Women Leaders Taking Action in Our Global Community

In celebration of our 62 years of Leadership in France...

Join us as we increase awareness in our community on the various issues affecting young girls and women, and to explore possible solutions to these problems by taking action today.

Participate in fascinating discussions on issues encompassing democratic principles that will help increase young women's empowerment socially, economically, and politically and help them to become better citizens.

Let us to continue to work together to improve our global community and encourage the young women of today to become the leaders of tomorrow.

"When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life." -- Kofi Annan

Full program details at www.parisgirlscouts.org

Join Us!

Through fun, friendship, and the power of girls together, Girl Scouts Discover their personal best, Connect with others and Take Action to improve their communities – and you can be a part of it! Whether you're an American girl living here in France or attending an international or American school, a college student spending a semester in Paris, a parent ready for an outdoor adventure with your daughter's troop, or an adult – female or male – looking to make a difference in a girl's life, there's something for you in Girl Scouts. The possibilities are endless! Find out more about the different types of membership:

Membership

All members:

  • Share the Girl Scout Promise and Law
  • Follow safety guidelines as outlined in Safety-Wise
  • Pay annual membership dues of $10 to become a registered Girl Scout. An additional activity fee enables girls to participate in our Neighborhood events and enjoy the Girl Scout program.

We may be able to offer financial assistance for membership fees and special activities. Contact Paris Grants for details.

Girl Scouts may also choose to purchase uniforms, insignia, and books to enhance their Girl Scouting experience.

Join Now

Joining Girl Scouts is simple. Just download our Request to Join form and return it, completed, to USAGSO PARIS, 34 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris, France.

Neighborhood Activities

USA Girl Scouts Overseas Paris (USAGSO-PARIS) is host to many themed events that touch on the different facets of the Girl Scouting experience. Their purpose is to give girls the opportunity to learn, lead, and make choices while making new friendships and having fun!

Girl Scout Community Events

USAGSO-PARIS is so excited to be offering a wide variety of events to over 200 girls living in the Paris region. Take your time looking through the Community Event List. There are tremendous amounts of opportunities for girls to participate in American and service activites in our community. You will notice that there are events being offered regularly, and all events are open to any registered Girl Scout.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthday Party

For Daisy and Brownie level Girl Scouts, this party celebrates the birthday of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts, born on October 31st. Usually in October or November on a Saturday, from 2-5pm.

Veterans’ Day Ceremonies

Veterans' Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans, a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Every November 11th, girls from the Paris Neighborhood participate in ceremonies in and around Paris.

  • Escadrille Lafayette Memorial
  • American Cemetery, Suresnes
  • Arc de Triomphe

Fall/Winter Camp-In

For Junior through Ambassador Girl Scouts. This event is a Camp-In at a Chateau not far from Paris. The event is usually over a weekend in January or November, and there are additional costs involved.

Love in the Box

Love in a Box are gifts, those bundles of joy which brighten the lives of children in need each Holiday Season. This is a Paris wide community service project, which is lead by a team at the American Cathedral. This first phase of this project is the Box Packing Party, traditionally held the first weekend in December. The second phase involves Girl Scouts making additional boxes -- individually, as a family or troop for a determined age group to drop off at the Cathedral mid December. Don’t miss this event! It's always great fun, and all ages are welcome. Thousands of gifts are sent to underprivileged children in Paris, Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Bulgaria and Kabul. Please join in and make a difference in the world!

World Thinking Day

World Thinking Day is an opportunity for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to think about their peers in other parts of the world. What’s more, it encourages us to use our creativity and leadership to help raise the awareness of our Movement in order to continue its important work. This unique global scouting community service event is held in February.

Songfest

Traditionally held during “Girl Scout Week” in March, this is a Neighborhood event for all Girl Scouts and their families. Come and sing with us so that, together, our voices can touch the sky and reach up for the stars and bring us back a piece of your world, your planet of music.

Memorial Day Ceremonies

Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action. USAGSO - Paris Girl Scouts are often present at the ceremonies that take place in and around Paris.

  • Escadrille Lafayette Memorial
  • American Cemetery, Suresnes
  • Arc de Triomphe

Spring Campout

Over a spring weekend, we set up tents, cook out, sing around the campfire and trade SWAPS!! An event for the entire Neighborhood and usually takes place the first or second weekend in June.


Monday, July 13, 2009

Kick Butts Day

Girls at Marymount School of Paris have just completed work on their Bronze Award. Because smoking cigarettes is still so prevalent in Paris, troop 23 girls felt it was very important to reach out to their schoolmates with an anti-smoking message.

After researching their options, girls decided to roughly follow a program laid out by “Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids,” called “Kick Butts Day.” http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/index.php

There’s a double meaning there – Kick Butts, as in “face the enemy, head on,” and kicking the habit of smoking – the butt of a cigarette.

The girls decided to hold their event during school hours, to maximize their exposure to classmates. They got permission to skip their weekly 1.5-hour PE class. Pairing this with their lunch break, girls were able to hold their event during the 1st-8th grade lunch breaks. The result? Hundreds of attendees!

First, students were “teased” with the message “181 France.” This represents the number of people who die daily in France due to tobacco-related issues. Students saw posters all over school and were given stickers to wear – both reading “181 France.” They had no idea what it meant, but over the afternoon announcements, students were challenged to head to the courtyard during lunch the next day to find out.

When they arrived, students found a host of anti-smoking activities awaiting them.

Children lined up to “Kick the Habit” – where students were required to hear information about the detriments of smoking before kicking a ball to bowl over soda cans, decorated as cigarettes.

Girl Scouts couldn’t keep up with the students in line at “Fishing for the Truth.” Here, students fished for an anti-smoking fact using a magnetic pole and magnetized fact cards. After fishing and reading, they were given bubbles, with a sticker reading “Blow bubbles, not smoke.”

The courtyard was decorated to remind students of the grim fact that people die as a result of tobacco use. One decoration: a building-long banner of 1,267 handprints, the number of people who die weekly in France – one print for each life lost. Another disturbing decoration: tombstones with false names, with an epitaph that they died of tobacco use.

Particularly informative was the booth where students found out exactly what was in a cigarette. Just a few disgusting examples: formaldehyde (which is also used to preserve dead bodies) and cadmium (which is also found in batteries.) YUCK!

After learning how totally disgusting a cigarette truly is, students were invited to “Face the Truth.” Kids made their most “I think cigarettes are completely gross” face for a camera. Pictures were then downloaded and looped to a slideshow for all participants to enjoy.

The event was a total success. Not only did the girls make a huge impression on the student community, so many parents and teachers were intrigued by the teaser, that they also came to find out what “181 France” meant. Now that’s impact!

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