(Untitled)

[hahahahowlucky]

Hello, all. I searched for a Girl Scout community on a whim today, and look what I found.

Basically, I'm 14, I've been a Girl Scout since fourth grade, and I'm still not sure why. On the outside, I look like I should be the perfect Girl Scout, but really I'm a socially awkward slasher (fanfiction wise) who listens to obscure punk folk music. And

Comments

[karmabreeze]

I never did any awards, but I agree with the silliness of thinking of yourself as a strange fit for scouting. The image that GS puts in their marketing materials is rarely what you get. I remember my troops being filled with crazy malcontents, actually. Myself, I was the socially awkward kid that everyone picked on. I think that being socially awkward is what made scouting so appealing to me, because it gave me a place to belong and taught me to work and think independently as I filled lonely summers with badge projects. Now I'm 31, I've taught myself photography. I'm not afraid to travel abroad by myself. I work full time and am pursuing my MBA. In general, I've become an extremely independent, self-sufficient, dream chasing woman, and scouting gets a lot of the credit.

[starshinedown]

This gives me warm fuzzies. I'm going to think of your giving so much credit to scouts when I work with my Program Aides. Whoo!

...and sooooo admiring of you teaching yourself photography. It's on my list of things to do once I feel like I've decently learned crocheting and knitting.

[jencw]

Not-so-typical punk rock/Goth "girl Scout", who was extremely socially an outcast and still not-so-typical tattooed "GS Leader", who's 36, has a 6 year old Daisy (And she loves Johnny Cash and the Ramones!)...

Remember Girl Scouts are very individual girls. Girl Scouts can be what you want it to be, not the other way around.

[snoopdawg]

As a Gold Award "survivor", my only bit of advice would be to pick a project that you're passionate about, so that it's not a chore to work on your project. Don't just pick something that will sound good to other people, or look good on your college applications, or whatever.

I agree with what people have said above- very few Girl Scouts fit the smiley, "wholesome" images shown in the brochures. One of the cool things about Girl Scouts, especially as you get older, is that it can be exactly what you make of it.

[starshinedown]

Hi!

You definitely fit into scouts. No worries. I didn't know what fanfiction was at your age, but I'm an adult volunteer with the 11-17 group, and I'm a (former) fanfic writer and I still read it and my guilty pleasure is slashfic (shhh), am a big ol' dork & am just learning how to not be so awkward in non-girl scouty social situations. =D

As for suggestions...I just taught a Gold Award workshop to a group of 9th & 10th graders and their leader/mums. My overall advice is to take it step-by-step. Read over the Go For It! insert to know what you're getting into, but don't let it scare ya.

Just start with step one for now: familarize yourself with the Award and the steps, and meet with your Gold Award Advisor to work out a rough timeline and an agreement. If you don't have an advisor yet, I think most councils have a way of assigning/arranging that with you.

[starshinedown]

and I ment to add: Go you! On your Gold. I'm super impressed!

[glamourpuss74]

I am 30, and I when I earned my gold award at age 17 I had a buzz cut, and what was left of my hair was purple. My entire troop was a bit on the punk rock side of life.

My Gold Award Advise: choose to do something you love, and make sure you stick to a calender of milestones (First week: outline the plan, second week: contact sponsors/volunteers, etc.)