| CSA and Cluster Information Del Mar Scouts - We Stay Together! |
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| The Surfside Cluster encompasses cadette/senior scouts and troops from Carmel Valley in the south to Oceanside in the north. The purpose of the cluster is to have a type of service unit-like place where older scouts can learn leadership skills, participate in activities and do service projects. Meetings and events are scheduled 4-5 during the school year. Please contact the Surfside Cluster liaison with any further inquiries. All registered scouts are welcome to participate. Visit the cluster website: http://surfsidecluster.sena tron.com |
| Surfside Cluster Info Cluster hasn't gone away as an option for us. You can still participate if you are a Del Mar troop. To add your name to the email list for Cluster updates contact Robin Lemon to be added to the Yahoo Cluster group. |
CSAs are Cadette, Seniors and Ambassadors – our Service Unit has identified four ways in which the CSA troops will
interact with the SU troops: Mentoring (including leadership development of younger girls and leaders), Leadership and
Community Service Opportunities, Silver and Gold Award pre-requisite opportunities and Service Unit Event
support (such as encampments and Thinking Day).
10/15/09 - Notes on the new awards system from a Senior Leader.
Hello CSA troop leaders,
As a Senior troop leader (and mother of two Silver Award recipients) I have been eagerly awaiting the new awards program
from Girl Scouts. I attended a Silver and Gold Award Basics class, as well as surfing the national GS site and I thought I'd
put down a little summary and links here to help you get started.
Prior to the actual Projects, the girls need to complete certain pre-requisites or Journeys. Cadettes complete ONE Journey
and Seniors complete TWO Journeys (or earn the Silver Award and complete ONE Journey). Yes, the girls now get some
credit for having earned the Silver Award! Each Journey contains what GS calls a Take Action Project - this can be done
as a troop as I understand it.
Here's the confusing part: GS is also calling the Silver and Gold Projects (done after the pre-requisites) Take Action
Projects, but those are the big projects that are on another scope entirely from what the girls do as part of a Journey. For
these BIG Take Action Projects, the girls take much more responsibility - Cadettes may work in small groups (2-4 scouts)
and Seniors must work independently. For the BIG Take Action Project GS has removed the minimal hours requirement,
but it recommends 40 hours for Cadettes and 80 hours for Seniors.
Back to the pre-requisites: The adult Journey companion book (meant for Leaders) sets out a series of sessions for you to
guide the girls and can be covered in a year. There are currently two Journeys available per level: the It's Your World -
Change It series and the It's Your Planet - Love It series.
Cadette Journeys (6th 7th and 8th graders): aMAZE - The Twists and Turns of Getting Along and Breathe.
Each of these two Journeys contain opportunities for earning Leadership Awards (the Interact, Diplomat and Peacemaker
Awards for aMAZE and the Aware, Alert and Affirm Awards for Breathe). Cadettes can also earn LiA (Leadership In Action
Award) by working with Brownie troops.
I highly recommend visiting these websites:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/cadette.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/cadette.asp
Senior Journeys (9th and 10th graders): Girltopia and Sow What?
Again, each of these Journeys contains Leadership Awards Opportunities (the Senior Visionary Award in Girltopia and
Senior Harvest Award in Sow What?). Here are the GS websites for Senior Journeys:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/senior.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/senior.asp
Ambassador Journeys (11th and 12th graders): Your Voice Your World - The Power of Advocacy and Justice
Leadership Award opportunities within the Journeys: the Advocate and the Sage Award.
Here are the links to GS:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/ambassador.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/ambassador.asp
The Leadership Awards are a really nice bonus for those girls who don't choose to get the Silver or Gold. They still get all
the wonderful benefits of the program, which is considerable, and they show demonstrated leadership when applying for
colleges and jobs. Plus, the pins for these awards are just beautiful - and I usually don't get that worked up over a pin.
Finally, all award and project reports are on-line for printing by you: www.sdgirlscouts.org/forms keyword Bronze, Silver or
Gold.
I hope that helped you all.
Sue Lichter
Summary of CSA Leader Meeting Ashley Falls School MUR, 4/29/09
Attending: Tracy Burgett, Julie May, Breda Nicolas, Maria Gilbreth, Sunita Patel, Nancey Lyden, Cathy Swindlehurst, Amy
Seki, Sue Lichter, Kelly Locke and Linda Sola
Premise: Older girl (henceforth to be called CSA for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador) participation in Surfside Cluster
from Del Mar is minimal. Del Mar Service Unit is suffering from a lack of experience and leadership vacuum of CSA girls
and leaders. The CSA troops are coming back to support the SU. How?
