New York, N.Y.—Girl Scouts from six U.S. councils are exploring the importance of energy efficiency and conservation and discovering ways to make an impact on the environment through a grant project funded by Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and services.

Trane employees will engage in activities with Girl Scouts to help them understand how proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics can make a difference in their communities and the wider world around them.

“We know that girls care deeply about the environment, and this is a wonderful opportunity for them to not only learn about energy efficiency and conservation, but conduct an actual energy audit,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA.

Trane volunteers, in partnership with council staff members, will work with girls to take action around energy efficiency as part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, the new leadership program. Girl Scout Juniors in grades four and five will team with Trane volunteers to conduct a building energy audit and other activities to learn about energy efficiency and conservation in buildings.

“Buildings consume more energy than any other sector in the United States,” said Jeff Watson, Vice President of Hussmann and Trane in North America. “Equipping girls with the skills needed to make buildings more efficient today will help ensure a better environment tomorrow.”

Most of the projects at councils in California, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and New York will take place in late March and April.

The newly implemented Girl Scout Leadership Experience program engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others and taking action to make the world a better place. The first series of books for Girl Scouts that incorporates the leadership model, known as Journey books, was introduced in 2008. The second series of Journey books, It’s Your Planet—Love It, had an environmental theme and was published in the summer of 2009.

In addition to the collaboration with Trane employee volunteers, the grant from Trane supported the development of the It’s Your Planet—Love It Journey book for Girl Scout Juniors that focuses on energy and helps girls perform a simple building energy audit, analyze the results and present their findings and possible solutions.

CONTACTS:
Girl Scouts of the USA
Victor Inzunza 212.852.8529
vinzunza@girlscouts.org

Girl Scout Birthday is March 12th, commemorating the day that Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the first 18 girl members. You can have a great birthday party in your meeting that week to celebrate the start of something pretty special for millions of girls for the last 98 years!

The Girl Scout store is selling a lot of patches for the event, so be sure to order enough for all the girls in your troop to commemorate your party.  My favorite is the Celebrate Girl Scout Week patch.  If you want to have a great birthday party for Girl Scouts, Birthday in a Box has great Fairy Party Ultimate Birthday Box that would be great for younger girls.  Of course, depending on when you usually have your meetings, you can also tie in a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with a St Patrick’s Day Party Deluxe Box.

Regardless of what you do, be sure to teach the girls all about Juliette Gordon Low and the beginning of the Girl Scouts.  It’s important that we know where we came from, and helping the girls to understand the organization they’re a part of will do just that.  There is a fountain of information available on the Girl Scouts website.

NEW YORK, N.Y.—The increased scrutiny of the fashion industry and its use of ultrathin models isn’t without validation, as nearly 9 in 10 American teenage girls say that the fashion industry is at least partially responsible for “girls’ obsession with being skinny,” according to Beauty Redefined, a national survey released today by the Girl Scouts of the USA.

The nationwide survey, which included more than 1,000 girls ages 13 to 17, finds many girls consider the body image sold by the fashion industry unrealistic, creating an unattainable model of beauty. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed say the fashion industry (89 percent) and/or the media (88 percent) place a lot of pressure on them to be thin. However, despite the criticism of this industry, three out of four girls say that fashion is “really important” to them.

A substantial majority of those surveyed say they would prefer that the fashion industry project more “real” images. Eighty-one percent of teen girls say they would prefer to see natural photos of models rather than digitally altered and enhanced images. Seventy-five percent say they would be more likely to buy clothes they see on real-size models than on women who are super skinny.

In addition to celebrities and fashion models, the study also showed that peers (82 percent), friends (81 percent), and parents (65%), are strong influences in how teenage girls feel about their bodies. Girl Scouts of the USA, who partner with the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund to offer self-esteem programming for girls nationwide, will be focusing their core leadership program to address the issue through its uniquely ME!, program.

“The fashion industry remains a powerful influence on girls and the way they view themselves and their bodies,” said Kimberlee Salmond, Senior Researcher at the Girl Scout Research Institute. “There is little question that teenage girls take cues about how they should look from models they see in fashion magazines and on TV and it is something that they struggle to reconcile with when they look at themselves in the mirror.”

