Featured

Letter From the *NEW* Editor: What Girl Scouts Has…

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited to announce that Stacie Simpson Consulting is partnering with Girl Scout of Citrus council to bring you All Things Girl Scouts – A blog and podcast designed to help troop leaders, volunteers, families, and anyone looking to learn more about Girl Scouts. We focus on sharing useful insight and practical tips, plus Girl Scout news updates. We’ll be releasing two articles each week, plus two podcasts each month, and each podcast always has a free downloadable resource to go along.

Some of you may know, I recently was hosting the Silver & Gold podcast, also on Girl Scout topics. Now, Girl Scouts of Citrus and I are teaming up to bring you this blog and podcast super duo. I wanted to take the opportunity with our first article to introduce myself and share my own Girl Scout journey with you all.

I joined Girl Scouts as a Daisy, way back in Kindergarten, and participated all the way though the end of high school and beyond. I earned my Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards, and I spent a lot of time as a Program Aide, especially at our local camp.

When earning my Junior Aide, I was planning an event with my troop for younger girls and it started to become clear to the amazing adults around me, that event planning and hosting really brought out my leadership skills. I continued to build those skills by volunteering at, and later working at our summer camp, and I loved every minute of it.  

Girl Scouts has been guiding my career path ever since. In college, while earning my degree in Youth Programming and Camp Management, I worked for Girl Scouts of Northwestern Great Lakes hosting girl programs on the weekends and I served on the Board of Directors. Since then, I’ve worked in full-time roles at 4 more councils in membership, program and camp, and went on to serve as Vice President of Membership, Volunteerism, and Program, Senior Vice President of Girl Experience, and finally  VP of Membership and Marketing at Girl Scouts of Citrus.

Since then, I have left my full-time staff roles in Girl Scout to build my own business, as a consultant for nonprofits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs in areas like volunteer management, training development, project management, program development, and marketing/communications. But I have never truly left Girl Scouts. Many of my clients are Girl Scout councils, and the values and skills I have learned, both as a girl and an adult in the movement, have impacted all of my choices.

The Girl Scout movement has been so much more to me than an extracurricular activity. Through Girl Scouts, I discovered my talents and interests, connected with the most supportive groups of women you could imagine, and became the go-getter and change-maker I am today.

Thank you so much for continuing to join us, and for everything you do for your girls.

Keep in touch!

–Subscribe to All Things Girls Scouts Blog

–Subscribe to All Things Girl Scouts Podcast

-Follow us on Facebook

-View our Pinterest Board

Bullying

Making Friends: 7 Simple Icebreakers Even Shy Girls Will…


Being reserved or even shy shouldn’t stop your girl from having a super fun social life! If she’s having trouble making friends, suggest some of these oh-so-simple ice breakers that will help her meet new kids and hopefully form lifelong friendships!

  1. “The cat on your shirt is so cute! I love cats, too—do you have one?”
    Teach her to look for cues that she and the other person have something in common, like a character that might be on her clothing or lunch bag.
  2. “Have you read anything cool lately?”
    Asking about something particular, like a book she may have read or a movie she may have seen, gives them a clear subject to talk about and can lead to plenty of other topics. Just make sure she has a book in mind to talk about in case the girl wants to know what she’s been reading, too!
  3. “I thought the story you wrote was awesome! What made you write about outer space?”
    Everyone loves a sincere compliment, and following it up with a question about what she’s accomplished will show a genuine curiosity and hopefully lead to a great discussion!
  4. “I’m signing up for Girl Scouts this year—are you?”
    Bringing up a potential shared experience will get the girls talking, even if they’re not both doing the same activities.
  5. “Do you want to share my orange?”
    Being generous with toys or snacks is a universal offering of friendship, and will likely spark a conversation between the two girls.
  6. “How did you feel about today’s game?”
    If the girls are on the same soccer team, or even in the same classroom in school, they’ll have plenty of shared experiences they can discuss. All it takes is your daughter to bring one of them up!
  7. “Want to study for the vocab quiz together?”
    Suggesting tackling an activity that both girls have to do anyway will make the task easier on both of them, and give them a chance to get to know each other better.

