Weiser has a new Girl Scout troop

After a couple years without a local troop, the Girl Scouts have returned to Weiser. The group is led by Cristina Aburto and Trisha Harris and is open to girls ages five and up. 
Although the Scout house was originally built by Girl Scouts and a Weiser troop existed in the 1940s, the most recent troop dissolved a few years ago and Weiser had been without an active troop for the last two years. 
Aburto first began looking into starting the troop back up over a year ago and this last spring she found her co-leader Trisha Harris. The two then registered with Silver Sage Council.
While the returned troop started small with only three girls, the group has already grown to seven, ranging from kindergarten (Daisies) to sixth grade (Ambassadors). While the group does include a couple older girls who participated in Scouts with the former Weiser troop, the group is mostly new. 
One former Scout, Aryssa Aburto is the oldest in the group and she said she was really happy to have Scouts back for the community involvement.
“I really like volunteering and I am always looking for more ways to make a difference in our community, so I am excited for Scouts to help with that,” Aburto said.
Recently the girls took advantage of the holiday season, earning their manners badge and planned a year end party to work on their cooking badge. The girl-led approach means the girls get to help choose and plan the activities, so the possibilities for the new year are still completely open, but local community members can definitely look forward to the famous cookie sales in the spring. 
The program is designed for multiple levels to be able to work on the same badge at the same time. The Brownies can earn a Brownie level cooking badge by picking a nutritious snack, while the cadettes and ambassadors plan full meals while also learning about the traditions of other cultures.
The leaders are also excited about the opportunities the Girls Scout Journeys program in which the girls will take on projects for community enhancement. Aburto described the projects are similar to Eagle projects that require extensive planning and record keeping as well as a self sustaining project that will continue to benefit the community for at least two years.  
The Girl Scout program has a long legacy inspiring leadership in young women. From a small gathering of girls, Juliette Gordon Low hosted over a century ago, the organization has grown into a global movement in which all girls can see themselves reflected – and that today includes 2.6 million Girl Scouts 
The inclusive, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space where girls can try new things, develop a range of skills, take on leadership roles, and just be themselves. Research shows that girls learn best  in an all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment.  
According to the Girl Scout website, the Girl Scout program teaches girls to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders. The program is designed to teach them a strong sense of self, seek challenges and learn from setbacks, display positive values, form and maintain healthy relationships, and identify and solve problems in the community. This prepares them to be lifetime leaders. 
The Weiser Scouts hope to continue the tradition of community involvement led by initiatives of the young leaders. Any interested girls are welcome to join in on the fun. They will resume their meetings after the holidays starting Jan. 7 and plan to meet every other Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Scout house.  
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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