Kathy K. (Girl Scout Leader & Former Girl Guide)

When Kathy's daughter was in kindergarten, Kathy decided to give her a gift she hoped would give her the same joy it had given Kathy when she was a small girl in Toronto. She wanted to give her daughter the skills for leadership, empowerment and respect for the world. So she gave her daughter a Girl Scout troop.

Kathy's original Girl Guiding journey started when she was in first or second grade. Her friend was in the local pack* (Canadian Girl Guide word for troop) and since it seemed like a fun thing to do, Kathy became a Brownie. 

Being a Brownie was a different experience back then. As a Brownie in a time when there were less women in the workforce, they learned many more homemaking skills then empowerment methods. They had to be able to vacuum, iron and sew. They also had to make bread and tea for another person.

As a Brownie she wore a uniform of a brown cotton dress, belt, knee-high socks, black shoes and of course her vest. When she graduated into a higher level she took on an outfit of a blue skirt, shirt, belt and beret. As Ranger she was allowed to wear a white blouse. Among the many badges Kathy displayed on her vest/sash, the one Kathy was most proud of owning was the Canada Cord, which was the highest award a Canadian Girl Scout could get at that point in history.

Kathy's favorite Girl Guiding activity was camping. One of her favorite memories involves camping at Lake Simcoe for a few weeks. Her troop stayed in Kansas style tents (bottomless tents) and tried their best not to disturb the local nature in the process. Along with their sleeping bags they brought a ground tarp to lay down on the grass and they used their lashing skills to make a luggage rack from the wood they foraged.

When Kathy was older, her pack went winter camping. They made a visit to one of the few local camp grounds that was open in winter. They stayed for two nights. During the time they were there, it snowed and was very cold. But, since Kathy's pack had adequate clothes and supplies for the weather, they were able to enjoy everything to the fullest.

On these camping trips the pack took, they cooked using camp stoves, griddles and an open fire. Kathy remembers making banana boats with her pack as they sat around the fire singing songs. One of the many songs that they sang was Barges. Barges was sung in a round and it was a song that Kathy would later share with her daughter's Girl Scout troop in America, twenty or so years later.

*In Canada, troops are called packs. Packs are made of 25-30 girls. They can be broken up into what Kathy calls sixes (smaller patrols). 

Special Post 2: Ariadna P. (Young Pioneer; 70s Romania's Response to Scouting)

When Ariadna was five she had the honor of the joining the ranks of Romania’s Young Pioneers. At the time she was a Young Pioneer, Girl Scouting/Guiding did not exist in Romania and the Young Pioneers were the Romania’s version of scouting.

As a Young Pioneer, Ariadna wore a blue skirt, a white shirt and a red scarf in the shape of a triangle. Through the Young Pioneers she also participated in many things like Young Pioneer Choir, competitions and summer camps.

As a Young Pioneer, Ariadna sang many songs about equality, the beauty of her country and the pride of being a Young Pioneer. Since Ariadna had a good voice, she was allowed to join the Young Pioneer Choir at her school. They had a very good teacher who often translated different songs for them to sing, including the Ode to Joy. As a choir they entered many competitions and even got second place once in a national competition.

As a pioneer, she also partook in competitions dealing with math and science. When she was old enough, Ariadna also learned how to shoot a gun and entered shooting competitions.

During the summer, Ariadna and her fellow pioneers went to summer camps. There, they would play games and sports like volleyball. At camp, they didn’t really have many contests though.

When Ariadna was 14, she graduated from being a Young Pioneer. She feels that being a Young Pioneer gave her a greater sense of pride for being part of her country.

Satoko K-B. (Lifetime Girl Scout)

In 1978, Satoko when eight, the town neighboring hers started a Girl Scout troop. When her mother found the poster she signed Satoko up immediately and Satoko went to her first meeting. She remembers it well.

The first meeting was a sort of informational meeting. Besides one Brownie and her leader, everyone else there was as new as Satoko. Satoko remembers looking at the girl in the Brownie uniform and anticipating when she would get to wear that uniform. But before she was allowed to wear a uniform or say the promise, she and all the other girls had to learn what Girl Scouts was all about. They learned how to do a circle, as well as sing a few songs. One of the songs she learned that day was called Vista and she remembers it went something like “Free, Free Fly, Free Fly Flo, Vista, Kum-latta Kum-latta Kum-latta, Vista.”

