Girl Scout Cookie Weekend
It's Girl Scout Cookie Season! Perhaps more importantly, this weekend is Girl Scout Cookie Weekend. If you're like me and live near the border of a Girl Scout Council, you may have notice that Cookie season starts at different times in different areas. This is because there are two different bakers used, in addition to each Council setting their own calendar. But this weekend all the Councils are selling, so the girls are out in full force and the booths are set up everywhere. And while it may seem like a lot of money for a cookies, there's so much more in the box than flour and sugar! What? I'm glad you asked.
The Five Skills (first line of each skill taken from a Cookie box, so you know it's true!)
Goal Setting - girls learn how to set goals and create a plan to reach them.
Girl Scouts learn at an early age that they have to work for what they have. The Cookie program gives them an opportunity to learn to work toward not only the individual prizes they want, but what their troop would like to do with the money they earn, as well as how to work to get there.
Decision Making - girls learn to make decisions on their own and as a team.
See above about goal setting, they have to make the decision before they can set the goal!
Money Management - girls learn to create a budget and handle money.
Girls learn to keep the money they bring in safe, as well as how to budget to reach their goal.
People Skills - girls find their voice and build confidence through customer interactions.
Here's where you come in. As leaders, we coach and support, but each interaction builds girls' people skills. Even if you say no, modeling appropriate behavior is a huge part of the learning process.
Business Ethics - girls learn to act ethically, both in business and in life.
Girls are responsible for their own business. If they lie about their sales, steal from their company or eat their profits they won't be successful. And these are things every future entrepreneur needs to know!
What Happens to the Money
Believe it or not, ALL the proceeds stay local. True, the troops only get a small portion per box, but the rest of the money goes to Council, which is locally run and puts the money right back into things for the girls.
Some of the money is used to maintain camps that troops can use to give girls a camping experience where they know for sure the property is safe and there won't be any non-Girl Scouts there. Council also provides summer camp experiences for individual girls, so even if girls aren't in a troop or their troop doesn't want to camp, they still have the opportunity. The money goes to pay the staff that works those camps, too.
Some of the money is used to provide training to volunteers. Girl Scouts encourages girls to take (safe) risks and making sure volunteers have proper training allows them to feel confident in stepping outside their comfort zone.
Some of the money is used to develop and provide programming for girls. When I was Girl Scout staff, one of my favorite things to do was run something called a Series. It was a 4-8 week program where staff went into schools to give girls who couldn't find a troop that fit their needs the Girl Scout experience. Cookie money provided the supplies for those Series, as well as covered my salary for that time.
I could go on, but I think you get the point that the money provides a lot of value .
Don't Mind My Mini Rant
Do NOT take this time to vent your beef with Girl Scouts to the girls. First, every negative thing I've heard spouted at girls was based on over-generalization. Second, even if there is some truth to your concerns, it should be taken up with adults who can do something about it, not kids. The one I hear the most often is "I would never support Girl Scouts because they support (insert something negative here)". Let me tell you this for sure - Girl Scouts as an organization does NOT support (insert ANY organization other than the United Way). What we do support is girls and their ability to make their own decisions.
So yes, you may find individual girls or even whole troops that support (whatever organization you heard) but that's only because Girl Scouts has helped those girls grow into strong, independent young women who speak up for what they believe in.
What Role do YOU Play?
Girls follow the cues they pick up from the adults in their lives. And while you may not think your 2 minute contact is important, they know they're in a learning situation and every interaction they have makes an impact.
Be Honest. It's okay if you don't want to buy Cookies. But say so. Part of the Cookie program is teaching people skills (see above!) and that includes accepting no for an answer. It also includes learning how to give people options, so listen to that girl and give her an honest response!
Use Your Manners. We want to teach girls the appropriate way to interact with adults, and that means you modeling appropriate behavior. If you ignore girls, they learn it's okay to treat others like you don't see them. If say bad things about their organization (especially if you haven't taken the time to educate yourself first) you're not helping them learn, you're just
Support Girl Scouts. There are a lot of ways to support Girl Scouts without actually eating the cookies. For one thing, you can buy Cookies for a friend! You can donate to Cookies for a Cause, which enables girls to send Cookies to US troops deployed overseas. Many troops use their Cookie money to support a local charity and you can donate directly to their cause.
