Girl Scouts continue learning, growing online

We are excited about our programs and events being held and all the new opportunities coming from our virtual world. COVID-19 has brought many hardships for members of our communities, created solitude for others and fear.

I am happy to report Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest has stepped up and created more opportunities for our Girl Scouts to receive programming wherever they live. Programming supplies are available through virtual means and drop-off or pickup of supplies needed to participate completely in ongoing programs.

In the past, our 94,000 square-mile footprint was very large, and it was difficult to have everyone participate in all the different programs. In this virtual world, we are offering all the girls in our council footprint virtual programming.

Each week, we have virtual troop meetings where girls enjoy a traditional meeting. They start with the Girl Scout Promise and Law, work on either a Journey or earn a fun patch, then hear about upcoming events and close with a friendship circle. Programs offered range from learning about flower gardens to educational programming, and civic engagement to agriculture.

We also have challenges for each girl to meet, like the Father’s Day Challenge, where girls learned more about the important male figure in their lives, and a Memorial Day Challenge, where girls discovered what Memorial Day means and how to connect to their community, take action and honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. We have many other challenges coming up that will allow girls the opportunity to learn more topics, all while having fun.

 We had to postpone our in-person resident camp this year, but we found Camp Mitre Peak: At Home Edition, to be an opportunity for girls around the country to “visit” our camp, located near Fort Davis, Texas, and enjoy all types of activities.

Girls learned how to cook outdoors, sew, went on virtual hikes, built a fort and participated in many more fun, hands-on activities. The best part of virtual camp was allowing girls to attend camp who normally did not have that opportunity, including from all over the country and even from Thailand.

We just had our first Virtual Lego Derby. Girls received a chassis and additional Legos to build their cars for the race. They built them at home, dropped them off at our office and we had an action-packed race shown live on Facebook. The girls cheered on their cars online while we raced with no fans in the stands and followed all safety protocols.

Upcoming events include our National S’mores Day celebration, Girl Scouts Love State Parks, taking girls on virtual tours of several state parks; cyber security; a virtual 5k walk/run; Cookie College; and more. Learn more about upcoming events at www.gsdsw.org.

We offer free membership to new members, thanks to the support of many funders who see the value in girls receiving girl-only programming where their voices are heard, programs are made to help girls grow and they are part of an inclusive organization which believes in diversity, equity and inclusion.

If you know a girl in grades K-12, please let her know about this opportunity. To join, visit www.gsdsw.org and click on “Become a Girl Scout.”

 Contact Patty Craven at 575-526-2532 and info@gsdsw.org.