Satoko’s new troop was called Troop 75 and she was part of it for almost twenty-years. She had to leave it because of a mishap though and she moved to a troop in Ebina, who accepted her. She has been with that troop over ten years now. All together she has been in Girl Scouts for thirty-five years. She currently lives in the United States, but she still registers as a troop leader in Japan. She is also currently on the board of the program Nobuko co-founded called GS-FOU Friends of US (FB). She joined a few years ago and she helps with Girl Scout camps, document translation and advice about American culture. Satoko is happy because even though she doesn’t currently live in Japan, she can still help the Japanese Girl Scout cause.

Satoko’s first Girl Scout camp out was in 1979. It was a spring camp and her troop stayed in a cottage. What made this experience special to Satoko was that is wasn’t only her first camp experience. All the girls with her were also having their first-time experiences. She also remembers her first primitive (tent) camping experience. It was like Kotoe’s experience in the fact that her campsite was on a hill with her tent at the top and the mess hall at the bottom.

When Satoko was a Ranger Scout (check bottom of index page) she applied for a Girl Scouts overseas program (called Wide Opportunity). She was selected as part of the delegation going to Pennsylvania. The main event of the program was called 1986 Arts Odyssey and it was hosted by the Talus Rock Girl Scout Council (now merged with the Girl Scout council of Western Pennsylvania). 1986 Arts Odyssey was a ten-day workshop. Each girl could take her pick of what type of classes she could attend (Dance, Drama, Visual Art, ect.). Satoko chose the visual arts class. She spent her ten days in painting classes, sculpture classes, design sketching classes and more. At the end of the program, her and the other eighty girls showed off their work at an exposition. After the program, Satoko spent four weeks in San Francisco.

During and after the program, Satoko was staying with a host family. At that time, Satoko couldn’t speak much English and understood less then fifty-percent of what the host family told her. Luckily her host family was generous and patient. They didn’t mind repeating what they said and they sometimes drew pictures for communication. At that time Satoko often carried a Japanese-English dictionary around. She is still in contact with her old host family and sometimes they visit each other or do Girl Scout exchanges together.

When Satoko was an active troop leader in Japan, she tried to share some of she learned in the United States with her troop. She played chain games, she taught them American Girl Scout songs by removing the lyrics and adding clapping, she taught them a game called “Merry-go-round” (description in comment at the bottom) and how to make SWAPS. According to Satoko, Japanese people are traditionally good with working with their hands so things like macramé pencil boxes and dog are really easy for them. However the girls were intrigued by the American s’more SWAP and marshmallow on a stick SWAP.

In 2000, Satoko’s host family invited her to help them run a camp with their council as part of the outdoor staff. At the camp Satoko taught girls origami and Japanese style writing. Another camp Satoko helped at in 2010 was a Japanese Girl Scout camp that was celebrating the 90^th anniversary of Girl Scouting in Japan. The camp had girls from over fourteen different countries. In the beginning the Japanese girls were very shy with the new girls, but by the end they were begging them not to leave since they had become such fast friends.

Satoko helps to encourage young Japanese Girl Scouts to branch out and have confidence in themselves. If Satoko had not become a Girl Scout her life would be very different from what it is today. She would not have moved to the United States, she would not have met her husband and she would not have many of the friends she has today.

Japanese Girl Scout Fact: They don’t have a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. Instead they have something called the B-P (Baden-Powell) Award (it used to be the B-P Trophy). To win this Award, Ranger scouts do a project and they send a report of their project in for a council review. If the council approves it they get the Award

Nobuko A. (Lifetime Girl Scout/Leader)

When Nobuko was ten, she heard about a Girl Scout exchange program between Japan and Korea in the news. She was so impressed with the idea of an international exchange and having sisters abroad that she decided she wanted to join the Girl Scouts. Since her mother knew nothing about how to join, she used the phone directory to find the Girl Scout headquarters in Shizuoka.  When she told them she wanted to be a Girl Scout, they got her in contact with her local troop. That was almost fifty years ago.
In the time Nobuko has been a Girl Scout, the uniform has changed three times, Girl Scouts broke into different levels (Tenderfoots, Brownies, Juniors, Seniors & Rangers), the role of Girl Scouts in Japan changed and the words of the Japanese Girl Scout Promise changed (but they still kept their original foundation).

