Girl Scouts Gain Powerful Lessons in Confidence, Friendship, and Success at Camp CEO 2022

Nothing is more empowering than having someone believe in you!

Camp CEO is dedicated to creating a safe space for Girl Scouts to network and interact with women from a variety of industries and backgrounds who believe in girls and all that they can accomplish.

The environment is fun, camp-based, and full of unique opportunities to hear about the twists and turns of the women mentor’s career paths and ask questions about how they got to where they are today. Their stories give Girl Scouts in grades 9-12 a “peek behind the curtain” and reinforce how tenacity, persistence, being curious, and taking risks without fear of failure can be the catalyst for interesting careers.

Read below as Girl Scout Program Specialist, Jauzlyn, shares highlights of the three-day event held at the Chicago office, culminating with an overnight stay at Camp Greene Wood.

Day 1

On the first day, 10 girls arrived to the Chicago Gathering Place with a look of uneasiness. Sure, there were a few who allowed a sliver of a smile to show on their faces, but underneath there was surely anxiety. Most of the girls were very quiet and hesitant to actively participate, while a couple of them were able to break out of their shells more as the day went on. The girls were able to make their first connections with the mentors during an activity where they created vision boards, in which many of the mentors and girls were engaged in thoughtful conversations.

The biggest highlight of the day was when we played “Cross the Line”. This is a game where the facilitator makes various statements and participants take a step forward if the statement applies to them. During this game, there were a variety of serious statements, with some goofy ones in between. When we discussed how the game made them feel, many of the girls shared that it allowed them to feel closer to other people in the room, it helped them trust us as mentors and other girls, it allowed them to learn new things about each other, and it made them feel better about speaking up.

As time went on, the girls began to come out of their shells and expressed how doing this game made them feel more open and excited for the next two days.

Day 2

The girls worked through a coding badge, thanks to our partner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, at HCSC. The girls were tasked with taking data and creating a visual representation of the data to present to everyone. The girls were nervous at first, but once they began to work on the projects and had the guidance and coaching of HCSC volunteers, a whole new feeling of confidence was able to emerge. When asked who wanted to go first, there were a couple of girls who raised their hands quickly. In fact, a few of the quietest girls were first to raise their hands. The girls all did so well in presenting their projects. Some of the girls even helped their shyer peers speak up when it was time to present. Many of the girls stepped into the role of a leader during this time.

Once back at the Chicago Gathering Place, the girls participated in an activity called “Life Mapping”. During this activity, the girls were given the opportunity to identify different areas in their life that help them understand who they are and who they want to be as they develop and progress in life. Many girls shared that this activity helped them be more open and understand themselves a little better. They also enjoyed being able to learn more about each other and their mentors.

Later in the evening, we went to Camp Greene Wood. When we arrived at camp, it was safe to say that the girls trusted the facilitators and each other a lot more. By this time, the girls were looking as if they all came into this program knowing each other. During an activity called “Fear in a box,” we had the girls write down a fear and put it into a box, then, we sat around the campfire and I read each person’s fear. During this activity, the girls were given the choice to claim their fear, speak about it, and give advice and feedback to each other or not.

Each girl claimed and elaborated on their fear, and openly received advice and feedback from each other and the facilitators. The girls were then given the chance to burn them in the campfire. After discussing the activity, girls expressed that they felt comfortable because of the vibe of the group and because they felt like they could trust us and each other. Many of them said that they can see themselves being friends with all of the other girls after the program was over.

It later came to our knowledge that after lights out, the girls used the flashlights on their phones as light so that they can sit together and make friendship bracelets. They did that until they all fell asleep.

Day 3

On the final day, the girls were split into smaller groups with mentors and participated in a variety of leadership activities. Each girl was expected to take turns leading the group in an activity and work on their communication and leadership skills. The mentors guided them and gave feedback about their performances. Mentors shared that many of the girls were excellent in how they led activities and how creative they were.

During lunch, the mentors had an insightful discussion about networking and using social media as a way to promote themselves. In return, many of the girls downloaded LinkedIn and created accounts the same day. They spent the rest of the day getting each other’s LinkedIn information and the information of facilitators and mentors.

The end of the day concluded with a business pitch competition. During the competition, the girls had twenty minutes to come up with a business and pitch it to an audience. Many of the girls became more animated and livelier when presenting. They used this opportunity to show off their personalities and their creativity, which resulted in some amazing business pitches. It was clear that by the end of the program, many of the girls had a newfound confidence in themselves.

