FEBRUARY 2021
GirlFriends is a publication of Girl Scouts of Nassau County
HERE FOR GOOD 2021
World Thinking Day 2021:
T
he phrase “Girl Scouts, here for good” stands out because it reminds us of our longevity and of our mission to make the world a better place. To help make our community a better place in 2020, in December we launched the Girl Scouts Feeding New York (GSFNY) challenge. It was an opportunity for us to mobilize all the Girl Scouts in New York state and respond to the growing need at local food banks. Food insecurity was a problem before the global health pandemic. The global health pandemic has only made it worse. There has been an estimated 47% increase in the need for food assistance across Long Island. Almost half of the people affected by food insecurity are children under the age of 18, with 90,000 children on Long Island living with food insecurity. Our Girl Scouts Feeding New York challenge encouraged Girl Scouts on Long Island to support a food drive on December 19. Together with Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, we collected 3,194 pounds of food in support of Island Harvest. Across New York state, Girl Scouts supported our efforts with donations to their local food banks. The GSFNY challenge still continues, girls can still donate food to their local food banks. We are working towards a goal of donating 100,000 pounds of food in 2021. They can also complete four out of the six activities to earn the patch. The activities include non-donation options that help girls, with their family, learn about food insecurity, family meal planning and budgeting, and local advocacy. Girls also have the opportunity to earn service hours for the GSUSA National Service Project: Fighting Hunger. Girl Scouts mission to “make the world a better place” is definitely a “stretch goal”. It is something we have been working on since 1912 and will continue to work on for generations to come. Being here for good resonates this season as we prepare for transitioning to the next stage—“next to normal” times. As we look forward to friendship circles and campfire sing-alongs, we will continue to use the power of Girl Scouts to make a difference in 2021. For more information on the patch challenge: https://www.gsnc.org/en/site-search.html?q=Girl+Scouts+ feeding+New+York
Peacebuilding ON FEBRUARY 22 each year, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 countries celebrate World Thinking Day. World Thinking Day is a way to celebrate with girls all over the world by doing the same activities around a shared theme. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), along with Girl Scouts of the USA and the other WAGGGS member organizations, have celebrated World Thinking Day since 1926. That’s when delegates from around the globe met at Camp Edith Macy—now called Edith Macy Conference Center—in New York and agreed that February 22 would now be known as a special day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide. The 2021 World Thinking Day theme is “Peacebuilding.” Girl Scouts in all levels can earn this award! To earn the World Thinking Day award, girls will discover what peacebuilding means and make a peace pledge! WORLD THINKING DAY AWARD ACTIVITIES There are five steps to earning your World Thinking Day award. 1. Explore World Thinking Day. 2. Find out what peacebuilding means. 3. Explore peacebuilding in Girl Scouts. 4. Get inspired by peacebuilding. 5. Create a peace pledge. The first four steps have choices that will help you explore peacebuilding and connect to your Girl Scout sisters! In steps four and five, you’ll create a peace pledge to share with your community, country, or world. For the full details you need to complete the World Thinking Day Award, follow the steps below: Go to girlscouts.org. Click on Girls. Click on Think Globally. Click on World Thinking Day. Scroll down to “2021 World Thinking Day award activities:” Questions? Contact customercare@gsnc.org