Global Citizens
Essay Contest Winners

In collaboration with EF Education, GSUSA hosted a Girl Scout Global Citizen essay contest for girls 12-17.

Girls ages 12-14 were asked to describe a Girl Scout experience that increased their curiosity about new places and cultures. Twelve girls won a four day, expense paid tour of Washington D.C. provided by Smithsonian Student Travel.

Girls ages 15-17 were asked to reflect on a Girl Scout experience and describe how that experience inspired them to live as a Global Citizen. A Global Citizen is defined as a person who understands and appreciates cultural differences, and strives to instill this value in others. Six girls won a seven day, expense-paid tour of London and Paris.

12-14 Years Group—Winners of a 4-day Washington D.C. tour:

Allison, 13, Corona, Calif. (San Gorgonio Council)
'Global Sisterhood'
All of the girls all over the world have unique Girl Scout experiences, but the values of Girl Scouting are what contribute to us being so much alike. A helping hand is truly a helping hand, no matter what the color of that hand. From learning about the countries of the world, I have also learned to treasure and embrace our differences.

Ashleigh, 14, Gainesville, Ga. (Northeast GA Council)
'A New Thirst For Culture'
So, what made us so considerate, caring and strong? What made us want to make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout? An experience in Girl Scouting holds the power to change us. From one of those experiences, we learn that Girl Scouting is an opportunity to hang out with our friends and have a good time, but it is also an opportunity to learn about the world, and what it has to offer us.

Brianna, 14, Portage, Mich. (Glowing Embers Council)
'A Cultural Experience that Changed My Life'
When I started at my new school in fourth grade, I joined the Girl Scouts to meet new people with the same interests as me. I was in fifth grade when our troop learned of World Thinking Day. We had a girl in our troop from Bangladesh, and we enthusiastically decided to create a presentation that would honor the people and culture of her home country.

Cristina, 13, Santa Rita, Guam (USAGSO Guam)
'Chuukese Curious'
The reason we started this project is mainly because one of our troops has Chuukese girls that wanted to find a way to help out the local Chuukese. When they told us, we just did everything we could to take part. This experience has really opened my eyes, and made me hungry to learn about other cultures.

Dianne, 13, Sarasota, Fla. (Gulf Coast Council)
'Discovering the World Around You'
My troop and I created a booth with the purpose of teaching the customs, dance, languages and history of Brazil. I could not have possibly imagined the contrast of lifestyle with a country that does not seem too far away from the United States. The knowledge of Brazil's cultural differences excited me to the idea of exploring other cultures.

Heather, 12, Lake Oswego, Ore. (Columbia Rivers Council)
'Global Campfire'
When I was eleven I went to a Girl Scout camp that had an interesting program, where girls from other countries spent the summer. It was in Washington, and I live in Oregon, so it wasn't a far distance. But, it seemed like a million miles to me. That is until I met the other girls at camp.

Laura, 13, Fitchburg, Wis. (Blackhawk Council)
'Letters from Bolgatanga'
Our troop attended an ethnic food festival sponsored by my council. This made me curious about people in other parts of the world so I participated in a project where we wrote to kids in Bolgatanga, Africa. My first pen pal was a girl named Samed. Samed has gone on to college. Now I'm writing to her close friend Patience.

Malia, 12, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Orange County Council)
'A Journey of Friendship'
I remember the first day of Girl Scout camp. We all gathered in a circle, and took a look at the 20 other girls we would be backpacking with for 11 days. On the outside, they didn't appear very adventurous. In the days that followed, I would soon learn that a person's strength is measured by what's inside, not by the diameter of their muscles.

Rachel, 12, Hermiston, Ore. (East Wash. & North Idaho Council)
'Feeding the World'
Our troop discovered that if we could just earn $500, we could give a cow to a family. Since we live in a rural area, we know how important a cow can be to a family who does not have enough money to buy food. Our troop set our goal and started selling cookies; every Saturday for weeks we sat at our cookie booth outside local stores selling for many hours in all kinds of weather. Our hard work paid off, we finally reached our goal.

