Programs of Religious Activities with Youth P.R.A.Y. Girl Scout News Bulletin Fourth Quarter 2007 Welcome to the P.R.A.Y. Girl Scout News Bulletin. This Bulletin is how we share information about the religious awards programs and ways to strengthen relationships with the religious community. Is There Common Ground? An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers (2007) Search Institute and The National Collaboration for Youth (with contributions from the American Camp Association) conducted a study on what it would take to build bridges between community-based youth workers and faith-based youth workers. The two types of youth workers “appear to operate in parallel universes.” Is There Common Ground? explores the possibility that community-based and faith-based youth workers could learn together and from each other. Here are some of the questions that were asked in this study: Can faith-based and community-based youth organizations find common ground in how they might prepare staff and volunteers to most effectively work with youth? What are the priorities, core competencies, and professional development interests and needs of both groups of youth workers? Where are they similar and different? What role does spiritual development play in the overall holistic development of youth? Are these groups of youth workers interested in finding common ground? What are any critical barriers that may interfere with building bridges? What do they see as the advantages? If there is interest, what might be done to facilitate mutual support and enhanced opportunities and systems for improving youth workers’ competencies and effectiveness? Youth workers in both community-based and faith-based settings are committed to the successful development of young people, and it is this shared commitment that provides the potential for common ground between them. Click here for more information.  http://www.search-institute.org/research/commonground. "TO MUSLIM GIRLS, SCOUTS OFFER A CHANCE TO FIT IN" The New York Times published an article on November 28, 2007 about a Muslim Girl Scout Troop in Minneapolis and focused on Girl Scouting as "a sort of assimilation tool" for Muslim girls. According to one Muslim troop leader, "Scouting is a way of celebrating being American without being any less Muslim." Click here to read the entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/28girlscout.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1196366917-S7wuGn/SIGchU+O1tVjM5A UPDATES FROM P.R.A.Y. Cokesbury has announced that it will now be carrying the God and Country religious award booklets from P.R.A.Y. Cokesbury is a nationwide retailer of Christian resources, and is part of the United Methodist Publishing House, an agency of The United Methodist Church. Cokesbury is also the primary retail partner for the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Bookmark the following page to order the P.R.A.Y. books from Cokesbury: http://www.cokesbury.com. Use the search box to find the program level you are interested in (God and Me, God and Family, God and Church or God and Life).   The brochure explaining the Protestant Christian series has been revised and is available online. This brochure has been used for promotion and training purposes. It also includes an order form. http://www.praypub.org/god_country/PRAY_brochure.htm [The Protestant series is used by the following denominations: African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Assembly of God, Baptist, Church of God, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Lutheran, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and other independent and nondenominational churches.]   Plan now to recognize your adult volunteers who are active in a faith community... nominate them to receive an Adult Religious Recognition and recognize them on Girl Scout Sunday in March. Be sure to use a current nomination form. http://www.praypub.org/promotional_adultnomination.htm   Council Training - Mark Hazlewood, CEO of P.R.A.Y., made a presentation in November to the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, Inc. on how to increase membership by partnering with the religious community. The 2-hour presentation focused on how working with faith communities benefits the girls, the individual congregations, as well as the local Girl Scout council. Ideas discussed included using religious emblems as a door opener, how to find individuals to help open those doors, techniques for building membership and then sustaining it, and showing congregations how Girl Scouts can help meet their needs. Sheri Levingston, Director of Council Membership, stated that "growing membership in the religious community is in our plan of work. This workshop went a long way in helping our staff understand the potential that religious organizations hold as well as giving them concrete practical techniques that can be applied today." The next Girl Scout training will be for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois in Rock Island, IL in February 2008. RELIGIOUS AWARDS UPDATE The Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Colorado Springs Diocese has a Pillars of Faith pin to recognize Girl Scouts who have earned all four of the Catholic religious awards: Family of God, I Live My Faith, Marian Medal and Spirit Alive. Other dioceses, outside of the Colorado Springs Diocese, can use the Pillars of Faith pin to recognize their Scouts. Click here for more information: http://www.catholic-church.org/ccos_tn/html/pillarsoffaithstg.htm   Visit the web site of the National Jewish Girl Scout Committee for a new ten-year Jewish calendar and for guidelines for camping with observant Girl Scouts http://www.njgsc.org/   Forgot where the religious awards are worn on the Girl Scout uniform? Click here: http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/insignia/where_to_place/junior/junior_religious_other.asp THIRD QUARTER FOUR-STAR RECIPIENTS The following individuals were recognized in the third quarter of 2007 for completing all four levels of the God and Country series. Four-Star recipients receive a certificate and letter from CEO Mark Hazlewood congratulating them on their accomplishments. Tanasi (Knoxville, TN) - Kelly Luckmann Eastern Missouri (St. Louis, MO) - Rachel Honz Central Texas (Austin, TX) - Michelle Smith Goldenrod (Kearney, NE) - Leah Olson North East Ohio (Cleveland, OH) - Ariana Christo, Jessica Kubishke, Angelique Messer, Christine Parker, Danielle Reddinger, Shelley Smith, Susan Smith, Alyssa Vrbancic SECOND QUARTER 2007 ADULT AWARD RECIPIENTS The following leaders received special recognition from their congregations for their service to girls and young women through Girl Scouting. Heart of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, PA) - Carol Louey, Lutheran Lamb Award Minnesota & Wisconsin River Valleys (St. Paul, MN) - Linda Brunsvold, Lutheran Servant of Youth Award Dakota Horizons (Sioux Falls, SD) - Nancy Schaper, UMC God and Service Award Colorado (Denver, CO) - Karen Hardy, Episcopal St. George Award; Camille Trujillo, Episcopal St. George Award; Joan Womer, Episcopal St. George Award Otahki (Cape Girardeau, MO) - Mary Wisdom, Protestant God and Service Award Northeast Texas (Dallas, TX) - Cheryl Miller, Protestant God and Service Award West Pacific (overseas) - Holly Erwin-Harding, Baptist Good Shepherd Award For information on adult religious recognitions, visit the P.R.A.Y. web site: http://www.praypub.org/promotional_adultnomination.htm PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWS BULLETIN WITH OTHERS Please forward this email to other people in program, membership/marketing, newsletter/publications, council store, volunteers, etc. who may benefit from this information. 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