Comments on: Not without my badges!

By: Cat

Cat — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:54:18 +0000

I am currently a leader of 2 troops (Daisy and Juniors) and soon to be Service Unit Director. I can tell you the direction of G.S. is not good. The journeys are very touchy, feely activities about feeling good about yourself and others. The badges are the best. Many will be gone, some will stay. GS is losing members because of their ridiculous political agenda they spew to girls. Yes, it is true. Those of you with fond memories remember trying something new. That is what it is all about! I will continue to DO it My Way, as long as I have room to do it, otherwise this mom and her 2 troops are gone. :( Love the cookies!

By: janet

janet — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:29:35 +0000

the badges are NOT going away. i don’t know where this mis-information came from. the Journeys program was recently developed to give the girls a more well rounded Girl Scouting experience. i do see a lot of comments on “getting the badge”, “gotta get them badges or else i’ll be a slacker!!!” yeah, learning a new skill is nice, & getting a badge to show off said new skill is nice, too. but then what? what do you do w/ said skill? there are a lot of girls who have to badge collecting mentality, but then interest stops after they get the badge. the Journeys program was made to give the girls a nudge into using the new skill to make the world a better place.

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:15:52 +0000

@Leigh Ann -

Leigh Ann is correct. Badges aren’t going away at any level of Girl Scouts. Journeys are being introduced to the various levels of Girl Scouts, *in addition* to the Brownie Try-Its, Junior Badges, and Interest Patch Projects. (The latter are the “badges” for Cadettes (grades 7 & 8), Seniors (grades 9 & 10), and Ambassadors (grades 11 & 12).

Our troop did the Brownie Journey, called the Quest. We liked the Try-Its better.

Our girls are already planning to keep their vests.

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:56:59 +0000

I have a first-grade Brownie. Next year all first graders will be Daisies and Brownies will only be two years. They aren’t doing away with the badges at any level. The Journeys are just extra. My daughter has earned nine Try-Its this year with about three or four more planned for the rest of the year. We might do a Journey next year. A lot of leaders, including me, aren’t too thrilled with them. They did do away with the five worlds of interest so all the Try-Its have brown borders now. When I was Brownie age (I never actually got to be one) the Try-It hadn’t been invented yet. You earned one Brownie B per year, which you moved to your Junior sash when you flew up. Speaking of flying up. Did you have your wings on your Brownie uniform? You’re supposed to get them when you fly up from Brownies to Juniors. They aren’t earned, either, everyone gets one at the end of the third grade just for tradition.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:46:44 +0000

I also have my Brownie and Girl Guide sash (UK equivalent to Girl Scouts ;-) ) and they also both still fit ;-) I’m tempted to re-sew the badges on a denim jacket or something because they are THAT COOL!

By: Juice

Juice — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:29:07 +0000

I spent many hours in the Harford Mall as a kid! Hoschilds, the Little Professor store, some other department store that started with an H (Hechts?). Loved shopping there until Tollgate opened with the Hello Kitty store and Finklesteins (yeah, I’m older than you too)… Ah, memories. Don’t even get me started on the rainbow store at White Marsh!

By: RG

RG — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:57:43 +0000

Awww. I have a friend who’s struggled with health problems in her 20′s, and one of her most memorable experiences from before those took over was the few years she was a Scout Leader, in the 1987-1993 range but not sure exactly when, in Towson, MD. I’d love to find some GS who was in her troup and who remembers it fondly. It’s unlikely to be you, I know. She said that the Leaders who took over after her kind of lost touch with her very quickly, but I bet there are girls whose lived she touched…

By: Angie

Angie — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:17:01 +0000

Fabulous stuff here, love the pic of you in the sash that still fits!

By: Jamillah

Jamillah — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:27:00 +0000

I love being a Girl Scout. I have a bunch of badges too and for years couldn’t find them. Who had them?? My mother! I stole them back. I worked hard for all of those bad boys. Volunteering, medical, day camp, photography. My parents can have the number bars of home many cookies were sold. It was fun to accomplish a goal to achieve a badge. Great post

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:12:41 +0000

I won a contest to design a patch and lots of other Brownies wore it as a result! I still have my sash too. Then after college I was a GS camp counselor for a summer. That was pretty cool but I don’t miss mosquito netting.