Citizen Legacy Kit - Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital

Citizen Legacy Kit
This kit contains activities and related materials to help teach girls of all
ages more about the history of Citizenship in the Girl Scout world. This is
one of the seven legacy topics that have been part of Girl Scouting since
the movement started in 1912. The other legacy topics are Artist, Athlete,
First Aid, Cook, Girl Scout Way, and Naturalist.
The activity ideas included in this kit are taken directly from handbooks of
the past or are modern interpretations inspired by skills Girl Scouts have
learned through the years. Girls can choose to do as many or as few as
they like, though leaders and advisors should help them choose ones that
are appropriate for the girls’ levels. Citations at the end of the activities
provide a place to go to learn more about that activity or era.
Just as the legacy topics have been part of Girl Scouting for its first 100
years, they will continue to be part of its future. Girls who are interested in
doing even more activities related to any of the legacy topics can earn the
modern-day version of these badges. Age-appropriate requirements for
legacy badges can be found in the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
Girl Scout flag ceremony at Camp Civitania in Atlanta, Georgia

Introduction
“Your community is the neighborhood of homes, school, and stores that
you live in. The people that live in a community are responsible for the
kind of place it is. They are citizens of the community,” (Brownie Scout
Handbook, 1951, p.38). The Girl Scout Promise states: “On my honor I will
try: to serve God and my country”. The lessons and experiences that girls
learn through Girl Scouting help them become better citizens. Although
the duties and responsibilities of being a citizen of the United States of
America have not dramatically changed over the past 100 years, try some
of these activities to see how Girl Scouts gave back to their communities
years ago.
Citizen Legacy Kit Contents
Leader Guide
Brownie Scout Handbook from 1951
Sewall-Belmont House and Museum Kids Guide
Copy of the Nineteenth Amendment
Photograph of a women’s rights march
Copy of the “Teens Speak Out” article from the March 1974 edition
of “American Girl Magazine”
Girl Scout Citizen Photographs from the Past
Citizen Related Career Cards
Archival Gloves
Be sure to handle materials gently and return them to the kit when
finished. Use the list above to make sure you have all of the kit items.
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Citizen Activity Ideas from The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
The first five activities meet badge requirements in the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
Draw your state’s symbols. Each state has its own flag – and its own
flower, bird, tree and motto. Draw pictures of your state’s symbols,
and find out what your state’s motto means. Do you think the
motto fits your state? This completes Step 1 of the Citizen badge in
the Brownie Girl’s Guide. (Similar to activity found in Girl Scout
Handbook, Intermediate Program,1947, p. 386.)
Follow the local news every day for one week. What stories do you
think are most important to your community? Choose one, and
write your opinion in a letter to the editor of your local paper. Too
many letters are received for the paper to publish every one – but
it’s still good to try. Local officials read letters to the editor to get
ideas about what laws to put in place! This completes Step 4 of the
Citizen badge in the Junior Girl’s Guide. (For an extension activity
look at the “Teens Speak Out” article found in the kit, and see what
teens from the 1970s advocated about.)
Find out more about someone with beliefs different than yours. If
you have a friend who practices another faith, you might go to
services with her family and talk about their traditions. Or you might
meet with a pastor or a youth group at a different place of worship
or an interfaith alliance. You could also have a respectful discussion
about politics with someone who thinks differently. This completes
Step 1 of the Citizen Badge in the Cadette Girl’S Guide. (Similar to
activity found in Girl Scout Handbook, Intermediate Program,1947,
p. 386.)
Educate! Take a sample ballot from a recent election, and paste it
up (either online or on a poster board) with callouts to indicate
what people voted for. Highlight the winners, and include data
about the number of people who voted for each candidate or issue.
This completes Step 3 of the Citizen badge in the Senior Girl’s
Guide.
Read about women who changed the course of U.S. history. This
could be a single biography or several articles about an activist like
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Rachel Carson, Eleanor Roosevelt or Susan B. Anthony. Or it could
be a book about female suffrage or other issues in which female
advocates were instrumental. This completes Step 1 of the Citizen
badge in the Ambassador Girl’s Guide. (For an extension activity,
complete the “Sewall-Belmont House and Museum Kids Guide”
activity found in the Citizen activities below.)
Flags are important symbols that represent a group of people. Your
Girl Scout camp, service unit, or council may have one. Learn what
respecting the flag means and how to use it. Show how to use and
care for the flag of the United States of America by participating in a
flag ceremony. (Brownie Scout Handbook, 1951, p. 38)
Whether your hometown has centuries of history or is a newer
community, go to the library and find stories of the people, places,
and things of your community’s past. (Junior Girl Scout Handbook,
1963, p. 340)
Make a list with your troop of ways that you could make a difference
in your community. With that list plan and do a service project. (Girl
Scout Handbook, Intermediate Program,1947, p. 386)
Look up three local laws and find out why they were made. (Junior
Girl Scout Handbook, 1963, p. 340)
Act out ways the Girl Scout Laws can help you carry out the
responsibilities of a citizen. (Junior Girl Scout Handbook, 1963,
p. 318)
Here are some symbols that are important to the United States:
Uncle Sam, the Great Seal of the United States, the White House,
and the Capitol in Washington DC, the Statue of Liberty and the
American eagle. Investigate to find out why they’re important. (Girl
Scout Handbook, Intermediate Program,1947, p. 386)
Read through the “Sewall-Belmont House and Museum Kids Guide”
found in the kit. Do the activities in the booklet to learn about
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women’s suffrage. Visit the house to complete the activities and
take a look at the museum’s library.
Visit a newspaper or a radio or television station to learn how they
keep your community informed of local, national, and international
news. Tell why this is important. Share at least two current events
with your troop. (Junior Girl Scout Handbook, 1963, p. 340)
What do you think makes a good neighbor? Make a list of 10 things
that you think a good neighbor is or does. According to your list, are
you a good neighbor? Pick one thing that you can take action to
improve in yourself. (Brownie Scout Handbook, 1951, p. 38)
Explain how a person becomes a citizen of the United States. What
do you think are some of the rights and responsibilities that come
with being a citizen of the United States? Take the “Naturalization
Self-test” on the USCIS website: http://www.uscis.gov (Brownie
Scout Handbook, 1951, p. 38)
Look at the copy of the nineteenth amendment of The
Constitution of the United States of America found in the kit. Find
out why this amendment is so important and how this amendment
came to exist.
In the United States, good citizens also have rights. Discuss how
you and your family use the freedoms of: religion, speech, press
and assembly daily. (Junior Girl Scout Handbook, 1963, p. 318)
Take a look at the historical photographs found in the kit. See if any
of the citizen- related activities girls did back then are similar to the
ones you and your troop do today!
Career exploration has long been part of Girl Scouting. Girls around
the country have been encouraged to find out what jobs are
available in fields and industries they are interested in, and to
connect with people working in those areas to learn more about the
profession. Check out the career cards in this kit. Read about
different women who held these citizen–related positions in 1978.
Do any of them interest you? Do some research to figure out a
modern-day job that is similar to one of the career cards and
interview a person who works or has worked in that position. What
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is the same and what is different about the job? Make a copy of the
blank career card and fill it out during or after your interview. Add
this person to your personal network!
Wrap-Up
These are just a few ideas inspired by Girl Scout publications of the first
100 years. Feel free to explore and dabble in other activities that you
come across or think of, and teach others about what you’ve learned. If
you have a passion for a specific cause, look into local organizations and
volunteer with them to make your society a better place! Have fun!
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