Having to make new friends might be intimidting to your child, so go over these ideas and see if she can come up with more on her own. Of course not every person your girl wants to be friends with will feel the same way, and that’s OK, but the more she puts herself out there and connects with other kids, the more opportunities she’ll have to grow her social circle. 

Featured

We’re a Girl Scout Family and I Wouldn’t Have…

Chris S. is a troop leader from Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. A proud Eagle Scout growing up, he shared his volunteer experience with us and explained why he thinks Girl Scouts is the best leadership training for girls. 

Girl Scouts is a family affair for us. I’m one of six leaders in a multi-level troop of 27 girls; my wife is our troop treasurer; and my daughter, Luci, is a second-year Brownie. Our Girl Scout experience began when Luci joined as a Daisy in first grade. From our first parent meeting, I knew I wanted to get involved and be a resource for the energetic girls running around. In our troop, we’ve balanced fun activities with giving back—from cranberry picking in the fall to packing toiletries and personal items for “blessing bags” for those in need in our community. 

Luci loves astronomy and science, so she’s excited about the new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) badges. She’s even earned her Brownie Space Science Adventurer badge. She and her troop attended a council-wide cybersecurity event recently, and I love watching her eyes light up when she delves into a topic that excites her. I also love that she’s able to share her passion for STEM with her troop, because she might not talk about STEM as much when she’s with her school friends. Girl Scouts is definitely a platform for her interests. 

I became an Eagle Scout in high school and consider that one of the most valuable experiences in my life, but from everything I see now as a troop leader at Girl Scouts, I feel strongly that it’s the best place for girls to develop character and confidence. It’s so important for them to have a space to themselves where they can grow their confidence and follow their passions. It’s been amazing to watch the girls become comfortable with who they are, own their interests, and learn to rely on one another. In fact, it’s the most important thing for me to see as a dad and troop leader. For example, Luci hated bugs, but as she earned her Brownie Bugs badge, she looked for bugs under rocks and got close to them in a way I hadn’t seen before. If it were just the two of us hiking, she wouldn’t have done that; with her friends, she has more confidence and she pushes herself to do more. 

For the dads out there, I think if you want to spend high-quality time with your daughter and make meaningful memories, Girl Scouts is the perfect way to do so. There are so many incredible activities you can take part in, and you shouldn’t feel intimidated or afraid to do them. Actually, a majority of volunteers in our council wish there were more actively involved dads. Don’t get me wrong, many dads volunteer—one dad is a police officer who talked with the girls for their Brownie Safety Award pin—but I’m a delegate in my council, and I think it’s 95 percent women. I do a lot of our outreach to new members, and moms are usually surprised when they hear me on the phone. After they get to know me, however, they become more comfortable and they like the fact we have both male and female leaders. 

Girl Scouts being just for moms and daughters is a stereotype that needs to get squashed. Being a Girl Scout troop leader opened my mind to different things, and it’s made me more aware of the need for girls to empower themselves and of the unique issues that women face today. I feel passionately that girls should never think of themselves as limited because they’re girls; they should always know they can do anything they want. And for Luci, knowing that her dad is there to support her as she does her part to make the world a better place is what matters to me most of all.

Cookies

Where Girl Scout Cookie Proceeds Really Go

Girl Scout Cookies are about so much more than the sweet treats we anticipate each season; your purchase powers life-changing adventures for girls while helping them build real-life skills. Here’s how it’s done.  

As the biggest annual financial investment in girls in the United States, the Girl Scout Cookie Program sets the stage for girls to discover their inner leadership potential. All year long, they map out their plans to influence the world around them, be it through nurturing their love of the outdoors or using science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to create sustainable solutions. Their vision for a better tomorrow is realized when you support the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world. For some girls, it means putting their cookie money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards. For others, it means saving up to fund travel so they can see firsthand the world that they’ll one day transform.  

