Submitted by the GSCO Global Action Committee On Friday, July 31, Our Chalet celebrates its 88th Birthday! Girl Scouts of Colorado sends their best wishes to Our Chalet, one of the five World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.  This is going to be an exciting and fun week with five days of celebration for this birthday! Do you like it when your birthday celebrations spread out over more than one day? If so, watch the GSCO Blog each day so you can celebrate with girls from all around the world. Activities from Monday, July 27, 2020 Welcome to our second fun day of exploring Our Chalet and Switzerland! You can review a little of the Our Chalet history by doing this word search. There are 16 statements with words bolded that you must find. How many can you find? You can find out much more about Our Chalet if you go to their web site at www.wagggs.org/en/our-world/world-centres/our-chalet/. What was most interesting to you? Do you want to go to a session at Our Chalet? Do you like to color pictures? Here are some pictures from Our Chalet and Switzerland that you might choose to color. Grab your crayons, colored pencils or markers and get started. You can do them all if you want! 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. #GlobalGirlScouts #WorldAssociationofGirlGuidesandGirlScouts #GlobalActionCommittee #GirlScoutingatHome #WAGGGS #2020OurChaletBirthday #GirlScoutsatHome #OurChalet #OurChaletBirthday

Submitted by Ericka Pilon Northern & Northeastern CO Firestone COVID quarantine hit right at the end of Girl Scout Cookie season and we never were able to take  cookies to our Hometown Heroes, emergency room doctors and nurses at two local hospitals. This weekend, Troop 71171 of Firestone finally dropped off half of their Hometown Hero Cookies, 52 assorted packages, to doctors and nurses at Longmont United Hospital in Longmont. 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. #Firestone #NorthernampNortheasternCO #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #Longmont #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #LongmontUnitedHospital #HometownHeroes

Girl Scouts of Colorado thanks Sarah Swanty for co-hosting our “Meet an Animal Welfare Organization’s Executive Director” webinar! More than 25 Girl Scouts from across Colorado participated in this webinar on July 22, 2020. Missed it? Listen to the recording here. Sarah is the Executive Director for Animal Friends Alliance, a cat and dog shelter and clinic serving Northern Colorado and beyond. Sarah spoke to girls about her journey to leading an animal shelter, current role, and how the shelter works to keep pets in loving homes. She told girls all about the education required to become a veterinarian or vet tech and spoke about the business skills needed to run a successful shelter. After Sarah’s presentation staff at the shelter walked girls through a live intake of three kittens who were getting ready to go to foster homes! We learned about the intake process from beginning to end and how people can sign up to foster animals. Sarah’s favorite Girl Scout cookie is a Tagalong but her husband is a huge Thin Mint fan so she likes those too. Here are some resources we talked about during the webinar: Animal Friends Alliance: https://www.savinganimalstoday.org/ Learn about donating items: https://www.savinganimalstoday.org/donate/ways-to-give/ Learn about volunteering: https://www.savinganimalstoday.org/volunteer/ 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 #AnimalFriendsAlliance #animalwelfare #GirlScoutsatHome #Meetanexpert #NorthernColorado #MeetanexpertWebinarSeries #SarahSwanty #NorthernandNortheasternColorado

Submitted by the GSCO Global Action Committee On Friday, July 31, Our Chalet celebrates its 88th Birthday! Girl Scouts of Colorado sends their best wishes to Our Chalet, one of the five World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. This is going to be an exciting and fun week with five days of celebration for this birthday! Do you like it when your birthday celebrations spread out over more than one day? If so, watch the GSCO Blog each day so you can celebrate with girls from all around the world. Switzerland, a small mountainous country located in central Europe, is a lot like our home state of Colorado! While we are well-known for the Rocky Mountains, Switzerland is well known for their snow-covered mountains called the Swiss Alps. Like Colorado, most of their mountain peaks are more than 13,000 feet with the most famous one (The Matterhorn) standing 14,692 feet tall! High up in these Swiss mountains, there lies a Girl Scout World Centre called Our Chalet. Our Chalet opened its doors in 1932 and has been providing adventure and friendship to Girl Scout troops, groups, families, and individuals of all ages ever since. Guests come from all of over the world to participate in activities like skiing and ice skating in the winter and hiking and climbing in the summer. Girl Scouts can even attend special programs throughout the year which focus on outdoor adventures, leadership development, and international friendship. Traveling to Switzerland also brings opportunities to try many specialties including fondue, swiss chocolate, and more than 450 different kinds of cheeses! You might also get to see Black Nose Sheep high up in the Alps or hear Alphorn blowing or yodeling in a local mountain town. Did you know that the children’s book “Heidi” was from Switzerland? What fun facts do you know about Switzerland? We are off on a great adventure this week at Our Chalet in Switzerland! First, we will take a virtual tour of the Centre. Watch at least the first 20 minutes of this video as they tour you around the chalet (house) and the grounds. The rest of the video is showing you what to take in your backpack for a week’s trip to Our Chalet. Now, do you know where in the world Switzerland is? Check out this link and you will find the flag and map of Switzerland with an arrow to the general location of Our Chalet. For fun, check out the Switzerland Maze and see if you can find your way through the country! Can you locate Our Chalet on this map? Did you know that each World Centre has its own special song? Well, Our Chalet’s song tells about the mountains and the big sloping roof on the building. Listen to the song here and then sing along. You can stay at Our Chalet for just one night or several weeks. No matter how long your stay, you’ll meet people from all over the world and experience Girl Scouting like never before. How exciting to know that Our Chalet has just been opened to a limited number of guests as restrictions are starting to be lifted in various countries of Europe. Get your passports ready and meet us at Our Chalet in Switzerland! 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. #GlobalGirlScouts #WorldAssociationofGirlGuidesandGirlScouts #GirlScoutingatHome #WAGGGS #WAGGGSWorldCenters #2020OurChaletBirthday #GirlScoutsatHome #OurChalet #OurChaletBirthday

Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to announce a new way to rent GSCO properties! We need to comply with the GSUSA guidelines that do not allow any overnight troop trips right now, but we will open some of our properties for GSCO families. The family reservation booking will open up to all GSCO members on Tuesday, July 28, at 8:30 a.m. This is something completely new, so you may be wondering what this looks like, what properties are open, and who is all allowed to attend. With COVID-19 still being very present in our community, and world, GSCO is taking as many precautions as possible with our new Family Property Reservation opportunity. Below is a short FAQ regarding this new process, if you have additional questions please don’t hesitate to reach out! Beginning on Tuesday, July 28, making a family reservation is done the same way as all other bookings, you can make the reservation online here: http://girlscoutsofcolorado.checkfront.com/reserve/, or you can contact our Outdoor Programs and Properties Administrator at Jenn.London@gscolorado.org. When making a reservation, please select the sites with “Family Reservation” in the title. Please review this list of Frequently Asked Questions. #GSCOproperty #reservations

With summer coming to an end and a new Girl Scout year starting, we want to get together in a virtual space to reflect on what our Girl Scouts did this summer, rejoice with fellow Girl Scouts from across the state, and reengage with Girl Scouts by thinking about what activities you would like to do in the 2020 – 2021 Girl Scout Year. Girls will also learn about the new badges released by GSUSA this week. Girls will be given a fun pre-activity to complete to prepare themselves to chat with other Girl Scouts about what they did this summer and to get excited for what’s next. Girls will create two dream boards to reflect and plan for the next year. Last Year Reflection: This board will reflect on what you did this past Girl Scout year or your favorite parts. 2020 – 2021 Girl Scout Year: This board will be used to plan what you want to do next Girl Scout year. For example, what specific badges or Journeys do you want to earn? What other activities do you want to do? This event is designed to be a fun time for girls to connect with other girls their age and get excited for a new Girl Scout year! Register today! Daisies- August 10 at 4:30 p.m. Brownies- August 11 at 4:30 p.m. Juniors- August 12 at 4:30 p.m. Cadettes- August 13 at 4:30 p.m. Seniors and Ambassadors- August 14 at 4:30 p.m. Questions? Email GirlExperience@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.