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According to Girl Scout Alonda, her biggest takeaway from Camp CEO was that, “passion drives everyone to success. Having drive and passion will always keep you focused on your career path and understanding your purpose.”

“I really felt honored to be part of the conversations,” Girl Scout Program Specialist JT said in regards to an activity centered around being your authentic self and finding commonalities between the girls. “I think a lot of the girls were skeptical about how the day would turn out, but our mentors’ genuine interest in learning more about them and especially the vulnerability as they told their stories really resonated with the girls.”

Girls shared that their opinions of the program changed as their day progressed. They expressed being glad to be there and felt more connected to each other.

“I was really nervous to come here but after meeting everyone and getting to talk, I enjoyed myself!” exclaimed a Girl Scout.

Here are some more highlights from the event:

We want to thank all of the incredible women involved in making Camp CEO a success, from our sponsors and community partners, to the mentors, to the staff, to the Girl Scouts themselves!

What I Learned at Girl Scouts Camp CEO

I applied to Camp CEO because I was approached via email by a Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana staff member, who told me about it being a leadership program. I had never done anything through Girl Scouts, besides what I did with my troop, so breaking away from that was something I was skeptical about.

I expected the camp to be loaded with a lot of Girl Scout stereotypes, such as making friendship bracelets and canoeing (both of which we did), but what I didn’t realize is that I would include making lifelong connections and friends.

We talked about real life experiences with the most intriguing and successful women. The women who led and spoke during our time together persevered through gender stereotypes, and broke through glass ceilings to get where they are today.

We went through exercises that would help us in diverse professional settings, along with conversational skills that could help us close a deal or confront issues in the workplace. This camp was lead and organized so that you could ask real-life questions to real-life adults who have gone through the same experiences that we will one day go through. This fact alone makes the whole camp unique, seeing as how mere high school students don’t often get to have heart-to-heart conversations with CEOs of companies.

Camp CEO is important so you can get to know yourself on a business level. It also urges you to think about what you want to do for the rest of your life, and sheds light on all the different opportunities you might not have thought about.

Amelia Harlocker is a 16-year-old Girl Scout Ambassador who attended Camp CEO. To learn more about Camp CEO and to apply, please visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.

Mentoring Variations are Essential

Happy to finally get a chance to write about my mentoring experiences this summer. We often overlook the value in telling our story about being mentored or mentoring someone else. I’ve learned from hearing from friends and colleagues that the variations in mentoring relationships aren’t as widely known or used just by default of the stories going untold. So, here’s my part!

The last time I served as a consistent mentor was with Chicago Women in Philanthropy’s Women’s Leadership Mentoring Program. I served as a mentor for two full years to two different early career women. One worked in communications the other in resource development. Both very dynamic and very successful in their fields as well as the artful balance of everything else in life. I learned a lot, specifically about what I didn’t know that I could teach! How ironic. I assumed when I accepted this role that there would be a formula to follow, a set of questions to check off during the year, a number of people to introduce and get out of the way. Not so. Through sharing our work and life experiences I think the mutually beneficial relationship grew and things that I didn’t know my mentee could use came out during discussion, invitations to random events I attended and sidebar conversations about how my lack of sleep (or ability to wake up at 3 am and be productive for about an hour and go right back to bed with no problems) was embedded into my lifestyle so much so that it no longer bothered me! At the end of my mentoring time when competing priorities adjusted I still have two people who are doing wonderful things in this world that I learned a lot from and I hope was able to share a lot that they can use in their daily lives.

The last time I served as a one day mentor was earlier this summer with the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Camp CEO. I was able to spend 24 hours at Camp Butternut Springs in Valparaiso, IN with 40 young women and a host of other CEOs, the wonderful staff and board members of GSCNWI. I was assigned two mentees, Anna and Emma. Anna a incoming sophomore certain of her desire to teach and Emma and incoming senior understanding her artistic abilities, hopeful to choose a good liberal arts college wanting to make good use of those. Both having siblings, very dedicated to their families and ready to take on the world. I could not have asked to get to know better campers this year or for a better experience and opportunity to share my path to CEO leadership. The theme of this years camp was: Following Our Hearts In Pursuit of Opportunity , which occupied a huge banner in the meeting hall. How poignant and timely. I was greatly inspired by the questions the ladies asked and their goals!!! I’m accordance with the 3 C’s of Girl Scouting; Courage, Confidence and Character filled the camp site. I arrived on Wednesday and, along with other new arrival CEOs, was greeted with a fabulous welcome song. After hearing it a few times it never leaves your brain. I’ve been tempted to sing and record on my phone so I never forget. Our day consisted of workshops on purposely expressing your character and exposing yourself to the world beyond your immediate community. The highlight of our day came after lunch with shark tank pitches. The group was challenged to invent something that solves a modern day issue. Their ideas were amazing. One particular idea about food insecurity access bracelets deserves a pitch to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. During this event I watched the campers withstand some of the toughest questions about their products. These are skills they will need when presenting their ideas to teachers, professors, future bosses and community members.