Whatever their plans are, one thing’s for certain: the proceeds from Girl Scout Cookies stay in your local area to benefit girls and Girl Scout councils. Councils depend on these earnings to run their programming, which prepares Girl Scouts for a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure in a safe, no-limits place designed for and by girls! 

Offering hands-on, girl-centered learning in STEM, the outdoors, and entrepreneurship, as well as abundant opportunities to develop invaluable life skills, Girl Scouts helps all girls take the lead early and often. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience pairs girls with strong, caring female role models and mentors who encourage them to step up and make their voices heard. And we’re backed by more than 100 years of experience. 

The sweetest part of all?  

Your purchase and support of a Girl Scout’s cookie business means that you, too, are making sure data is not destiny; research shows that female-founded start-ups generate more revenue over time than male-founded start-ups, but unfortunately, only 17 percent are female-founded. Thanks to the Girl Scout Cookie Program, however, we’re changing that—girls as young as five are building business savvy that proves to be crucial to shattering glass ceilings through skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. It’s no wonder over half of female entrepreneurs are Girl Scout alums.  So, at a time when the world needs more women in the boardroom, support a more equitable future and treat yourself—it’s a win-win! 

Because the iconic cookie program is not only developing the next generation of female business leaders but also inciting real change in communities across the globe.  

A cookie has never tasted so sweet. 

Are you ready to help girls succeed? Use our Cookie Finder to find Girl Scout Cookies near you! 

Bullying

4 Ways You Can Take Action to Fight Bullying

Bullying: it’s something we’re all too familiar with—whether we’ve experienced it or witnessed it. No matter how it’s done (verbally or physically) or where it happens (online or offline), bullying has been shown to cause social, emotional, mental, and physical damage in the short and the long term. 

If you’re wondering how to take action against it, check out how some Girl Scouts have dedicated their time to bullying prevention. Just like these G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ standouts, you can make a difference in your own right. 

1) Challenge It 

The girls of Girl Scout Troop 91046 noticed how gossiping can create a negative atmosphere at school, so they launched the No Gossip Tuesdays challenge to promote positivity and friendship among middle-school students in Brunswick, Ohio. After getting permission from school principals, they placed signs on the cafeteria tables that read “Think before you speak” and offered discussion topic ideas. With the students being encouraged to replace small talk with more engaging conversation, they’re likelier to build strong, positive relationship with one another and make lunchtime a safe space for everyone.

The troop is currently working on bringing No Gossip Tuesdays to other local middle schools for a larger impact. In the words of its members, “Even at 12 or 13 years of age, you have the potential to make someone’s day, to be kind, to say something nice, to lend a helping hand.” 

2) Raise Awareness 
When we think about bullying, we like to think that we aren’t contributing to it in any way. And yet, through certain actions of ours, we can wind up doing just this. So although it’s hard to admit that we, too, can engage in bullying behavior, learning about it—in all its shapes and forms—is the first step to stopping or preventing it. 

Girl Scout Tatum made it her mission to educate local youth on the subject. She organized a three-on-three basketball tournament to, in a unique way, bring attention to bullying and help participants learn about the different forms it can take and how to take action against it.

3) Spread Positivity

Thinking of students who retreat to bathrooms when they’re angry or sad, Girl Scout Troop 4664 painted positive messages across the 42 bathroom stalls of a local school. Messages include “Broken crayons still color,” “You are brave,” “Good vibes only,” ‘”Dream, Strive, Become,” “Drive with purpose,” “You are enough,” and “Be humble and kind.”

Says Girl Scout Shafer, “We thought it would be good to help people early on in their lives to be motivated and self-confident.” 

4) Facilitate Friendships 

If you’ve spent time in school, you know how hard it can be to make friends. You may have eaten lunch by yourself on many occasions, wishing you could share it with someone. This feeling of isolation is pretty common among students, and it can make one an easy target for bullying.

