News Archive

Girl Scouts in the News

GSBB Featured on NH Chronicle

The Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) Initiative was established in 1992 in partnership with the National Institute of Justice. The goals of GSBB are to lessen the impact of parental separation due to incarceration, to foster the personal and social development of girls and their mothers, and to provide girls with the opportunity to participate with their parents in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Parents and their daughters take an active leadership role in the planning and implementation of Girl Scout program activities and also participate in facilitated discussions about family life, conflict resolution, and the prevention of violence and drug abuse. After release, parents and daughters can continue to participate in troop meetings in their communities, making Girl Scouting a consistent presence in their lives. To view NH Chronicle click the image above.

PSNH Supports Girl Scouts’ Science and Technology Program

Bedford, NH, September 30, 2011—Thanks to a partnership between Public Service of New Hampshire and Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, more girls may consider careers in environmental science, engineering, mathematics or physics when they grow up.

PSNH is donating up to $11,000 for Girl Scout programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to help address the growing need for STEM education initiatives for all girls in grades 4 through 8.

Girl Scouts of the USA research shows that women are underrepresented in STEM fields, even as careers in science and technology are increasing in number.

“PSNH is pleased to support this valuable investment in exciting careers for many of these young girls,” says Paulette Faggiano, PSNH corporate communications manager. “Along with many other organizations throughout the state, PSNH knows that a new generation of talented and skilled workers will be critical to the future health of our businesses and our communities.”

Using Girl Scout and Boston Museum of Science materials, 150 girls in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth and Keene will enjoy exciting hands-on fun, something Girl Scouts call “discover by doing,” over a series of weeks.

The programs will be run by trained and dedicated volunteers in their own communities, including volunteers from PSNH and experts in engineering, science and technology, to help girls learn how math and science are used in everyday life and work.

PSNH is New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, generating and distributing clean electricity for more than 500,000 homes and businesses in an environmentally friendly manner.

PhAt PSNH Energy Park in Manchester, NH are, left to right: Director of Development Jamie Devlin, Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains CEO Patricia Mellor, and PSNH Corporate Communications Manager Paulette Faggiano and Senior Communications Specialist Melissa Skarupa.

Girl Scout District Congressional Advocacy Days

AUGUST 2011--Patricia Mellor, CEO, and several board members met with New Hampshire and Vermont legislators this month as part of a national initiative known as Girl Scout District Congressional Advocacy Days.
Girl Scout District Congressional Advocacy Days are held during the congressional August recess period from August 8 to September 6, 2011. Girl Scout council chief executive officers and board chairs from across the country meet with their congressional representatives to focus attention on issues that affect girls and Girl Scouting.

“Teaching girls how our democracy works and how to affect positive change empowers them to advocate for themselves and others, creating thoughtful leaders,” Mellor said. “These lessons carry them through their lives, no matter what they choose to do or be.”
In addition to updating senators and congressmen on events in Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the group advocated for the Healthy Media for Youth Act, recently introduced legislation that would support research, media literacy initiatives and an FCC task force to examine how women and girls are portrayed in the media.

The group also urged representatives to join Girl Scouts of the USA in events surrounding the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting next year.
In recent years Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains has focused its advocacy efforts on a range of issues that affect girls’ healthy growth and development, including raising awareness about bullying and eating disorders, and advocating for healthier media images of girls and women. Through Girls Rock the Capitol, a Girl Scout legislative internship, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts work side-by-side with women legislators to learn about the democratic process from inside the State House.

Photos:
Above: Patricia Mellor, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, and GSGWM Past President Anne Edwards in the senator’s Manchester, NH office. All three women are also attorneys; Edwards is Chief of Staff at the NH Department of Justice. Senator Ayotte was a Girl Scout and credits the Movement with giving her an appreciation of the value of giving back to the community and learning how to set goals. Left:
Patricia Mellor, U.S. Representative Frank Guinta, and GSGWM Board Treasurer Martha Manley in the congressman’s Manchester, NH office.