Strategy for support: Discussion centered on a 5 part framework for CSA interaction with and support of the SU.
1. Mentoring
a. CSA to younger girl mentoring
i. SU events such as encampments
ii. Direct interaction at troop meeting visits
iii. Possible Big Sister/Little Sister program – especially for bridging year Brownie and Junior troops
iv. Involve 5th grade Juniors in small aspect of each CSA run event – give them ownership
b. Leadership development mentoring for adults
i. Younger troop leaders given CSA mentors for certain events, functionally a co-chair
ii. At encampments adults present will participate in round tables with CSA leaders to evaluate their needs,
issues while their girls are off doing their camping activities.
2. Leadership and Community Service Opportunities for CSAs
a. CSA Liaison position to the SU
i. CSA girls report at SU meetings of CSA supported events
b. Workshops put on by CSAs, e.g. Try-Its and Badges – probably done by troops as fits their needs
3. Silver and Gold Pre-requisite Opportunities for CSAs
a. Evaluate needs on annual basis depending upon CSA troop needs any given year
4. Service Unit Event Support
a. Encampments – CSAs will commit to support one per year
i. Brownie or Junior leader will chair the encampment
ii. CSA leader will mentor that chairperson for the event
iii. CSA girls will help plan and run the encampment
b. Thinking Day
i. CSA girl visits to younger troops to promote event?
ii. This year 2010 will be chaired by Breda’s daughter
c. Bridging Event
i. Brownie to Junior and Junior to Cadettes
ii. Start small – think BIG later!
5. CSA Only Events
a. CSA camp out
b. Money-earning projects (no SU need for this at this stage, tho’)
At this meeting of CSA (Cadette, Senior and Ambassador) troops we discussed the perennial problem of how to increase
Service Unit attendance, and keep SU meetings meaningful for us all. As we were meeting to come up with a framework for
bringing back the CSA troops to the Service Unit, rather than Cluster, we came up with some ideas for addressing this. I
took some of the ideas, added some of my own, then ran it past our Council reps.
Send Sue your input on this.
Here’s the premise:
1. We’re proposing a June planning meeting, adults only ;), where we get together and decide what our year is going
to look like – e.g. where’s our GS encampment this year, do we want any special training classes, etc. The CSA troops will
sign up for the activities that they have promised to support (one encampment, Cookie-A-Thon, Thinking Day, March
Mingle and Bridging – more on these is a bit). Since mentoring is a big part of the CSA return to the SU, we are also
asking for younger girl adults to co-chair certain events with us. In return for doing this, you get CSA help for the event,
and experienced CSA co-chair. This makes it a fun learning and leadership experience for everybody – and no one is
over-extended.
2. We’re also proposing that 5 of our SU meetings be attached to events, most of them where scouts are welcome: a
Kick Off in September, a Cookie-A-Thon in November where we focus on Community Service and bake cookies to give to
charities, January has to stay TCM training, a March Mingle where bridging Brownie and Junior troops can come to a fun
activity planned by CSA girls and satisfy some of their bridging requirements at the same time, and an end of year
celebration in May.
3. The other months in between will stay regular SU meetings to take care of business and planning for the rest, not to
mention much needed leader psychotherapy time: the doctor is in!
Service Unit Meetings
1. June Planning meeting – all troops including CSAs
a. Commitments to major SU events from troops
i. CSA commitments: Fall Encampment, Cookie Baking, Thinking Day, March Mingle, Bridging and Recognition
Awards Ceremony
ii. Younger troop commitments: co-chairs for encampments, Holiday Bazaar, Bridging troops
b. What’s the look/theme of September Kick Off? Who’s planning it?
c. If October encampment, get that announced and rolling
2. September Kick Off
a. Get younger troop adults to co-chair encampments (Fall and Spring)
b. Cookie baking arrangements – venue, i.d. charities to receive
c. After SU business portion, if there is a Fall encampment, then our theme can be “SWAPStravaganza!”
3. October SU Meeting
a. Holiday Bazaar chair i.d.
b. Thinking Day planning – id CSA girl chair and get them off and running
4. November Cookie Baking – Community Service Themed Meeting
a. Thinking Day Chair report
b. Get TCM identification going with troops
5. January TCM Training
a. Spring camp planning – who’s doing it?
b. Encampment lottery for next year – strategize and send CSA adult
c. March Mingle planning – CSA chair report on theme, participating troops, etc.
6. February SU Meeting
a. May end of year celebration chair id and get them rolling – Council assistance if this is a membership drive.
