Girl Scouts are asked to think globally
MIDDLESEX TWP — In one of the most anticipated Girl Scout events, about 150 girls gathered Sunday to learn how to think more globally.
The international event is held annually by Girl Scouts and sister Girl Guides programs in other countries, but the Mars area Girl Scouts in the Trefoil Service Unit only participate every other year because of how large the event is, according to Chelsea Merriman, the co-service unit manager.
Merriman is responsible for all of the Girl Scouts in the Mars area and is passing off the duties to Amy Huffman next year, she said.
During World Thinking Day, each troop picks a country or region and creates a poster board about it, including information such as the area's climate, population, food and religion.
Troops can cook dishes that represent the region and make pins called SWAPS — Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.
Girls are also given “passports” that are stamped at each location, providing enough room for the girls to write fun facts about every country they visit. Some girls even dress up in the traditional fashions of other regions.
In the opinion of Morgan Wisinski, a Girl Scout Ambassador, the program benefits the younger girls by encouraging them to think globally.
“I think it gives the younger girls more knowledge about the world,” Morgan said. As an ambassador, Morgan has reached the highest level of Girl Scouts, reserved for 11th and 12th grade girls.
For Serra Beitch, a 5-year-old Daisy Girl Scout, the best part of the day was learning about other cultures with all of her friends, she said.
Serra was particularly excited to learn about Russia, with a presentation given by Julia Meisner, a troop helper.
Meisner told the girls about kokoshniks, traditional headdresses worn by royalty and women in Russia.
While these hats are no longer worn, Troop 28839 of Daisies constructed their own and wore them Sunday, a display for the other troops in attendance. Meisner also handed out pryaniki cookies, which are Russian honey spice cookies similar to gingerbread but coated in glaze.
Troop 28842 is led by Melissa Steiner and has eight girls at the Brownie level. Steiner said the girls were extremely excited about the event and all of the preparation, with each of the girls wearing home-sewn chef hats for the day.
In Steiner's opinion, the most important part of the day is seeing what other countries are represented and learning from the presentations.
Of course, the food samples also are an important part of the day if you ask Lauryn Lucatorto, a Girl Scout Cadette in eighth grade at Holy Sepulcher Catholic School.“We get to experience different cultures,” she said. “And it's great to try food from all over the world.”Food samples included meatballs for Sweden, pryaniki cookies for Russia, chips and salsa for Mexico and sago pudding from South Africa, a treat similar to tapioca pudding.Nearly 20 troops brought 150 girls from kindergarten to 12th grade who were excited to participate in this year's special theme, “CONNECT: Me, Friends, Community and World,” according to Merriman.In following the theme, there were special workshops, including a service project with Hosanna Industries. The nonprofit based in Rochester, Beaver County, rehabilitates houses for low-income individuals.For the project, the girls made encouraging and motivational art that the organization will put in new homes, Merriman said.Other activities included a dance and yoga workshop to teach girls how to connect with themselves and a partner obstacle course to teach girls how to connect with each other, Merriman said.To connect with the world, the girls also wrote postcards featuring a Pittsburgh skyline that will be sent to the Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in the countries each troop researched, Merriman said. While not sure how many replies they will get, Merriman said she remains hopeful.But connecting with other troops isn't difficult, according to Girl Scout Ambassadors Alyssa Jedry and Alexa Schmidhamer.Alyssa and Alexa are members of Merriman's troop, Troop 20561, and are paired with a troop of Daisies to help the girls learn about important concepts of being a Girl Scout, they said.They're paired with Troop 26642, and every Daisy gets patches in the shape of petals that eventually form a flower, Alexa said. Each of the petals teaches the girls about concepts like sharing, honesty and sisterhood.“I love (working with the younger girls),” Alexa said. “I think it's so much fun.”
