Well, HELLO! It's been awhile. Here are LOTS of updates and announcements, before we jump back into regular episodes. Here are all the notes you need to know, but definitely listen to the episode too.
Let's go back in time!
April was Volunteer Appreciation Month and Leader Day on April 22. I missed the chance to say THANK YOU for everything you do. So, I'm saying it now. THANK YOU!
Congratulations to all those who bridged from one level to the next, and a HUGE Congrats to those girls that celebrated becoming Gold Award Girl Scouts this spring!
What's happening right now?
In case you haven't heard yet, the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) will be *DOWN* from the evening of June 29 through July 12 for maintenance and updates. You will not be able to access it, and your current year-plan will be archived when it comes back online. More details in the podcast episode. Listen in!
By the way, we posted about this on Facebook a couple days ago. Make sure you're following the Facebook page for timely updates.
We had a blast in June for Outdoors month. Over on the GSUSA blog, there were weekly challenges for getting outdoors, and if you submitted your photos with #gsoutdoors, there were chances to win prizes!! If you participated, we want to see your photos - post them on our Facebook page or tag Silver & Gold. We celebrated here too! Cory and Stacie went on a few hikes, and Stacie slept outside in her hammock one night!
GSUSA is partnering with The North Face! And we know that 12 new badges with outdoor adventure themes are coming over the next 2 years. Very exciting!! Check the details in the official blog post.
Events
In March, we hosted a Brownie Day at YMCA Camp Greenville, where Brownie troops from across the Carolinas earned their Hiker badge - on a mountain! We had a blast and we're planning a Brownie Day for next Spring! Stay tuned for more info.
And then in May, we had 100 Juniors/Cadettes + their leaders join us for Adventure Camp Overnight. They went ziplining, and rock wall climbing, and canoeing/kayaking, and to the riflery range, and hiking to a waterfall, and more! We had so much fun, and it was awesome to have girls from as far away as Florida and Louisiana.
Registration is open now for the Fall session, but spots are filling up fast! Click here for more info. It's all happening September 21-23. We're also planning ahead for the Spring, so more info to come on that!
If you're interested in an older girl (high school) event, let us know here.
New Badges & Journeys coming in July!
Stay tuned to GSUSA's updates and your council's information throughout July, and we'll keep you posted from Silver & Gold Podcast headquarters too. A bunch of stuff is still confidential, but as soon as it's officially released, I'll be sending out updates and resources!
Even though everything is top secret, we do know a few topics already because they were previously announced. We know that there are cybersecurity badges for all age levels, space science badges for all age levels (also covered in Episode 11). And older girls are getting the Robotics badges and Engineering Journey.
Referenced in this episode:
Adventure Camp Overnight for Juniors and Cadettes in September 2018
Lots of other links above in the show notes