The Girl Scout survey comes amid continuing controversy over super thin models, so-called “size zeros.” Critics say the models are dangerously underweight and have charged that the fashion industry’s preference for waif-like women has led to models engaging in obsessive dieting and extreme weight loss, as well as set a poor example for teenage girls. Fashion shows in Madrid, Milan and elsewhere now ban models below a certain body-mass index.

This topic, along with the survey results, will be the focal point of a media event held at Bryant Park Hotel on February 10, 2010, one day before New York City’s legendary Fashion Week begins. With celebrity panelists and expert guests, Girl Scouts of the USA hopes to address the impact of fashion on girls.

The health implications of the preoccupation with super thinness are serious. Nearly one in three girls say they have starved themselves or refused to eat in an effort to lose weight. In addition, 42 percent report knowing someone their age who has forced themselves to throw up after eating, while more than a third (37 percent) say they know someone their age who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

The survey, conducted by the youth research firm Tru, also found most teenagers consider weight loss measures—even some of the more extreme— acceptable. Twenty-five percent say it’s acceptable for girls their age to take appetite suppressants and/or weight-loss pills, and nearly one in five consider plastic surgery and/or weight-loss surgery acceptable.

CONTACTS:
Girl Scouts of the USA
Josh Ackley 212.852.8038
jackley@girlscouts.org

Since it’s been awhile since I was a scout myself, I often do some research to make sure the words I remember for these songs are complete.  When doing research, I found two different versions of this song.  First is the one I remember, then the second is a revision I found while looking. This is a “repeat after me” song.  The girls repeat the lyrics after each line is sung by the song leaders.  Whenever we sang it, we also made a crown over our heads with our hands! During the chorus, the song leader would hold the note of the words “made” and “called” during the chorus. This was one of my favorite songs!

The Princess Pat
Lived in a tree
She sailed across
The Barron Sea
She sailed across
The Channel too
And she took with her
a Rickabamboo

(Chorus)
A Rickabamboo?
Now what is that?
It’s something made
By the Princess Pat
It’s red and gold
And purple too
That’s why it’s called
A Rickabamboo

Now Captain Jack
Had a mightily fine crew
They sailed across
The channel too
But his ship sank
And yours will too
If you don’t take
A Rickabamboo

(Chorus)

This revised version is from UltimateCampResource.com and claims to be the original version, as sang by Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry of Canada

The Princess Pat’s Light Infantry
They sailed across the seven seas
They sailed across the channel too
And they took with them, the Rickadandoo.

CHORUS:
The Rickadandoo, now what is that?
It’s something made by the Princess Pat
It’s red and gold, and purple too,
That’s why it’s called, the Rickadandoo.

Now Captain Jack, had a mightily fine crew,
They sailed across the channel too,
But his ship sank, and yours will too,
If you don’t take the Rickadandoo.

The Princess Pat, saw Captain Jack,
She reeled him in, and brought him back,
She saved his life, and his crew’s too,
And do you know how?—with the Rickadandoo.

I was taught that this song was originally from Australia, though I can’t necessarily confirm that.  Of course, when saying each of the actions, you do them.  And hold that action while adding the others.  It’s very similar to twister in terms of the dexterity of some girls to hold the awkward poses and not fall down!  Of course, the addition of the “Tongues Out” was usually left until the end because it was difficult to complete the last chorus

(Chorus)
A roosta sha a roosta sha a roosta sha sha hey
A roosta sha a roosta sha a roosta sha sha hey

The Chorus is repeated, adding a new action
i.e. Thumbs Up
Knees Together
Elbows Back
Chin Up
Bum out
Tongue Out

I remember the words to this song, but I don’t actually remember the tune.  It may have been more of a chant than a song.  If you’re familiar with this song, please let me know if it’s a tune or a chant so I can let it be known!

I’m being swallowed by a
boa constrictor,
I’m being swallowed by a
boa constrictor,
I’m being swallowed by a
boa constrictor,
And I don’t like it very much.

Oh no, he swallowed by toe.

Oh gee, he’s up to my knee.

Oh fiddle, he’s up to my middle,

Oh heck, he’s up to my neck.

Oh dread, he swallowed my (slurp-swallow)