Girl Scout camp is more than just campfires and crafts (though we love those too!). It’s a place where a camper who once said “I wasn’t interested in going outside” can suddenly discover “I want to stay here—I want to go camping, I want to stay outside!”
Whether it’s learning to cook over a fire, conquering the climbing wall, or simply feeling the breeze on their face, camp helps young people build confidence, independence, and mental resilience—skills that last far beyond the summer.
This summer, let your camper discover what they’re capable of at Camp Butternut Springs.
✨ Be sure to register your camper for the grade they will be entering in fall 2025. 🏕️ Save 5% on each program when you register for three or more council-led summer camp programs in one purchase. 💜 Need support? Camperships (financial assistance) and a payment plan are available to make camp accessible for all families.
Check out our skill-building programs below and click on each session to learn more and register your camper today. Hurry, spots are filling fast!
As we wrap up March and reflect on Girl Scouts’ Birthday, it’s the perfect time to learn a little more about Juliette Gordon Low and embrace the founding Girl Scout principles she introduced 113 years ago.
Wondering how you can learn more about Juliette Gordon Low in an exciting and interactive way? It’s easy with the program kits the council historian team has put together! You can check out a program kit by visiting your local gathering place for your troop’s next fun learning activity.
The most popular tote is filled with Girl Scout uniforms. These pieces, collected from throughout the years, can be worn for a troop fashion show, to march in a parade, or to participate in a special ceremony. A book with pictures of the uniforms is included so you can properly put all the parts together. The uniforms come in a variety of sizes and eras. Which uniform is the girls’ favorite?
The Historic Book tote includes five handbooks from 1947, 1963 (2), and 1986 (2), for Girl Scouts, Brownies, and Juniors. In 1963, girls were divided into four levels: Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior. Check out some of the badge work and life skills introduced in these books! While you cannot earn the badges, you can use these books as a reference for troop activities. Also included are two songbooks, two game books, and a 1955 book entitled Exploring the Hand-Arts, which is filled with fun, low-cost projects.
Juliette Low’s story is told through the Kim’s Game kit. Kim’s Game is a memory game made up of 18 items that reveal some lesser-known facts about Juliette’s life and the beginnings of the Girl Scout movement. Simple instructions are included, along with an explanation of each of the 18 items. What new facts about Juliette did you learn through this game?
Another fun activity is assembling the WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) Flag. Juliette based her U.S. Girl Scout program on the English Girl Guide and Boy Scout programs started by the Baden-Powells. A world traveler, Juliette understood the value of learning from and sharing with our neighbors around the globe. Play an action game that teaches about the World Fund, and learn the significance of each part of the World Flag. There’s a paper copy to color, or a felt board version to assemble during a ceremony. Why not present the WAGGGS pin to the girls when they complete the flag? Ready to make some special SWAPS (Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere)? Instructions are included for making a friendship knot.
And finally, celebrate a special occasion with a Tea Party! Juliette was a Southern belle who enjoyed the pleasures of afternoon tea. This kit includes a binder with suggested activities and games, plus a service for ten to set your table. Please note: the Chicago Gathering Place does not currently have this tote due to its size and weight. However, we can send you a list of included materials upon request.
If you are unable to pick up a kit at a gathering place, PDFs of the games and stories in the kits can be found in the historian section of the council’s website linked here.
We hope you’ll find these kits helpful—and share the info with other leaders! Please let us know if any pieces are missing or if you have suggestions for additional kits. We’d also love to receive photos of your troop using the kits. Be sure to include your troop number and the occasion when you send them. Our email address is: historian@girlscoutsgcnwi.org.
The Pinnacle Award is a prestigious honor unique to Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI), celebrating Ambassador Girl Scouts who have shown exceptional leadership throughout their Girl Scouting journey—both within the movement and in their communities. In 2024, we proudly recognized eight outstanding Girl Scouts and young alums as Pinnacle Awardees! Keep scrolling to hear their stories and learn about their incredible contributions to Girl Scouts in their own words.
Madalyn C., Carol Stream, IL
“Girl Scouting has meant everything to me. In the 12 years I’ve been a Girl Scout, I have become more confident, developed a strong character, recognized the importance of community, and been able to influence real, positive change in the world. I’ve always had ambition and big dreams, but Girl Scouts gave me the skills to make those dreams a reality.”
Madalyn earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Silver and Bronze Award, serving as a Program Aide, District Delegate, National Delegate, providing leadership to a girl-led GCNWI interest group and serving in leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
“Serving as a National Delegate for GCNWI at the 2023 National Council Session (NCS) in Orlando. The experience I had in Orlando reminded me of the beauty of what’s at the heart of Girl Scouts: community. I got to meet Girl Scouts my age across the country and learn about their unique backgrounds and experiences, which meant a lot to me because I got to meet others that have a similar passion for Scouting to me. Debating at NCS challenged me to see different points of view, understand the movement in a larger sense, and take a stand for my values. Being a National Delegate inspired me to start my Gold Award and see a future in Girl Scouting beyond graduation.
