We’re excited to launch our new series, Power Our Promise as part of Camp CEO®. This program spotlights our “CEO Mentors” who activate our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place by sharing their time, talent, and treasure with Girl Scouts across the greater Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana area!

Read on to learn more about this year’s Camp CEO® from a mentor, Carrie Camino!

Flexing, Growing, Leading

Since 2007, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana has welcomed high-level professionals and teen girls from across our council geography to Camp CEO®, the premier leadership camp for teen girls.

This week marks the 14^th session of Camp CEO®, as girls and mentors gather virtually to engage in valuable mentorship and leadership experiences that last a lifetime. Camp CEO® mentors play an integral part in the program, helping girls take charge of their ambition. Carrie Camino, Director at West Monroe Partners, is one of them.

“Camp CEO® creates and develops a talent network ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow,” Carrie said. “Helping others find their true passion, and then pursuing it to their fullest is one of the most valuable activities I can undertake to help support a diverse and robust community that can flex and grow together.”

As a Girl Scout parent, volunteer, donor, and alum herself, Carrie has experienced the power of Girl Scouting in a myriad of ways. “Some of the experiences helped me think differently about what I could do,” Carrie shared. “It helps girls to push themselves a little bit further in a safe space.”

Girls are the Future

At West Monroe Partners, Carrie leads a diverse array of clients on how they can use data to impact people and lead organizations in a different, more meaningful way. Influenced by strong female mentors in her own career journey, Carrie sees Camp CEO® as an impactful way to shape the next generation of courageous leaders. “Several of my mentors have been female, all of them with their own unique experiences and path forward,” Carrie said.

“My learning is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ – rather there is an underlying theme of courage, grace, grit, and curiosity that guided each of them, and now me, towards continuous learning by building relationships and taking on new challenges.”

Those very learnings are what Carrie hopes to share with campers during Zoom workshops, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and virtual campfire chats from home.

“I am passionate about sharing my experiences to help girls gain a new perspective, have a safe place to envision alternate outcomes, and create excitement to take on new challenges that will help them own and direct their personal goals and leadership style,” Carrie said.

“Girl Scouts has a rich history of launching some of the most impactful women of our time,” Carrie reflected. “Girls are our future—creative, resilient, empathetic, optimistic, and driven—what could be more fun than fostering this amazing community?”

Support the Girl Scout Mission!

Interested in learning more about Camp CEO® and how you can be involved? Visit our website!

To join Carrie in powering our promise with your support, click here.

Focus on What Girls Need Right Now

It is not business as usual at Girl Scouts. And that’s a good thing!

If sheltering in place has taught us anything, it is how to get creative with how we spend our time, our priorities, and how to connect with others in unconventional ways.

The same applies to being a Girl Scout leader.

We know things may look a little different, but here are 5 ways to keep the focus on girls, and what’s most important, when the need to see things differently has never been greater:

1. Shift Your Lens

Adversity has opened up the opportunity for us to take what we know about the traditional way of Girl Scouting and look at it under a new light!

Now is the perfect time to shift the way you view troop meetings and activities and welcome a new perspective that is innovative, flexible, and really responsive to girls’ interests and needs.  

Get outdoors while the weather is good! Just ensure that everyone is wearing masks and following all COVID guidelines. Safety first!

If your troop traditionally meets on a weekly basis, consider providing girls a robust and interactive experience at monthly meetings instead. Do not feel pressured to continue to meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis as you did before. Just help connect girls and their families to some of the many virtual programs and experiences offered by our council and Girl Scouts of the USA. You do not have to do it all yourself.

2. Become a Virtual Girl Scout Troop

Our COVID-19 guidelines will be updated throughout the upcoming year, but instead of waiting for the next set of recommendations, just shift your view of virtual Girl Scouting as an opportunity rather than a substitute. Most of our content works amazingly well online!

There are virtual troops girls can join right now or you can start your own using the Girl Scouts from Home page to plan out your meetings. Your Volunteer Toolkit has virtual meeting plans for all age levels! No need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to providing fun, interactive programming and experiences for your troop.

We frequently update our Girl Scouts from Home page with virtual activities the whole family can enjoy!

Check out what some of our virtual troops have been up to!

3. Continue to Uplift and Motivate Your Girls’ Parents

Girl Scouts is not cancelled. Reassure your parents that as things continue to evolve and change, we will continue to ensure their girl is having fun, connecting with other girls, and building skills

4. Save the Date for the Leadership Expo

We understand your pain points as a troop leader in these times of uncertainty. And we are fully prepared to address those uncertainties and provide resources on how to remain resilient amidst the unknown.

This year’s expo will take place Saturday, September 26, and will celebrate volunteer accomplishments, highlight inspirational stories, and uplift strategies and tactics for the 2020-2021 Girl Scout year. 

Save the date! Additional details and registration information will be announced soon!

5. Stay connected

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is full of resources to help you conquer a new Girl Scout year. In addition to the VTK, we will continue to provide you with the latest updates and insights right here on our blog, website, and social media.

When 90% of your girls renew by August 31, 2020, your troop will receive a FREE Zoom account!

Bonus tip: Breathe

We are here for you. Continue this journey with us as we look at why Girl Scouts exists, especially using a new lens to see that we have always been about supporting girls when they need us most.

Your Troop Can Get a FREE Zoom Account and be Entered to Win!

When 90% of girls in your troop renew by August 31 your troop will receive:

• A free Zoom account for your troop ($36 value)
• A $20 gift certificate for the Girl Scouts GCNWI online shop
• TWO entries into a drawing a $200 Amazon gift card (10 prizes available)

When 75% of girls in your troop renew by August 31, your troop will receive one entry into the drawing for a $200 Amazon gift card (10 prizes available)!

Don’t miss out on this limited time offer!

Renew your membership and encourage the girls in your troop renew as well.

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