Council Activities

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HPE Cybersecurity Program for Juniors: Plug in and learn about cybersecurity.

Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) partnered to create an interactive, plugged-in cybersecurity program to help leaders bring all three of the GSUSA Junior level Cybersecurity series badges to life with great activities and a fun online game! For a short time, girls can earn all three badges, the HPE patch, and a fun STEM prize all in two virtual troop meetings!

Check out our COVID-19 page for guidelines and updates.

For virtual Girl Scout activities and programming, check out our Girl Scouts at Home page.

Through Girl Scout Days and special programs offered by the Council and our Community Program Partners, Girl Scout troops along with their families and friends can explore and enjoy activities with sister Girl Scouts from around the Council.

Dates and descriptions will be listed on our online events calendar and promoted to Girl Scout Troop Leaders and Service Unit Managers through Troop Edition.

Booz Allen Hamilton’s Make the Connection

Since 2006, thousands of local girls have benefited from Make the Connection, a partnership between Booz Allen Hamilton and Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital. Make the Connection is an innovative mentorship program that pairs Booz Allen Hamilton employees with Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors in a series of workshops where girls explore their skills, aptitudes and interests with some of the region’s best and brightest corporate leaders.

In addition to Make the Connection, which serves girls in grades 6-12, the Make the Connection Jr. for Girl Scout Juniors in grades 4-5 program will continue. At Make the Connection Jr. girls will work side-by-side with Booz Allen employees to learn more about STEM careers while engaging in hands-on STEM activities. Because girls’ confidence and interest in STEM begins to decline between 4^th and 6^th grade, this program is designed to show girls all of the opportunities STEM can offer.

Make the Connection: Making Impressions

Saturday, October 12, 2019 | 12:30-4pm
Registration Opens: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Girls learn and practice key people skills including skillful introductions, the art of conversation and the power of a hand-shake. As they practice, they realize that body language and tone effect how they communicate much more than the words they use- it’s not what you say but how you say it. The day tops off with a fun fashion show where girls identify what NOT to wear, so they leave the day fully armed and ready to make the right impression.

Make the Connection Jr. Science, Technology, Engineering & Math:
Oh My! (J)
Sunday, November 24, 2019 | 12:30-4pm
Registration Opens: Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), 4th & 5th grade girls will perform hands-on challenges to practice problem solving skills. Booz Allen mentors will also share their experience as professionals in STEM related jobs. Girls will leave the day more aware of the opportunities for women in STEM professions and encouraged to choose careers in these male dominated field.

Make the Connection: Career Exploration (C/S/A)
Sunday, January 12, 2020 | 12:30-4pm
Registration Opens: Tuesday, November 12, 201
Through a series of activities the girls discover the working world and what careers interest them most. Mentors share the jobs they held before their current role with Booz Allen to showcase the fact that careers are ever changing and the world is full of opportunities.

Make the Connection: Me to We, Team-building Skills (C/S/A)
Postponed TBA | Saturday, April 18, 2020 | 9:30 am-4pm
Registration Opens: TBA
At the final MTC session, participants will be conquering a team building activity with friends and mentors while learning how to achieve success through teamwork.

Congressional Aide

2020 Congressional Aide Application Now Available! Completed applications are due by 5pm on March 2, 2020.

Girl Scout Ambassadors can combine service and citizenship by applying to participate in our Congressional Aide program. Girl Scouts are placed for one week in congressional offices, including Senators and Representatives, during the summer in a 40-hour internship. They learn first-hand about our nation's political process and help members of Congress and their staff with daily assignments behind the scenes. You can earn federal hours to apply towards your Silver Trefoil. Congressional Aide is an opportunity exclusively for Girl Scout Ambassadors in Girl Scouts Nation's Capital. Want to see what the Aides are doing? Keep up with their adventures here on our blog!

Application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ConAideApp2020.

Questions? Check out our Application Guide!

Cookie Related Programs

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the ultimate girl-led business venture. It is so much more than selling cookies! Girls learn 5 skills that will last a lifetime: goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

To help girls learn these skills, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital is offering a variety of ways to get your cookie on! Read the options below and choose the best one for your troop.

