Service Learning Proposal

Service Learning Proposal

For Girl Scouts of Citrus Council

Kelly Hales

Sarah Jackson

Shanay Cogdell

Jessica Schwendeman

February 3, 2010

Jeannina Perez

WST 3015 – Introduction to Women’s Studies

Community Partner: Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, Mariana Ordaz, Girl Scout Outreach leader

Address: 341 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL 32803

Contact: (407) 896-4475 & mariana.ordaz@knights.ucf.edu

Community Partner Mission Statement: Girl Scout Mission: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place (Girl Scouts of America).

Political and/or Social Basis for Organization: Girl Scouts of Citrus Council is a not-for-profit organization organized in 1956 - following the founder Juliette Gordon Low's guidelines - serving girls throughout Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties since 1956.

Community Partner Needs: The Girl Scouts of Citrus Council provide plenty of volunteer opportunities. These include fundraising, funding, and help with Girl Scout events. Adults may chaperone these events which range from camping to mentoring.

Memorandum

TO: Jeannina Perez

FROM: Kelly Hales, Sarah Jackson, Shanay Cogdell & Jessica Schwendeman

DATE: February 3, 2010

RE: Proposal to Write a Feasibility Report for a Service Learning Project

The following is a proposal to outline the needs, rationale, and feasibility for a service learning project to benefit Girl Scouts of Citrus Council. The following proposal contains background on the need for and benefits of a financial literacy project, an outline of the work we plan to do, the rationale for its inclusion in WST 3015, and a scheduled timeline. This proposal may need to be revised after beginning the project and must be flexible to meet the needs of both the Service Learning project and the community partner.

Need for: The mission statement of the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council is “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Girl Scout Outreach is a special program designed for interested girls ages 6 - 8 from low-income families who might not otherwise have an opportunity to participate in Scouting. Through our assistance, these Scouts will be able to learn about money management and financial responsibility, including the importance of saving, investing, and wise spending. The goal of cookie sales is for the girls to enjoy a special reward that they earned through their hard work.

Plan Proposal: We will meet with the Girl Scout Outreach group to interact with the girls and work through the financial literacy curriculum, “The Penny Project”. After the completion of the workshop, we will work to reinforce concepts learned by assisting with cookie sales around campus and in the Central Florida area.

Rationale for Women’s Studies: Through the teaching of the workshop, we will “help girls learn and implement key concepts and skills related to personal money management” (Girl Scouts of America). According to materials provided by the community partner, 90% of all women will be solely responsible for their financial self-sufficiency at some point in their lives, and 48% of single women ages 21 – 34 say they live from paycheck to paycheck (Girl Scouts of America). Facing statistics like these, it is clearly beneficial for girls to learn financial literacy skills as early as possible. This workshop presents the information in an appealing, accessible and fun way for the young girls. Additionally, assisting the Scouts with cookie sales will help to reinforce concepts learned and will help the girls in working as a team to achieve a set goal.

Action:

• Kelly Hales researched the community partner through their national website and concluded that there was a need for this type of program in our immediate area

• Jessica Schwendeman contacted Mariana Ordaz, Program Facilitator for Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, to set up a consultation

• The entire group met with Ms. Ordaz to discuss needs for her specific troop and tentative dates

• The entire group met to write up the Service Learning Proposal and discuss expectations

• The group will meet to familiarize ourselves with the curriculum and plan for the facilitation of the workshop

• The entire group will go through the background check process mandated by Girl Scouts of Citrus Council in order to work with the girls

• The entire group will visit the Scout meeting at Bithlo Community Center on two separate occasions in order to work through the entire curriculum with the Scouts

• At different points throughout the project, group members will assist with cookie sales at different locations around campus and the Central Florida area

• Group members will also contact organizations and departments around campus to find more opportunities for the Scouts to sell cookies

Timeline:

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 Meet with group & community partner to discuss mutual expectations and goals

Monday, February 15, 2010 Meet with group together to practice workshop and familiarize ourselves with curriculum

Sunday, February 14, 2010 Assist with cookie sales

Friday, February 19, 2010 Meet with girls to present first half of workshop

Saturday, February 20, 2010 Assist with cookie sales

Sunday, February 21, 2010 Assist with cookie sales

Friday, February 26, 2010 Meet with girls to present second half of workshop

Works Cited

Girl Scouts of America. Girl Scouts of Citrus Council. 2 February 2010 .

—. "The Penny Project: A Guide For Adults." New York: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2005.