Half the Sky

I've started reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  I suggest you read it, too.  The documentary series will be released on PBS on October 1 and 2 and stars Gabrielle Union, Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, America Ferrera, and many others.  (I would like to throw a premiere party in the Birmingham area, if anyone is interested.)

Here is the trailer:

Tinogona (It Is Achievable)

We ladies at the Girls' World Forum had the honor of hearing the very inspirational Dr. Tererai Trent speak at our closing ceremony.  

Tererai grew up in a village in Zimbabwe where girls were not encouraged to attend school.  Still, she wanted an education.  Now she is a PhD who has opened nine schools in Africa.

Check out her story in the two videos below:

 

This woman has such a giving heart.  Her spirit is apparent in the way she talks, the way she moves.  I applaud her for not only rising out of poverty, but for providing others with better educational opportunities.

Somebody has to break the cycle of poverty.  It is achievable.    

We're Home!

I've been home since Tuesday night and have been sleeping almost constantly.  The Girls' World Forum was a wonderful, life-changing experience--but I'm exhausted!  Now that I've gotten some rest, it's time to get moving again.  We have a lot of work to do:

• 60% of girls experience violence in their lifetimes.
• 2/3 of illiterate adults are female.
• For every man with HIV, there are three HIV+ women.
• There are 60 million child brides (less than eighteen years old) worldwide.
• Someone dies every 3.6 seconds from hunger.
• 130 species go extinct every day.
• 1/3 of coral reefs are destroyed or severely damaged.
• Women's hourly wages are 15% to 22% lower than men's.
• 2/3 of the world's unpaid work is done by women.
• 21,000 children die of hunger every day.

But there is good news, too!

• There are 10 million Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world.
• There are 59 million Girl Scout alumnae.

C'mon, ladies (and gentlemen)!  Let's band together and make a difference!

A Few Videos We Watched This Week

An Indian PSA about stopping domestic violence:

A seven-minute video about the United Nations' Millennium Development goals:

A video from WAGGGS's "Stop the Violence" campaign:

7 Ways to Lead a Political Life

A woman from the Athena Center for Leadership Studies talked to us on Saturday about the lack of women in politics.  The more female leaders a government has, she says, the stronger their democracy.  I have to agree with her.  Women are approximately 50% of the population, so their representation in government should reflect that.  I did not know that in Rwanda, women currently make up 56% of Parliament (woohoo!). 

Here are her seven steps to living a political life:

1. Follow the news.
2. Attend civic and political events.
3. Talk like a leader.
4. Make something happen.
5. Try.  Fail.  Try again.
6. Run for office now.
7. Listen to your followers.

When I get home, I may start watching the news and practicing my public speaking skills.  I also want to make an effort to learn more about other cultures and world history.  My Namibian roommate was talking about Apartheid, and I thought to myself, I should really know more about this than I do.  If I want to understand what is going on in the world today, I have to learn what events led up to it.  That is part of being a global citizen.

What about you?  Are you living a political life?

Forever Green

My posts are a little behind, so I guess I need to catch everyone up.

One of the Millennium Development Goals we are discussing this week is environmental sustainability.  On Friday, we went to the Brookfield Zoo to learn more about this issue.

Dolphins!

Here I am with my friends from New York, Florida, and Sweden.

A major problem affecting the world today is deforestation.  In Sumatra and Borneo, trees in the rainforest are cut down to produce palm oil.  Palms produce more oil per acre than any other plant.  While this industry is good for generating jobs, the logging is not always done in a sustainable way, causing orangutans to lose their homes.

Orangutans are not the only animals left homeless because of deforestation.  Big cats are commonly effected.  The endangered African Blackwood tree, often used by lions as a resting spot, is used to make clarinets, oboes, and piccolos.  Jaguars' habitats are destroyed by soybean farming.  There are fewer than 500 Amur Tigers left in the wild, and fewer than 50 Amur Leopards.    

What is being done to help?

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a non-governmental organization that encourages people to grow sustainable palms.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was established in 1994 to create sustainable forests.  Products that carry their logo come from certified sustainable sources.  

Look out for this logo next time you buy paper, toilet paper, or other products:

We also discussed water conservation and climate change.  I had heard that the oceans are becoming more acidic, causing wildlife to die, but I never considered what that had to do with climate change.  Excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere falls into the ocean and mixes with other chemicals to form carbonic acid.

