Moment in History
How do Girl Scouts communicate?

by Margaret Sheriff

How many of you remember when the most common way we communicated with our Girl Scout friends about meetings was by mail or by telephone?

Do you remember when a patrol leader’s duties included calling all the members of her patrol about special events or reminders. Now a patrol leader probably uses a computer to communicate with her patrol by e-mail. Maybe one person communicates with the whole troop. Hopefully the girls without a computer get a phone call.
Remember when troop newsletters were mimeographed in purple ink that faded over time? Troop newsletters have become computerized, too. Service unit communications also now depend on the computer. My service unit has several people involved in sending e-mails to all leaders and others on the mailing list. Communication has never been so fast and efficient. Some service units have their own Web site.

You probably don’t remember a Council newsletter called “Trails.” A few of you might remember “News Memos.” This communication was sent to targeted audiences. That is, a memo about a Cadette activity was sent to Cadette leaders. Then came The Golden Link. A contest was held for leaders to name this publication. Originally The Golden Link was a four-page publication the same size page it is now. For awhile it was a newspaper, printed on newsprint and the size of a small newspaper. The masthead changed style each time the size changed.

At the Council level San Jacinto now provides the Council Information Network (CIN) on the Council Web site. Do you use it? Have you told the girls in your troop about it? Or their parents? The Golden Link is now an abundantly illustrated magazine. Do you use it to find out about Council programs designed for the girls in your troop or for you, the leader, to learn about training courses that will help you with your Girl Scout responsibilities? There is also the registration information you need. Do the girls in your troop read The Golden Link that comes to their house by mail? Have you ever submitted pictures of the girls in your troop to The Golden Link so the girls can see themselves in print? That is an exciting experience for them. The Golden Link is also available on the Council Web site.
What other members of our Council do you as a leader know? Maybe you first met a Girl Scout at a rally at your school after your daughter brought a flyer home. That Girl Scout may have been a volunteer or a professional (a member of the paid staff). When you sign on to be a leader you soon meet a trainer, and a service unit member. The longer you are a leader the larger your circle of Girl Scout friends becomes.

A Girl Scout council as corporate entity consists of delegates elected by service units, delegates-at-large, and the members of the board of directors. San Jacinto Council meets twice a year. All Girl Scout members are welcome to attend the Council meetings, but only delegates can vote. At these meetings you will have a chance to meet members from all of the 21 counties of east Texas in our Council.

Our council, San Jacinto, is part of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). Perhaps this is a good time to say there is not now and

never has been an organization called “Girl Scouts of America.”
About 300 Councils are members of GSUSA. The LEADER magazine, formerly known as the Girl Scout Leader magazine, is one way GSUSA communicates with its members, both volunteer members and staff members. It has also changed over the years as it grew to keep pace with the growth of the organization. Currently it is published quarterly. Information in The LEADER helps you as a leader keep informed about the national organization to which you belong. There are articles about Girl Scout programs, personalities, and about how to help girls grow up to be strong, happy, and healthy individuals ready and capable of becoming the leaders of the next generation.

GSUSA meets every three years. The most recent meeting just happened in October 2005. Councils send delegates to this meeting according to their membership. Visitors may also attend, but must be registered for the meeting. At this meeting you can meet Girl Scouts from all over the country.

GSUSA is not the end of the line. We members of GSUSA belong to one of the 145 national organizations of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides that are members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). WAGGGS has ten million members. WAGGGS communicates with its members by publishing Our World News.
Anyone can subscribe to Our World News. You will find news of your sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in it. Our World News has also had a life of change during its lifetime. Some of you will remember The Council Fire which was published in English, French, and Spanish.

Another WAGGGS publication that is useful for members is Trefoil Around the World. In this book you and the girls in your troop will find information about each member country’s organization. You can find the Promise and Law of each country, the names of its several levels of membership, the program activities, and when the country first had organized Guides or Girl Scouts.

The World Conference, a meeting of delegates from all of the member countries of WAGGGS, meets every three years. In 2005 the Conference was in Amman, Jordon, this past June. The next meeting will be in 2008.

No doubt our communications will continue to change over time. Do you also wonder what the next revolution in communications will be?