At the end of the day I got to share my leadership journey-one I’ve always downplayed but fully accepted as my purpose in life. I’ve just never stood from the mountaintops and yelled my story to the masses. My journey to CEO at Evanston Community Foundation was one of my challenges as a teenager, purpose as a young adult and accepting of an opportunity to use the full scope of my skills and talents. Our day included lots of other great things and luckily I got to stick around for S’mores and songs by the campfire. If you’ve never tried a Reece’s cup S’more, you’re missing out on a world of goodness. I assured the group that any increase in pricing of the cookies was alright with me!

The next morning when it was time to depart I got a chance to record the goodbye song, which I will cherish forever. The experience of being with the group for only 24 hours was great. I was headed back to my day to day and with the understanding that this time I mentored simply by allowing campers to ask me questions that are important to them. Questions like-how do you make tough decisions and when you were in high school did you think you’d be where you are today in your career? Questions like-If you want to be a model do you have to be this tall or this small? All very important self confidence questions. I hope my answers were helpful.

If you know me, you know my husband and I parent a very dedicated to life 5 year old. When she heard I was going to Camp CEO…all she heard was camp. My daughter has no clue what CEO means nor does she care. It didn’t matter why I was going to camp. And when she heard Girl Scouts, she certainly would not let that go. So, luckily her school will be hosting a daisy troop this year and she can join. I was never a girl scout, but I have to believe there is a girl scout in me and I was happy to be among them even for only 24 hours.

So, there you have it. My two most recent instances of extreme vs very loose mentoring. Both very rewarding for me and hopefully for my mentees. All in all, I know that mentoring is defined by what you need and what you can give. There isn’t a hard and fast rule to getting it right. If you are able to be a mentor, know your limitations with that role and be able to express them.If you are seeking a mentor, know your needs with that role and be able to express them. Find your circles of influence that may offer informal instances of mentoring. You’ll find that what fits you best is a variation that gels well with the life you live, the time you have to give and the outcomes you’re trying to reach!

This post was written by Monique Brunson Jones, the CEO of Evanston Community Foundation. To learn more about Monique, please visit her blog empoweredtoday.org.

Camp CEO: Mentoring with a Side of S’mores

Last week, I participated in what will surely be remembered as one of the highlights of my summer–camping with the Girl Scouts! In it’s tenth year, Camp CEO is a premier leadership camp for teen girls and high-level professionals held at Camp Butternut Springs in Valparaiso, Indiana.

I was invited to attend as one of the 25 female “CEOs” along with 40 high-achieving Girl Scouts selected from the Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana council who applied and wrote essays to participate. I had not been camping since my days as a leader with my daughter’s troop 20 years ago, and it was incredible fun to be hiking, swimming, and singing songs around the campfire once again.

campCeo1A — Village President of Long Grove Angie Underwood and her mentee, Trinity, at Camp CEO.

In addition to these traditional camp activities, what made Camp CEO so special was the opportunity to mentor the girls one-on-one and share stories, life experiences, advice and inspiration. I was fortunate to be paired with Trinity, an impressively smart and sweet girl from Chicago who aspires to be a doctor.

I really enjoyed spending time with my mentee as well as all the girls at camp and I was continually amazed by the thoughtful questions the girls asked. They were truly focused on learning and absorbing as much as possible from their time with the adult mentors. Women were present from a wide variety of professions such as science, technology, law, government, finance, communications, entrepreneurs, and more.

I was asked to lead a workshop on networking and social etiquette in politics, which challenged me to step out of my box a bit to design a seminar. But I had a ball doing it, and the girls really seemed to enjoy discussing the role of women in elected office particularly in light of the history being made this year in our U. S. presidential race.

One activity that seemed to really resonate with adults and girls alike was the “Dreaming Your Future” tradition. A couple of times each day, everyone would gather around the fireplace or campfire, and listen as three or four of the CEOs took center stage and shared their own life story and pathway to leadership.

As usual, the girls had intriguing questions to ask. I found it so interesting that every woman’s story showcased the fact that most of us are not doing what we thought our careers would be when we were in high school or college–in most cases our journey has taken twists and turns to lead us to a place we never dreamed possible. I know that I never planned on becoming a Village President when I was majoring in foods-nutrition/dietetics during my college days!

