It's Your Planet- Love It
During a recent chat, a close friend of mine mentioned how excited she is about the program she is doing with her daughter’s Girl Scouts of America troop. Her enthusiasm made me want to learn more. “It’s Your Planet – Love it,” is a new program offered by the Girls Scouts that focuses on the key leadership areas of… Discover, Connect, and Take Action all within the framework of environmental awareness.
(Quick Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the Girl Scouts, other than my daughter participated for some years. This just seems like a really cool program!)
After listening to what my friend’s Wisconsin troop is doing, I decided to check out the program online.Here is a quick blurb from the Girl Scouts website:
“Girls are being exposed to ideas and discussions on the environment every day and everywhere. Girl Scouts journeys are packed with the latest research and girl-relevant environmental thinking and offer adults a way to interact with girls on topics of great importance in their lives. In this journey series, girls at each grade level have an opportunity to learn about grade-appropriate environmental issues such as clean water and air, noise pollution, global warming, soil contamination, and agricultural processes.”
What a great premise for a program!
Hearing my friend’s stories and reading about this program gives me hope that the next generation will be focused on environmental issues and engaged in preserving our planet.
To learn more about the types of projects in the program, check out this link to the PDF. It describes each of the different project areas: Between Earth and Sky, Wow! Wonders of Water, Get Moving, Breathe, Sow What? and Justice.
Like all other Girl Scout initiatives, they have created resources and tools to help you, your daughter, and your troop. Tools like books, sheets for copying, and project ideas are all available. The program is offered to all levels of the Scouts and enables them to earn awards and participate in special projects and ceremonies.
Check out these cuties for an example of a Youtube video about water conservation! You can find more of the “It’s Your Planet” project videos out on Youtube. The girls have really put their heart and soul into these projects!
In fairness, for those of you who are in the moody teen years, like my husband and I are with our brood, it’s a little harder to get them to join anything … but they do think the girls scout videos are sweet and that the program looks great.
Thankfully, we strive for eco-consciousness at home so they get to practice some of the great things the Girls Scouts are already doing.
Author: Kelly Eisenhardt, SCT Board Member & Environmental Professional
