Other Opportunities: January 2009 Archives

Girl Scout Day with Lady Jags - Mobile

Program: All Girl Scouts

Registration Deadline: January 28
Fee: $3 per participant (no limit on tickets)
Bring your troop to Girl Scout Day with the Lady Jags February 14, 2009. Troops will have a pre-game chat with Coach Petrie and some of the players at 11:30 a.m., followed by the Lady Jags game against Florida Atlantic at 1:00 p.m. This will be a nationally televised conference game. Since there are no restrictions on the number of tickets, you may mail, drop off the Event Registration Form or e-mail it to mbrutkiewicz@girlscoutssa.org. Girl Scouts will also participate in the half time show! We need troops to do the "High 5 Tunnel," present the flag with a color guard, wear cookie costumes and dance. Two troops will be allowed to set up cookie booths between the games. Contact Mary Anne Brutkiewicz at 251.344.3330, if your troop is interested in participating in the half time show or selling cookies.

The Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail will host its Alabama Championship and National Qualifying Tournament in Millbrook on March 12-14, 2009. Tournament waters will be the Alabama River from Goldstar Park in Wetumpka to the down river side of Swift Creek near Autuagville. Daily weigh-ins will be held at Lanark home of Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) and the Alabama Nature Center, at the Lanark Pavilion. AWF will also host a kid's fishing rodeo at Lanark in conjunction with the event.

 - Kids 15 and under
 - No admission charged
 - Must pre-register by calling AWF at 800-822-WILD
 - Limited to first 200 youth
 - Prizes will be awarded 
 - Don't forget your bait and fishing pole

 - Catch and Release Only 
 - Registration: 8-9 am  |  Fishing & Activities 9-11 am
 - Download directions to Lanark here

The Alabama Hiking Trail Society will be holding demonstrations in dutch oven cooking, compass skills, gear packing and more at their Annual Conference, to be held at Mobile's 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on March 6-7.

More information can be found at the Society's web site: http://www.hikealabama.org/conf09/registration.html

NEW! The Discover the World Essay Contest from Hostelling International USA
Hostelling International USA is getting ready to celebrate 100 years of the hostelling movement worldwide and 75 years here in the United States and we want to hear about girls' experiences! When girls share their story, they could win airfare on American Airlines and 3 nights at a participating hostel for themselves and three others, a Flip Video camera, or an HI-USA goodie bag! Visit www.hiusa.org/girlscouts to learn more.

Discover Hostelling
Hostelling offers a special kind of travel that opens doors to self-discovery, intercultural exchange, and new people and places. Hostels are safe, clean, inexpensive accommodations that provide a base for exploring and learning. Hostels are also welcoming places that encourage meaningful interactions. Equipped with dormitory-style rooms, common rooms, and kitchens, hostels provide Girl Scouts a place for making friends and discovering new ways of thinking.

Connect with the World
Girl Scout troops can take advantage of HI-USA's Getaway packages. The Discover the World patch, World Travel 101 and Cultural Kitchen empower girls to learn about and explore their world. Unique opportunities for Girl Scouts are available throughout the country from HI-USA hostels and local councils.

Take Action
Start your Girl Scouts on a hostelling adventure today! Visit www.hiusa.org and click on programs to learn more about opportunities for Girl Scouts from Hostelling International USA.

To learn more about partnering with hostels and local HI-USA councils, contact Arielle Semmel at girlscoutsgohostelling@hiusa.org or (312) 583-2226.

Girl Scouts of the USA along with 11 other campaign partners are joining Nickelodeon to engage kids in The Big Green Help campaign. The Big Green Help is Nickelodeon network's multiplatform pro-social campaign designed to empower kids to participate in earth-friendly and energy saving activities.

 Starting January 1, 2009, Nickelodeon will air green-themed messages and promotional spots throughout every single programming break, all day long, as well as introduce a series of original, environmentally-themed online games. The Girl Scouts/iCarly Cafeteria Recycodrama online mini-game has been developed in order to educate kids on how they can make the world a better place by helping their schools go green.

 All year long, The Big Green Help will provide information and tools across all of Nickelodeon's multiple platforms to help explain climate change to kids, and  to connect them to ways they can help at home, in school and communities. The centerpiece of The Big Green Help campaign will be the forthcoming, first-of-its-kind global multiplayer online green game for kids, which will provide actionable, measurable steps and information to directly link  players to ways they can positively contribute to helping the environment in a variety of ways,  on both individual and community levels.

 Girl Scouts will also help extend the campaign's reach through local grassroots activities and programs where kids can fulfill their online virtually volunteered hours throughout the year.   

 To play the game and help your kids learn how they can be a part of this initiative, visit www.biggreenhelp.com, go to the "Games" section, and click on the iCarly/Girl Scouts icon.

 

For more information, agong@girlscouts.org.

Do you eagerly anticipate Camporee?  Do you wish your troop camping events would never end?  Then Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) is for you!

BOW is a three day workshop designed for women ages 18 years or older. The workshop offers hands-on instruction in a fun and non-threatening learning environment. Participants choose from over 50 courses such as backyard wildlife, rock climbing, camp cooking, map and compass, camping, mountain biking, shooting sports (pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, as well as gun safety), fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature photography, nature crafts, archery, ATV handling, bird watching, motor boat handling, and more.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is held twice each year. The next workshop is March 6-8, 2009, at the Alabama 4H Center near Columbiana in Shelby County.  Cost for the weekend adventure is $199 and covers meals, lodging, program materials and instruction. All instructional equipment is provided. For additional information about Becoming an Outdoors-Woman contact:

Sylvia Payne, Coordinator
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman
AL Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
64 North Union Street, Suite 106
Montgomery, AL 36130

Daugters and Mothers Experiencing Science (D.A.M.E.S)  aims to inspire and encourage young women to pursue careers in sciences and mathematics.  

This one-day program (8am to 2pm) invites girls in grades 6-8 and their mothers (or guardian) to experience a variety of short hands-on science and math courses taught by female students and faculty and women from industry.  There are many different sessions to choose from, ranging from the chemistry of make-up to research in Antarctica.  The sessions are followed by a luncheon and an inspirational speaker. 

This year's event will be held on February 14, from 8 am to 2 pm at Auburn University. Preregistration is required; here is the registration form with more information.

The U.S Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has launched an interactive Video Contest!  Enter your 3-minute video about what "My Culture + Your Culture" means to you for a chance to win an international exchange program.  Participants can submit videos containing any form of artistic expression such as dance, spoken word, poetry, and song. 

Videos (no more than 3 minutes long) will be judged on originality, creativity, effectiveness, and production quality. Four winners (two in each of the age categories: 14-17 years and 18+ years; one non U.S., one U.S.) will receive the grand prize: an all-expense-paid, two-week cultural exchange program to the United States (for the non-U.S. winners) or from the United States to a country to be determined (for the U.S. winners). 

Contest opened December 1, 2008 and closes January 26, 2009. Winners will be announced March 16, 2009. Create your videos now for a chance to win.  Here's the link for more information! http://exchanges.state.gov/news/ovc.html