On September, 20, 2020, people around the world will go out to explore their own, local rivers together with their peers, friends, and family, thereby enlarging their local network of people that care about rivers. In the following week, it is time to identify the observed species with help of the global iNaturalist community. On September 28, we will recap the day with various specialists, zooming into some remarkable observations as well as discussing new ways to relate to our local river wildlife. Create an iNaturalist account, download the app, join the “project,” and then head outside where you live to your closest river or stream to collect data for this global home river bioblitz. Wild Rose Education’s Youth Water Leadership Program (https://www.wildroseeducation.com/youthwaterleadership.html) is hosting a iNaturalist project on September 20 to contribute to the Home River Bioblitz. Join the project using the details below. Then, go out to your local rivers on Sunday, September 20 and document as many species as you can. And, while you’re out there, collect some Land Cover and Cloud data for NASA GLOBE Observer too; details online: https://www.wildroseeducation.com/news/participate-in-global-home-river-bioblitz-sept-20 40963104_homeriverposter_orig.jpg We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GSCOevents #HomeRiverBioblitz #GirlScoutsatHome #2020HomeRiverBioblitz

Calling all Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors! Do you want to be more independent when it comes to your clothes? Do you want to be able to fix a plumbing emergency on your own? Do you want to help more in the kitchen? Do you want to be able to do basic first-aid? Then, Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Tools for Independence Club is the club for you! Starting September 21, 2020, GSCO  staff will be teaching girls to be more independent by teaching laundry skills, toilet maintenance, household cleaning skills, and basic first-aid. In this biweekly virtual series, you will get to know yourself and what you are capable of by learning and practicing skills that are important for your independence. You will have fun and try new things in a safe, engaging environment. Each session will focus on a particular skill. Join us online every other Monday at 4 p.m. September 21: Laundry Part One October 5: Laundry Part Two October 19: All About Toilets November 2: Household Cleaning November 16: First-Aid One December 7: First-Aid Two Participation satisfies some requirements for the Junior Independence and multi-level First-Aid badges. Register here for all sessions, or just pick a few to attend. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #Cadette #FirstAidbadges #seniors #GirlScoutingatHome #JuniorIndependencebadge #GSCOevents #Cadettes #independence #Independencebadge #Ambassador #ToolsforIndependenceClub #Junior #GirlScoutsatHome #badge #Juniors #FirstAidbadge #senior #ToolsforIndependence #ambassadors #badges

Submitted by Jessica H. Northern & Northeastern CO Fort Lupton Lizzy, a Brownie from Ft Lupton, spent the day at Boyd Lake State Park, fishing with her dad and brother. We haven’t been able to get out to spend as much time at the state parks this year, so this was a great solution, and it got brother interested too. Lizzy used the Junior Ranger pamphlet and the Girl Scout Passport to help her explore nature! We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #2020GirlScoutsLoveStateParksWeekend #NorthernampNortheasternCO #GirlScoutsLoveStateParksWeekend #gsoutdoors #FortLupton

Submitted by Marie Merrill-Exton Southwestern CO Pagosa Springs Sage, a Brownie from Pagosa Springs, celebrated Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend by exploring and learning about different state parks and completing the Girl Scouts Love State Parks Passport all in the comfort of her home with the virtual option. Sage hopes to visit Ridgway State Park with her family to see and learn more about the wildlife that lives there. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #PagosaSprings #2020GirlScoutsLoveStateParksWeekend #Brownie #SouthwesternCO #GirlScoutsLoveStateParksWeekend #gsoutdoors #camp

Join us in the Girl Scouts of Colorado Make New Friends Challenge and you can earn a friend for your sloth patch! All girls renewed for the 2021 Membership Year before Oct. 1, can request a free  Renewed Girl Scout patch (Use this form to request ) and if you share your love of Girl Scouts with the world by completing the challenges on the Make New Friends game, you can earn a friend patch to connect with your sloth! This is on-your-honor, so once you have checked off enough items for your program level, you can purchase the go-together Make New Friends patch at the shop. The patches will be available for $2 beginning in October and will be available through the 2021 Membership Year (or until sold out). Download the Make New Friends challenge and get started today!

