PATHWAYS TO POLITICS
Women Making a Difference!

From the Garden State to D.C., forty-one girls explored the powerful roles of women in politics, leadership, and community activism—past and present.

ABOUT: THE DESTINATION
"Pathways to Politics" is an awesome STUDIO 2B destination. It allowed girls to experience so much, including New Brunswick, New Jersey; Douglass College; Washington, D.C.; Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York; the Constitution Center in Philadelphia; the Jersey Shore; and much, much more.

But the teens not only saw locations, but also saw how women have had a role in politics, were a part of leadership training, joined an exciting program on women in politics, and saw community service in action.

Here's an outline of some of the other places girls went and some of the other activities they participated in:

• Saw and listened to Jane Swift, the first female governor of Massachusetts.
• Visited Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York for a day and went on a private tour of Val-Kill cottage, a private tour of FDR home, and a self-guided tour of the Vanderbilt mansion.
• Took a day trip to Philadelphia and toured the National Constitution Center.
• Participated in advocacy workshops, a diversity day, and a state day.
• Enjoyed a recreation day at the Jersey Shore.
• Went to Washington, D.C. for three days and two nights to see the monuments, meet with U.S. Senators and women in politics, visit the Smithsonian, and also check out the National Museum of Women.
• Completed leadership projects.

Below are two summaries of the destination from the Splash newsletter sent to volunteers in the Delaware-Raritan Girl Scout Council:

From the May 2004 Edition

Pathways to Politics girls have the chance to meet Senior Girl Scouts from Delaware-Raritan on Friday, July 16th...could that be you? The 42 girls from throughout the U.S. and Paris and Japan will be at the Service Center that afternoon working on one of their projects. And everyone knows what you want to do after a day of work...HAVE FUN!!!! We're thinking of having a pizza party and maybe cooking some s'mores over a campfire. But we need some GSofDR girls to have fun with! If some girls from your troop are interested, please call Vicky Allen at 732-821-9090 ext. 125 or email: vicky.allen@gsofdr.org.

(SOURCE: click here)

From the April 2004 Edition

Pathways to Politics

Girl Scouts of Delaware-Raritan is running the "Pathways to Politics" destination July 11th - July 24th in collaboration with The Eagleton Institute of Douglass College. This destination is designed to address the historical and contemporary under-representation of women in politics, connecting girls with women leaders who make a difference in the public sphere, exploring the demands of leadership in a diverse society, and enabling them to practice leadership through action.

We've got 40 girls coming from all over the United States, as well as Paris and Japan! The girls will be staying in dorms at Douglass. Trips include Val-Kill (Eleanor Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park), Philadelphia, and a 3-day trip to Washington, D.C.….and the Service Center (where they'll be working on back home projects). Here's another chance for us to show off our state, our Council and our Girl Scout friendship!

We're looking for a few volunteers….both girls and adults. We need people to greet our guests at the airport on July 11th…..times and details to follow. We'll also need a little help on departure day. On Friday, July 16th, the girls will be working at the Service Center….anyone want to hostess a dinner? We'd like to have a little Girl Scout fun time….with a cookout? campfire? sing-along? Maybe we could meet some troops in a local park? Hey it's summer and they should be introduced to the NJ state bird: mosquitoes! We'll bring the marshmallows! Please contact Vicky Allen at 732-821-9090 ext. 125 if you'd like to know more and help out!

(SOURCE: click here)

Also, check out other pages of this site, such as the Schedule of Events section, to learn more about this destination.