Girl Scouts changes with the times

LYNN – Shannon Browne is about to start her sophomore year in high school and her eighth in Girl Scouts, and she doesn’t shy away from the fact that she is still a Girl Scout.”I like it for a bunch of different things,” she said. “It’s not like we sit around, do arts and crafts and sing ?Kumbaya.'”Indeed, Girl Scouts and the scouting experience has changed with the times, said leader Deb Hines.”There are different pathways,” said Eileen Browne, also a leader and Shannon’s mom.While the traditional troop still stands, Browne said girls can also choose to drop in, do individual programs, attend city events or do a short-term program that focuses on a specific topic.In short, this is not your grandmother’s or even your mother’s Girl Scouts organization.”It’s changed,” Hines said.The Girl Scouts program is designed to teach leadership skills from the Daisy level right up through the Cadette level into Girl Scout Ambassadors, explained Jennifer Page, another leader. Page said that while things are pretty much decided for the girls at the Daisy level, the older the girls get, the more they are involved with the actual planning of events and programs.Page has been involved in Girl Scouts for 14 years. Her daughter may have left, but she can’t give it up, Page said, laughing.There are still traditional badges to be earned, but there are also “journeys,” which is a larger leadership program that could include peer communication, media, animals or fabric art, Page explained.Another change is traveling. Travel for Girl Scouts used to mean a camping trip, a field trip or summer camp, but now it means getting on a plane and going. Eileen Browne said her daughter would be heading to Chicago with the Girl Scout travel group.Page said another travel group will visit Savannah, Ga., the birthplace of Girls Scouts founder Daisy Lowe.The girls also take part in community service programs, like putting together and sending packages to soldiers serving overseas and volunteering at a food pantry.And then there are traditional troops that have regular meetings and learn traditional skills, such as first aid.”And there are still cookie sales, and we do a lot of outdoor things but not completely founded on tradition,” Page said. “It’s really up to the different (troop). It’s very flexible.”It can also be challenging. When one troop mixes with another, Browne said they split the girls up and have them sit with girls they don’t know.”It’s really about taking them out of their comfort zone,” Browne said. “They’re actually starting to get really comfortable with it. The first time we got a little kickback, but now they can walk in anywhere.””It’s a good skill to have,” Page added.Hines said they also strive to make Girl Scouts affordable. Dues is only $25 per year, and there is financial aid available, and an upcoming roller skating trip, is only $3 per person to cover costs.Eileen Browne said currently they have about 160 girls in the program but would love to grow by Scouts and volunteers. Like the Scouts, volunteers can sign on to do one program or event without signing up for life.She said St. Mary’s and The First Church of the Nazarene have also been great about space, but “we could always use more volunteers and we could use more venue space for meetings.”Anyone who would like to volunteer or find out more about the program can contact them at [email protected]. There is also a registration event Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Red Rock Park.Shannon Browne, along with some of her younger peers, said they would encourage girls of any age to join.”There are fun activities, arts and crafts and trips,” said Ryleigh Hines.Her sister Brenna said she loved hiking in Lynn Woods and climbing High Rock Tower.”I like it because of the teachers and the fun activities and the friends,” she said. “What’s not to like?””There’s a lot of opportunity to find the right niche,” Eileen Browne said.