Even though things look different than we’d hoped right now, your Girl Scout has so much to look forward to! If you’re struggling to keep your girl/troop connected (or simply need some new ideas), we have these 12 simple tips for keeping your Girl Scouts engaged. Renew your Girl Scout’s (or your troop’s) membership! The best way to keep your girls connected and engaged is by letting them know you are here for them! Renewing your/your troop’s membership lets girls and families know that there is something to look forward to. Even in these uncertain times, Girl Scouts is still here with opportunities to earn badges, participate in virtual events, and complete safe service projects. And let’s not forget, Girl Scouting teaches tangible, innovative problem-solving and life skills. You don’t want to miss the many exciting events and activities that Girl Scouts of Colorado has planned. Reminder: You can now use Cookie Credits to renew girl membership! To use your Cookie Credits fill out the Cookie Credit Reimbursement form. Earn one of 24 NEW badges just released by Girl Scouts of the USA! From topics like automotive engineering and STEM careers to civics and entrepreneurship, these badges give all girls more opportunities to practice ambitious leadership. Encourage girls and families to participate in GSCO’s NEW Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming and earn the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch. This is an opportunity for families to not only have conversations about differences, race, and racism, but also for caregivers and siblings to learn more about Girl Scouts’ core values. Earn badges as part of GSCO’s FREE virtual monthly series! For August 2020, we will be focused on the animal and eco badges. Check the GSCO Events Calendar for future opportunities and how to register. Register for a “Meet an Expert” webinar! This webinar series is a great opportunity for girls to meet women in different career paths. Most webinars in this series will relate back to a Girl Scout badge and all will include a moderated Q&A. Check the GSCO Events Calendar for information on upcoming webinars and how to sign up! Join one of our book or art clubs! Registration is now open for these Zoom-based clubs, which are led by a GSCO staff member. Connect with adult volunteers as part of the Explore More Club! Learn how to teach particular topics/badges to your girls ahead of time. Each month, the club will focus on a different program topic. The topic for August 2020 is ecology and the outdoors! Earn badges with help from GSCO’s Outreach Program! Girl Scouts of all ages can follow along as a GSCO staff member explains how to complete each step of a particular badge. Badges can be earned on your own time and at home. Start working to earn your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award! Check out the GSCO Events Calendar for upcoming training and brainstorming sessions. Participate in a national service project! From connecting with senior citizens to making masks and face coverings, see how you can make the world a better place. Visit theGSUSA National Service Projects page for full details. Learn more about resources to meet virtually. There are free and low-cost tools troops and service units are using for virtual meetings. While we cannot endorse or support specific online meeting tools, we encourage you to look at these and alternative options and discuss with caregivers and girls to determine what the best solution is for your troop or service unit needs. Check out what’s happening on the GSCO Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Girls and troops across the state have been sharing stories of how they’re earning badges/patches, staying connected with their Girl Scout sisters, making the world a better place, and more. Add your stories and photos using the Share Your Stories form. #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutsatHome #VolunteerNews

Becoming an adult is full of sudden independence, responsibilities, uncertainties, and it can be frightening. If you are you a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador and want to learn how to take care of yourself once you’re out of high school and on your own, join Girl Scouts of Colorado Staff on the last Wednesday of the month to learn about topics important to your independence.  Tools for Independence – Older Girl Edition focuses on topics that high schoolers need to be successful when you are out making the world a better place. Register NOW for “Tools for Independence: Self-Defense” on Wednesday July 29, 2020  at 3 p.m. Because we need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others, our first session will include a live self-defense demonstration by Mrs. Diana Hansen, V Dan.  Mrs. Hansen is a fifth level black belt in Taekwondo and teaches with Maum Sin Yong TKD and City of Aurora’s Recreation Department. Please dress comfortably and make sure you have plenty of room to practice the moves Mrs. Hansen will be demonstrating.  You may find it helpful to have a friend or family member help by being a practice aggressor, but it is not required.  This class also meets the requirements for Step One of the Senior Safety Award. Future topics will include: First-Aid Other safety-related topics Budgeting and other financial needs Finding (and keeping) an apartment Finding a job Car maintenance and basic repair 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. #SeniorSafetyAward #GirlScoutingatHome #GSCOevents #GirlScoutsatHome #selfdefense

From Girl Scouts of the USA Drumroll, please! Girl Scouts of the USA has 24 new badges designed to help girls practice some serious leadership skills in civics, entrepreneurship, STEM career exploration, and automotive engineering. In a year of unprecedented global change, our country’s need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater. Girl Scouts equips the next generation of female change-makers with the breadth of knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to take action on issues they believe in. Here’s everything you need to know about the NEW Girl Scout badges: Civics (grades K–12). Be prepared to lead the change in your town, state, and country! Start with the Civics badges and gain an in-depth understanding of how local, state, and federal government works. Get ready to be a voter, an activist, or a political leader. Research laws and understand how they’re created. Explore how the electoral college works. Learn about the representation of women in government, and so much more. You will also research your own government officials and make plans to meet them. (Funded by the Citi Foundation). Start with your FREE new badge activity samplers. “There is a huge need for leaders who will advocate for the voiceless and the disadvantaged. As young women in America, we have the ability and the responsibility to create the world we want our own daughters to grow up in.” —Gold Award Girl Scout Julia Entrepreneurship (grades K–12). Dreaming about creating a business that can make a difference? With the Entrepreneurship badges, you will create and pitch a product or service that solves a real-life problem. Then, you’ll build a business plan and think about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing, and competition. (Funded by Susan Bulkeley Butler and designed in collaboration with VentureLab). Start with your FREE new badge activity samplers. “Girl Scouts should give this badge a chance because developing your hobby to an income or creating your own business is a way to control your future. You get to be the boss!” —Girl Scout Marie STEM Career Exploration (grades 2–8). Thinking about a career path that’s right for you? Discover the STEM Career badges and make a difference about a pressing issue in your community. Explore computer science, nature/environmental science, engineering, design, health, and agriculture. You will also make a career plan that will help you fuel your passion into action. (Funded by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies). Start with your FREE new badge activity samplers. “The STEM Career badges are really fun and show you a range of jobs I didn’t even know existed!” —Girl Scout Bridget Automotive Engineering (grades K–5). Buckle up and earn about designing, engineering, and manufacturing vehicles, as well as the future of mobility. Design your own vehicle, test prototypes, and see what it’s like to think like an engineer! You’ll even learn how to manage your own assembly line manufacturing process! (funded by General Motors). Start with your FREE new badge activity samplers. “My favorite part about this badge was being able to design and create my own car. It made me feel like an engineer. I learned that engineering is something I love and want to explore it further.” —Girl Scout Julia “The world has changed drastically this year, and now more than ever, it’s imperative to have strong leaders who can make informed decisions,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. Our new badges will continue to build the world-changing female leaders of today and the future, particularly in key industries that propel our country forward: automotive engineering, entrepreneurship, civics, and STEM. In addition, beginning this summer, all councils will also have the opportunity to host their own Girl Scout Cyber Challenge sponsored by Raytheon Technologies, enabling middle and high school girls to learn crucial cybersecurity skills as they compete in challenges such as running traceroutes and identifying phishing schemes. The Cyber Challenge prepares girls to pursue careers in computer science and cybersecurity. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #Civics #STEMCareerExploration #GSUSA #STEM #AutomotiveEngineering #NewBadges #AutomotiveEngineeringbadges #entrepreneurship #Entrepreneurshipbadges #newbadges2020 #Civicsbadges #STEMbadges #STEMCareerExplorationbadges