On Saturday, September 26, 2020 from 6  to 7 p.m. Girl Scouts of Colorado with Denver Museum of Nature and Science will host a virtual International Observe the Moon Night kick-off celebration. In this family fun virtual event, we will give you tips and tricks on how to observe the moon, take a virtual trip to moons across the solar system with Naomi Pequette from DMNS, and learn some cool facts that any moon enthusiast or curious people would enjoy. Then as the moon rises (at 7:44 p.m.), you will be able to observe the moon when its shadows and details are easiest to see and apply the knowledge that you learned in the kick-off! What a great way to connect with your girl and her love of space. Register today! https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2020/international_observ.html

Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors are invited to participate in a virtual program to earn their Cybersecurity Basics badge with Bank of America’s cybersecurity experts on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 from 12 – 3 p.m. Register now: https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/cybersecurity_with_bank_of_america_virtual_10_07_2020 Girl Scouts will learn about cybersecurity and how you can protect yourself when using the internet, email, and your phone. Examine the latest tools and techniques for preventing cyber threats and learn what it takes to work in this fast-paced field. Learn about the threats facing consumers and corporations and obtain hands-on experience in the basics of data security using core skills and best-practice techniques. Discuss popular social media apps and explore how photos and messages are never completely deleted. Please note – this program is hosted by Bank of America and Girl Scouts from across the county are invited to participate. You will receive information about how to log into the virtual session via email prior to the program date. All attendees must have a current Girl Scout membership. Questions? Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. If you are having trouble completing registration, please contact inquiry@gscolorado.org or 877-404-5708. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GSCOevents #STEM #Communitypartnerships #GirlScoutsatHome #cybersecurity #communitypartners #BankofAmerica

