites, etc.
Filming & posting a video or creating a website is not a Take Action Project. They are tools that can be used as part of the project.
Once the video, website, blog, etc. is completed and posted, it is up to the girls to do a media blitz to get the word out about their project. That said, a social media advertisement campaign is not enough. They may also use their video or blog as a focal point during presentations to groups, scout troops at school or events.
NO NAMES OR TROOP NUMBERS in videos
There should be no identifying information; troop number, names ,schools, etc. in any videos if they want to post to the Workshops4girls YouTube Channel. Our photo release promises anonymity.
What if they are in a group and it doesn’t work out?
Sometimes communication breaks down or girls don’t follow through. The most important thing to remember is that your scout’s Take Action Project is her responsibility !! I have seen have groups that are quite successful & some that never communicate after the last session. Open a dialog with your scout about contingency plans. Learning to re-adjust when your “best laid plans” fall through is a difficult, but valuable lesson.
I wrote a blog post about this issue that you may find helpful. It explores this issue in depth. You can find it here http://www.workshops4girls.blogspot.com/2014/11/musings-on-senior-level-take-action.html