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is a leader in providing innovative education, skills, and research to help people care for the outdoors through the framework of the seven principles of Leave No Trace. In anticipation of Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend September 12 – 13, 2020, Leave No Trace will be hosting a virtual mini-learning series for Girl Scout staff, troop leaders, volunteers, and other community members. This series of four, 45-minute webinars will explore the why of each of the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, including tips, tricks, and activities for teaching beyond just memorization. You will leave with new tools and nuggets to share with Girl Scouts and others both leading up to and beyond the Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend. Themes from the Girl Scouts’ Eco Badge program will also be woven throughout, as well as time to answer any questions you may have. The sessions are all at 1 p.m. MST on July 21, August 4, August 18, and September 1. Volunteers are welcome to attend as many sessions as they are able to! See the session descriptions and register using this link: https://lnt.org/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fevent%2Finfo&reset=1&id=129 Save the Date for Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend September 12 – 13! Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to participate in special self-guided programs at select state parks across Colorado in addition to virtual state parks programming with GSUSA. Look for more information on the GSCO Events Calendar by the end of July! 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. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GSCOevents #GSUSA #LeaveNoTrace #gsoutdoors

This week (July 18-26, 2020) the National Park Service is celebrating the Latino Conservation Week! It is a celebration of Latino history, heritage, and stewardship of public lands. Check out these five ways to celebrate: Find a national park or your local park and learn more about the outdoors and how to recreate responsibly to keep these special places and each other healthy. Research a park or place with Latino heritage to learn more about Latino relationships with public lands. Share the importance of Latino Conservation Week with family and friends and help inspire others to participate in conservation efforts. Work with other Latinos in your community to help national parks and other public lands through volunteer programs or individual volunteer projects. Go on your park’s official social media platforms and share Latino Conservation Week posts for everyone to see and get inspired! Use #LCW2020, #LatinoConservationWeek, and #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque. Esta semana celebra la historia, patrimonio, y la mayordomia de las tierras publicas. Aprenda como involucrarse en los esfuerzos de la conservación. Hay 5 maneras de celebrar y mira las maneras de celebrar aquí: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/latino-conservation-week.htm Eventos en Colorado empezando el 18 de julio: https://latinoconservationweek.com/events/2020-events 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. #gsoutdoors #2020LatinoConservationWeek #LatinoConservationWeek #NationalParkService

Be ready to go for fall! The current membership year ends Sept. 30, 2020. With the constant changes to your and your Girl Scout’s routine, registering now will ensure you won’t get sidetracked by the start of school, or fall activities, and forget to re-register! Keep the Girl Scout experience going! Girls can stay connected to their Girl Scout sisters while earning badges through online activities with Girl Scouts at Home. They can also participate in live virtual events and safe service projects that keep her engaged and inspired. And let’s not forget, Girl Scouting teaches tangible, innovative problem-solving and life skills. It’s easy and fast! Parents, troops, and volunteers can easily renew membership for themselves or their girl(s) online at MyGS. Renewing early gives you more time to ask for help and address technical issues before the fall rush. Don’t miss out on another year of Girl Scouting, renew today! Learn More 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. #2020Renewal #CouncilNews #renewal