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Watering Communities started as an education platform for local elementary schools to discuss how the lack of clean water impacts socio-economic and education resources in parts of Africa while combining into the Jefferson curriculum of “how one person can make a difference.” I authored curriculum for the classroom setting, small workshops, large workshop venues, and an after-school club. In addition, I established a 501c3 nonprofit titled Watering Communities to extend the curriculum globally and to be able to send first-aid kits with water filters to countries experiencing natural disasters. I worked with international schools in Hong Kong and Taiwan, helping author STEM curriculum for their science, technology, and field-work courses; where students learned how to create various water filters, code a problem-solving game while learning how water impacts education and health, and compete a curriculum workshop so students could apply their knowledge in a field-type setting outside of the classroom. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? Depending on the setting, it was measured by growth of knowledge either with a survey or group discussion. I measured if the students were able to apply the knowledge they had gained by recreating water experiments, building water filters, and applying the skills they had learned out in the field. How is your project sustainable? Watering Communities is sustainable two different ways:  As a 501c3 nonprofit with a board of directors and by a signed letter of commitment from Think International Primary. By establishing Watering Communities as a 501c3 with a board of directors, the board is able to proactively set goals on how to expand the educational components into additional overseas schools or organizations as well as monitoring water crises at the international level to send first-aid kits with water filters. Think International Primary enjoyed the custom-curriculum I wrote for them so much they are continuing to implement it at the fourth-grade level in their STEM classes. Students will learn about how water crisis can limit opportunities both physically and mentally, learn the science of water through an eight-week course, built prototype water filter models, and then apply the water filters into real world situations in a field setting. Think International Primary was inspired to also take on a fundraising component to help local children in their community. What is your global or national connection? Think International Primary of Hong Kong saw the webpage for Watering Communities and was curious about the curriculum specifically because it was oriented to towards elementary-age kids and was hands-on learning.  They reached out to me and we discussed what their needs were curriculum-wise, what additional resources I could help them with, and how the curriculum could apply to real life experiences outside of the classroom. Think International Primary asked me to custom-author a program to fit inside their eight-week STEM lesson plan based on learning about the scientific aspects of water, the properties of water, and how water affects people’s lives socially and economically. I built lesson plans to create water filtration systems, authored a software program to teach coding to students that emphasized the socio-economics of water in Africa, and planned workshop activities where the students could use all the skills they learned during a week-long camping expedition (think Outward Bound meets Outdoor Lab).  The students were so inspired by Watering Communities and working with me that they in turn wanted to help others. They hosted two fundraising events; one for recycling and one financial where the proceeds purchased water filters to be sent to a nonprofit in Thailand. It was during these additional events that Taipei Kuei Shan School heard about the program and adopted it in their curriculum as well. Taipei Kuei Shan School is also working with Watering Communities using the curriculum as a resource in their spring semester for 2020 and plans to again in 2021. What did you learn about yourself? When I began interviewing prospective candidates to be on the board of directors for Watering Communities, I felt confident and accomplished. I had taken every skill that I had learned throughout the years of Girl Scouts, from planning to problem solving, to delegating and taking the initiative, that I felt like the president of a company. I set out to educate my five local elementary schools about how something as simple as access to clean water can impact someone’s life and it grew beyond my wildest dreams to being a working 501c3, as well as making connections internationally in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. I initially thought I would run a couple of fun workshops and it grew into working hand-in-hand with our local teachers to supplement their curriculum, into authoring curriculum that is being used internationally in Hong Kong and Tawain, and into coding software for a game. Being able to see kids’ faces light up when they talk about their experiences with the curriculum was amazing. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? By earning my Gold Award, I realized I can use a multitude of skills that will impact my future. I can choose from a variety of leadership skills like project management, delegating, training, and team collaboration. I can use soft skills like interviewing, giving positive feedback for reinforced behavior, and showing kindness to others. I know how to develop networks and how to build up those resources. I can author original curriculum and then customize it to be flexible in different learning environments. I know without a doubt I can take all these skills, and many, many more that I learned along the way while I earned my Gold Award, and apply them for the rest of my life. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I was very lucky that I had a leader who whole heartedly believed in Girl Scouts being a girl-led experience. She allowed us to plan. She allowed us to problem solve. She allowed us to be in charge. She encouraged us to see outside of the box and to travel; we camped almost every month of the year. Our troop did a group project for our Bronze Award by hosting a garage sale to raise money to purchase pet food and we also organized a blanket and towel donation program for the local pet shelter, and I loved it. I loved organizing and leading the other girls.  For our Silver Award, our troop decided we would earn our Silvers as individuals. When the Navy deploys a submarine for six months, families are allowed to send one shoebox of goodies to be opened at the mid-way point.  Because only 65% of families send shoeboxes, I organized a drive to collect paperback books, treats, snacks, card games, etc. for sailors who would not receive a box. I was able to send enough shoeboxes for two submarines and every sailor onboard also received a box of Thin Mints or Samoas. I knew I could work hard, plan a project from start to finish, and grow my leadership skills. When I worked on my Gold Award, I used all of the skills from making good eye contract during workshops (thank you cookie sales), learning about water as a resource (traveling to Costa Rica, Girl Scout Destinations), planning and organizing events (Father-Daughter dance with 200+ attendees per year, 2013-2018), being grateful (countless charitable experiences with Girl Scouts), and so many more experiences that I can’t list them all that I’ve had with Girl Scouts.  By earning my rank of Gold Award Girl Scout, I was proud of not just what I did to earn it, but of all the experiences that helped to make me the leader I am today. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader? I view myself as all of these things. Girl Scouting and the Gold Award helped me to become a well-rounded leader who has to be willing to take risks and be vulnerable. I could have simply run workshops and educated others about the impact of lack of access to clean water in rural Africa, and that would have been good enough to earn the Gold Award. I took a risk and authored curriculum for my local area schools and was inspired by the students’ questions and curiosity that I wanted to do more, so I set up and ran Watering Communities as a 501c3 nonprofit to try to get the word out. I had to innovate and custom-write curriculum for an international school in Hong Kong and then again in Taiwan. I had to be a go-getter when I was planning for how Watering Communities would continue function when I left for college.  Interviewing accomplished business leaders and selling them on the idea of being part of the dream so we could continue to work internationally was mind-blowing. The Gold Award process allowed me to use all my skills that I learned throughout scouting to accomplish the original goal and grow it into something grand. **IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication, and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org. #GoldAward #Arvada #HighestAwards #GoldAwardGirlScout #GirlScoutGoldAward #MetroDenver #TakeAction #ArvadaWestHighSchool

