CitrusPeel_JAN2020_Digital

4
GOING
GLOBAL WITH
MARYANN
5
Travel experiences are one of the
most important opportunities we can
offer a girl to broaden her horizons
and develop her courage, confidence,
and character. I feel this is especially
true of international travel as well as
local experiences shared with girls
from other countries.
Opportunities to participate in
cultures and traditions that vary from
those in our own backyard (wherever
that backyard may be) inspire us to
see the world through fresh eyes and
gain a deeper understanding of this
tiny but vibrant planet we all share.
Think globally—act locally is more
than a catch phrase, for more than
107 years it has been part of our
Girl Scout DNA.
At the age of 17, I lived and went
to school in Tehran, Iran for a
year. It opened my heart and eyes
in unexpected ways, sharpening
my understanding that diversity
is something both powerful and
fragile.
At 21, I chose to live and work in
Germany, adding another lifechanging
positive experience to
my journey. Both of those youthful
travel experiences taught me to
navigate challenges and hone my
communication skills. I believe
these experiences contributed
significantly to who I am today.
To this day, I make creating
opportunities to immerse myself in
other cultures a priority. I especially
seek itineraries that allow me to
meet Girl Scouts and Girl Guides
from across the U.S. and around the
world.
I share this with you as a call to
action. I encourage you to raise
travel as a topic for discussion
when girls are goal setting
and creating their financial
plans. There are innumerable
opportunities of varying
affordability levels, both in the
U.S. and abroad, for our girls
to build upon. Girl Scouting,
through the unique benefits
of the Cookie and Fall Product
Programs, opens the door
for girls of all backgrounds to
create a travel experience goal,
develop their proceed goals,
steward their financial plan, and
ultimately gain the unparalleled
joy and personal growth born
of purposeful travel; not merely
a vacation, but true purposeful
travel.
Through their participation in
Girl Scouts, our girls have the
power to create an experience
of their own design that will
open their hearts and inspire
their minds. Encourage her
to not only think globally and
act locally, but to Go Global in
building her Girl Scout journey.
The world is waiting for her.