The written "plan" from GSEIWI is to sell all for remaining camp properties, properties that can never be reclaimed once sold, and THEN do feasibility study to determine where and how to proceed! It seems that a feasibility study should be done first, not after the property is sold. What if the results of the feasibility study indicate that rustic camps are wanted, or if in the process there is a dramatic drop in Girl Scout membership because there is no camp property. Camping experience, is not the same as GS Camp. There are many who are willing to lend their time, talent, effort and money to fix the current problems...all we need to do is to be asked to prevent the loss of our heritage.
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I'm surprised that the Girl Scout Council is considering selling all 4 camps at the same time.
In this year's Girl Scout Camper Guide they have a registration lottery system because there are weeks that fill up fast.
It sounds like girls are still interested in Girl Scout Camp!
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Camp Conestoga was my first experience away from my home town, my family, my troop, and my school friends. It offered me the unique opportunity as a pre-adolescent to establish my own independent identity, where I wasn't the "brain" or "geek," where I didn't have to conform to anyone's expectations but instead only to the values and ethics of Scouting. It provided the opportunity to go on a week-long backpacking trip into the wilds where we carried on our backs what we needed to survive. It was where we encountered a black bear and came away unscathed and with all of our food. I knew of no other girl my age who had similar adventures, and as I realized later, similar opportunities to build character, self-reliance and independence. I would need those skills and solid belief in myself & my abilities in my career as an engineer, where for over a decade, I was the only woman in my department. I call upon those beliefs and values daily as I serve my community as an elected member of Summit County Council here in Ohio, representing the entire county with a population of over 540,000. I cannot imagine having the belief in myself that running for office requires without the incredible formative experiences from my years as a camper and staff member at Conestoga. There is simply no substitute for the gift of going away to camp, discovering your true self based on how you face unforeseen challenges away from the pressures and expectations of society at large, with only the natural world, your sister campers, and the guidance of your counselors as influences. To me, it runs counter to the core values of Scouting to deny the possibility of such growth opportunities to current and future generations of Scouts.
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Excellent article. I attended one of the camps that is being considered for sale as a child and it made a significant impact on my life. There are so many skills that girls gain from a rustic camp setting that cannot be duplicated in other settings. It would be a shame for girls in Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois not to have those same opportunities in the future. Please contact girls and women you know who are involved in scouting and have them follow the steps in the above article. They deserve a voice in the future of their scout camps.
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Girl Scout Camp, and all the experiences, lessons learned, skills tried and perfected, and friendships developed that come from attending camp should not be given away without a clear understanding of why it is being done. the members of this council have not been given a clear or compelling reason for this proposal. Those of us involved in this effort to ask the Council to let the membership speak to the decision on the sale of the camps believe that our experiences at GS camp has made us the successful leaders we are today. We passionately believe we owe this opportunity to all current and future Girl Scouts as well. We ask your support to ask the Board to listen to their members, reject the proposal to sell the camp properties, and instead solicit new support to restore the outdoor camping program to its maximum potential.
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