Introductions

Hello! I am Hannibal. Hannibal as in George Peppard’s legendary role as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith from the 1983 classic television show “The A-Team” (if the theme song just started playing in your head, we can be friends, you are welcome for the earworm!) That is my camp name because like the indominable Colonel, I take care of my people and I LOVE it when a plan comes together. So welcome to my blog, where I hope to help people learn more about Girl Scouts and be the best leaders they can be. Welcome to Wisdom and Badges.

Planning is what I do. My coleader tells makes fun of the fact that in any situation, I have a plan for absolutely everything that can go wrong, from broken fingernails to being crushed by a rogue piece of the ISS that decided to plummet to earth and kill us. I worry about the details. That sometimes holds me back from spontaneity, but you’d better believe I have a back up plan if something falls through. I think the planning is what makes me a successful Girl Scout Troop Leader. I say that because other people TELL me I am a successful Girl Scout Troop Leader. Success is of course subjective and your milage may vary but, I have been at this for over 12 years now and just graduated my third class of girls from Ambassadors to Girl Scout Adults. Seeing them go all the way through Girl Scouts and then choose to cross the bridge for the last time into a Navy vest, that feels like a success to me.

I was a Girl Scout as a child. I do not remember much about it. I was a Brownie and a Junior. I remember sleep overs, trips and one time my mom, herself a Curved Bar Girl Scout, came and made crepes with my troop. And of course, selling cookies door to door. Our troop didn’t camp, didn’t use knives, go shooting, build fires. But my best friend who lived behind me, Will, was a Boy Scout and he DID do all those things. He didn’t stick with scouts, and neither did I. We grew up in a time where Moms were going back into the work force. My troop dissolved in the 4^th grade. 1984. All our Moms started working and we were responsible for younger siblings, getting our own homework done, and picking up after ourselves. Extracurriculars were a thing of the past.

Portrait of the Author as a Brownie

When I had children of my own, we had a very disappointing experience with Boy Scouts and my son. Troop after troop just dissolved, we had no idea what to do or how to continue, so he transitioned into sport. Baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, running, he was my athlete and was happy with it. But for my daughter, she was my social child, into everything, so I pursued Girl Scouts for her. My first experience with Girl Scouts was much the same as our earlier BSA experience. We went to a recruitment night at her school only to be told that there was only 1 troop at her school, and it was full. I could get on a wait list. So, I did. After some time went by, I heard from no one, so I called the office. I was told my next option was to join a troop at another school. But they met immediately after school and there was no way I could get my own daughter from carpool and all the way across town. Not once was starting my own troop presented as an option.  About this time, we started attending a new church and one Sunday walked in and were greeted by a group of smiling uniformed young ladies, selling Girl Scout cookies. And there my daughter’s experience with Girl Scouts started.

I stayed hands off for the first year, I helped out when asked but mostly wanted my daughter to have some independence away from me. She bridged to Juniors and her Junior leader seemed overwhelmed. She told me that Girl Scouts was meant to be “Girl Led” and that meant if they wanted to do something, they would get up and do it. The result of that was a group of 4^th and 5^th grade girls who sat around staring at each other with nothing to do. They did not have access to any badge books, had no idea what their options were, so they didn’t ask for any activities. That’s when I got involved. I laid out the badge book, told them to pick some things and I would make it happen. Then we were off to the races. In the years that followed, I moved up with them each year. I led 2 years of Juniors, 3 years of Cadette and dove right in with them when they started High School. My daughter was not in the oldest group, and we had grown each year to add more and more girls, more and more levels. I had two girls a year younger than my daughter who, in the second grade, asked me to please not quit and to continue to be their leader. I said, I would be in it if they were and if they would see it to the end so would I. Those two girls, and several of their friends graduated this year, my third class of graduates. My own daughter graduated last year, and with these two my obligations were complete. And yet, in that time, I have had other girls ask me to continue to be their leader and see them all the way through.

So here I am, going on 13 years later. My daughter is a Trefoil Scout, a Lead counselor at camp and a volunteer in her own right. I am embarking on a new year of leading my High School girls through their Senior and Ambassador years. I have helped mentor other girls through their Gold and Silver projects. I have been a Service Unit Manager, an event planner, a council delegate, an alternate national delegate. I have attended Girl Scout events in 6 states and attended 2 National Conventions. I serve on my CEO’s advisory board. And now that I have written all that out. It sounds like a lot. The most important part is the Girls. Did they have fun? Did they learn something? Did I have some small hand in opening their worlds are just a little wider? They keep coming back. My graduates stay in touch and visit. That’s pretty great. So maybe I can consider myself to be successful.