With that in mind, the girls of Troop 8457 built and installed a “buddy bench”on the playground of their local elementary school, to encourage kids to spend time together and foster friendships.

Like these Girl Scouts, you have the power to challenge and reduce the incidence of bullying. Start with your own community. Work with teachers, counselors, and administrators to change the culture that can contribute to bullying behaviors. Host events to educate your neighbors. Create safe spaces for students to share their experiences and take positive action together. Although bullying can make both victims and witnesses feel helpless, there is always something that can be done.

Featured

10 Fun Things You Might Not Know About Juliette…

Girl Scouts across the country celebrate October 31 each year as Founder’s Day. The date was chosen to celebrate our Founder, Juliette Gordon Low, because it’s the anniversary of her birthday. There are tons of ways to celebrate! To challenge your JGL knowledge, here are 10 Fun Facts about the ultimate G.I.R.L. that you might not yet know!

  1. She was born on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia.
  2. Her childhood nickname was Daisy which serves as inspiration for the first two years of Girl Scout membership (K-1 grades).
  3. That nickname also led to a biography written about JGL by Fern G. Brown called Daisy and the Girl Scouts.
  4. Though she never considered herself a skillful sewer, while home from boarding school one year, this Go-Getter named herself an instructor of sewing and started a club called “Helpful Hands” in which JGL and her friends would sew and donate clothes to children in need.
  5. In lieu of using ribbons and flowers to decorate a hat like the other girls, she was an Innovator and used her creativity to decorate with carrots and parsley instead!
  6. She was nearly deaf – not that she’d let it  stop her from being the life of the party!
    1. She got an earache in one ear and insisted her doctor treat it with the up-and-coming treatment of silver nitrate, which the doctor did not want to do but with JGL’s persistence (and her Risk-Taker tendencies), he could not turn her away. This ultimately left her partially deaf in one ear!
    2. The second eardrum was damaged by a piece of rice that got stuck in her ear during the rice shower after her wedding! This small piece of rice damaged her eardrum so terribly that it left her completely deaf in the second ear.
  7. Skills she excelled at included tennis, swimming, horseback riding, and hunting.
  8. In May of 1911, JGL met General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, author, and Founder of Boy Scouts. Three months later she got involved by inviting every girl in Glen Lyon, Scotland (where she lived at the time) to her home for the first ever Girl Guide meeting. Seven girls attended, one of which walked over seven miles to get there.
  9. In 1912, JGL aimed to bring Girl Guides to America and on on March 12, 1912, 18 girls were inducted from Savannah, GA as the first Girl Guides of America.
  10. After traveling back to Europe to seek counsel from the British Girl Guides on how to grow membership, she arrived back to America in 1913 with the plan to change the name to Girl Scouts after finding out that the Savannah girls did so themselves because it “reminded them of America’s pioneer history.” Soon after, this Leader designed and patented the trefoil badge becoming the official insignia of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Featured

Top 10 Reasons to Invite New Girls

Troop Leaders – listen up! If you haven’t invited new girls into your troop yet this fall, what are you waiting for? There are SO many reasons to inviting even more girls to join the sisterhood. Here are our top 10 reasons (just to name a few)!

