Date: Fri Mar 01, 12:00 AM EST - Mon Mar 04, 11:59 PM EST
- Council Program Events
- Daisies,
- Brownies,
- Juniors,
- Cadettes,
- Seniors,
- Ambassadors,
- Volunteers
MARCH is a month of Developmental Disabilities Awareness!
When people see or hear the word “disability” they often picture someone in a wheelchair, but disabilities can affect seeing, hearing, processing information, health, communication, feelings, and behavior - and that's just the shortlist! A disability is anything that keeps a person from easily doing everyday things like getting dressed, brushing their teeth, making a sandwich, watching TV, or walking the dog; but it doesn't automatically mean they are helpless or unintelligent.
Life can be extra-challenging for someone with special needs when it comes to meeting people and making friends; but a person who uses a wheelchair, or a communication board, or has lots of health problems wants friends just like anyone else, and wants to be included in everyday activities - like Girl Scouts, an after-school club or a sports team. Would your troop be ready to welcome a girl with a disability? (Remember, Juliette Low, the founder of Girl Scouts of the USA was deaf for most of her life.) Learning more about disabilities can lead to understanding, which can lead to empathy. Empathy makes us care about the needs and feelings of people who have a disability. Take advantage of the resources available in conjunction with these disability awareness month or day programs. Scroll down for Girl Scout/Girl Guide-specific resources.
1) Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month - https://www.nacdd.org/
2) Developmental Disabilities Month - https://www.nacdd.org/ddam
3) Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Get-Involved/Raise-Awareness
4) Brain Injury Awareness Month - https://www.biausa.org/brain-injury
5) International Wheelchair Day (March 1) - https://internationalwheelchairday.wordpress.com/
6) National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 26-March 3) -https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-awareness-week-2024/
7) World Down Syndrome Day (March 21) https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/
8) Purple Day for Epilepsy (March 26) - https://www.purpleday.org/
9) World Bipolar Day (March 30) - https://ibpf.org/learn/programs/world-bipolar-day/
WHEN: August 28-September 8, 2024, is...the Winter Paralympic Games!
https://olympics.com/en/sport-events/paralympic-games-paris-2024
Level: Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors, Volunteers
WHAT: The 2024 Winter Paralympics, officially known as the Paralympic Winter Games, The Paris 2024 Games will be the biggest sporting event ever organized in France. This event is set to take place over 12 magical days from 28 August to 8 September 2024, bringing together 4,400 of the world's most outstanding Paralympic athletes
The Paralympics welcomes elite athletes from six disability categories: amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, visually impaired, spinal injuries, and Les Autres (French for "the others", disabilities that don't fit into the first five categories.) Paralympic athletes go through a stringent qualification process, which has helped change perceptions of what people who have a physical or developmental disability can do.
The Paralympic Winter Games Sports are: Alpine skiing; Badminton; Biathlon; Cross-country skiing; Para ice hockey; Snowboard; Taekwondo; and Wheelchair curling. Did You Know? Juliette Low learned how to curl (an on-ice sport) when she lived in Scotland, and she loved it! She played on a local "ladies" team. Daisy also loved horseback riding and traveling, in spite of her severe hearing loss. Disabilities don't need to keep a girl from becoming a Girl Scout!
Celebrate the Paralympics by Earning the OLYMPIA BADGE
The Olympia Badge was created by the Girl Scouts of Japan and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to celebrate the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games, which were hosted by Japan. Even though the Olympic Games were postponed until 2021 and we are now looking at the 2024 Winter Games in France, Girl Scouts and Guides can still find out about sports and the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by earning the Olympia badge.
The badge is filled with active games and cultural activities from Japan (a great World Thinking Day resource), all with an Olympic and/or Paralympic* twist. Download the badge Activity Guide from Activity-Pack-EN.pdf
*To focus on the Paralympics, after reading pages 6 and 7, go directly to these activities:
• In Section One, "Stadium", activities number 6, 8,9, and 10.
• In Section Two, "Temple", activities number 1,10, 11, and 21.
• In Section Three, "Theatre", activities number 4 and 12 (substitute "Female Paralympic athletes.")
Want a step-by-step guide for virtual Olympia Badge meetings? Here's a template created by the Girl Guides Ontario (Canada) for their Lone (individually registered) Guides:
https://ontarioloneguides.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/wagggs-olympia-badge-2020/
OR...
Build your knowledge and skills with these Girl Scouts of the USA Petals and Badges that have connections to athletics or disability awareness:
Daisy Petals: Friendly and Helpful; Considerate and Caring; Respect Myself and Others; Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout
Brownie Fair Play badge
Junior Practice with a Purpose badge
Cadette Animal Helpers badge
Senior Good Sportsmanship badge
Ambassador Coaching badge
AND:
Our Own Council's Disability Awareness Awards:
- "Daisies Are Different and Daisies Are Alike" disability awareness patch
- "What If I Couldn't?" Brownie disability awareness patch
- "Georgia Rocks - and Rolls" Junior disability awareness badge.
What’s the Difference Between the Special Olympics & the Paralympics?
Special Olympics and Paralympics are two separate organizations recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They are similar in that they both focus on sports for athletes who have a disability and are run by international non-profit organizations. Apart from that, the Special Olympics and the Paralympics differ in three main areas: https://www.specialolympics.com.au/Stories/special-olympics-paralympics-whats-the-difference (Special Olympics Australia)