Cookie Town Hall – November 9 7:00pm

Parents and leaders, join us for a webinar to learn about all the different options for cookie programming. Our staff will go over each program to help you decide which is best for your girls. We will talk about best practices for implementing and answer questions at the end. Registration is required.

Cookie University To-Go

Cookie University To-Go is a program designed for Associations and Service Units to host their own Cookie University for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors. Hosting an event in your community reaches more girls and sets them up for a successful cookie season. The leader guides walk you through planning, set up, clean up, and how to conduct each class. Cookie University events are a great opportunity for older girls to earn service hours by planning and hosting. The leader guide is free but must be ordered. Patches are available for purchase through the same site, NOT in the Shop. This program is only available until February 28, 2021.

Cookie Entrepreneur Patch Program

The Cookie Entrepreneur Patch Program is designed for all Girl Scouts to learn the five business and leadership skills (goal setting, decision making, people skills, money management, and business ethics) that are part of the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Girls can complete at their own pace at home, or the troop can do together during meetings. This is the perfect way to get ready for the Cookie Program if you have a very busy schedule. This is a seasonal program and will not be available year-round like our other patch programs. Patches are available in the Shop until February 28, 2021.

Virtual Option – A slide deck is available for those wishing to host this program virtually with their troop.

Cookie Convention

Registration has closed for the Virtual Event hosted by SheEO Academy, one of our Program Partners. If you would like to host your own event, click here for the workshops. The program is designed for Brownies to Ambassadors and includes 4 workshops where girls learn how to brand their business, what it takes to design a new cookie, how to become an entrepreneur, and how cookies move from factory to buyer.

Cookie Entrepreneur Family Pins

Her Cookie Business = A Family Affair

The year-by-year Cookie Entrepreneur Family pin collection was inspired by and designed for families just like yours! It’s never been easier to support your girl as she develops business skills, makes amazing memories, and earns a different pin for her uniform every cookie season. The simple, age-specific guidelines have been tailored for her developing skill set, making success a snap. Pins can be purchased in the Girl Scout Shop.

World Thinking Day Event

Be the Change: A World Thinking Day Event

On February 22 of each year, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 countries celebrate World Thinking Day by doing the same activities around a shared theme. This year’s theme is “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

Girl Scouts can celebrate World Thinking Day anytime during the Girl Scout year. Use these guides to help plan your event and earn the World Thinking Day Badge.

A ctivity Guide for Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors

Activity Guide for Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors

World Thinking Day 2020 – Activity Pack

Our February 22 event was a great success! We hope everyone had a good time. Thank you to all the girl and adult volunteers who worked with Council staff to make this event happen.

Dine-Around Series

Are you a Senior or Ambassador working towards earning the Girl Scout Gold Award? Have you already earned the Girl Scout Gold Award? If so, we'd love to have you join us for one of our Dine-Arounds this season.

What's a Dine-Around? Dine-Arounds are informal dinners, brunches, teas or other events that are hosted by Women's Advisory Board members at their homes or businesses. They are a unique chance to gain insight from successful women and will prove to be an amazing networking session. There is no cost to attend a Dine-Around.

Please Note: Due to limited capacity Dine-Arounds are not troop events but for individual girls to register.

To register: email dinearounds@gscnc.org with the following information: name, girl and parent email, contact phone number, Senior or Ambassador, troop number.

Mindfulness Dine-Around

When: Sunday, March 8, 2020 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Bethesda, MD
Hosts for this event are Linda Loranger (Sr. Vice President & Director, Health Policy Team, Burness Communications), Leslie Furst (COO, Blackfin Real Estate Investors, LLC), and Susan Moser (Managing Partner Washington Practice Cherry Bekaert LLP).

Public Service: Careers in Government Dine-Around

When: Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Where: NW, Washington, DC

Your hosts for this event are Mary Gay Sprague (Attorney, Appellate Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, US Department of Justice), Sally Gere (Former, Deputy Attorney General for Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia) and Elizabeth Pugh (General Counsel, Library of Congress).