  1. Going outside of your comfort zone sets a great example for the girls. If you’re ready and willing to allow a new girl into the troop, then they will be ready and willing to allow a new friend into their lives.
  2. Is your daughter’s best friend not in the troop? Did you ever stop to ask yourself why? This gives more time for the girls to hang out and to connect with others!
  3. Girl Scouts is a safe space. You’re already there as a leader or volunteer so you know what girls are doing. Share with other parents that you’re always there for the girls and a supportive adult.
  4. New girls means new families. And new families come with potential new co-leaders, fall product and cookie volunteers, drivers, or an extra set of helping hands!
  5. New girls means new ideas and new interests. Younger girls and older girls alike can benefit from experiencing different types of badge or Journey interests. Are your current girls hyper focused on art or the outdoors? Introducing a girl who loves math or science can open an entirely new set of passions.
  6. It’s super simple to make it a fun opportunity for both your girls and the girls who are new to the troop. Girls already in the troop can earn a fun patch by inviting a new girl while new girls get a fun patch of their own when it’s their first year in the troop! If you’ve noticed inconsistency with girls attending meetings, set a minimum amount of participation for both girls in order to earn the fun patch and keep girls coming back.
  7. With Girl Scouts being girl-led, particularly as girls reach Junior level and up they can start breaking down badges and Journey steps to help their troop mates through the activities. More girls, believe it or not, can mean less work for you!
  8. More girls equals less of a probability of girls getting on each others’ nerves. Any small group of girls, even best friends, can get on each others’ nerves if they’re together too much. With more friends to spend time with, you can easily mix up groups of girls working on projects together, to keep things fresh.
  9. Face your fears of leading more girls so they have the opportunity to face their fears and try something new too! Whether it’s swimming for the first time, rock climbing, zip lining, or participating in her first overnight – there are so many opportunities that girls may not have without you inviting her into the troop!
  10. Girl Scouts gives girls a community to better themselves through skill building badges, journeys, Take Action, and highest awards. There are so many Girl Scout alumnae from actors like Dakota Fanning and America Ferrara to musicians like Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey to politicians like Hillary Clinton and Sandra Day O’Connor to the first woman in space, Sally Ride, to news anchor Katie Couric. You can give girls the opportunity to change themselves and the potential to change the world.
Featured

Knowing when she’s ready for Resident Camp – 5…

Let’s cut to the chase: Really, only you and your daughter can decide when she’s ready for overnight camp. But, here are some questions to consider and skills to practice, before signing up or dropping her off at check-in.

Questions to consider and discuss as a family:

  1. Has she expressed an interest in camp? This is an excellent first step. If she’s asking about camp and shows a genuine interest in pursuing the opportunity, it’s worth continuing the conversation.
  2. Is she up for the adventure? If she’s a go-with-the-flow, unfazed, slightly oblivious, bundle of energy…she’ll probably fit right in. But, if she prefers to follow a careful routine or clings to you in new settings or unfamiliar situations, you’ll want to have a discussion about whether she’s ready to get outside her comfort zone.
  3. Is she prone to homesickness? Most campers experience some level of homesickness, as they adjust to a new location and being away from the familiarities of home and family. Consider whether she has spent the night (or multiple nights in a row) away at her grandparent’s house or at a friends house. How did she handle those experiences? What were the challenges? How did she cope?
  4. Is she comfortable in the outdoors? Camp is unfamiliar territory to some first-time campers. Consider how much time she typically spends playing outdoors, with bugs, heat, dirt, and rain. Has she ever slept outdoors in a tent – even in the back yard – or have you gone camping in an RV or cabin as a family?
  5. Does she have the skills to care for herself? Our trained staff counselors will ensure her safety and well-being at all times, but our campers are expected to care for their own bodies and belongings. Before coming to camp, she should be able to: pick out clothes appropriate for the weather and dress herself; brush her own teeth; brush/comb her hair and put it in a ponytail, if applicable; correctly apply her own sunscreen and bug spray; make her bed and keep her belongings neat and tidy; keep track of her backpack for an entire day; change into and out of her swimsuit; sleep through the night without wetting the bed or sleepwalking (if accidents happen, our staff are prepared to support her, though – and they’ll keep it as discreet as possible).