At our core, Girl Scouts aims to inspire girls to be leaders in their own lives by building the courage, confidence, and character to raise their voices and be advocates for the issues and ideas important to them. While we hope Girl Scouts are civically engaged throughout the year, Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to focus our virtual program offerings in October 2020 on civics, citizenship, and democracy! Our virtual badge series will provide opportunities for Girl Scouts of all ages to earn their citizenship or democracy badges. We will provide all Colorado Girl Scouts who complete the virtual badge series in October with their citizenship or democracy badge at no cost. Badges will be mailed out to Girl Scouts in November 2020. We have also organized several opportunities for girls to learn about women in government in Colorado, women who advocate for living for Girl Scouts nationally, and women who work tirelessly to keep everyone civically engaged and vote at every opportunity. Please review all the awesome virtual program opportunities below for Civics Month! Badge Series – October 5 Kick Off Daisy: Good Neighbor, Democracy for Daisies Brownie: Celebrating Community, Democracy for Brownies Junior: Inside Government, Democracy for Juniors Cadette: Finding Common Ground, Democracy for Cadettes Senior: Behind the Ballot, Democracy for Seniors Ambassador: Public Policy, Democracy for Ambassadors Badge series support for troop leaders Additional Civics Programs Pitch Perfect Workshop- October 6 Meet an Expert: Former Girl Scout & Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne – October 8 Taller de Crea Tu Camino EN VIVO Virtual / Make Your Path Workshop LIVE Virtual – DBJ – October 13 Taller de Crea Tu Camino EN VIVO Virtual / Make Your Path Workshop LIVE Virtual – CSA – October 13 International Day of the Girl – October 11 Vote for Me Workshop- October 13 Meet an Expert: Women of Denver Government, CSA – October 14 Get Prepped for Voting Workshop- October 20 Meet an Expert: GSUSA State Advocacy Manager Meet an Expert: Women of Denver Government, DBJ – October 22 Meet an Expert: Authors of When Women Vote – October 28 We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #Civics #CivicsMonth #GirlScoutingatHome #GSCOevents #GirlScoutsatHome #2020CivicsMonth

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to meet engineer, advocate, historian, lifetime Girl Scout, and champion of all women, Jill Tietjen, on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 from 4 – 5 p.m. Register now: https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/meet_an_expert_the_energetic_side_of_engineering_webinar_09_16_2020 Registration closes September 15. As a professional engineer, Jill spent more than 40 years in the electric utility industry and was the national president of the Society of Women Engineers and the first woman to serve on the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Electrical League and its first female president. Jill was on the board of Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council from 1999 – 2007 and was board chair from 2003 – 2007. She is also an inductee of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame, and a Girl Scout Woman of Distinction. Today, Jill is an advocate for women and girls in STEM fields and the president and CEO of Technically Speaking, Inc. During this webinar Jill will speak to girls about her education, career, and what life is like working as a woman in STEM. She will also walk girls through a lesson on energy consumption and how the electric utility industry functions. After her presentation, girls will have an opportunity to participate in a live Q&A. This is an amazing opportunity for girls of all ages to learn about energy from one of Colorado’s top women in STEM. We will use Zoom to host this webinar. All information on how to join online or via phone will be emailed out to registrants the day before the webinar. Each individual participant should be registered so we can track participation. Please do not share the information on how to join with others who have not registered. The webinar will be recorded and posted to GSCO’s YouTube channel for girls to access in the future. Participating in this webinar will fulfill partial requirements for the new STEM Career Exploration badges for Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes. Questions? Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. If you are having trouble completing registration, please email inquiry@gscolorado.org or 877-404-5708. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GSCOevents #STEM #GirlScoutsatHome #Meetanexpert #MeetanexpertWebinarSeries #alumnaenews #JillTietjen

