February 5, 2023 - Excursion: The Empowerment Program + Cookie Distribution
Cookie Entrepreneur Pin + Philanthropist 1, 5
Meeting Activities:
Cookie Program — cookie distribution, tips for inventory management, and show and tell of sales tools families have developed.
Philanthropist badge — meeting staff at The Empowerment Program, learning more about what every person needs to survive and thrive, and crafting a Me Tree.
Comments:
NOTE: If you are just skimming this, please scroll down to the bottom for Announcements!
We met at The Empowerment Program offices, graciously hosted by Executive Director Julie Kiehl and Program Administrator Laura Schneider.
Laura facilitated powerful exercises to help girls reflect on qualities we all have—our shared humanity—things that keep us safe individually and as a community, and helped girls create their own personal Me Tree, which helped girls recognize all the support that enables them to grow into their best selves and to do amazing things in the world.
Before closing, we shared tips and tricks about the cookie program, including inventory management, using Digital Cookie for processing cash, and showing sales tools developed by families.
Thank you Michelle for being the queen of Troop Cookie Managers, organizing a van to pick up the 5,000 boxes in our initial order.
Families picked up their personal orders for in-person deliveries on Saturday or Sunday.
Activities:
At The Empowerment Program offices Laura facilitated a powerful opening exercise where participants picked a stone from a basket with a word on it, reflected on what the word meant to them, and shared one thing about themselves with the group.
It was interesting how words like Wellness, Fear, Kind, Quiet, Gratitude, and Agape catalyzed personal reflections on these qualities. Girls and guardians shared stories that revealed more personal aspects of their lives. A great icebreaker!
Laura then asked the girls to brainstorm two questions:
Who helps us to feel safe?
What do we need to feel safe as a community?
They came up with people in our community like police, doctors, and the President, who work to keep us safe. They also mentioned friends and family, who teach us skills, love us, watch out for us, and encourage us.
They reflected on the DL4: Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn, and Safe. Safety in the school context is all about rules, like not running with scissors, to keep students and their classmates physically safe.
We talked a bit about other rules like traffic signals. These have to be adopted by everyone in our society in order for us to be able to walk across the street safely or take a left turn and not crash and harm other drivers.
We also spoke a little about consequences. If we don’t follow the stated rules in our community, its laws and regulations, there can be fines or our freedoms can be taken away.
Julie spoke to the challenges of being incarcerated in an institutional environment. You don’t get to pick your roommate. You may not have control over personal belongings. You have to share spaces like bathrooms and showers with others. You are told when to wake up and go to bed. You are only allowed to eat whatever is being served.
When inmates leave this very controlled world, they often feel unmoored and need to learn to build their own routines and find ways of getting safe shelter, food, clothing, and employment.
She talked about the work The Empowerment Program does to provide a safe and nurturing environment for women to learn how to get their basic needs met, gain access to resources and services, and receive counseling and emotional support on their personal journeys.
Girls were especially interested in how new Project Elevate residents are allowed to choose their first meal out of prison, and how special it is to them.
The girls personalized the discussion by crafting a Me Tree to document the supports they have to keep them stable and grow big and strong, what qualities represent them, and what these enable them do in the world.
Badge Requirements:
Philanthropist
1. Learn what every person needs. We discussed basic survival needs of food, water, clothing, shelter, and safety. Girls completed a Me Tree art project to help them think through their community supports and how this enables them to grow strong and contribute their best selves to the world.
5. Think—and act!—like a philanthropist. Girls learned more about The Empowerment Program and its work supporting women in our community. To any customers who ask what they will be doing with their cookie program earnings, they should be able to describe The Empowerment Program and its mission.
Family Follow-Up:
If you missed the meeting, do the Me Tree activity with your girl. It’s a powerful and revealing exercise.
Announcements:
See the Cookie Program folder for resources. Also, share any fun cookie program-related photos here: 2023 Cookie Program
Troop cookie booth assignments are entered in TeamSnap. Please coordinate through chat if you need to swap, need more cookies, or would like to hand in unsold boxes.
We have already sold through our initial inventory. Michelle has secured another 1,000 boxes for upcoming troop booths. Great job, everyone!!!
Upcoming Troop Meetings:
Note that the upcoming troop-sponsored excursions will be paid from troop funds. We appreciate this is a relief to many families and trust this will enable those who wish to participate to do so.
FRI 2/17: GS DreamLab Pre-Launch PR - Photo Shoot with Leanna Clark
SUN 2/19: Troop Meeting Cancelled
SUN 3/5: Excursion to Denver Aquarium + Wonders of Water Journey
Will need the final headcount by March 3.
FRI 3/17-SUN 3/19: Camp Tomahawk + World of Girls Journey
Need a final headcount by March 2 to finalize dining services.
Thanks!
Meredith (Mila’s Mom)