Girl Scouts across the country have always operated under one guiding principle: be prepared.
That motto has never been more appropriate than this year, as young scouts have had to quickly adapt to the continuous hurdles thrown their way thanks to the widespread COVID-19 pandemic.
But persevere they did.
Several troops were able to celebrate their hard work on Sunday during a unique bridging ceremony the girls will surely remember for years to come. A bridging ceremony is traditionally done in the spring toward the end of the school year. During the in-person ceremony, the girls recite a pledge, walk over a bridge to signify their passing from one age bracket to another and then receive their new vests.
When the calendar began creeping toward the scheduled bridging ceremonies this spring, COVID-19 arrived and locked the nation down as communities attempted to safely get a grasp on the pandemic. The ceremonies were postponed and the girls had a choice: either leave the scouts or adjust to a new method of leadership and growth.
Most chose to stay and they began meeting with their troop via Zoom. Courtney Paat, recruiter and public relations representative for the Strawberry Service Unit, said the scouts didn’t miss a beat.
“They did badge work, scavenger hunts, they did escape rooms all online, they did cupcake wars and worked on badges, all kinds of things,” Paat said. “It was really very creative and one of the beautiful things I think we all are experiencing with technology is how much access to information and people and resources we have using the tech. Girl Scouts all over have tapped into that and there are thousands of programs out there that are available to Girl Scouts using zoom essentially or other online formats, where they can do science experiments, STEM activities and go on virtual tours of other locations. I know we’ve got girls that have done stuff with NASA.”
The Girl Scouts have recently been able to meet in person once again — albeit with social distancing guidelines and new safety requirements — so the local troops felt it was high time the young girls be able to cross the bridge and move to the next level.
However, it still didn’t make sense to fill a room with friends and family to hold the traditional ceremony.
Instead, the troops got creative. Spearheaded by Annette Lynn, the Strawberry Community events coordinator, local troops attended a bridging event for the books. Tents were erected behind the American Legion Post 26 in Plant City and a bridge was decorated for the girls to cross.
Each troop had an assigned time slot. The girls arrived with their families and each family had the chance to watch their children advance to the next level. When it was their time to cross, each girl would come out of the car, recite the pledge, cross and receive a new uniform. When all was said and done, the girls hopped back in the cars and left just in time for the new troop to arrive and start the process over again.
Lynn said that even though the weather took a turn in the afternoon, none of the girls let it keep them down.
“It’s almost as though Plant City has rediscovered Girl Scouting,” Lynn said. “They grew last year around the number of five times the number of girls. We wanted to do things as a community to help the leaders feel supported. It was a great event and even when the rain came, the girls weren’t at all discouraged and the parents, God bless them, stood out there in the rain in their umbrellas and wore masks and stayed six feet apart and cheered when the girls crossed.”
Paat said it was a way to honor the girls as they are bridging while still keeping everyone safe.
Though the schedule has shifted a bit due to COVID-19, the Girl Scouts are currently in the middle of a recruitment period for new scouts. There are unique events for interested parties that are now fully online. There’s a robot party for girls to do online to give them a taste of what they would experience as a Girl Scout and there is a Girl Scout information night for parents to let them know all about what to expect and what programs are available. Once recruitment is over, the troops form and the girls enter this hybrid year with activities in person and online.
However, Lynn said the biggest need for the community is adult volunteers. She said there are ample opportunities for adults to get involved and it doesn’t take any special knowledge or a lot of training to get involved.
“We just need to continue fostering these girl’s curiosity and their desire to learn and be a part of a larger community,” Lynn said.
Information nights are staggered via location and Plant City’s next night is Oct. 6. You can visit https://www.gswcf.org for more information.