One of Nobuko’s favorite memories from when she was fourteen her leader planned international exchanges. Nobuko had an Okinawan Girl Scout (in an American Girl Scout uniform) come and stay at her house. They stayed in touch for a few years after that, but lost touch when the girl graduated high school and moved to the mainland. But that wasn’t the end of Nobuko’s international experiences. With the Ranger Scouts she learned of the Girl Scouts of the West Pacific. In the offices of the Girl Scouts of the West Pacific, she made a friend who invited her to a conference. At the conference, she got to meet some very active leaders, some of whom were American.

Comparing the Japanese Girl Scouts and the American Girl Scouts, Nobuko said that the Japanese girls more quiet, preferring to listen rather than talk. The American girls, on the other hand, have a lot to say. Nobuko liked the “American Way” - as she put it, and she kept in contact with the leaders. Together, they created a program where American Girl Scouts on military bases and Japanese Girl Scouts get to meet each other and have get-togethers and exchanges. The program that Nobuko is part of is called Friends of the US.

Recently, Nobuko’s Girl Scout troop had a tea ceremony with an American troop for the New Year’s festivities. They also invited foreign Girl Scout troops to their Girls’ Day (Hinamatsuri) festivities.

Nobuko always starts her meetings with the song When E're You Make a Promise. Nobuko has taught this song to many of her American friends, and she is surprised that this song fell out of favor with younger leaders since it's that promise that is what Girl Scouting is all about. Nobuko also know the internationally famous Friendship Song, Taps, Smile Everybody Smile (lyrics in a comment under post) and the song Penguin Attention.

Nobuko plays many games with her troop. Two of the most popular games she plays are Kim’s game and Wide Game. Every year Nobuko’s troop competes in the annual badge design completion. On the topic of earning badges, Nobuko always tries to instill in her girls that even after the badge is earned, they must keep going forward and learning more.

If Nobuko hadn’t been in Girl Scouts, she wouldn’t be able to speak English; she wouldn’t have made as many friends; and she wouldn’t have such a deep feeling of sisterhood and camaraderie with all the girls of the world. In Nobuko’s eyes, Girl Scouts are the seed for world peace.

“In one hundred and forty-five countries, there are many Girl Scouts. So the Girl Scouts make world peace because we are sisters all together, no more war, no more fighting. That’s the value of Girl Scouting.”

Nobuko was especially touched when she watched Malala’s speech and immediately came to the conclusion that she was a Girl Scout (though, she isn’t). Nobuko feels that all girls should be like her and tell their opinions to the world.

Fun fact About Japanese Girl Scouts: They don’t actually sell Girl Scout cookies. Instead, three days of the year are spent gathering donations for the Red Cross and for things like nature conservation.

Nobuko has shared a story on the history of Girl Scouting in Japan elsewhere. The story can be found here.

Jaimee C. (Past Girl Scout and Current Leader)

Jaimee always tries her best to be “honest and helpful.” She is always “responsible for what [she] says and [does]” and she definitely “[respects] authority.”

Did you notice that I was quoting the Girl Scout Law? That’s because the things mentioned above are all things Jaimee learned as a Girl Scout.

Jaimee’s troop leader was a good mentor; she was very structured and organized. She always had something to do or teach. She led their troop to learn how to bake cupcakes, earn their sewing badge, making fire starters, cooking over an open flame and doing community service (outreaches to the local Boys and Girls Club where they would help underprivileged children).

Jaimee’s favorite part of Girl Scouts was definitely Girl Scout camp. Her troop would all pack up their mess-kits and clothes in their suitcases and then hit the road to camp. When they finally got to camp they would separate and each of them would go to their assigned cabin. The cabins were on raised platforms and each carried six bunks. The cabins were spread in different camps all over the main camp and lake area, but they all shared the same mess hall.

At the mess hall, their meals were like this; breakfast was always something simple like cereal, at lunch they would make their own sandwiches and at dinner it would always be a big dish that was cooked in bulk (like pasta). They would also have campfires where they would eat s'mores.

By doing Girl Scouts, Jaimee gained many valuable skills for life and she also gained a greater appreciation for friendship. If she hadn’t done Girl Scouts, her life might not be the same.

Carol J. (Troop Leader, Life Time Girl Scout)

Carol grew up on a farm in a place that no Girl Scout troops existed, but when she had children of her own both her daughters became Girl Scouts. She has been actively involved in Girl Scouts for about 50 years now.