7. March Mingle for Bridging Troops
b. End of year celebration – chair report
c. Bridging and Recognitions Award Ceremony planning
8. April SU Meeting
a. End of year celebration – chair report
b. Bridging and Recognitions Award Ceremony planning
9. May End of Year Celebration
a. Finalize Bridging and Recognitions Ceremony
Major SU Events (not all to be supported by CSA troops)
1. September Kick Off
2. Fall Encampment
3. Cookie Baking
4. Holiday Bazaar
5. Thinking Day
6. Spring Encampment
7. March Mingle for CSAs with bridging troops
8. May End of Year Celebration
9. Bridging and Awards Recognition Ceremony
Additional minor and mutable events could be:
1. First Aid/CPR class
2. Badge or Try-It Workshops (March Mingle could incorporate this)
3.
New Interest Projects
Here they are!
These new Interest Projects (IPs) are available online only and are free for you to download or print at
http://www.studio2b.org/lounge/gs_stuff/ip_intro.asp
What We Did
To reflect the ideas suggested by girls like you, the four activity categories (Technology, Skill Builders, Service Projects,
and Career Exploration) have been merged into three:
• LEARN: Acquire new skills while building your knowledge of a specific topic.
• DO: Practice your newfound skills and knowledge. Many of these activities engage you in exploring a career path
that might potentially interest or benefit you in the future.
• SHARE: Really shine by demonstrating your new skills and knowledge in a leadership role. Many of these activities
ask you to develop and plan a sharing project in your community.
What Happens to the Old IPs?
New is Great But the Old Still Remains
You have many options for what you do in Girl Scouts. You could develop a business plan in a STUDIO 2B Focus book
one day and find your own way out of the woods with a compass the next.
Continue to choose and use the resources you're interested in—from your current handbook and the Interest Projects for
Girls 11-17 book to the
STUDIO 2B Collection series and Focus books.
The most important thing is that YOU choose the Girl Scout resources and activities that will support you on your journey
toward becoming a conscientious, courageous, and confident young woman.
Can I earn the other IPs like these new ones?
Of course you can continue to earn IPs as designed in the Interest Projects for Girls 11-17 book; however, you can choose
to complete them in a manner similar to the one used in these IPs instead:
• Do two "Skill Builders" activities of your choice.
• Do two activities of your choice from the four categories (selected activities can't be from the same category).
• Design and do one goal of your own (must be a SMART goal).
• Prepare a short REFLECTION describing what part(s) of the Promise and Law relates to what you did while earning
the IP.
New Interest Projects
1. Home Is Where the Heart Is
2. B Xtreme!
3. Global Girls
4. On Your Own
5. G.O. Girl!
6. In the Pink
7. Uncovering the Evidence
8. Couch Potato
9. Sew Glam
10. Hi-Tech Hide & Seek
Older Girl Updates from Council
None at this time.
interact with the SU troops: Mentoring (including leadership development of younger girls and leaders), Leadership and
Community Service Opportunities, Silver and Gold Award pre-requisite opportunities and Service Unit Event
support (such as encampments and Thinking Day).
10/15/09 - Notes on the new awards system from a Senior Leader.
Hello CSA troop leaders,
As a Senior troop leader (and mother of two Silver Award recipients) I have been eagerly awaiting the new awards program
from Girl Scouts. I attended a Silver and Gold Award Basics class, as well as surfing the national GS site and I thought I'd
put down a little summary and links here to help you get started.
Prior to the actual Projects, the girls need to complete certain pre-requisites or Journeys. Cadettes complete ONE Journey
and Seniors complete TWO Journeys (or earn the Silver Award and complete ONE Journey). Yes, the girls now get some
credit for having earned the Silver Award! Each Journey contains what GS calls a Take Action Project - this can be done
as a troop as I understand it.
Here's the confusing part: GS is also calling the Silver and Gold Projects (done after the pre-requisites) Take Action
Projects, but those are the big projects that are on another scope entirely from what the girls do as part of a Journey. For
these BIG Take Action Projects, the girls take much more responsibility - Cadettes may work in small groups (2-4 scouts)
and Seniors must work independently. For the BIG Take Action Project GS has removed the minimal hours requirement,
but it recommends 40 hours for Cadettes and 80 hours for Seniors.
Back to the pre-requisites: The adult Journey companion book (meant for Leaders) sets out a series of sessions for you to
guide the girls and can be covered in a year. There are currently two Journeys available per level: the It's Your World -
Change It series and the It's Your Planet - Love It series.
Cadette Journeys (6th 7th and 8th graders): aMAZE - The Twists and Turns of Getting Along and Breathe.