Here are a few tips to prepare for her first session of summer camp:

  • Discuss camp openly with her. Debate the pros and cons of the experience, and come to a consensus together. Invite her to fully participate in picking out her camp session based on the theme or dates.
  • In your discussions, make a list of questions she has that you don’t know the answer to, and reach out to our summer camp expert, Aimee Beauchamp, to get all the answers.
  • Practice spending more than one night at her grandparents’ house or a friends house, or in a tent in the backyard. Debrief the experience and ask what she liked, what she didn’t like, if she was ever scared, what feelings she felt, what challenges came up, etc.
  • Create a camp countdown with a calendar on the fridge where she can “X” off each day or paper rings where she can remove a ring as each day gets closer to camp.
  • Practice each of the skills she’ll need to care for herself (see #5 above).
  • If you’re the parent of a camper, get yourself ready! Sometimes, parents are more nervous about a first-time camp experience than the camper is! That’s understandable, though – it’s a big step in her growth and independence. In the weeks, days, and moments leading up to her camp experience, be aware of your verbal and non-verbal communication. Are you encouraging her to be brave, try new things, and overcome challenges? Her confidence will soar if you believe she can do anything she puts her mind to.

When you decide – together – that she’s ready for the camp experience, check out all session options at www.citrus-gs.org; or use GSUSA’s Camp Finder to locate a camp across the country (maybe near Grandma’s house!).

Cookies

While in Full Cookie Swing

 

Managing Funds and Bank Accounts

I would advise to make individual cookie deposits for each girl rather than depositing cookie money in large sums. When you record the bank deposit receipt with each girl’s name this can help you track the progress for each girl. There may be questions down the road as to the total amount generated and what was recorded. This can help during that awkward conversation.

You’ll get to know the bank tellers (or in some cases, the Bank ATM’s) fairly well as you make frequent bank deposits during cookie season.

Please… DO NOT keep cookie money in your home or automobile for long periods of time. A week can easily turn into 2 weeks or even a month. A lot can happen during that time, including money loss. So again, just avoid being put in that position.

If you have other adult volunteers helping pool the funds it’s important to have a system in place to track this. Know which adult volunteer(s) have the troop cookie booth money and cash box. Count the cash box change before and after each booth shift. Deposit booth money into your bank account after the booth shifts.

Be prepared and have the cookie deposits in your troop account ready for the 1st and 2nd council withdrawals. Contact your cookie chair or council to confirm these withdrawal dates.

Working with Parents

Parents can be your greatest supporters or make your job harder. From my experience, they really want to help and make sure their girls have a successful cookie season.

Provide troop parents with all the cookie resources available. Encourage your girls/adults to participate in digital (Direct Ship) cookie sales, and remind girls to send emails through www.abcsmartcookies.com

In this digital age, Parents may want to go on different online platforms and sell for their girls or promote that their girls are selling cookies. It’s important to note that this is discouraged as it puts the girl’s personal information out in the cyber world. And in this day and age, that can be a scary notion.

What they can do, is share their girl’s online link. No names, no phone numbers, no emails, no personal info from the girl.

For those working the cookie booths, be sure to thank them. Thank your adult volunteers and girls after each cookie booth.

 

Keep Girls Motivated

Encourage your girls throughout the cookie sale. When they reach their cookie goal or complete the badge requirements provide them with a cookie fun patch, cookie pin or cookie badge. Give your girls fun cookie items from the Citrus Council Shop. There are mini buttons, pencils, pins, and all kinds of goodies.

I know of some troops who have a cheer they do, when the girls reach their initial goal. Remember to celebrate any and all accomplishments. Look for the positive, and keep the momentum going.

 

 

Dealing with failure or slow sales

Now, I would like to say that everyone will have an amazing cookie season, and all girls will sell non-stop. But that’s not always the case. There will be slumps or times when you don’t meet your goal.

Some ways you could help change that would be to:

  • Schedule additional cookie booths if you don’t sell out at your initial booths.
  • Continue to sell cookies during Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.
  • Bring cookies with you to sell anywhere you go with an adult.
  • Resend emails to family and friends asking them to purchase cookies.
  • Go door to door selling cookies (with an adult). Many homes are not visited and have not had the opportunity to purchase cookies.

 

When in doubt, ask your fellow troop leaders, your community or reach out to council. We’re all here to help make this a successful experience for everyone.

Featured

The New Cool Girl Hangout? City Council Meetings

Cool girls change the world. And while your cool girl has dreams of making her impact as a groundbreaking artist, a business mogul, a scientist, or even as President of the United States, there’s no reason for her to wait to start affecting positive change.