Camp CEO was an all-around wonderful experience. I’m grateful that we have organizations such as Girl Scouts to provide opportunities like this, which bond women and girls together to inspire the next generation of leaders. But the inspiration works both ways, because I came home uplifted by Trinity and all the other young women I now know who give me hope for a bright future for us all.

This post was written by Angie Underwood, village president of Long Grove. To learn more about Angie, please visit her blog, LifeinLongGrove.com.

Making Lasting Memories at Girl Scout Camp CEO

Since its inception 10 years ago, Girl Scouts have made powerful connections and long-lasting memories at Camp CEO. Hosted by Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Camp CEO pairs teenage girls with some of the top women business executives in the Chicagoland area. Often, these relationships extend beyond the week-long summer camp, as evident by Anita Tang and Alisha Welles’ ten-year friendship.

At the first Camp CEO in 2007, Tang, the managing director for Royal Roots Inc., her own firm specializing in U.S.-China business strategy, was paired with Welles, who was a Girl Scout Ambassador at the time.

“After graduating high school, I realized that I needed more guidance on how to discern between opportunities,” Welles said of her decision to apply for Camp CEO. “The opportunity to meet with mentors that have successfully made their way in life was encouraging and inspiring.”

During Camp CEO, girls and mentors participate in various workshops, have candid conversations and engage in outdoor leadership activities.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Alisha (left) and Anita (right) at Camp CEO in 2006.

“Participating with Anita at the archery range and learning how to aim and shoot to hit a target was a wonderful memory,” said Welles, who is currently a business analyst at Peapod. “Learning about the lives of our mentors through the “Dreaming Your Future” workshop was my favorite part of Camp CEO. All of the mentors started in different places with different background and made it to a leading role in a company they joined or built.”

And the mentees weren’t the only ones who learned valuable lessons during Camp CEO.

“That knowledge and experience at Camp CEO did not flow one way from the adult campers,” shared Tang. “We could learn many things from the girls, too. And we got to be young again! To learn from and share with our peers and the girls – for sure, the interactions benefit all parties.”

One piece of advice Tang shared with Welles was how body language can be interpreted differently across cultures, which came in handy when the pair later met up in Beijing during Welles’ internship in Hong Kong and China.

“We had a great time!” exclaimed Tang.

“I also learned about the importance of etiquette and dress,” said Welles. “That appearance and behavior play a role in how you move around the world as well as leveraging your mind and heart.”

Welles also describes Camp CEO as a “great space to learn how to network, grow and connect with women and other girls that can understand your journey and care about whether your succeed.”

And Tang agreed.

“Everyone should participate in Camp CEO to gain some exposure that they may not get every day and to get a taste of people who are different and whose experiences are also different,” she said.

To learn more about Camp CEO, visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org/campceo.

Experience Leadership at Camp CEO

What does it take to be a leader in today’s world? What is it really like being a woman in a management position?

You can find out the answers to these questions and more at the 10th annual Camp CEO, a fun-filled, five-day overnight camp hosted by Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

An experience like none other, Camp CEO brings together a select group of teen girls to engage in outdoor leadership activities with some of Chicagoland’s most prominent female business leaders.

“Camp CEO had managed to bring a diverse crowd of women and girls together to learn from each other, ultimately so that we could utilize our acquired skills in the real world,” said Eva Lewis, a 17-year-old Girl Scout Ambassador, who participated in last year’s session (pictured above, right). “We were bettering ourselves to make the road to become a successful woman easier. Not only were we investing in our futures, but by doing this we were investing inthe futures of those who will come after us.”

From campfire conversations to archery practice, Camp CEO is an exceptional experience combining the adventure of overnight camp with the personal growth and business savvy of leadership seminars.

“Camp CEO taught me to be ambitious, courageous and passionate – and it all started at a game of kickball with my Camp CEO mentor,” said Kavya Anjur, a Girl Scout and Camp CEO alumna. “After following her advice, I networked with a local lab and got a summer internships, which helped me win a national science contest. I recommend Camp CEO to every high schooler out there – you’ll learn the skills necessary to be successful in this day and age.”

Camp CEO takes place Aug. 7 -12, 2016 at Camp Butternut Springs in Valparaiso, Indiana. Tuition is $150 for Girl Scouts and $180 for non- Girl Scouts and include accommodations, meals and more. Financial aid available.

For more information and to apply, visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org/campceo. Applications are due May 9.

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