The school year is just around the corner, and Noozhawk’s ParentNooz After School Activities Guide is officially here and we made sure to make things easy when planning your child’s after school activities! Our 2019 After School Activities guide provides you and your child with all the necessary information when deciding on which after school program is the best fit.
To give parents the tools to help make informed decisions about after school programs for their kids in Santa Barbara, Noozhawk has conducted a series of interviews with representatives of local programs for this year’s After School Activities Guide.
In this interview, Noozhawk sat down with Kathryn Jordahl, Director of Marketing at Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast, to learn more about their after school program here in Santa Barbara.
Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast
Question: What is the name of your After School Activity/Program? What is its mission?
Answer: Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Q: Describe the activities involved in your After School Activity/Program.
A: We’re 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world.
Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.
We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.
Q: What are the hours of your after school activity or program?
A: Whether you want to be part of a troop, sign up for exciting events, explore the outdoors, or travel the world, each age level has something for you. There are tons of ways to have fun and explore the world in Girl Scouts. It all depends on what you’re interested in. You can view our different programs by visiting our site at https://www.girlscoutsccc.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/ways-to-participate.html
Q: What is the age range for children to take part in your after school activity or program?
A: Kindergarten – 12th Grade
Q: When was your program started and what was the inspiration for creating it?
A: At Girl Scouts, your girl will prepare for a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure in a safe, no-limits place designed for and by girls!
How? Through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience—a collection of engaging, challenging, and fun activities like earning badges, going on awesome trips, selling cookies, exploring science, getting outdoors, and doing community service projects.
At Girl Scouts, she’ll get to lead her own adventure (it’s her world!) and team up with other girls in an all-girl environment to choose the exciting, hands-on activities that interest her most. Along the way, she’ll gain important skills in four areas that form the foundation of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience:
-Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
-Outdoors
-Life Skills
-Entrepreneurship
Q: Describe what makes your after school program unique and worthwhile.
A: To bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to life, activities are led by girls themselves, feature cooperative learning, and highlight learning by doing. Girls come up with their own ideas, build teams, and experience the joy of making a positive impact. At Girl Scouts, she will:
– Discover: Find out who she is, what she cares about, and what her talents are.
– Connect: Collaborate with other people, both locally and globally, to learn from others and expand her horizons.
– Take Action: Do something to make the world a better place.
Q: Has any part of the program changed since it was created?
A: This is BIG: new Girl Scout Journeys and badges are here to take the girl leadership game to new heights. We’ve added even more skill-building, life-changing experiences to the Girl Scout program!
When girls, parents, and volunteers tell us what they want out of their Girl Scout experience, we listen, and take action. There’s never been a better time for girls to shine, and there’s no better place to do it than at Girl Scouts.
This year, we’ve added new Journeys and badges in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and the outdoors focusing on:
-cyber-security
-outdoor adventure
-space science
-coding
Q: What is the average program size or class size for your activity? Teacher to student ratio?
A: Girl Scout Troops have about 12 girls in them. Learn more about becoming a leader today at www.girlscoutsccc.org/volunteer
Q: In what ways is your program educational?
A: She wants to explore new things, connect with friends and her community, and make a difference in the world. And she’ll be able to do just that when she and her troop experience a Girl Scout Journey. Every Girl Scout grade level has different Journeys to choose from that include a sustainable Take Action project and all the exploration, discovery, and adventure to power a lifetime of leadership and success!
Q: What is the cost/tuition? Are scholarships available?
A: Membership is $25 per year! To sign up visit www.girlscoutsccc.org/join!
Click here for more information about Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast and how to join today!