Girl Scouts of the USA is praising Girl Scouts of Colorado (GSCO) for its relationship with YOU (our members)– thanks to the work of the Membership Connection Committee (MCC) and the Global Action Committee! In a recent email, a member of GSUSA’s Global team wrote, “Your Council (GSCO) and partnership has been identified as a wonderful example of successful application of global integration into Girl Scout programming. Your hard work in a variety of areas (travel, global in Journeys, special programming, etc.) makes your Council a real model from which we wish others to learn from.”
GSCO is the only council to have an MCC as its governance system. The MCC is the centerpiece of our democratic process and a way to give GSCO members a strong voice in the issues they care most about.
While the MCC did not officially begin until 2008 when GSCO was formed, its roots go back much further. Several years earlier, volunteers in the former Mile-Hi Council committed to Global Girl Scouting decided to join forces with Global Girl Scouting Committees in Colorado’s legacy councils, including Mountain Prairie, Wagon Wheel, and Chaparral. Rae Ann Doughtery, former MCC Chair and Board Chair Elect, was a member of the Global Girl Scouting Committee in the Mile-Hi Council. At the time, she says the goal of this new statewide group was simple: expand global Girl Scouting.
“The international sisterhood of Girl Scouting is unique and huge,” she said. “It includes Girl Scouts around the world and those in Denver, Sterling, and all across Colorado.”
After the merger in 2008, several members of Global Girl Scout Committees from legacy councils came together to continue the work, as well as join the newly formed MCC. MCC members were tasked with making sure that Girl Scouts across Colorado had a voice in the newly-formed GSCO.
Today, nearly a decade after the formation of GSCO, the MCC is getting back to its roots and looking for new and fun ways for Girl Scouts to connect with their sisters here in Colorado, across the country, and around the world.
“The GSCO Global Action Committee is a key part of keeping that international sisterhood alive in Colorado,” Dougherty said.
MCC members gathered earlier this month at Tomahawk Ranch to discuss what’s next for the group. Their new goal is to help GSCO develop three-year plan to increase adult engagement, which includes recruiting new adult volunteers, strengthening service units, and improving communication between GSCO and volunteers. Much of what they are focusing on is determining three-year outcomes and one-year deliverables.
“Our conversation established a new direction for MCC for the next three years largely based on membership feedback from across the state” said MCC chair Caroline Cornell.
GSCO is extremely lucky to have the MCC, but for the committee to continue its good work, it needs members from across to Colorado. If you’re interested in expanding your volunteer-role with GSCO beyond your troop, apply for a seat on the MCC. Learn more here: http://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/about-girl-scouts/membership-connection-committee.html