Each of these two Journeys contain opportunities for earning Leadership Awards (the Interact, Diplomat and Peacemaker
Awards for aMAZE and the Aware, Alert and Affirm Awards for Breathe). Cadettes can also earn LiA (Leadership In Action
Award) by working with Brownie troops.
I highly recommend visiting these websites:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/cadette.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/cadette.asp
Senior Journeys (9th and 10th graders): Girltopia and Sow What?
Again, each of these Journeys contains Leadership Awards Opportunities (the Senior Visionary Award in Girltopia and
Senior Harvest Award in Sow What?). Here are the GS websites for Senior Journeys:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/senior.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/senior.asp
Ambassador Journeys (11th and 12th graders): Your Voice Your World - The Power of Advocacy and Justice
Leadership Award opportunities within the Journeys: the Advocate and the Sage Award.
Here are the links to GS:
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/ambassador.asp
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_planet/ambassador.asp
The Leadership Awards are a really nice bonus for those girls who don't choose to get the Silver or Gold. They still get all
the wonderful benefits of the program, which is considerable, and they show demonstrated leadership when applying for
colleges and jobs. Plus, the pins for these awards are just beautiful - and I usually don't get that worked up over a pin.
Finally, all award and project reports are on-line for printing by you: www.sdgirlscouts.org/forms keyword Bronze, Silver or
Gold.
I hope that helped you all.
Sue Lichter
Summary of CSA Leader Meeting Ashley Falls School MUR, 4/29/09
Attending: Tracy Burgett, Julie May, Breda Nicolas, Maria Gilbreth, Sunita Patel, Nancey Lyden, Cathy Swindlehurst, Amy
Seki, Sue Lichter, Kelly Locke and Linda Sola
Premise: Older girl (henceforth to be called CSA for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador) participation in Surfside Cluster
from Del Mar is minimal. Del Mar Service Unit is suffering from a lack of experience and leadership vacuum of CSA girls
and leaders. The CSA troops are coming back to support the SU. How?
Strategy for support: Discussion centered on a 5 part framework for CSA interaction with and support of the SU.
1. Mentoring
a. CSA to younger girl mentoring
i. SU events such as encampments
ii. Direct interaction at troop meeting visits
iii. Possible Big Sister/Little Sister program – especially for bridging year Brownie and Junior troops
iv. Involve 5th grade Juniors in small aspect of each CSA run event – give them ownership
b. Leadership development mentoring for adults
i. Younger troop leaders given CSA mentors for certain events, functionally a co-chair
ii. At encampments adults present will participate in round tables with CSA leaders to evaluate their needs,
issues while their girls are off doing their camping activities.
2. Leadership and Community Service Opportunities for CSAs
a. CSA Liaison position to the SU
i. CSA girls report at SU meetings of CSA supported events
b. Workshops put on by CSAs, e.g. Try-Its and Badges – probably done by troops as fits their needs
3. Silver and Gold Pre-requisite Opportunities for CSAs
a. Evaluate needs on annual basis depending upon CSA troop needs any given year
4. Service Unit Event Support
a. Encampments – CSAs will commit to support one per year
i. Brownie or Junior leader will chair the encampment
ii. CSA leader will mentor that chairperson for the event
iii. CSA girls will help plan and run the encampment
b. Thinking Day
i. CSA girl visits to younger troops to promote event?
ii. This year 2010 will be chaired by Breda’s daughter
c. Bridging Event
i. Brownie to Junior and Junior to Cadettes
ii. Start small – think BIG later!
5. CSA Only Events
a. CSA camp out
b. Money-earning projects (no SU need for this at this stage, tho’)
At this meeting of CSA (Cadette, Senior and Ambassador) troops we discussed the perennial problem of how to increase
Service Unit attendance, and keep SU meetings meaningful for us all. As we were meeting to come up with a framework for
bringing back the CSA troops to the Service Unit, rather than Cluster, we came up with some ideas for addressing this. I
took some of the ideas, added some of my own, then ran it past our Council reps.
Send Sue your input on this.
Here’s the premise:
1. We’re proposing a June planning meeting, adults only ;), where we get together and decide what our year is going
to look like – e.g. where’s our GS encampment this year, do we want any special training classes, etc. The CSA troops will
sign up for the activities that they have promised to support (one encampment, Cookie-A-Thon, Thinking Day, March
Mingle and Bridging – more on these is a bit). Since mentoring is a big part of the CSA return to the SU, we are also
asking for younger girl adults to co-chair certain events with us. In return for doing this, you get CSA help for the event,
and experienced CSA co-chair. This makes it a fun learning and leadership experience for everybody – and no one is
over-extended.
