#gsusa

[camp-counselor-life]

Live blogging the GSUSA National Session:

1140 am (all times are ET): the livestream, currently in the pre-meeting phase, has ended due to technical difficulties.

9 minutes before the meeting starts: New link is sent out. Had to make a whole new YouTube page.

noon: meeting officially starts

1220 pm: National Board (adult board) director makes a plea to give them the fee increase because that's what Girl Scouts is worth, because she's a Daisy leader in NYC and she gets it.

1 pm: the meeting has not actually started yet beyond the board chair speaking because of technical issues. The leader just told everyone to "log out and log back in again."

[spark123]

Successfully gave my first solo archery lesson today! And no middle schoolers were harmed in the process!

[just-here-for-the-moment]

As a Girl Scout (I was a girl member and an adult leader), this is going to negatively impact SO many girls.

If you could sign the petition and/or pass it along I would really appreciate it!!

[ryuuseirune]

i was a girl scout for 12 years and quit in my senior year of high school so i could pursue a social transition. I'm sure that if I had stayed in the troop, none of the girls or their parents would have argued against it, but I knew that if word got out to GSUSA there was a chance our troop would get in trouble. i don't think the people laughing at this trans kid and saying that their removal was the right choice truly understand just how isolating it can be to lose your entire community essentially overnight, especially when all the other kids at your school think you're weird and won't even give you a second glance (unless it's to glare at you in the all gender bathroom or call you a dyke behind your back).

imagine you have a group of 15 or so friends, and the lot of you have been meeting up every friday of the school year at 5:30 pm in the cafeteria of your old elementary school for the past twelve years. a significant portion of your childhood has been dedicated to cultivating your relationships with not just this group of girls, but also their parents and siblings and cousins. you've been camping and built shitty bonfires together. you've made shitty jingles to try and sell your cookies to uncaring passerbys at the local Walmart together. you've made at least twenty different paracord bracelets for all your friends. you've probably been to some of their relatives' funerals.

and, then, essentially overnight, all of that is ripped away from you, for factors that are largely or completely out of your control. because you dared to be a little different. because you dared to be you. it doesn’t matter if you're conceivably the perfect scout: i was the top seller of girl scout cookies in my troop. i was at every meeting, every booth sale, every camping trip, every community service event (and there were a lot of them). if you are a boy, you are unequivocally bad and you should be cast out. but are those with proximity to manhood really more harmful than those without? i dont think so, not in the slightest. and forcing trans kids out of community spaces doesn’t help anyone, either. in fact i would argue it does more harm than good.

i have my issues with scouting as a whole, but seeing people tell young children to choose between detransitioning/going back into the closet and losing some of the closest bonds they've had is just so cruel. i cannot fathom why anyone would think that making fun of this situation online would be an appropriate response. if you are celebrating the ostracization of an actual child, please ask yourself why you think this is reasonable behavior.

[breaswift]

just a reminder if you’re looking for girlscout cookies this year, consider supporting troop 6000! the troop eliminates any cost for scouts so they can go on trips, receive scout uniforms, and join GSUSA for free. the girls in this troop are from families currently in temporary housing in New York City’s shelter system, and by supporting them, you’ll give them the opportunity to empower themselves, make lifelong friendships, and gain important skills from scouting.

how to support and buy cookies from troop 6000

pro tip: buy thin mints and freeze them. you’ll appreciate them come june

[darkmaga-returns]

Consumer groups, GMOScience, Moms Across America, and supporters have commissioned the testing of Girl Scout cookies for toxic metals and glyphosate/AMPA (an herbicide and its byproduct), to promote awareness and positive change for health. The results were extremely concerning.

100% of the samples were positive for glyphosate

100% were positive for toxic metals

22 out of 25 (88%) of samples were positive for all 5 toxic metals

76% were positive for levels of cadmium that exceed EPA limits in water

24 out of 25 (96%) of samples were positive for lead

(The consumer groups involved reached out to the GSUSA for a meeting before releasing these results and did not receive a response.)

One hundred percent of the 13 types of 25 cookies tested from 3 states, California, Iowa, and Louisiana, were positive for very elevated levels of glyphosate/AMPA, responsible for multiple health issues including cancer, endocrine disruption, gut issues, miscarriages, sperm damage, autism, neurotoxicity, and reproductive damage.