Update as of September 15, 2020: Registration for this event has ended. We have reached capacity. GSCO and GE Johnson are excited to invite Girl Scout Cadettes and Seniors to participate in our at-home, virtual “Build Like a Girl – Careers in Construction Day” on Saturday, September 26, 2020 from 10 a.m. – noon.  Girls are invited to pick up supply kits to build their own bee house prior to the program date and join a live session on September 26 to learn how to build the habitat directly from GE Johnson employees. Supply pick-up is September 21-25 at various locations available. Girls will also get to learn from an animal expert at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo about pollinators and their habitats, and participate in the virtual tour of the new hippo and penguin exhibit recently built by GE Johnson Construction. Register now: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2020/build_like_a_girl_ca.html Registration will close September 17 OR when the program reaches capacity. Supply kits will be available to pick up at the locations below the week of September 21-25 OR participants are welcome to get their own supplies using the list provided. Detailed instructions regarding supply pick-ups will be provided closer to the program date. You must select your supply pick-up location upon registration. Included with supply kits will be “Build Like a Girl” patches and T-shirts for Girl Scouts. Patches will be mailed to all girl participants after the program date. There is a $15 program fee for supply kits. Girl Scouts who are gathering their own supplies will be charged an $8 program fee and will receive their patches and T-shirts in the mail. Supply pick-up locations: GEJ Colorado Springs Office, 25 N. Cascade Ave., Suite 400, 80903 Vail Health, 181 W. Meadow Dr., Vail 81657 Cherry Creek – 240 St Paul St., Denver 80206 GEJ Greenwood Village Office: 5613 DTC Parkway, Suite 450, 80111 Ball Aerospace, 11 Longs Peak Dr., Broomfield 80021 Green Mountain High School, 13175 W Green Mountain Dr., Lakewood 80228 Sierra Nevada IAS, 12500 Belford Ave., Englewood 80112 ENT Credit Union New Headquarters, InterQuest Pkwy & Federal Dr., Colorado Springs 80921 Information about how to join the live session on Saturday, September 26 will be emailed directly to all participants by September 23. Cadettes will work on requirements for the Woodworker badge and Seniors will work on requirements for the Social Innovator badge. All participating Girl Scouts must: Complete a one-time COVID-19 waiver prior to program date Participate under the supervision of her parent, guardian, or troop leader Submit two online waivers for GE Johnson: https://files.constantcontact.com/1314b2ce601/daca09b9-dbde-444c-a054-b300e6d3010c.pdf https://files.constantcontact.com/1314b2ce601/b1e5a924-f36b-46f1-b329-496faa3625b4.pdf Questions? Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #Cadette #seniors #GSCOevents #ColoradoSprings #oldergirls #Cadettes #Woodworkerbadge #2020BuildLikeaGirl #BuildLikeaGirl #Communitypartnerships #SocialInnovatorbadge #communitypartners #PikesPeak #CheyenneMountainZoo #GEJohnson #senior

The 2020 Fall Product Program kicks off Saturday, September 12 and there is a new contest this year! *The first 50 Girl Scouts who sell 15 or more magazine subscriptions and complete the magazine contest form below, will receive a cool camp hammock! Magazine subscriptions are purchased through a Girl Scouts’ online storefront in M2. There are lots of popular titles to choose from for sports enthusiasts, fashionistas, green thumbs, news hounds, and nature lovers! Magazines make great gifts for family and friends to enjoy, plus there are no shipping fees. Troops also earn 13% of subscription costs as proceeds. Bonus: Girl Scouts who sell 15+ magazine subscriptions will not only qualify for a chance at receiving a hammock, but they will also qualify for two entries into the drawing for the giant plush sloth! For more information about the sloth contest, read this blog. The contest form opens September 12. As soon as a girl has sold 15 or more magazine subscriptions, she should complete the form to qualify to receive a hammock. *The first 50 Girl Scouts to qualify will be based on the date that the contest form is submitted, and the verified number of magazine subscriptions sold. Magazines Contest Form: https://girlscoutsofcolorado.formstack.com/forms/2020_magazine_contest_entry_form Note: Hammocks will need to be picked up from the nearest GSCO office. Questions? Call Girl Scouts of Colorado customer care at 877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #MagazinesContest #cookies #2020MagazinesContest #2020FallProductProgram #FallProductProgram