2. We’re also proposing that 5 of our SU meetings be attached to events, most of them where scouts are welcome: a
Kick Off in September, a Cookie-A-Thon in November where we focus on Community Service and bake cookies to give to
charities, January has to stay TCM training, a March Mingle where bridging Brownie and Junior troops can come to a fun
activity planned by CSA girls and satisfy some of their bridging requirements at the same time, and an end of year
celebration in May.
3. The other months in between will stay regular SU meetings to take care of business and planning for the rest, not to
mention much needed leader psychotherapy time: the doctor is in!
Service Unit Meetings
1. June Planning meeting – all troops including CSAs
a. Commitments to major SU events from troops
i. CSA commitments: Fall Encampment, Cookie Baking, Thinking Day, March Mingle, Bridging and Recognition
Awards Ceremony
ii. Younger troop commitments: co-chairs for encampments, Holiday Bazaar, Bridging troops
b. What’s the look/theme of September Kick Off? Who’s planning it?
c. If October encampment, get that announced and rolling
2. September Kick Off
a. Get younger troop adults to co-chair encampments (Fall and Spring)
b. Cookie baking arrangements – venue, i.d. charities to receive
c. After SU business portion, if there is a Fall encampment, then our theme can be “SWAPStravaganza!”
3. October SU Meeting
a. Holiday Bazaar chair i.d.
b. Thinking Day planning – id CSA girl chair and get them off and running
4. November Cookie Baking – Community Service Themed Meeting
a. Thinking Day Chair report
b. Get TCM identification going with troops
5. January TCM Training
a. Spring camp planning – who’s doing it?
b. Encampment lottery for next year – strategize and send CSA adult
c. March Mingle planning – CSA chair report on theme, participating troops, etc.
6. February SU Meeting
a. May end of year celebration chair id and get them rolling – Council assistance if this is a membership drive.
7. March Mingle for Bridging Troops
b. End of year celebration – chair report
c. Bridging and Recognitions Award Ceremony planning
8. April SU Meeting
a. End of year celebration – chair report
b. Bridging and Recognitions Award Ceremony planning
9. May End of Year Celebration
a. Finalize Bridging and Recognitions Ceremony
Major SU Events (not all to be supported by CSA troops)
1. September Kick Off
2. Fall Encampment
3. Cookie Baking
4. Holiday Bazaar
5. Thinking Day
6. Spring Encampment
7. March Mingle for CSAs with bridging troops
8. May End of Year Celebration
9. Bridging and Awards Recognition Ceremony
Additional minor and mutable events could be:
1. First Aid/CPR class
2. Badge or Try-It Workshops (March Mingle could incorporate this)
3.
New Interest Projects
Here they are!
These new Interest Projects (IPs) are available online only and are free for you to download or print at
http://www.studio2b.org/lounge/gs_stuff/ip_intro.asp
What We Did
To reflect the ideas suggested by girls like you, the four activity categories (Technology, Skill Builders, Service Projects,
and Career Exploration) have been merged into three:
• LEARN: Acquire new skills while building your knowledge of a specific topic.
• DO: Practice your newfound skills and knowledge. Many of these activities engage you in exploring a career path
that might potentially interest or benefit you in the future.
• SHARE: Really shine by demonstrating your new skills and knowledge in a leadership role. Many of these activities
ask you to develop and plan a sharing project in your community.
What Happens to the Old IPs?
New is Great But the Old Still Remains
You have many options for what you do in Girl Scouts. You could develop a business plan in a STUDIO 2B Focus book
one day and find your own way out of the woods with a compass the next.
Continue to choose and use the resources you're interested in—from your current handbook and the Interest Projects for
Girls 11-17 book to the
STUDIO 2B Collection series and Focus books.
The most important thing is that YOU choose the Girl Scout resources and activities that will support you on your journey
toward becoming a conscientious, courageous, and confident young woman.
Can I earn the other IPs like these new ones?
Of course you can continue to earn IPs as designed in the Interest Projects for Girls 11-17 book; however, you can choose
to complete them in a manner similar to the one used in these IPs instead:
• Do two "Skill Builders" activities of your choice.
• Do two activities of your choice from the four categories (selected activities can't be from the same category).
• Design and do one goal of your own (must be a SMART goal).
• Prepare a short REFLECTION describing what part(s) of the Promise and Law relates to what you did while earning
the IP.
New Interest Projects
1. Home Is Where the Heart Is
2. B Xtreme!
3. Global Girls
4. On Your Own
5. G.O. Girl!
6. In the Pink
7. Uncovering the Evidence
8. Couch Potato
9. Sew Glam
10. Hi-Tech Hide & Seek
Older Girl Updates from Council
None at this time.
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