Glyphosate is commonly used as a drying agent (also known as a desiccant) before harvesting on wheat, oats, barley, legumes, sugar cane, and other crops, and as a weed killer on GMO crops such as corn, soy, canola, and beet sugar, which are common ingredients in the cookies. From 13.57 ppb in Peanut Butter Patties® to 111.07 in Thin Mints®, the average amount is 33.43, 334 times higher than what Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus of Purdue, states is harmful and must be avoided.

[daffodil-hill]

Follow winding paths through the forest Follow gentle streams to lakes of blue Follow the star that glows at evening When day is through, day is through Bring a woodland song to the cities Bring the gleam of stars to tired eyes Bring home the pathways to tomorrow From the sky, from the sky.

— "Song of the Great Lakes Region"

I found this one while looking at some old documents and I thought it was a poem, but it turns out that it's actually an old regional song from when GSUSA had twelve regions! So far, I've come across one for Big Tree, Pacific Northwest, Cactus, and Great Lakes (see above) and possibles for Dixie and Covered Wagon.

[camp-counselor-life]

Ok, so I'm gathering my thoughts about the dues (45 next year & 65 in 2 years for girls, 30 for adults) and this whole thing, and I'm just gonna do bullet points, because it won't be coherent until I'm done:

I am grateful it didn't increase more, because GSUSA was pushing for $85+ for girls and $45 for adults.

I think that GSUSA could have done this differently and more equitably, as well as presented a lot of their facts earlier or in a better way. For example, shortly before the vote for girl, GSUSA's CEO revealed that they would pass significant and required costs down to councils if they didn't get the dues increase (they might still do this bc they didn't get as much as they want).

They also presented the financial assistance to councils as this huge boon of income, but failed to note that 3 million spread over 110 councils isn't a lot, but also that the need for FA is going to increase, not stay the same.

In that vein, I think a lot of councils didn't accurately represent what GSUSA does for councils and girls directly (though a lot of the FB chatter I saw did) to their delegates. Which isn't the delegate's fault at all.

Because of all of this, I like, I don't entirely fault the delegates for voting how they did. I think it was part incompetence & a lil manipulative, but the way everything has gone down with this whole shenanigans has been rushed & messy, and I think that the volunteer delegates did the best that they could. Especially while being livestreamed not only to the 1000 delegates, board members, and staff on the zoom call, but another 1000+ on the YouTube livestream AND they knew they'd probably be disparaged online too. Beyond the next two bullet points, I thought the kids and volunteers did a decent job with what they had.

The most common reason I heard for why we should increase the dues was to show the value of GS. So, in doing this, a lot of delegates outright said, if you don't vote to increase dues, you are saying GS isn't valued like "other organizations."

Saying that we "don't value" Girl Scouts if we don't agree with the increase is a lot of things, and I understand the moment was heated, but like it's kinda rude. And a lot of people said that.

I actually missed the part where GSUSA made their case, but like, I've heard the spiel two other times at work. A lot of what's being offered at the higher levels of funding is stuff that they have been promising for a while, or stuff that's really not super optional. Why it costs as much as it does is another question.

They told us they expect a 12% decrease in membership (this is probs not public knowledge) but none of us really believe that.

Not to stereotype areas of the country, because girls of all levels of affluence/SES live everywhere, but a lot of councils speaking in favor of the increase were larger, more suburban & affluent areas, whereas councils being like, wtf, why would you do that, were much more rural, small, and less affluent areas. One delegate was even like, this is a slap in the face after we just had multiple hurricanes devastate our area.

I saw someone online be like, expenses can be worked around. Ok, maybe in the middle and upper classes, but if your choice is you and your kid joining GS or eating for 2 weeks, what do you think the right choice is there???

GSUSA isn't offering financial assistance to councils for this increase until we hit $65, and they originally said for 5 years, but now it's 4, because it was actually "once we hit $65 and then only until 2030." Gonna be real, we get 0 from GSUSA right now anyway. Because, as I have said, councils pay GSUSA for their members who get scholarships.

Lastly, I saw someone say that GS pays too much if this is the financial situation and like.... I don't know if that was only national or everyone, but I'm gonna say it again: I 100% guarantee that your direct service staff are not being paid too much.