Ever since I was a Daisy, I pictured myself going for the Highest Awards, taking big trips with my troop, and being able to look back at my long journey with pride. I was able to go to Disney World with my troop a few years ago, I have earned my Bronze, Silver, and am working towards my Gold Award, and am honestly surprised with all that I have learned over the years. So to all other Girl Scouts questioning their future in Scouting, I would say that it only gets better as you get older. There are so many more opportunities and ways to make a difference as you get older and Girl Scouts provides an amazing community of strong women that you can grow with.
After I graduate high school in the spring, I will be off to college! I’m not sure where that will be just yet, but I want to major in international relations. I hope to be able to study abroad wherever I go and then serve in the Peace Corps after undergrad to prepare for a career in diplomacy. I plan on becoming a Lifetime Girl Scout once I graduate and perhaps even lead my own troop later on in life so that I can pass the baton to the next generation of young Girl Scouts. I will definitely still be around and helping out with Girl Scouts for a long time.”
Mikenna D., Elmwood Park, IL
Mikenna earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, providing leadership to a Service Unit and serving in Leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
Anjeli F., Chicago, IL
Anjeli earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze and Silver Award, serving as a Girl Representative to the Board, providing leadership in a girl-led GCNWI club and searing in leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
Paige R., Mount Prospect, IL
“Girl Scouting provided me a place to meet so many new people, create unforgettable memories, and have lots of new experience I would’ve never had otherwise!”
Paige earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze and Silver Award, serving as a Counselor in Training (CIT), providing leadership to the service unit and serving in leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
“A leadership experience that made a lasting impact on me was being the section leader for the second violins in Prospect High School’s Symphony Orchestra. I learned how to effectively make music with others and how I could help my classmates be the best musicians we could be! It challenged me because a lot of people were looking up to me for directions, and I was unsure of myself a lot. Overall, it was an experience that helped shape my leadership journey.
My favorite thing I’ve done as a Girl Scout is attend Camp Juniper Knoll for resident camp! Across multiple summers, I attended many different week-long programs at JK, and it gave me the opportunity to spend time with older scouts and do fun activities that always kept me busy!
I love being able to help shape experiences for younger girls! I was a CIT at Camp Greene Wood for three years, and I was an archery assistant for different archery events for Service Unit 404! I loved being able to teach new things to younger girls and help them have experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise!
I’m attending College with a Communication major and Philosophy minor in mind! I’ll be at the fall camporee for Service Unit 404 to help out, and I’m super excited!”
Jamyriah S., Chicago, IL
“The value of Girl Scouting in my life has been the development of my character and leadership skills. As a little Daisy and Brownie, I didn’t realize how much my sisterhood meant to me as I was just exploring the world making new friends. However, as I bridged into becoming a Junior Aide, I began to understand the importance of giving back to my community. I learned to become an agent of change within the communities I was a part of. As I articulated into a Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador, being able to step up when needed as well as advocate for my sisters who were shy to speak up, I learned the importance of being a leader and sister to every Girl Scout. Overall, Girl Scouts has helped to mold me into the young leader that I am today. I value my leaders for all the wisdom and motivation they have shared along the way, my big sisters for always inspiring me to be great no matter what, and my little sisters for allowing me to lead them and show them a pathway to success. We “Girls” have the power to change the world and I’m glad that I can be an example of that!”
Jamyriah earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze, Silver and Gold Award, serving as a Volunteer in Training and in leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
“One leadership experience that made an everlasting impact on me was the project I completed to receive my Gold Award. My Gold Award Project “Welcoming City” was an opportunity to welcome asylum seekers into my neighborhood by providing them with survival kits that contained everyday essentials so they could stay clean and healthy. However, an obstacle I didn’t consider as I planned to distribute the bags was not being able to speak the migrant’s native language. I didn’t realize how challenging it was going to be to speak with families outside of my native language. Even though I was grateful that I was able to use Google Translate to help me communicate with the families, I found this experience to be very eye-opening. Seeing how receptive and appreciative they have let me know the importance of belonging to a welcoming community. I live by the Girl Scout promise, and being considerate and caring can go further than anyone could ever imagine. With us all coming from different walks of life, I think it’s important that we have an empathetic spirit in order for us to be more understanding of one another. I’ve also learned to welcome other people’s perspectives which are different from my own and for that I am grateful.
