The “It’s Your Story, Tell It!” leadership journey series orchestrated by the National Girl Scouts of the USA is geared toward building leadership skills, healthy relationships, and self expression. It encourages girls to learn by doing, to connect with others and to take action in their community and beyond to make the world a better place.
For the fifteen girls of Junior Girl Scout 30516, the Journey Theme for 2011 is "It's Your Story, Tell It!" Under the leadership of Marilyn Lyle, the 4th and 5th graders set out to talk to women about their lives - to find out what inspires them, who has influenced them and what skills they have that make them successful at their jobs. Through these conversations, the girls learned the value of sharing stories of treasured memories.
As a way to capture these memories (often told as stories) and document them for future generations, they have been recorded and transferred to CD. Audrey Lord recorded special memories of a friend in her church, Mrs. Linda Birch, and will give her a CD of her "story" which will be a treasure for generations.
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Keeping with the theme of life stories and with the goal of completing service work, the girls learned about story quilts and about the Linus Project. Founded in 1995, the mission of the Linus Project is to “provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer ‘blanketeers’.”
Eight girls in Junior Girl Scout 30516 partook in an afternoon of quilting and story telling (Sherina Balaparya, Johannah Bessel, Jessica Freed, Pooja Hingorany, Nikita Jagge, Rachel Keeler, Juliana LeBlanc and Sauidya Hettiarachchi). These blanketeers held a workshop for local women quilters to come and share their love of quilting over tea and girl scout cookies. Together, the girls sewed and tied 23 baby blankets which will be delivered to the Auburn chapter of the Linus Project. The experience of sharing and caring knit both blankets and hearts together.
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Through the “It’s Your Story, Tell It!” journey, the young girls of Junior Girl Scout 30516 have learned through doing. “Self-esteem is a natural by-product of this particular journey because, through storytelling and creative expression, girls gain a better understanding of themselves and their potential, and develop confidence to become leaders in their own lives and in the world.”
According to Troop Leader Marilyn Lyle, “I have felt wonderful watching the girls gain confidence in their abilities to learn new skills and to be role models for younger girls. The Girl Scout Program is one that helps me have hope for the future that these young girls will make a difference. Many are doing it already as a young age!”
The girls of Junior Girl Scout 30516: Jessica Freed, Hingorany, Nikita Jagge, Audrey Lord, Lauren Ashworth ,Sofia Bajenaru, Sherina Balaparya, Johannah Bessell, Emma Connelly, Katie DeCoursey, Chloe Fitch, Savidya Hettiarachchi, Rachel Keeler, Juliana LeBlanc and Kristen Steudel
