Teen SceneA publication by girls and for girls age 11 and olderFALL 2012

Troop travels to D.C. to sing along with thousands of sisters

Girl Scouts

2 Teen Scene

Girl Scout Gab

CONTENTS4 Girls get real: Seniors issue

no make-up challenge as shout out to inner beauty

6 Wildfires spark action

8 Girl Scouts rock

12 Our Chalet Swiss adventure

15 It’s a girl’s world

Get published!If you are a Girl Scout age 11 or older, Teen Scene is the place to share your stories. This magazine is written by girls, for girls, so get in on the action now! Teen Scene is published twice yearly and mailed to all registered Girl Scouts ages 11 and older

in Colorado.

Girl voices must be heard! Write about your experiences on a destination or at camp. Why did you join Girl Scouts and why do you stick with it? Tell us about a community service project you worked on or an award or badge

you earned.

Send submissions to Kristin Hamm at kristin.hamm@gscolorado.org. We want to grow the girl presence on our website, so don’t wait for the next Teen Scene, submit your story online today at girlscoutsofcolorado.org/share-your-stories.

TeenScene

FALL 2012

Girls voices need to be heard to help make Girl Scouts even betterGirl Scouts of Colorado is honored to be one of only 10 councils selected to participate in a study about how Girl Scouting benefits girls. Register for the Girl Scout Voices survey system at: GirlScoutVoices.org. Please note:

• Responses will remain completely confidential. Surveys are solely for research purposes related to Girl Scouts of the USA. Girls will not be marketed to, solicited or exposed to any form of advertisement as a result of participating in the series of surveys.

• Girls under the age of 13 will need parental/guardian permission which is included as part of the registration.

Annual Program Guidebook coming soonA new resource is coming your way to help guide you through a great Girl Scout year! The Girl Scouts of Colorado Annual Program Guidebook will feature events and series to get excited about in your area. The books will be available for free at Council shops, programs and Service Unit meetings.

From London to LucerneInterested in international travel? Join Girl Scouts of Colorado on a trip “From London to Lucerne” through EF Tours, educational travel for students. This 11-day trip throughout Europe includes visits to two Girl Scouts World Centers; Pax Lodge and Our Chalet. Trip departs June 13, 2013. Find out more at girlscoutsofcolorado.org/events/552

Want to be a media star?Each fall, Girl Scouts of Colorado trains girls in 4th grade and above who are interested in being Girl Scout Media Star spokesgirls and helping share Girl Scout stories with media all over the state. Tell your story! Visit the GSCO website for more information in September.

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It’s in the BagGirls shine in earth-friendly Silver project

Fall 2012

Troop 1364 sewed 100 super cool reusable bags using recycled material.Each bag saves 700

plastic bags—that equals 7,000 plastic bags!

By Jordan Arnell, Troop 1364

Troop 1364 decided we were passionate about keeping the planet healthy and clean. We chose to contribute to a healthy planet by making recycled grocery bags and educating people on the damage that plastic and paper shopping bags can cause.

First, we had to learn how to sew. We learned by making pajama pants. When we felt we were capable sewers, it was time to start the real sewing project—making 100 shopping bags. We searched the Internet for a simple, efficient bag pattern. We decided to use recycled material such as used and discarded curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths and sheets. We cut out and constructed 100 bags between three girls and over a period of several months. We had a couple of sew-ins where we got together and had a bag constructing assembly line and we also worked on bags on our own.

We knew that we wanted a special venue or occasion to distribute our bags and after looking into several Earth Day and Arbor Day activities, we decided on the Lone Tree Arbor Day Festival. The festival was on May 5. We set up a table and handed out our bags and educated the public on how their use of the bags would add up to make a difference. People were so happy to get our bags and couldn’t believe they were made by Girl Scouts and handed out for free.

We discovered we were able to schedule our time and complete a big project. We also learned to talk to people and get them interested in cleaning up the planet. We learned that using just one of our bags could eliminate the use of 700 bags over a person’s lifetime. Our bags not only save trees, but water, gas and oil. They contribute to cleaner air, cleaner oceans and can help sea creatures. All this helps families in our community as well as the whole world. We experienced the fun of being part of the Arbor Day Festival.

The organizers of the festival were impressed with our contribution and would love to have us back each year in some capacity.

Jordan Arnell is 14 years old and lives in Centennial. She’s been a Girl Scout for eight years and enjoys dancing, reading and volunteering in the community.

