Where do girls today go on STUDIO 2B destinations? What wider ops were offered in the past? I can only provide you
with the following information, but if you have any old Wider Op books, it would
be awesome if you could tell me some of the Wider Ops that were offered in the
past! Just fill out the Feedback Form here.
If you can tell me more about any of the
previous years (such as mail me the Wider Op catalog or just give me the
summary of the event you attended) I can add it to this website. Just fill
out the Feedback Form.
How
Did STUDIO 2B destinations Start?
STUDIO 2B destinations have been
around for a long time, but they have gone through many changes. Read the
article below to find out much more about them.
Wider Opportunities
Girl Scout Travel Adventures Through the Years
by Marianne Ilaw
Since
Juliette Gordon Low's vision came alive in 1912, girls have enjoyed adventures
and trips both near and far. Although the term "wider opportunity" was
coined in the late 1960s, girls have participated in these unique experiences
throughout our 90 years of Girl Scout history. There is an old saying in Girl
Scouting: "Wider opportunities can take you around the block or around the
globe." Truer words were never spoken, for our Girl Scout wider ops offer a
world of discovery — whether girls are sampling international cultures abroad
or working with local officials to preserve the environment.
Early Wider Ops
Early wider ops included canoe trips, exploring
Native American history, mountain climbing in Maine, a covered wagon trip
through Ohio and walking tours of the Appalachian Mountains. Fittingly, the
earliest Girl Scout wider op catalogs — in the late 1930s — were titled O'er
Hill and Dale and Far Away.
Top: Before
sleeping bags became the order of the day, Girl Scout hikers in the
1920s carried bedrolls. Bottom: Girls in scenic Cody, Wyoming, at
a 1954 All-States encampment.
Girl Scouting has always reflected current trends
and customs. And of course, this was the case with wider opportunities. In the
1970s, as more and more women entered colleges and the corporate world, girls
welcomed the chance to expand their horizons. The 1971 catalog proclaimed:
"Today's woman plays a variety of roles throughout her life. Girl Scouts of
the USA wants to help you explore the possible roles you might play in society
and the careers you might be interested in pursuing … publishing, medicine,
law, social work, journalism.…"
GSUSA also sponsored the wider op event,
"Heritage Flares," in which participants learned about different
ethnic cultures. Soul Flaritage, for example, brought girls to New York City,
where they studied Black heritage.
Today, Girl Scout travel through wider
opportunities extends to national and international events sponsored by the Girl
Scout councils, GSUSA, and Girl Guide associations. Cadette and Senior Girl
Scouts can travel to countries outside the USA; to one of the world centers in
Mexico, India, Switzerland or England; or to stateside events like the popular
Juliette Low Camp Session. Conducted for 44 years by Girl Scouts of
Mid-Continent Council (Kansas City, Missouri) and the local Rotary Club, the
Juliette Low Camp Session helps Girl Scouts learn to work with people with
disabilities. Most other national events offer a focus as well. Whether it be
careers, drama or canoeing, these events can be life-changing for girls.
More Participants
Planning trips is part of the fun with
wider opportunities.
Participation in Girl Scout wider opportunities
has greatly increased in recent years. In 1997, 32 events drew 1,389
participants. In 2001, 59 exciting events attracted over 4,000 girls.
Part of this growth is due to the successful Girl
Scout collaboration with Outward Bound, the nonprofit organization that
provides rugged high-adventure trips. In 2002, girls can learn sea kayaking,
rock climbing and challenging whitewater rafting.
With GSUSA's new program emphasis for girls
11-17, wider opportunities will expand to provide excitement and adventure
through more varied and fun events. For more information about Girl Scout travel
through wider opportunity events, see Just 4
Girls (www.studio2b.org/escape/destinations),
or call 1-800-GSUSA4U. (MY NOTE: This article was published before
Wider Opportunities changed their name to STUDIO 2B destinations. Now, you can
visit www.studio2b.org/escape/destinations
to find out much more about these travel adventures.)
Wider
Op Pioneer
There were no jumbo jets back in 1927. No
knapsacks or luggage on wheels. And certainly there was no e-mail to keep
in touch with parents while a Girl Scout was traipsing around the globe.
But that didn't stop girls like Lillian from signing up for an
international wider opportunity.
Lillian (left) with
GSUSA National Executive Director Marty Evans.
Today, Lillian of Houston, Texas, has fond
memories of the adventure she took back in 1927, when she traveled from
Texas to Geneva, Switzerland, for an early international opportunity. The
event drew 400 girls from around the globe.
Back then, there was no quick and easy way
to travel from Houston to Switzerland. A leisurely train ride took Lillian
and her companion through the South up to Niagara Falls and down to New
York City, where they boarded an ocean liner for the transatlantic
crossing. She returned via Paris and London — a big responsibility for a
17-year old!
Today, Lillian, a homemaker,
great-grandmother, Golden Eaglet recipient and avid gardener, is regarded
as a "council treasure" in Houston's Girl Scouts of San Jacinto
Council.
She reminisces: "I had never been out
of the United States. I met many different kinds of people and did lots of
new things: slept in a tent, ate under a tree, saw Paris!"
Above all, Lillian will never forget the
friendship and camaraderie she enjoyed with Girl Scouts and Girl Guides
from all corners of the world.
If you don't want to check out one of the links
above, you can go back to the "Pathways to Politics" home page by
clicking here. (Or you can visit the Site
Map to see where you may want to go.)
Since
Juliette Gordon Low's vision came alive in 1912, girls have enjoyed adventures
and trips both near and far. Although the term "wider opportunity" was
coined in the late 1960s, girls have participated in these unique experiences
throughout our 90 years of Girl Scout history. There is an old saying in Girl
Scouting: "Wider opportunities can take you around the block or around the
globe." Truer words were never spoken, for our Girl Scout wider ops offer a
world of discovery — whether girls are sampling international cultures abroad
or working with local officials to preserve the environment.