One of my favorite experiences as a Girl Scout was my first year as a Cadette and I learned the importance of setting a cookie goal and how to run my own cookie store. That year, I was determined to get on our cookie cruise after learning from my other sisters how fun it was. Needless to say, I was excited to meet so many new Girl Scouts and one thing that stood out to me that year was how fun it was to not only meet new sisters but how fun it was to “swap” out little tokens along the way. Every year thereafter, I looked forward to not only setting cookie goals with each year raising the bar, but also being able to make swaps with my fellow troop sisters so that they can share in that excitement with me. I don’t know if I was more excited about making the swaps to give to one another, meeting other sisters from other troops, or receiving the swaps but I do know this experience was something meaningful to me because we all took our time making something so special for others. I made memories with my sisters in my troop while also sharing with others.
I am attending college in the fall majoring in Social Work and minoring in business/marketing. I plan to become a school social worker or counselor because I like helping with younger children. My ultimate career goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker and open my own practice. Although I have bridged into adult scouting, I will forever be a lifelong member. I plan to continue to serve whenever I can in my community as well as one day leading a troop of my own.”
Hailey S., Elk Grove Village, IL
Hailey earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze and Silver Award, serving as a Program Aide, Traveling, Providing leadership to a service unit and serving in leadership roles outside of Girl Scouting.
Madelyn W., Vernon Hills, IL
“Girl Scouts has given me the opportunity to experience things that I never would have gotten the chance to. It has let me become more involved in my community, and has helped be grow, introducing me to new skills and providing a platform to make friends.”
Madelyn earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, Providing leadership in a girl-led GCNWI interest group, leadership to a service unit and in leadership capacities outside of Girl Scouting.
“My Gold Award has made a lasting impact on me. It taught me perseverance, and helped me gain confidence in my ability to complete major individual projects, as well as developed my communication skills and executive functioning. I renovated an elementary school’s raised garden beds, and built five new movable raised garden beds for another school. I grew my communication skills in a professional setting as I corresponded with local businesses to find the funds and materials needed to support my project, and organized help from the community to get the project up and running. Looking back after completion, the satisfaction I got from having made it through so many obstacles and having completed such a significant project was very profound, and the project boosted my belief in my ability to complete future endeavors of similar and even greater scale.
My favorite thing I’ve done as a Girl Scout is probably camping at Camp River Trails. I’ve been with my troop a few times, but one time was especially notable; when my troop was younger, and we were there with a troop of older Girl Scouts. They set up and led fun games and activities, and hung out with us younger Girl Scouts as we explored the camp. Getting both the classic summer camp experience with the older kids leading activities that they were just as invested in as we were, and being in a cozy, close-knit environment, not only made long lasting memories, but it also served to show the importance of the community that Girl Scouts can help create.
Being on the flip side of the program has made me realize just how important the older Girl Scouts have been to my own Girl Scout experience. I strongly believe in “pay it forward”, and to be able to turn around and be an inspiration to the younger girls is important to me. I would encourage other Girl Scouts to stay involved by connecting through the things that inspire them. You never know when your enthusiasm for something could inspire someone else who’s just starting to figure out their place in the world.
I’m going to go on to college once I graduate, and I’m looking to study Biological Engineering, with a focus in genetics and cellular and molecular biology, as well as a minor in German language and culture.
Thank you to all the older Girl Scouts who came back to help lead us through our journeys!”
Jasmine Z., Hoffman Estates, IL
“Girl Scout activities prepared me for life. It taught me many things and gave me many opportunities I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. I have learned to use power tools, worked on my public speaking, learned more about planning and managing projects, learned how to manage money, worked on my leadership skills and practiced my customer service skills. All of these have been a huge help in my work, school and personal life.”
Jasmine earned the Pinnacle Award by earning their Silver and Bronze Award, serving as a Program Aide, Volunteer in Training, District Delegate, traveling, providing leadership to a service unit and serving in a leadership capacity outside of Girl Scouting.
“The leadership experience that made a lasting impact on me was leading a younger girl Daisy troop. This experience taught me how to plan and execute activities for younger girls. It was very educational learning to think on the fly and be flexible when it comes to kids as what you may think will take 20 minutes may only take five. It was a challenge sometimes when the activities I planned didn’t work out as well as I expected but often, I was able to pivot and still give the girls memorable experiences.
My favorite thing I have done as a Girl Scout has been when I went to Costa Rica on a Girl Scout Destinations trip. I went on a trip called Sea Turtles, Service, and Scuba. On my trip I got my scuba certification which was one of my many goals I wanted to complete before I finished high school. Along with that I was able to make great friends and memories on that trip.