The most shocking image I saw at the zoo was this:

This is the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  Notice that Haiti on the left has few trees, while the Dominican Republic on the right is lush and green.  The Dominican Republic regulates the logging industry; Haiti does not.

So does policy really matter?  Absolutely. 

On Saturday, I visited the Chicago Center for Green Technology.  The property was formerly used as a dumping ground for old construction materials.  Too much debris piled up, and the Department of Environment took over.  Now the building is a model for what green living can be.  Plants native to the Illinois area are grown outside, inside, on the roof, and on the walls of the building.  Most everything is made from recycled materials.  Their water is partially cooled by running it through pipes underground.  The CCGT raises bees and collects their honey.  If you ever happen to be in the Chicago area, I recommend you check the CCGT out.  You may discover ways to make your own home more eco-friendly.

POP QUIZ!

Can you figure out what these Australian things would be called in the United States?

1. Singlets.
2. Flannies.
3. Thongs.
4. G-Strings.

BONUS:  What object do people in Wisconsin call "bubblers"?

Answers after the jump.

Today's Post is Brought to You by the Letter Zhe (Ж)

One of the coolest things about the Girls' World Forum is meeting girls whose cultures (and languages!) are different than my own.  

My roommate, Beverly, is from Namibia.  We spend hours discussing similarities and differences--scouting uniforms and time zones, electronics and wildlife, governments and money, morning songs and lullabies.  She cannot believe that I have never seen the deer-like creature depicted on Namibian currency.  "I bet you've never seen these animals," I say, showing her pictures of raccoons, possums, and armadillos.  "They are so ugly!" she says.  We laugh.  They are ugly.  "This one curls up into a ball?"  "Yeah," I say.  When she tells me her brother's hero is Abraham Lincoln, I give her the shiniest penny in my wallet and promise to give her a five-dollar bill the next time I get change.

Maria and Kate from Ukraine have been teaching me some Russian phrases.  At first I felt silly when I mispronounce a word, but they understand how different our languages are and tell me to keep trying.  I do.  I feel amazing when I say the words correctly.  I even practice saying the words while I'm in the shower.

These are only a few examples of the wonderful experiences I've had talking to people at this conference.  If you want to foster understanding and acceptance in the world, all you have to do is get people from different cultures in one room together.  This is what WAGGGS wants to achieve.  Now that I have made friends from almost every continent, I want to make the world a better place for all of us.

Day One

Today we discussed MDG #1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

Poverty is defined as "the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor."

A few statistics:

• Someone dies of hunger every 3.6 seconds.
• 13.2% of the world population is starving.  That's 925,000,000 people.
• 1.4 billion people survive on $1.25 or less every day.
• The world has enough resources for each person to consume 2,700 calories a day.

What can be done to improve this situation?  Empower women.

Check out this video about girls living in poverty.  (I cried.)   

What are others doing to help?

A few organizations we discussed:

• Heifer International  (Watch this video to see how the lives of poor women in Nepal were changed after they began raising their own livestock.)

• World Food Programme (and their successful program, www.FreeRice.com)
• Krochet Kids

After we talked about these organizations' successes, we brainstormed problems related to poverty and hunger in our communities and how we can take action.  

Service projects are short-term solutions to an issue.

Take Action projects are long-term, sustainable solutions that address the root cause of a problem.

You've heard the saying:  "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."  That is what Take Action projects are all about.

I would write more about what I experienced today, but it's very late (or very early, depending on your perspective).  I have another big day of sessions tomorrow, so until then...goodnight!

So What Is the Girls' World Forum, Anyway?

The Girls' World Forum is an event hosted by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) where girls ages 14-18 from across the globe meet to discuss the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and develop a plan to make a difference in their communities.  


This week, we are discussing three of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):

• Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
• Promoting gender equality and empowering women.
• Ensuring environmental sustainability.

By the end of the week, each country/council will have designed a project addressing one or more of these goals.  The project should be completed by July 2013.

Many countries are represented at this conference.  We may not speak the same language or share the same culture, but as Juliette Gordon Low once said, "Ours is a circle of friendships united by ideals."

I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity.  Thank you again to those who helped me get here.  I hope I can make you proud.

Jess's Photography- enjoy my lovelies!

Out and about in Chiii Town!

