October 2017
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Check out the 2017-18 Planning Calendar
Download your own copy today!

Filled with great tips and Girl Scout information, plus a place to write in all your notes, our 2017-18 Planning Calendar is a piece that can go with you everywhere. It's a great way for Girl Scouts, parents and the community to get a glimpse of the exciting Girl Scout programs and events we offer during the year. Download a copy today! Troop Leadership Team members can also pick up a copy at their local Girl Scout service center and shop.


A Club of Her Own
Is a single-gender organization for girls really that important?

Did you know that more than one in 10 U.S. girls report being catcalled before their 11th birthday-and a whopping 
85 percent report gender-based street harassment before they turned 17?

Click here to see why girls find their greatness in Girl Scouts!

New Outdoor Badges
Girls have fun and learn new skills in the great outdoors!

This summer, 23 new badges were released by GSUSA, with seven of them inspired to get girls outdoors. From Daisy to Ambassador, the new outdoor badges will allow girls and troops to learn new skills and build on their knowledge from one year to the next. To learn more about each badge and how girls can earn it, please click here.

"A is for Awkward"
A Girl Scout Gold Award project turned published book.

Aryelle Jacobsen is the "I" in G.I.R.L. in every sense. An innovator. Creator. Maker.
Visionary. Collaborator. Outside-the-box thinker. Solution finder.  

So when it came time to begin her Gold Award journey, Aryelle thought back on her own middle school experiences. She remembers the move from elementary to middle school as a chaotic time- where she was trying to find good friends and activities while at the same time battling typical teenage anxieties and fears. She often turned to artwork as a way to express her feelings.

With encouragement from her mom and the push to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Aryelle decided to take her drawings and the advice she had been writing down to the next level. She recruited some of her friends to help with additional artwork, began putting her thoughts together in simple and relatable words and gathered resources on topics from bullying and special needs to eating disorders and depression. From there her book, A is for Awkward- a Guide to Surviving Middle School, was born.

"I wanted to give kids a friendly resource they could use- one that lets them know it's ok to feel alone or awkward as a teen," she said. "I also wanted them to realize they have so many good resources around them- adults and friends that love them. This message of love and encouragement is what I want kids to know."

Along with her book, Aryelle created 12 lesson plans that middle schools can implement into their curriculum. Written with her high school literacy coach, the plans are divided into three groups- Interactive, Creative Projects and Independent- and two Asheville middle schools have already incorporated the materials into their classrooms.

With further promotion of her book and working to speak to teachers and guidance counselors through continuing education opportunities, Aryelle hopes to see her book used in middle schools across the country. She also hopes to turn her lesson plans into requirements for a future Girl Scout patch. 

"Instead of putting each other down, we can help build each other up. That's what this project has been all about- youth empowerment," she said. "As part of a Girl Scout troop, I have also felt so empowered. Girl Scouts has really helped unite us together. Gaining independence, courage, confidence, everything Girl Scouts stands for, has truly been an awesome experience.

Aryelle is a senior at AC Reynolds High School in Asheville and is the daughter of Tristan and Doral Jacobsen. She began her Girl Scout journey as a Daisy and is currently a Girl Scout Ambassador in Girl Scout Troop 30077. She is also one of GSCP2P's council nominees for the 2017 Young Women of Distinction Award, an award presented by Girl Scouts of the USA every year to 10 young women from across the nation in recognition of their Girl Scout Gold Award projects.

Want to meet Aryelle and get a signed copy of her book? Come see her at the Ultimate Ice Cream Company in Asheville on Sunday, October 8 from 1-4 p.m.