Girl Scout Convention (July 20-22, 2023)
The Phenom By Girl Scouts Girl Scout Convention was a whirlwind of excitement, bringing in more than 10,000 Girl Scouts and their families. This year, the event took place July 20-22, 2023 at the Disney World Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.
A team of National Park Service staff, including Lucy Hurlbut from the WASO Youth Programs Division; Marianne Mills and Carrie Schmitt (Community Volunteer Ambassador) from the Southeast Regional Office; Marielle Lumang and Hollis Hatfield from De Soto National Memorial ; Laura Henning from Canaveral National Seashore ; and Cicely Pontiflet and Ruby Cox (Community Volunteer Ambassador) from Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve all came to connect with talented young minds and witness their drive to make a difference. It was truly inspiring. This convention served as a reminder of the boundless potential and limitless possibilities that lie within every girl and woman.
Activities that took place at the National Park Service booth included morning and afternoon yoga sessions that talked about animals and a game about the painted bunting and their migration from Timucuan National Park and Preserve; a talk about whale conservation and turtle conservation from Canaveral National Seashore; a booth to try on different replica armor from 1539, chain mail, and a fish printing activity from De Soto National Monument; the Girl Scout Ranger Program ; education about oysters and how they sequester carbon; the Every Kid Outdoors Program; Junior Ranger Programs; living shorelines; and overviews of the National Park Service, the various career options, and how to get involved.
Along with the NPS, there were several other agencies represented, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Patent Office, NASA, U.S. Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure and Security Agency.
All these federal agencies were ready to show Girl Scouts the various careers available to them and to be curious about the opportunities, as there is no one size fits all way to get to where you want to go.
These thousands of Girl Scouts came together from across the country and around the world to spark new friendships and connect with old friends, try things they had never done before, and, of course, have tons of fun.
National Jamboree (July 19-28, 2023)
The Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) National Jamboree was 10 days of fun, service, and learning for the more than 18,000 Scouts, families, and volunteers. From July 19-28, 2023, they camped out at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, a 10,000 acre space that is right across from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in Beckley, West Virginia. There were several one-day visitors as well. From high adventure sports like zip lining, rock climbing, rafting, 3D archery, sporting clays, and more, to exploring the various exhibits that were stretched over several thousand acres, there were endless activities for the Scouts to do.
The National Park Service had a team of 10 individuals from various parks and offices supporting the event: Jonathan Malriat, George Washington Birthplace National Monument ; Megan Wilkins, Chickasaw National Recreation Area ; Beth Wasson, Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site ; Joseph Gallegos, Washington Office; Bill Hughes, Washington Office; Lauren Krupinski and Lynn Nash, Independence National Historical Park ; Stephanie Pooler, Richmond National Battlefield Park ; Jamie Richards, Rocky Mountain National Park ; Nick Wagman, The White House and President’s Park ; and Vaughn Pani, Statue of Liberty National Monument. In addition, Lucy Hurlbut from the WASO Youth Programs Division, along with Cris Constantine and Bridget Street from the Northeast Regional Office also helped out for part of it.
The booth had five activities you could complete, and by participating in at least one of them, you could earn a special New River Gorge National Park and Preserve 2023 Jamboree patch. There were 6,000 some NPS patches distributed over the course of the event. The activities included a career exhibit that showcased a gallery of videos spotlighting various careers in the National Park Service, from parks to regions and the Washington Area Support Office. There was also an exhibit on different National Park Service sites, a National Park Service timeline challenge, the Resource Stewardship Scout Ranger Program, and the Historic Preservation Training Center's Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP). On select days, TTAP members provided demonstrations on shingling, which the Scouts thoroughly enjoyed. Twice a day, there was also a cannon drill demonstration where an NPS staff talked about the history of a cannon and had Scouts volunteer to reenact preparing the cannon (without any actual firing).
The NPS tent was part of a larger area called the Conservation Trail that included three other Department of Interior bureaus: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Bureau of Land Management. The U.S. Forest Service, the National Leave No Trace team, West Virginia State Forestry, and other government agencies and organizations also hosted tents along the trail. Scouts were given a “passport" at the main Conservation Tent and each tent along the trail stamped their passport. Scouts who visited each tent were then awarded a Conservation Trail patch.
The 2023 National Jamboree was a historic event for the BSA because this was the first Jamboree attended by female Scout members. The BSA began inducting females into their organization in February 2019, however, the 2021 National Jamboree was cancelled due to COVID-19. Dates for the next National Jamboree have yet to be established.
These Scouts came together to truly get immersed in the outdoors, trade patches, share what they learned with others, make new friends, and more.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service