Mexican Fiesta Dine-Around

When: Sunday, January 26, 2020 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Arlington, VA

Hosts for this event are Kathy McKinless (Consultant, Archdiocese Washington, DC) Nedra Agnew (VP, Wealth Management Advisor, The Agnew Group), Karen Penn (Head of Employee Experience & Engagement, Elastic) and Cheryle Mack (VP, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Burke & Herbert Bank).

National Zoo Hike-Around

When: Saturday, November 2, 2019 | 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Where: Washington, DC

Hosts for this event are Betsy Lewis (Partner, Cooley, LLP), Stephanie Tsacoumis (Faculty, Georgetown University), Margie Siegel (MAS Consulting) and Dee Dee Mendez (HR Consultant, CFP Board Center).

Powerful Women in Media

When: Saturday October 5, 2019 | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Where: Washington, DC

Your hosts for this event are Sunlen Serfaty (Congressional Correspondent, CNN), Christine Brennan (Sports Columnist and ABC News, CNN, PBS and NPR Commentator) and Nia-Malika Henderson (Senior Political Reporter, CNN).

GEICO Art of Independence

Grant Funded Car Care Program Kit!

Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital and GEICO’s Art of Independence program empowers Girl Scouts to discover skills that will prepare them for a positive, healthy and independent future.

Thank you, GEICO for this generous grant to expand Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital life-skills!

We reached our grant goal and served over 100 Nation’s Capital Girl Scouts, using this great resource to complete the Car Care Badge. Thank you for participating in GEICO’s grant-funded Car Care Program Kit.

The Car Care Kit will be available through our Equipment Rental Center coming soon!

Girl Scout Day at the Air and Space Museum

CANCELLED - March 14, 2020

Come and explore exciting science activities during our annual Women in Aviation & Space Family Day, at the National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center! Join us for a family day that celebrates the accomplishments of women in aviation and space exploration. Take the controls of a flight simulator, go inside an inflatable planetarium, see the Space Shuttle Discovery, experiment with the forces of gravity, and speak with female scientists and engineers all on the same day.

All Girl Scouts who register by Wednesday, February 19 will receive a free patch at the Girl Scout table on the day of the event.

Click here to see photos from last year.

Girl Scout Day at Hillwood

Save the Date! March 21, 2020.

Celebrate spring with a fun-filled, festive day at Hillwood! Girls will earn badges while they explore enchanting gardens, discover glittering treasures in the mansion, and enjoy a variety of hands-on activities.

Play lawn games such as badminton, hula hoop, and jump rope, try costumes from a collection of hero's capes and royal crowns, and create works of art including self-portraits and fancy placemats inspired by Hillwood's art collection.

Visit our Events Calendar for more information.

Register here

Girl Scout Day at the Nationals

Postponed to September 20, 2020: May 2, 2020 1:05pm Washington Nationals vs Cincinnati Reds

September 20, 2020 1:35pm Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins

Join fellow Girl Scout associations, service units, troops, and families at Nationals Park for Girl Scout Days! With the purchase of a special ticket, fans will receive a limited edition Nationals Girl Scout Patch. NEW PATCH FOR MAY 2020 GAME!

For every ticket sold, $5 will be donated to the GSCNC SHARE campaign.

Girl Scouts are encouraged to attend as a Service Unit or Troop. If you organize a group of 20 or more, the group leader will receive a complimentary game ticket (one per order).

For more information or to purchase a group of 13 or more tickets, please contact John Manzoian at 202.640.7723 or email john.manzoian@nationals.com.

Website:

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/tickets/promotions/themes/girl-scouts

Women's Suffrage Centennial

August 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the full ratification of the 19th Amendment - giving women the right to vote. During the next 1.5 years, our Council is partnering with community organizations to host programs celebrating this centennial. Girls will have opportunities to participate in hands-on activities to learn about the history and figures around the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the power of girls’ voices, and what advocacy means to Girl Scouts today. Girl Scouts can work on citizenship badges, learn about the historical suffrage parades, make suffrage sashes or parade banners, and tour historical landmarks that played a role in the suffrage movement.