So, overall, am I happy? No, not really. Do I recognize, as a lifetime member with no plans to have children, that this doesn't effect me directly as much as many members? Yes. Will it still effect me as a staff member? Yeah, it will.

But. I do think that Girl Scouts will survive this, in some way. Will it survive in a way that makes me want to participate in 5, 10, 25 year? I'm not sure. Will Girl Scouts always be in my life though?

Yes, I imagine it will.

[finalfortunart]

Hi, I've got an update on my online shop in the form of two new products, a ceramic mug (with colored handle and insides) and vinyl stickers. It took a bit longer than the tote bags to get these ready because neither looked as good as I wanted them to in the first samples I ordered, but they're here and ready now!

Both feature my red eft design, and 10% of the profit from the sale of these products will be donated to the Friends of Timbercrest, a volunteer group in western New York that helps maintain and run events at Camp Timbercrest, owned by the GSUSA. You can find all the red eft products here!

[camp-counselor-life]

Ok, GS staff member at a council (not GSUSA/Girl Scouts of the USA) here. All of the above about cookie proceeds not going to GSUSA is 100% true. Your local council or troop gets all proceeds. It's, in fact, the main revenue source for 100+ locally serving organizations around the country and world. Councils are doing the on the ground work, actually supporting children, not GSUSA, because Girl Scouts is not actually one organization, it's 112.

The Raytheon thing is unfortunate. Basically, they sponsored some badges in 2018-19 era. GSUSA is... indiscriminate about who it accepts money from. Seriously, they will bend over backwards for any organization who offers a 100k. I wish they had more of a backbone, I really do, because inevitably it's the local councils and children who had absolutely nothing to do with GSUSA's decisions that take the anger and confusion. Often volunteers and the Girl Scouts themselves have no idea what you're even talking about.

If you really want to know, Girl Scouts is a federated model, so councils are about 95% independent from GSUSA in decision making, funding, and more, BUT, GSUSA has final say on policy and certain programmatic elements, which we agree to in our charter (renewed for 1-3 years at a time). I don't like that we partnered with Raytheon on those badge (and many other questionable funding decisions) but I have to use that curriculum because that's what GSUSA mandates.

So, does GSUSA partner with Raytheon? Not currently. Will they partner with other shitty organizations in the future? Probably, as their philanthropy stance is pretty spineless. Can the children, volunteers, and councils do anything about it? Absolutely not. And, will your cookie money go to support it? Nope, not at all.

haven't seen anyone post this yet this year so friendly reminder that you can use the girl scout cookie tracker to find cookie booths in your area if you don't know any kiddos who are selling

[rover-reindeer]

Scouts, fall in!

Hello, this is the official tumblr for the Rover Reindeer YouTube channel. We are dedicated to educating everyone on essential scout skills. This includes, but is not limited to: Camping, Bushcraft, Wilderness Survival, First Aid, Ecology, Leadership, History, Health, Public Speaking, Tool Safety, Scouting Traditions, and much much more. We believe that Scouting skills can be beneficial to anyone and everyone and should be readily available for all.

This is an INCLUSIVE Scouting space. As we say, "Scouting Skills for All." Racism, Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, and any other kind of actions or words that we deem unscoutly will not be tolerated.

Meet Rover Reindeer! (They/Them Pronouns)

Rover Reindeer aka Rena (She/They) is the main host of our channel. They are a long-time scout and scouter. They joined Scouting via the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 2009, earned their Eagle Scout in 2014, and were involved in several of the BSA's sub-branches and programs: National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), Venturing BSA, Sea Scouts BSA, Order of the Arrow (Vigil Honor Member), Woodbadge, Color Guard, and more! They retired from the BSA in 2020 due to personal life circumstances.

Currently, they are now a brand new Lone Scout Rover via the Outdoor Service Guides (OSG) [Formerly the Baden-Powell Service Association] They look forward to helping you learn the skills you need to know for Scouting and for Life.

Please, feel free to send any questions, comments, or concerns you have to the Scoutmaster Ask Box. Submissions are also welcome, whether it's your newest camp gadget, a delicious Dutch oven meal, or any awards you have earned so that we can celebrate your accomplishments!

