Girl Scouts went Back in the Woods
October 29, 2015
SPARTANBURG, SC – Approximately 400 Girl Scouts and adults went Back in the Woods at Camp Mary Elizabeth, Spartanburg, on Saturday, October 24. Girl Scout Brownies (grades 2-3) and Juniors (grades 4-5) had the choice of such traditional and non-traditional activities as wall climbing, zumba, horse care, yoga, stream and ecology, fire building and outdoor cooking.
Outdoor programming has long been at the core of the Girl Scout experience, establishing the organization as a national leader and advocate in getting girls outside to help them develop valuable skills and an appreciation for the natural world. In support of that commitment, five new outdoor badges were added to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience program this year. The badge program has always been one of the cornerstones of Girl Scouts and its research shows that there is a connection between outdoor experiences and girls’ understanding of their leadership potential.
States the event’s founding sponsor, volunteer Nancy Anderson, “At a time when many young people are so plugged into the latest technology that they lack outdoor experiences, Back in the Woods is an opportunity for them to explore nature and the outdoors at its finest – to be so close to a horse they can feel its gentle breath, to follow swirling, falling autumn leaves floating down a creek, and to use a map and compass instead of GPS to find their way on unknown trails.”
Led by staff member Kristyn McGraw, Girl Scouts were seated on “Happy Rock” as they prepared to explore the stream area while pretending to be animals in the ecosystem.
For more than 103 years, Girl Scouting has helped girls develop positive values and become active, responsible leaders in their communities. With emphasis on personal growth and leadership development through service to others, Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands serves approximately 11,400 girls, grades K5-12, and 3,750 adults in 22 counties of central and western South Carolina, including Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, and Union.
