Wilton Girl Scouts Go International

On February 21, 2010, many of the Wilton Girl Scouts took a trip around the world to learn more about our global neighbors. 

The girls visited Germany, Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Sweden, Korea and France …without ever leaving their Girl Scout meeting in Wilton!  Au Pair in America sent many of its au pairs to the Girl Scouts in Wilton to participate in the International Rally Day at Ina Driscoll School.  The Au Pairs who are participating in the Global Awareness Program shared their cultures and customs with the area's youth.  The event was open to all girl scouts in Wilton.

The au pairs worked with the different Daisy, Brownie and Junior Girl Scout Troops to introduce them to their cultures and countries.  They taught them games and spoke to them about different foods and celebrations in their countries.  Then, the girl scout troops put together their own information to present to each other on Sunday.  The au pairs and girl scouts of Wilton have been working on their presentations for over a month! Since January, the girl scouts' knowledge of the world greatly expanded.  The Rally included presentations of world problems, too.
 
Troop 50123 is working towards achieving a bronze award focusing on World Hunger.  The girls have learned about how world hunger affects children of the world.  Deb McGrath, troop leader, said, "This project has helped open up the eyes of the girls to problems around the world and solutions that we can take in our everyday life in Wilton to help end world hunger."

On Sunday, it was an exciting day where all the girl scouts' senses were involved in experiencing the world…they touched maps, played games, dressed up in traditional costumes and tasted food from other countries.  Elodie Guiho from France came to Troop 221 and taught the girls songs like "Un Elephant" and a game, "Tomate, tomate, Ketchup" which are played by 9 yr old girls in France.  Hlengiwe Cabe from South Africa spent the afternoon interacting with the children and speaking to them about life in their home country. She taught the girls a game and painted the South African flag on the girls' cheeks.  Susanne Roeder and Julia Eckenbrecht introduced Troop  to Germany. They even brought some home cooked German treats for the girls to try! Andrea Blen, an au pair from Costa Rica, showed the girls the rain forests and unique animals found in her country.  The au pairs truly opened up the world for Wilton Girl Scouts.

Vicki Sudano and Marie McCormick Leaders of Troop 221were impressed with the au pairs work.  "Educational enrichment was had by all who attended the Girl Scout International Rally day.  The girls had an opportunity to put a face on the countries they were learning about.  It also gave the added ability to ask questions and interact with each Au Pairs who were from some of the countries.  We all had a great time!"

The au pairs, who have been selected and trained by their Community Counselors (local support network), assisted the Girl Scouts in earning many, many badges like Girl Scouting around the world, Global Awarenesse and World Neighbor.  Even the Daisies are earning "petals" for their involvement in this rally.  This Global Awareness module increases the children's knowledge of different countries and customs. All presentations are interactive and encourage feedback and questions.

AIFS' Global Awareness Program seeks to bridge cultures by emphasizing that cultural diversity is a source of enrichment rather than a source of confusion and strife. It will bring expanded educational and cultural opportunities to the classrooms and encourage better understanding of other cultures, improve communication between cultures, and support the concept of mutual acceptance. The goal is to "meet your global neighbor" and build "cross-cultural bridges."

Au Pair in America (APIA) screens eager and skilled young women between the ages of 18 and 26 from around the world, who will join your family and care for your children during a mutually rewarding, year-long cultural exchange experience. APIA was the first organization to be designated by the U.S. Government to offer a legal au pair program. Since 1986, they have placed more than 56,000 au pairs with American host families in 36 states.

To learn more about the Global Awareness program, go here.

To learn more about Au Pair in America, go here or contact Alex Ramirez at (800) 928-7247 ext. 5161 or by email at aramirez@aifs.com.