4 Teen Scene

“Beauty: lookin g throu gh a girl’s eyes and seein g throu gh to her heart.”

-Nate Dircks

SISTERHOOD and INNER BEAUTY

A journey of

Get a group of Girl Scout Seniors together for a week; give them Journey materials; mix in fun, LOL moments, a desire to “make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout” and the possibilities are endless!

As Girl Scouts, it is always important to discover new things and apply them to our lives. For a week in June, Girl Scout Seniors from several area troops joined together to learn the importance of sisterhood and inner beauty. Over the week, we learned that inner beauty is better than outer, and it doesn’t matter what you look like. We also learned that sisters can always be there for you.

For our Mission: Sisterhood journey project, we created a website called thebeautyunderneath.webs.com, designed T-shirts and posters to advertise it, and worked with the local library, rec center and businesses to get the word out. It was a great way to advertise inner beauty and get girls to focus on their inner selves, as opposed to their outward appearances. We had a lot of fun and hope we have done something to affect how girls view sisterhood and beauty.

As a way to keep our inner beauty mission alive, we’re challenging girls everywhere to a Make-Up Free/Shout Out Day on Sept. 22nd! Print out the logo from the website and make posters to hang in your community. Then go make-up free Sept. 22nd and let your inner beauty shine!

Thank you to Big Frog Custom T-shirts and More for printing our beautiful T-shirts! Check out their website (bigfrog.com) or store located in Westminster at U.S. 36 and 104th/Church Ranch Road—they were great to work with and even offer a special Girl Scout discount!

5

Senior Girl Scouts propose a get real challengeBy Brittany, Emily, Emma, Kirsten, Samantha, Sarah, Sarrah, Stefanie and Taryn from Senior Troops 1713, 2237 and 2487

Fall 2012

“There is an INNeR beAUTY

about a wo

man who be

lieves in h

erself;

who knows

she's capab

le of

anythi

ng that she

puts her

mind to.

There is a

beauty in

the strengt

h

& deter

mination of

a woman

that f

ollows her

own path, w

ho isn't

thrown off

by obstacl

es along th

e way.

There is a

beauty abo

ut a woman

whose

confidence c

omes from e

xperiences;

who knows

she can fal

l, pick her

self up,

& MoVe oN.”

“That’s the thing about

inner beauty:

Unlike Physical beauty,

which grabs the spotlight

for itself, in

ner beauty

shines on everyone,

catching them, holding

them in its embrace,

making them more

beautiful too.”

“imperfection is beauty; madness is genius; and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring” ~marilyn monroe

6 Teen Scene

Wildfires SPARK Girl Scouts into action

“It’s 6 miles away. It’s moving a half mile

every hour. OK, I’ve gotta do something, let’s start

with the firefighters.”

7Fall 2012

‘I’ve gotta do something’By Alexa Huesgen Hobbs, Troop 1947

It was Donkey Derby Days at Cripple Creek and we were buying train tickets and talking about Colorado Springs, when a man said “you’re from The Springs? What was it like driving up here?”

That was the first I heard of the Waldo Canyon Fire—a wildfire that broke out on June 23 just west of Colorado Springs. The devastating fire would ultimately burn hundreds of homes and displace thousands of residents. It would end up being the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.

The impact didn’t sink in immediately. At first I was frustrated that our drive would be extended. Fantastic, so now we are in my mom’s car cruising down to Pueblo then up again to Colorado Springs (sigh). My little sister was saying she was hungry so we stopped at a 7-Eleven to get some snacks and as we looked behind us I saw the smoke billowing up like some enormous mushroom cloud expanding like a hot air balloon being filled up bigger and bigger and bigger.

When I got home I sleepwalked to my room and just as I was lying down with a good book my mom called from the 3rd floor balcony “Alexa come up here and see this!” Right in front of me lay the Rocky Mountains with two glowing red spots and the twinkling of red, blue and white lights streaming up the mountainside.

I wouldn’t see these mountains again for days thanks to the wall of smoke that would also choke me every time I went outside.

It’s 6 miles away. It’s moving a half mile every hour.

OK, I’ve gotta do something, let’s start with the firefighters.

So Troops 1947 and 863 and I collected Gatorade and Vitamin Water, which we gave to the firefighters.

Now, I am also a huge animal lover so when I heard that some evacuated families had to be separated from their pets—for now at least—I thought about how my dog acts if my family leaves the house for 10 minutes. Then I thought of those confused animals who probably thought their owners had abandoned them.