Getting to Know Lita and Jessica

From left to right: Callie, Jessica, GSUSA CEO Ana Maria Chavez, and Lita

Lita:
Code Name: Roxie.
What She Wore Today: green Girl Scouts 1912-2012 t-shirt, black shorts, and sandals.
Favorite Color: turquoise.
Allergies: none to her knowledge.
Favorite Movies Set in Chicago:  Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Chicago, and The Blues Brothers.
What she's reading now:  Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman.
Favorite Sky Mall product:  Bigfoot, the Bashful Yeti Tree Sculpture


Jessica:
Code Name: Velma.
What She Wore Today:  red shirt with three-quarters length sleeves, high-waisted shorts, black Keds.
Favorite Color:  olive green.
Allergies:  cherry tomatoes.
Favorite Airplane Food:  pretzels.  ("Why aren't these peanuts honey-roasted?!")
What she's reading now:  Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler
What she's listening to now:  "Backwards with Time," by the Avett Brothers; "O Children," by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; "Scattered Hearts," by Monument Valley; "Ho Hey," by the Lumineers

We're Here!

Callie, Jessica, and I have made it to the Windy City!  Wi-Fi is only free in the lobby of the hotel, but we'll try to post soon!

Burning the Midnight Oil

Four o'clock will be here way too early, but, hey, my bags are (mostly) packed and I have 220 good-looking SWAPS.

I've got 180 "Stars Fell on Alabama" SWAPS...

...and 40 iced tea SWAPS that say, "The Only Things Sweeter Than Our Tea Are Our Accents."  (Those Communion cups are cute, right?)

I may be tired, but I'm proud of myself.  

A note on packing: How am I supposed to "Be Prepared" and pack lightly at the same time?!

The next time I post on this blog, I'll be in the Windy City!  I can't wait!  Wish us luck! 

Have I Mentioned That I Hate Glitter?

Most of my time yesterday was spent working on SWAPS: planning what I was going to do, buying supplies, and putting them together.  I'm still not done.

If you are or have been a Girl Scout, you probably know what SWAPS are.  SWAPS are small, keepsake objects that are traded by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.  The objects are usually attached to a camp hat with pins, which is why many Scouts say the acronym stands for Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.  

For the Girls' World Forum, we're supposed to bring 150-200 SWAPS that represent our region (in our case, Alabama).    

What am I working on?  Well, I'll give you a few hints.

It involves 180 tiny Ziploc bags full of star-shaped confetti,

tiny disposable Communion cups,*

simulated water,

brown food coloring paste,

and coffee stirrers.

Any guesses?

*Ever since my mother and I found out how much Communion cups cost, we've been brainstorming different ways we can use them in craft projects.  You can buy 100 cups for $5 or 1000 cups for $15 from the Christian bookstore.  (And they are SO cute!)

(Special thanks to Jessica P. for helping me fill all of those bags with confetti and glitter!)

Welcome!

This blog was started by three Girl Scouts as a way to document their travels (particularly their trip to the Girls' World Forum in Chicago, Illinois) and share their thoughts and experiences with others.  

So why the name Little Ships Under Full Sail?

When Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, was a little girl, she loved hearing stories about her great-grandmother, Eleanor Lytle McKillip Kinzie.  As the story goes, little Eleanor was held captive by Native Americans.  An energetic and adventurous child, Eleanor was adopted by the Seneca chief Cornplanter, who nicknamed her "Little-Ship-Under-Full-Sail."  Eleanor lived with the Native Americans for four years but was later returned to her family.  Some say that Cornplanter promised Eleanor one wish for her birthday, and she asked to go home.  Juliette's personality was much like her great-grandmother's, so as tribute, her family began to call her "Little Ship."

Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts

This isn't the only time nautical imagery shows up in scouting.  Here are the lyrics to the popular camping song, "Barges":

Out of my window, looking through the night

I can see the barges’ flickering light.
Silently flows the river to the sea,
And the barges, they go silently.


         Barges, I would like to go with you,
         I would like to sail the ocean blue.
         Barges, have you treasures in your hold?
         Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?
 

Out of my window, looking through the night,
I can see the barges’ flickering light.
Starboard shines green and port is glowing red,
You can see them flickering far ahead. 

         

         Chorus

One of these days, and it will not be long,
You will look for me and I’ll be gone.
Face to the wind, far out upon the sea
Where the whales and dolphins sing to me.

       

         Chorus

So out of my window, looking through the night,
I can see the barges’ flickering light.
Silently flows the river to the sea,
And the barges they go silently.

         Chorus 

We hope that we, too, can be adventurous little ships.  As for treasures and pirates--we'll keep you posted.