How Danielle Sykes, Girl Scout Program Specialist, arranged a fun, exciting, and educational multicultural program!
The GSESC Program Team has done it again with another successful council sponsored event embracing Hispanic Heritage Month. Girl Program Specialist, Danielle Sykes, helped organize a fun, exciting, and educational multicultural program! Through collaboration with colleagues (including GSESC Chief Executive Officer, VP of Program, Membership, and Program personnel), volunteers, and CIT’s. Sykes says. “This event couldn’t have come together and been as successful as it was without this team effort. It was definitely a team effort and something I couldn’t have done without their help.” The Girl Scout Rockers, Sykes explains, are patches a Girl Scout can earn that, together, form a circle. In this circle are five patches that represent Hispanic Heritage Month (Oct), Native American Month (Nov), Black History Month (Feb), Asian/Pacific Islander Month (May), and LGBTQ Month (June). “We decided that... we were going to do each of those events on the... appropriate months,” Sykes states. The first one they initiated was for Hispanic Heritage, and took place the first weekend of October.
At this event, Girl Scouts of all ages were given the opportunity to learn about Hispanic and Latinx culture. Between the 12 booths available, there were stations for learning about country flags, cultural dances, and the similarities and differences between “Hispanic” and “Latinx”---the two have some overlap, but the first denotes Spanish-speaking groups, while the second refers to people from Latin America (Central and South America).
Many of the activity stations available involved crafts. Some included just listening: a Indigenous Latinx history lesson, a folklore lesson, and a short story written by a Hispanic author. One station had girls learning the Girl Scout Law and Promise in Spanish.
Depending on the Girl Scout’s level (Daisy, Cadette, Ambassador, etc.), each girl had to do a certain number of these activities to earn their Rocker. This made the process fun and rewarding as well as educational.
The process was especially meaningful because of the event’s attendants. One of the Girl Scouts there is a foreign exchange student from Spain. Many of the volunteers, staff members, and troop leaders were women of Mexican or Puerto Rican backgrounds. Having people of Hispanic and Latinx cultures at this event made each station more enriching, as the members and girls got to share their lives and language with one another!
The feedback from both the Girl Scouts and parents was incredibly positive. The girls “said they had a great time,” Sykes mentions. “They couldn’t wait till the next event.” The parents and troop leaders also noticed the girls were having fun. Parents were excited to see their children engaged in diversity, and the girls were excited to learn. There were about 40 girls in attendance this year, but those numbers may grow as these events continue annually.
The next Rocker event is for Native American Heritage month. It will take place on Sunday, November 5, 2023, and will be full of similiar fun activities and educational opportunities. GS staff members are currently looking to host local tribes at this event so girls can see traditional dress, music, and dance.
After that, the Black History month event will likely take place in February 2024, then Asian/Pacific Islander month in May, then LGBTQ+ month in June. Then, come October next year, the cycle will repeat. These five new annual cultural events provide Girl Scouts with the resources necessary to meet new people and understand new cultures. Diversity is so important to Girl Scouts, and exposure is key to encouraging care, friendship, and love for one another.
What a great success! Remember, Native American Heritage month is right around the corner. Mark your calendars for November 5th, which is the next event in the multicultural Rockers series. We hope to see you and your Girl Scouts there!
~ Written by Special Guest Author Paige Blackburn - GSESC Writer, Content Editor Intern