Naturally, there are many ways your girl can take action in your community, but one of the most concrete ways is by attending and participating in city council meetings. After all, it’s in those meetings that local laws (sometimes called city code or ordinances) are decided, the local budget is set, and public health and safety concerns are addressed.

And while a lot of people talk about what they’d like to see happen in the world, it’s the cool girls who actually take action to make those ideas and dreams come true. So if there’s something in your town that your girl wants to see improvements on—whether it’s the local library getting more up-to-date books, the park getting cleaned up, or any other project—it might sound odd, but her city council meeting is the place to be.

That said, if you’re like a lot of Americans, there’s a good chance you’ve never been to a city council meeting yourself and might not be sure how to prepare your girl to attend. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to take the guesswork out of the equation and make her (and your!) experience as smooth, effective, and dare we say fun as possible.

Why Is This Such a Hot Spot
The coolest thing about City Council meetings is that anyone—yes, even teens and younger kids—can review the meeting’s agenda in advance, request a speaker card or add their name and topic to the meeting’s agenda, and then speak at the actual meeting about whatever project or issue they feel strongly about. That means your girl (Or you! Or both of you!) can have the attention of your local government to support what you think is going right or to challenge ideas and plans that you disagree with. And when your daughter has a totally new idea she wants to bring up? This is the place for that, too!

This is a big deal because when city council members help to propose new laws, vote on which ones will go into effect, and plan the budget that determines how the city will spend its money, they’re supposed to represent the people who live locally. And this can be difficult when you consider that while women and girls generally make up half of our population, only about one third of local city council members in our country’s top 100 cities are female. That means male-dominated city councils may not naturally consider issues from a girl’s point of view—and makes it even more important for your daughter to stand up, represent, and let them know how she feels about the issues that affect her.

What’s the Gift with Purchase?
Influencing major policy in your town is obviously the main reason to show up to City Council Meetings, but there are other perks that go along with attendance. The sheer experience of speaking in front of influential people—who are connected to even more influential people at the state and national levels—can give your girl a hefty dose of self-confidence. Think of it this way—if she’s speaking her mind to city council members as a teen or tween, introducing herself to new friends, speaking up in class, or even negotiating job offers will come that much easier to her in the future.

Who knows? After going to City Council meetings at a young age, perhaps your daughter will grow up and want to run for local office, helping to even up the gender gap, and making an even bigger difference in her community.

Where Do We Show Up?
All city councils across the country (in some areas, they’re called Town Council, Board of Supervisors, or the Planning Commission) are required to hold public meetings. The time and location, as well as the proposed agenda are usually posted on your city or town’s website at least a few weeks ahead of time to give everyone plenty of time to plan. While some of these meetings may be held in the afternoon, many are held in the evenings to make it easier for people to attend after work and school hours are over.

Who Runs the City Council Meetings?
City council meetings are run by council members who’ve been elected by local residents. Note that these people can also be called aldermen, selectmen, freeholders, or commissioners, depending on the term used in your area.

What’s a City Council Meeting Like?
There might be an opening prayer at the start of the meeting, then the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited just like in your girl’s school. From there, someone will likely go over the “minutes” of the previous meeting. You know how a lot of TV shows start with a recap of last week’s episode? Same idea.

After that, there may be many agenda items including updates from committees who are dedicated to certain types of issues. The truth is that because the City Council oversees a wide array of issues, their meetings can stretch to be pretty long depending on how long the council members want to discuss them. Know that ahead of time and consider bringing quiet distractions for your girl if she’s too young to focus the entire time. Coloring books or embroidery floss to make friendship bracelets can keep your child occupied and help the time fly by faster without causing much distraction.

As mentioned, City Council meetings can be pretty long, and they’re not usually very action packed—but they are one of the most direct and effective opportunities you and your girl have to make an impact on your town, city, and even state and country.