Sarah, 14, Pleasanton, Calif. (San Francisco Bay Council)
'Open Heart'
I learned a lot about what is truly important to me last summer. I was so inspired by Laura's family and their struggle that I continued to work at the food kitchen over the past ten months. It is easy to live a life where you ignore the challenges of others; but I believe it is much more rewarding to show compassion and service to others, by working with them to have a better life.

Shannon, 12, Garden Grove, Calif. (Orange County Council)
'One World, One People'

My troop is made up of six girls
Who speak languages from around the world
Like Spanish, English, and Vietnamese
A few words in Gaelic and some Japanese

You see a whole new perspective in a whole new way
That encourages you to learn every single day
Colors of life are our ethnicity
Our similarity unites us in our diversity.

Sonia, 12, Palos Verdes, Calif. (Angeles Council)
'There's a Place for Everyone in the World'
We made a mural depicting a panda and a dolphin holding hands. The mural symbolizes that even though Chinese and Americans are different from each other, they can be friends. I was glad to learn about Chinese life and culture during my bronze award project and hope to visit and explore the country when I test with the Shaolin monks for my black belt.

15-17 Years Group—Winners of 7 day tour to London and Paris:

Amanda, 16, Plano, Texas (Northeast Texas Council)
'The International Bazaar'
I thread my way through the bustling crowd, a babble of pidgin trickling into my ears. The colors whirl around me as I inhale a mix of scents: curry, rice, pasta. Flashes of embroidered kimonos, twisted turbans and patterned robes catch my eye. I am standing in a bazaar, but I am not in the heated deserts of the Middle East. I am a vendor of the International Bazaar on World Thinking Day.

Genevieve, 17, Boise, Idaho (Silver Sage Council)
'Life Lessons from Somalian Refugees'
My troop worked with the refugees for a couple of months, but I continued to help them for a year and a half. I wonder who learned more, the refugees or me. They taught me to slow down and enjoy what life has to give me. They taught me to play hard and laugh harder. I hope that someday I can travel overseas and experience their culture in their homeland.

Iesha, 15, Madison, Wis. (Blackhawk Council)
'Inspiring Others through Destinations'
One of the most inspiring experiences I have had was going on a Girl Scout Destination trip to New York when I was 13. This trip gave me much more self confidence than I ever had before and since then I have wanted to travel more and spend time with people from different cultures to learn a lot about them. One of the ways I have inspired others is by convincing two of my sisters to apply for their own Girl Scout destination trips. One of my sisters is going to Costa Rica and the other is going to San Diego this summer.

Katie, 16, Daphne, Ala. (Deep South Council)
'Daisies Explore Switzerland'
As stressed leaders piled the young brownie troop into bulging minivans for our first World Thinking Day, I anticipated a festive jamboree, but nothing short of a simple gathering filled with unfamiliar faces and vapid presentations. As we sauntered towards the foreboding double doors, not one word of encouragement could prepare us for what we were about to embark upon.

Marissa, 15, Pueblo West, Colo. (Columbine Council)
'Peace and Understanding from Costa Rica'
The homes we stayed in Costa Rica were very different than what we are used to in America. They are mostly open, with very little running water, which is always cold—never hot. They had to do everything themselves, from growing and raising everything they ate, to walking or riding a mule when they wanted to go somewhere. But the thing that remains in my mind and heart is their generosity and warmth.

Megah, 15, Troy, Mich. (Metro Detroit Council)
'Citizen of the World'
I will never forget the experience of our Cultural Sharing Day. We gathered our troop at a meeting scented with Persian rice, Polish meat, Indian dessert and more. Each of us shared an item that symbolized our culture as well as the impact that it has on our lives. As the evening progressed, I learned more and more about the Polish, Jewish, Persian, German, Swiss and British cultures. I realized that even within the ten of us, we had our own mini world.