One of the big changes she has seen in Girl Scouts during her time is the way that girls progress through the program and the order they do things in. It used to be that you would start by “gaining steps” at the time you were a Daisy to Brownie. You would cook simple things like bugs in a log and the first overnight camp out would start at the end of Brownie year. For Carol’s troop’s first overnight, they camped out in Sycamore Canyon Park (California).  Later, they went to the Spanish Trails Girl Scout conference. As a Junior, a girl would go both scout house camping and open camping. Carol’s troop went to Mt. Palomar in San Diego to see the observatory and camp out. Cadets could go even farther on trips.  For example, Carol’s troop went to the state capital as their Cadet trip.  They also went to Sea World. As a Senior Girl you would run and direct the camps with adults, teaching cooking and songs like Something In My Pocket (AKA Brownie Smile Song) (most songs were found in a small grey book called “The Girl Scout Song Book”).

Back in the day, leaders - not only Girl Scouts - had to wear uniforms. Carol has three different Girl Scout leader uniforms hanging in her closet. As Carol worked closely with her daughter’s troop, she made friends with many fellow leaders along the way.

Carol’s Girl Scout troop did many crafts and projects:  they wrote letters and made Care Packages for the returning Vietnam veterans, they cleaned up hiking trails, they helped out at hospitals and they won their “First Class” Award. Carol has never been that much of an artsy person, so when she was running activities with her fellow leaders, she was the person who taught the girls respect, the flag ceremony and all the outdoorsy things. She also helped run many Girl Scout camps and mini camps.

Carol really enjoyed watching her daughters grow up and learn how to accomplish anything they wanted in life. Carol holds the Girl Scout values of respect, honor and care of the nature close to her heart. She really believes in what the motivational speakers that she used to bring in to her Girl Scout troop said about how a strong woman can accomplish anything.

Kathy A. (Troop Leader, Lifetime Girl Scout)

Step back in history, to the time of the Vietnam War, when Ronald Reagan was governor of California. Travel to Sacramento, go through security and enter the governor’s office. What you see ahead is the same thing Kathy saw when her Girl Scout troop traveled to Sacramento and got to meet America’s future president.

Kathy began her Girl Scouting career at the time that was common for girls to start troops in the 60s, as a brownie in second grade. When she was a junior, her mother became her troop leader and when she was a cadet she made the historic visit mentioned above.

When Kathy was a Girl Scout, women weren’t as much into careers as they are now, so Girl Scouts was more focused on woman as a homemaker then woman as a breadwinner. At that time Girl Scouts was way more focused on camping and getting woman outside the house then it is now.

Back then they also didn’t have Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. What they had as the highest award was something called “First Class”. They earned it part by part. As juniors they would earn badges like the “Silly Badge” (on humor), the “Hospitality Badge” (on home-making) and numerous camping badges. After that they would earn the “Sign of Air” and the “Sign of Star”. When they were cadets they would earn more badges and “challenges”, followed by community service. For earning a “First Class” there wasn’t one main focus, it was mainly just mainly different little projects clumped under one award.

During the time she was a Girl Scout, Kathy also went camping and did many Girl Scout Camps with her troop. When they went camping as a troop, they would often travel to different mountains throughout Southern California and visit different places owned by the Girl Scout Council. While they were camping and traveling they would sing songs and do many crafts. Some of the songs Kathy remembers singing are “I Know A Place”, “Girl Scouts Together” and the “Brownie Smile Song”. As crafts they would combine leaves and rocks with plaster of paris. They would also practice their knot-tying and cooking skills.

A Girl Scout camps, Kathy often acted as a P.A.. As a P.A. she would teach young girls skills like sewing and cooking. They did a lot of cooking since they did it with their families too. At the Girl Scout camps they had to cook all their own meals, they did it over an open fire, in foil ovens, in Dutch ovens cooking and lots of different varieties of things that they did not normally use at home and stuff.

Kathy has been a Girl Scout for over 40 years, when she started, the only levels that existed were brownies, juniors, cadets and seniors. She is still heavily involved in the program, she is on the Girl Scout board in Colorado and her daughters are Girl Scouts. She wants to share the skills, organization, leadership and values Girl Scouts gave her with the world. She is headed forward to a bright tomorrow.