There are so many wonderful ways to get involved and support a very important mission. So this weekend, when you see girls out selling Cookies, don't get lost in your phone. Don't act like you don't hear them. And certainly don't tell them why they're wrong. Take two minutes and give them the opportunity to have a real, productive interaction. You'll probably find you learn just as much from our girls as they learn from the Cookie program!
The Five Skills (first line of each skill taken from a Cookie box, so you know it's true!)
Goal Setting - girls learn how to set goals and create a plan to reach them.
Girl Scouts learn at an early age that they have to work for what they have. The Cookie program gives them an opportunity to learn to work toward not only the individual prizes they want, but what their troop would like to do with the money they earn, as well as how to work to get there.
Decision Making - girls learn to make decisions on their own and as a team.
See above about goal setting, they have to make the decision before they can set the goal!
Money Management - girls learn to create a budget and handle money.
Girls learn to keep the money they bring in safe, as well as how to budget to reach their goal.
People Skills - girls find their voice and build confidence through customer interactions.
Here's where you come in. As leaders, we coach and support, but each interaction builds girls' people skills. Even if you say no, modeling appropriate behavior is a huge part of the learning process.
Business Ethics - girls learn to act ethically, both in business and in life.
Girls are responsible for their own business. If they lie about their sales, steal from their company or eat their profits they won't be successful. And these are things every future entrepreneur needs to know!
What Happens to the Money
Believe it or not, ALL the proceeds stay local. True, the troops only get a small portion per box, but the rest of the money goes to Council, which is locally run and puts the money right back into things for the girls.
Some of the money is used to maintain camps that troops can use to give girls a camping experience where they know for sure the property is safe and there won't be any non-Girl Scouts there. Council also provides summer camp experiences for individual girls, so even if girls aren't in a troop or their troop doesn't want to camp, they still have the opportunity. The money goes to pay the staff that works those camps, too.
Some of the money is used to provide training to volunteers. Girl Scouts encourages girls to take (safe) risks and making sure volunteers have proper training allows them to feel confident in stepping outside their comfort zone.
Some of the money is used to develop and provide programming for girls. When I was Girl Scout staff, one of my favorite things to do was run something called a Series. It was a 4-8 week program where staff went into schools to give girls who couldn't find a troop that fit their needs the Girl Scout experience. Cookie money provided the supplies for those Series, as well as covered my salary for that time.
I could go on, but I think you get the point that the money provides a lot of value .
Don't Mind My Mini Rant
Do NOT take this time to vent your beef with Girl Scouts to the girls. First, every negative thing I've heard spouted at girls was based on over-generalization. Second, even if there is some truth to your concerns, it should be taken up with adults who can do something about it, not kids. The one I hear the most often is "I would never support Girl Scouts because they support (insert something negative here)". Let me tell you this for sure - Girl Scouts as an organization does NOT support (insert ANY organization other than the United Way). What we do support is girls and their ability to make their own decisions.
So yes, you may find individual girls or even whole troops that support (whatever organization you heard) but that's only because Girl Scouts has helped those girls grow into strong, independent young women who speak up for what they believe in.
What Role do YOU Play?
Girls follow the cues they pick up from the adults in their lives. And while you may not think your 2 minute contact is important, they know they're in a learning situation and every interaction they have makes an impact.
Be Honest. It's okay if you don't want to buy Cookies. But say so. Part of the Cookie program is teaching people skills (see above!) and that includes accepting no for an answer. It also includes learning how to give people options, so listen to that girl and give her an honest response!
Use Your Manners. We want to teach girls the appropriate way to interact with adults, and that means you modeling appropriate behavior. If you ignore girls, they learn it's okay to treat others like you don't see them. If say bad things about their organization (especially if you haven't taken the time to educate yourself first) you're not helping them learn, you're just
Support Girl Scouts. There are a lot of ways to support Girl Scouts without actually eating the cookies. For one thing, you can buy Cookies for a friend! You can donate to Cookies for a Cause, which enables girls to send Cookies to US troops deployed overseas. Many troops use their Cookie money to support a local charity and you can donate directly to their cause.
There are so many wonderful ways to get involved and support a very important mission. So this weekend, when you see girls out selling Cookies, don't get lost in your phone. Don't act like you don't hear them. And certainly don't tell them why they're wrong. Take two minutes and give them the opportunity to have a real, productive interaction. You'll probably find you learn just as much from our girls as they learn from the Cookie program!
Comments
Post a Comment