Alumnae Call to Action
I received this email today from Josie Duckett-Boyd & I want to pass it on to all former Girl Scouts for your assistance.
Read MoreDear Alumna,
Children are consuming more media than ever. Most 8- to 18-year-olds spend about 10 hours a day using recreational media (i.e. television, computers, video games). Unfortunately, current media images of girls and women can encourage unrealistic standards that distract girls from what is important and make it harder for girls to believe in themselves.
The need for more positive images of girls in the media is clear. A recent survey by Girl Scouts Research Institute, Girls and Body Image (2010), found that nearly 90 percent of girls say the media places a lot of pressure on teenage girls to be thin. When they do not measure up to these unrealistic beauty standards, their self-esteem, body image, and physical health can be significantly damaged. Moreover girls and women of color are disproportionately absent from mainstream media. Only 32 percent of African American girls agree that fashion models represent girls of color. Overall, girls say they just want to see more “natural” and “real” images in the media.
To improve girls’ lives, Girl Scouts is raising awareness about the importance of promoting healthy media messages about girls and women. Over the past few months, the GSUSA Public Policy and Advocacy Office worked closely with Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capitol (R-WV) to introduce the Healthy Media for Youth Act: H.R.4925.
The bill is a critical step towards ensuring girls, and all youth, benefit from seeing healthier and more positive messages about girls and women. This bipartisan legislation supports media literacy programs, promotes research on the effects of media images, and encourages the adoption of voluntary guidelines to promote healthier media images for young people.
What YOU can do:
Join the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network to encourage your U.S. Representative to be a voice for girls and support H.R. 4925! Please sign up today!
Spread the word: visit us on the Healthy Media for Youth Act Facebook page.
Riki Tiki Tomba
This is a fun song, though you have to listen to the song to get the rhythm going. I don’t know the origins and I can’t find much about it online. It’s a repeat after me song, where the girls sing the lines back after a counselor starts the song.
Tomba Tomba (repeat)
A riki tiki tomba (repeat)
A moosa moosa moosa (repeat)
Wayla wayla wayla wayla (repeat)
Repeat the first three lines louder and louder each time, but do the “Wayla” do it very softly
On the final time, sing the first part soft and the “Wayla” loud.
Check out this video to get the rhythm! They do it the opposite of how I learned it, getting quieter each time it’s repeated. To each his own 🙂
Felt Change Purse
This Felt Change Purse is a fun project for Junior and Cadette scouts who are older than the interest of most craft projects, and old enough to be trusted with a needle. This project takes 1-2 hours to do, depending on how adept the girls are with a needle and thread. Of course, you can split this into two meetings with doing the cutting & prep work in one meeting and the actual assembly of the purses in another. There’s a great video on how to do the blanket stitch mentioned:
Want to share photos of your troop and finished projects? Contact Us!
Materials Needed:
- Floss #907
- Large eye needle
- Felt – black, purple, turquoise, gold, & pink
- 1″ sticky velcro
- 2 daisy brads
- Tacky glue
- Straight pins
- Fabric die cut machine
- Scissors
Directions:
- Cut black felt square in half to 6×9″.
- Fold up 3¾” and pin in place.
- Thread needle with floss & use blanket stitch to stitch up sides.
- Fold down flap 1¼”, press with finger to crease.
- Center sticky Velcro under flap & attach to purse & flap.
- Use Revolution to cut out flowers & leaves from felt.
- Attach with tacky glue and daisy brads.
Safety Tips!
- Adult supervision is required when girls are using scissors and needles.
