AUGUST 2023
Girlfriends Girlfriends is a publication of Girl Scouts of Nassau County
Great Things Are Happening at Girl Scouts of Nassau County! elcome to the 2023-2024 Girl Scout year. We are excited about the upcoming year and beyond. This year will be our 105th year in Nassau County, and we are looking forward to letting everyone know that Girl Scouts of Nassau County is where girls build courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place. We do this through all our activities, whether it is an individual girl completing one of our highest awards, a troop doing a community service project, or a service unit hosting an event. The countless hours that service units, troops, and girls with their families contribute to Girl Scouts and Nassau County make a tremendous difference in our county’s overall quality of life. Council programs like camp and Possibilities offerings, along with the work of our staff and board, and our thousands of volunteers, make us the preeminent organization for girls. This year we will build a long-term strategic plan in cooperation with an external consulting group and GSUSA. We hope to find additional program space for girls so we can expand activities and opportunities. We will also boost our alum engagement and leverage our elite grant status to secure the council’s future. We will continue to bring the Traveling Trefoil mobile van out to communities and expand access so that all girls can participate in Girl Scouts. My team and I look forward to seeing more of you and having more opportunities to “make the world a better place.” —RMB
The 2023 National Girl Scout Convention Every three years, Girl Scouts from across the country, convene for business and to connect with old friends and make new ones. This past July, nine national delegates, two alternates, and a leadership cohort of eight Girl Scouts traveled to Orlando, Florida to represent Nassau County at the National Council Session (NCS). Our delegates, with your input, had the opportunity to review seven proposed amendments to the national bylaws and elect t he new national board, including the new national board president Noorain Khan (https://bit.ly/gsusa-board-president). The proposals included subjects that would significantly impact the Girl Scout Movement: The 2023 proposals included: l Amend the Girl Scout Promise and Law to use more potent,
actionable language l Formula for Delegates l Council Representation on the National Board l Allowing the possibility of virtual NCS attendance and for
Special Sessions of the National Council l Timing of Delegate Allotment l Adding anti-racist to our preamble following diversity and pluralism l Establishing a Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship Fund
To learn more about these proposals and the outcomes from National Council Session, visit girlscouts.org Our delegates, along with 24 other Nassau County members, had the opportunity to participate in the girl-focused Phenom by Girl Scouts experience. During Phenom, Girl Scouts were able to explore hands-on activities, contribute to a collaborative art project, discuss ideas, and inform the future of Girl Scouts. With over 9,000 participants, there was always someone new to meet and a new Girl Scout story to tell! Even with all that going on, Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) had just enough time to visit Magic Kingdom and enjoy the wonder of Walt Disney World®. This year’s GSNC delegates will be hosting a meet and greet later this year to share their personal experiences and let you know how you can become a national delegate for GSNC for the 2026 National Girl Scout Convention. Stay tuned...
See highlights from convention on page 19.