I called the Humane Society but because I’m not 13 yet I can’t volunteer there. So instead I found All Breeds Rescue and started volunteering there. I walked and loved dogs making them so happy they did back flips (literally), and I gave cats treats and changed their litter.

It felt good helping out just like when my troop and I worked to get a crosswalk near our school for our Bronze Award project (yes, that was me on the cover of The Gazette). Now I don’t know what else I should do, oh well I’ll just wait for a tornado or something.

Alexa is 11 years old and in 6th grade at Holmes Middle school. She’s been a Girl Scout for six years and enjoys reading, swimming, writing and trying to dress up her dog Jake. (She never gets anything on him.)

By Ally Ernst, Troop 931

My trip to Washington, D.C., was an adventure I will never forget. We got to meet some amazing Girl Scouts from other states and swap SWAPs that they made. We rode on the metro to get to where the sing along was. It was jammed packed full of Girl Scout troops going to have a great time.

The sing along was at a place called the mall, but it is actually a park where big events take place.

Some amazing bands came to sing for us like Savvy and some finalists from “The Voice” and “American Idol!” It was so much fun.

There were special stamps just for the 100-year anniversary.

The weather was nice besides the scorching 90-degree heat with humidity. Once we got back to the hotel, everyone put on their swimsuits and jumped into the pool to cool down.

My trip to D.C. was a trip that I will always remember and I will keep in touch with all the girls that I had the opportunity to meet!

Allyson Ernst is 15 years old and has been a Girl Scout for five years. She attends Liberty High School and enjoys camping, hanging out with family and friends and cheering.

8 Teen Scene

100th anniversary trip opens eyes to true sisterhood

Number of years spent selling cookies and

raising funds for this trip

1 year

Col

orad

o Sp

ring

s gi

rls

100th Anniversary Sing-Along

Washington, D.C.

Coolest thing about Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument lit up at night and seeing it from

the Jefferson Monument.

9Fall 2012

Coolest thing about being a Girl Scout during the 100th anniversary year

Witnessing a huge milestone in Girl Scouts and seeing

thousands of girls coming together to celebrate!

Number of hours at the airport/on the plane

to get to D.C.

About 6-6 1/2 hours

Favorite SWAP from this trip

A Washington, D.C. booklet

How it felt to be surrounded by so many Girl Scouts

It was a little overwhelming, but it felt amazing!

Colorado girls raise their voices at State Capitol

10 Teen Scene10 Teen Scene

More than 300 Girl Scouts sing along On June 9, Girl Scouts of Colorado joined the nation to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting. While dozens of Colorado Girl Scouts traveled to Washington, D.C. to join 250,000 from around the world at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall, more than 300 Girl Scouts and their families and friends, as well as Girl Scout supporters and alumnae, joined the festivities at Colorado’s State Capitol at Colorado Sings.

11Fall 2012

Colorado girls raise their voices at State Capitol

12 Teen Scene

A Swiss adventure of EPIC proportions

“Our Chalet had a very cool program setup for us that included doing

native Swiss crafts, playing Swiss Jeopardy and lots of scenic hikes. One of the hikes was an awesome night hike to a cheesemaker’s hut, where we had delicious hot cocoa

made with fresh milk from their cows and stayed overnight.”

~Grace Dorgan

13Fall 2012

Cheese, chocolate and a big adrenaline rush By Meredith Greer, Troop 2110

Our trip to Our Chalet, located in Adelboden, Switzerland, was quite literally an experience like no other. Along with another Girl Scout troop from Birmingham, Ala., we took part in a week full of adventure, including many hikes, swimming in a freezing cold mountain lake and visiting the town of Interlaken where we saw a chocolatier at work and many beautiful waterfalls.

Another memorable day was spent at an adventure park, where we climbed a natural rock wall, zip lined, did a high ropes course over a river, and abseiled down from a bridge. The main event there, however, was the pendulum swing. We had the opportunity to get onto this small platform on the side of the bridge, with a rope attached to our harness, and jump. The rope would catch us after the initial free-fall, resulting in a pendulum-like swing. Almost all of the girls were able to complete this activity, and, although quite terrifying (the bridge was about 75 feet over the river!) it was also a lot of fun.

The trip was also educational as we got to experience Swiss culture in the 10 days we were there. We toured old towns, shopped, became very familiar with the city buses and trains, and ate Swiss foods – such as Alpine macaroni and, of course, chocolate. One night at Our Chalet, we had International Night, where all of the people staying at the Chalet gave a presentation about their country, life and traditions. From the summer volunteers working there, to other people staying as guests, we learned about Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and Hong Kong. We even met a girl from Sri Lanka later in the week!