I stayed in Girl Scouts because I saw the amount of opportunities it could give me as I got older. I am very thankful that I did as by staying in Girl Scouts I was able to create a fairy story walk at Spring Valley for my Silver Award and am able to rally for less single use plastic consumption with my Gold Award that I am currently working on. Staying in Girl Scouts has also allowed me to volunteer leading a Daisy troop which has been fun. I have not only created memorable experiences for the girls and me but I was able to complete my school required volunteer hours doing something I enjoyed and giving back to the organization that has given me so many opportunities. I would tell other girls that they should stay in Girl Scouts because it helps you find great opportunities to learn more about a variety of things and yourself which is helpful when you are trying to find your place in the world outside of school.
I am in my last year at high school and Girl Scouts. Right now I am applying for colleges. I want to study Marine Science or Marine Biology somewhere but first I want to enjoy my last year in school and Girl Scouts. Also, I want to finish my Gold award!”
Congratulations to our 2024 Pinnacle Awardees!
The application for the 2025 Class of Pinnacle Awardees is now open and will close on May 31, 2025. Learn more and apply today on our website.
In 1966, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) established Sangam, which in Sanskrit means “coming together”. The symbol for Sangam is meant to show the convergence or, “coming together”.
India may seem a long way from our Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI) Council and may seem to be a very different place from where we live, but it has so much to experience. There could be no better place for a Girl Scout from the US to be introduced to India than at Sangam, one of the five World Centers of WAGGGS.
In 2003, my daughter Lillian and I were visiting family in India and took a side trip to Sangam for the day. We were warmly greeted by the staff and shown around. We found a beautiful, peaceful oasis in the middle of a bustling city. It is a place where guests can relax, swim in the pool, walk through a garden, sample home cooked Indian meals,and meet other Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from around the world. It is also a place where girls can learn more about India, by meeting its people and experiencing its culture.
We saw a wall with logos of all Girl Scout and Girl Guide programs from around the world. We found the ones from the US.We also saw the array of flags from around the world, that are used in ceremonies when Girl Scouts or Girl Guides from different countries visit, and during World Thinking Day Programs.
In 2005, Girl Scouts of Chicago offered a Destination Opportunity for Older Girl Scouts to visit Sangam. In all, 20 girls from across the country went. Julie Somogyi, who today is Chief Experience Officer for GCNWI, went on the trip as a staff chaperone. Below are some of her memories:
These opportunities to travel far and wide through Girl Scouts andimmerse into other cultures, learning about their families, art, music,communities, food, and social services is a vital way for us to build respect andexpand our views of the world around us. It was a transformative experience, and Iwill never forget how the program staff at Sangam shared many important lessons with us. They urged us to see and experience their culture through their eyes, not ours, and to understand the values they hold without comparing it to ours. That was an incredible gift of perspective that I will carry with me forever as I seek to experience more of the world.
Rebecca Strocchio, one of the girls who went to Sangam in 2005 wrote the following about her experience:
My favorite memory from my trip to Sangam is learning about Bollywood and the dances they do for the movies. It was so much fun! It’s something I still remember to this day. It gave me an interest in a culture I knew nothing about before the trip.
I’ve had the chance through my career to interact with people from India. Having the opportunity to tell them how much I enjoyed my trip there and how kindly we were received is something that has helped me connect with people since my trip there so many years ago. I have been told countless times by people from India, here in the States, that they hoped I would travel there again, and the people of India would be happy to have me back. The bond I have with India and its culture and people is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I hope I have the opportunity to return one day because it was the greatest cultural experience I have ever had, the opportunity of being part of.
Dionne Hawkins, who still volunteers with GCNWI in special events, went with the group to Sangam as a volunteer chaperone. She remembers how much the group enjoyed going into the town of Pune to shop for sarees. When they returned with their purchases, the Sangam staff taught them how to wrap/wear a sari. The variety of colors and fabrics, is a great snapshot of India.
Dionne is creating Warli art, a type of drawing specific to the state where Pune is located.Another form of artisRangoli, using chalk to make designs on the walkway or at the doorway of a home.
worldcentres.wagggs.org lists programs at Sangam throughout the year, ranging in length from one to ten weeks where you and your group can work on leadership skills, celebrate World Thinking Day, focus on wellness, and/or learn about a culture different from your own.
If GCNWI offers an opportunity to travel to Sangam, I hope you’ll give serious consideration to applying as one of the participants. If the group/troop you are traveling with chooses to, you may be able to extend your stay in India to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, or the backwaters of Kerala! Belonging to WAGGGS is a worldwide connection for every Girl Scout. It gives you a place to make new friends and keep the old, no matter where in the world you go. So, each year, on February 22, know that Girl Scouts and Girl Guides at Sangam are thinking of you!