Click on an event below to learn more. This section will be updated through the year with additional events and resources.

Women's Suffrage Centennial Patch Program
Women's Suffrage Museum
National Portrait Gallery Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence March 29, 2019 - January 5, 2020
Library of Congress Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote June 4, 2019 – September 2020
National Archives Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote May 10, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument

Inauguration Parade

Left: March 1917, Girl Scouts march in President Wilson’s Inauguration. Right: January 2011, Girl Scouts volunteer at President Obama’s Inauguration.

For 100 years, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital has had the unique honor of participating in the presidential inauguration. The event is a symbol of our democracy and the peaceful transition of power. Inauguration Day occurs in the USA once every four years on January 20. It occurs in the year after presidential elections have been held.

Check back in 2019 to learn about the 2020 inaugural program with Girl Scouts.

Maker Day

Maker Day will not be held this year. We are preparing for the Girl Scout EXPO 2019 where we will have booths and activities focused around STEM and making. We hope to see you there November 16, 2019 at the Dulles Expo Center.

Outdoor Activities

Girl Scouts Nation's Capital offers many outdoor activities for girls at. Click here to learn more about Girl Scout Camp.

Program Partners

Our Program Partners offer Girl Scouts activities to enhance their experiences. From skiing to tea parties, there are many exciting opportunities for girls to do throughout this region. Click here to learn more.

STEM--Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Our Council is developing new ideas for girls to learn the basics of STEM while staying safe and having fun! We are currently partnered with local organizations as we initiate STEM and Robotics programing. As we pilot these new STEM program, we are looking for feedback and comments on how we can make it work for your troop. Please email programaa@gscnc.org with any thoughts or ideas.

Staying STEM Fun Patch
Explore STEM fields and earn the Council’s brand new STEM fun patch! The patch guide includes activities, resources, Girl Scout events, and experiments related to STEM.

Levels: All

Let's GO Virtual with UMD!

The Maryland Center for Women in Computing is proud to present our series of workshops that lead to the Coding for Good and Cybersecurity badges. Join us as we explore computing concepts in programming languages, web design, app development, cybersecurity, password safety, and careers in cyber defense and all areas of computing. We will provide a dynamic virtual experience for girl scouts to “build their courage, confidence, and character” while engaging in discussions, exercises, and individual projects in real-world situations.

Virtual Fall Programing is being scheduled. We are inviting Brownies through Ambassadors to earn the Coding for Good basics badge and Cybersecurity Basic and Safeguard with their UMD Computer Science Ambassadors. Check Rallyhood for more workshops!

If you would like to have a private workshop for your troop please complete our Outreach Request Form: https://go.umd.edu/I4C_K12OutreachRequest

Questions: mcwic@cs.umd.edu | 301.405.7615

Fall Programing:

Seniors: Coding for Good: Coding Basics Workshop, Saturday, September 26th, 3 PM-4:30 PM

Cadettes: Coding for Good: Coding Basics Workshop, Saturday, September 26th, 1 PM-2:30 PM

Brownies: Cybersecurity Basics and Safeguards Workshop, August 22th & 23rd 2 PM-3 PM

Cadettes: Cybersecurity Basics and Safeguards Workshop, August 22th & 23rd 3:30 PM-4:30 PM

Virtual Journeys: New Council-led Virtual Journey programming. This fall we are offering a 5-session workshop for 25 Seniors or Ambassadors to complete the Justice Journey and earn the Sage pin.

Please contact pdorfman@gscnc.org with any questions.

More Virtual Journeys coming soon!

Click here to view the latest Troop Edition!

Troop Edition includes Council programs, events and local program opportunities brought to you by our Program Partners. Troop leaders and service unit managers receive Troop Edition via email every Thursday and it's also posted right here every week!

You can also find Program Partner events and activities in the latest edition of Girl Scout Insider!