Overall, the trip was wonderful – we got to experience something that was very unique. Those two years of fundraising and planning definitely paid off!

Meredith Greer is 14 years old and from Golden.

“The pendulum swing sounds simple but getting yourself

to actually do it was a challenge.”

~Brynne Davis

Girl Scouts Abby Schmid and Leina Hutchinson represented Girl Scouts of Colorado at the 2012 Girls World Forum in Chicago in July. The girl-planned forum was a part of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in the USA and included 500 participants from 90 countries and 82 councils. This was the last of three forums addressing the UN Millennium Development Goals and specifically focusing on three of the goals selected by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger; Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women and Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

Abby and Leina share their thoughts on the forum.

Leina: My experiences at the Girls’ World Forum are some of the best in my life, and this event is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Personally, my favorite thing about this forum was getting to meet so many fantastic girls from all over the world. I have made some great friends from places I had never even thought about visiting. Now, it seems like wherever I go, there will always be someone for me to contact. Another great thing about this forum was all of the amazing speakers and everything I learned from them. Every single speaker was very inspirational and they all taught me something new. I also learned a lot during breakout sessions. It was really interesting and educational to listen to the problems of other countries. Some of the things I heard were very surprising. Despite some frustrating times, I loved every minute of this forum.

Abby: Participating in the 2012 Girls’ World Forum in Chicago was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. All the people I met and all the things I learned are part of a great experience I will never forget. Some of my best memories are the parties we attended, the international night and the closing party. Girl Scouts know how to party to say the least! I made friends all week, and when it was time to leave I felt like I was losing a big group of sisters. However, I now know I have sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world. Learning about the three Millennium Development Goals was not only informative, but inspiring. Hearing the speakers and going to the breakout sessions gave me great ideas and changed the way I think about these issues. Overall, the week was great and I will miss everyone I met and the experiences we shared.

14 Teen Scene

It’s a GIRL’S WORLD

“We encourage everyone to find a way to be involved in our global sisterhood through WAGGGS! Your life will never be the same!”

~Colorado’s Girls’ World Forum delegation

On June 3rd, Girl Scout Troop 62879 hosted an electronics recycling event at three different Denver metro locations. We were partnered with Metech Recycling, an e-Stewards recycling company. We were at Grandview High School in Aurora, Northfield Stapleton in Denver, and Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree. We kept 14,241 pounds of electronic materials out of landfills! We also collected nearly $600 in donations for Opportunity Grants.

Our preparation work sculpted how well the event would turn out. During the nine months of planning time, we had to find a reputable recycler who doesn’t ship harmful waste products to other countries, find sites to host our event and learn how to spread the word. We also had to take training classes, write directions, acquire volunteers, write an event plan and tour Metech’s recycling facility.

Now it was time to execute the event. We woke up that morning to discover that 9 News and the Denver Post were advertising our event to the public. Once we got to our sites, we put up signs to direct attendees and waited for people to come. Metech recycling emptied their cars and notified them of the small fee required for responsible recycling.

After a few hours, the news crews arrived. 9 News came to Northfield Stapleton and CBS Channel 4 came to Grandview High School. At Grandview, two girls from the troop were interviewed by CBS Channel 4’s Valerie Castro, who is a Girl Scout alumna. 9 News did a short segment on their evening news show as well.

After the event, we reflected on our achievements. Metech counted 14,241 pounds of recycled materials. We had hoped

to break the Guinness World Record for recycled electronics, but didn’t come close to the 80,000 pound record.

The coolest part of this project is the honor of achieving the highest award a Cadette can receive—the Silver Award. We are proud to be Girl Scouts and to have the opportunity to engage in compelling leadership activities that make the world a better place.

Troop 62879 dreamed big and made a big difference with their ambitious Silver Award project.

15Fall 2012

Record attempt fails but we made a world of differenceBy Brooke, Kathleen, Kayleigh, Sarah and Susan, Troop 62879

GREEN

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The fall product sale begins Sept. 9 and is an easy way to raise funds for all the great Girl Scout plans you have this year. The fall sale along with the Cookie Sale, beginning Jan. 27, give you the tools to do great things.

Community service, travel, camp…it’s all possible through the power of product sales. Watch the website, girlscoutsofcolorado.org, and like our Product Sales Facebook page to stay on top of the latest news.

Product sales give girls the power to do great things

facebook.com/gscoproductsales