DISCLAIMER: We are NOT officially associated with the BSA, GSUSA, OSG, 4H, AHG, or any other Youth/Scouting Program mentioned in our content.

PLEASE NOTE: That while many of these skills are universal, certain aspects (such as history, flag code, color guard tips and tricks, etc.) will be have a focus on Scouting in the US as that is where we have our Scouting History with.

[girl-scout-camp]

Hi! What do you mean by a "cluncil"? How do I find a local one?

I always wanted to be a Girl Scout growing up but I was super super shy and couldn't get up the courage to join. As an adult, can I volunteer to work with my local Girl Scouts in any way even if I myself don't (yet) have kids?

Here is a handy dandy little infographic that I borrowed from google that I feel like is a good visual

Within GSUSA are councils. Councils are in charge of things such as the camps within their area and trainings. Within councils are service units. Service units are comprised of volunteers and they are in charge of things like planning events for the girls within their area and helping individual troops.

Having kids is not a requirement for any position within Girl Scouts as far as I am aware. Most positions require you to be at least 18, some require you to be at least 21.

I know a lot more about camp specifically than all of girl scouting because while I was (and still am!) a girl scout I’ve only worked within camp and all my volunteering with council is organized through people I’ve met at camp or at events. However, @camp-counselor-life is a lovely human who knows a lot and suggests the following:

Here is a link to a website where you can plug in your zip code and it tells you your local council and gives you the contact info for them.

If you have any further questions I am more than happy to try to answer them!

[hey-rey-hanks]

Extremely good times and vibes with the ALL GURL CREW with the SCA and GSUSA!!! 😊 So far I've learned so much and been so empowered by the leaders and girls around me. Here's to another great week!

Thus begins saving my memories while relinquishing all ties to Mark Zuckerberg.

[camp-counselor-life]

The vote is happening in the next like 5 minutes, so let's all cross our fingers that this gets voted down veeeeeeery soon.

And also that they don't counter with $85.

Increasing the girl membership fee from $25 to $65 is absolutely insane

[camp-counselor-life]

I saw a comment on a post about the whole dues situation that was like,

Time to take away their nonprofit status.

And like, there's a ton of misinformation about this whole situation out there. And I do not fault anyone for hard feelings or anger or whatever you are feeling.

However.

This particular sentiment, that nonprofits can't charge money for services, irks me. It's true, some, if not many, nonprofits offer free services. And Girl Scouts does. But ultimately, free can only exist with paid. And even if you, the participant, aren't paying, someone else did, in some way, shape, or form.

I personally spend hours negotiating and setting up free opportunities, or running them myself. Usually not funded by GSUSA (I'll talk about "GSUSA" grants at some point but not now). Often funded by the fees from paid programs, to balance my budget. Or paid for by the thousands of people who buy cookies from my council. So, someone, somewhere, paid for a free program.

Very little in this world is truly free, even if it doesn't cost money. My time isn't free, and because I'm not paid hourly for overtime, anything over 40 hours a week may be free to [council] but it isn't free to me. I am paying for it, losing library programs or not having time to cook or the respect of my friends from outside Girl Scouting. But it's not free to me. Even if it's free to children and families.

So, this is a long winded way of saying, nonprofits are allowed to charge money. I also, gently, invite you to look at the fee rates of other youth nonprofits. Yes, some are free/grant-funded, but many are not, and are more than Girl Scouts.

Am I happy about the dues situation? No. Do I think that GSUSA should have done some stuff differently? Yes. Do I think financial assistance planning was severely lacking? Definitely. Will this effect families and membership numbers, especially in areas where there are large families or a lot of poverty? Yes.

But. Do I think that GSUSA has done anything that is outside of reasonable for nonprofits of its size and scope? No, I really don't. Like it or not, nonprofits need money to function, and while I do question how GSUSA got into this position, I don't think the movement should end as it is because of a bad budget.

[laus-deo]

El arzobispo de Cincinnati rompe con las Girl Scouts por su apoyo a la ideología de género

El arzobispo de Cincinnati (Ohio, EE.UU), Dennis Schnurr, anunció el lunes que todas las parroquias de la archidiócesis deben finalizar sus relaciones con la organización Girl Scouts de Estados Unidos (GSUSA) antes de diciembre de 2025, debido a sus actividades incompatibles con la fe católica. Leer más… »