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

From our Hands to Your Hands

As part of the month-long Americans in Paris Exhibition at the Jardin d’Acclimatation, Stacey “Jaco” (art teacher at the American School of Paris), with the assistance of Troop 30 as part of their community service project, offered a unique interactive art experience for children ages 6 to12.

The project, called “From our Hands to Your Hands”, is a patchwork whose focus is to communicate written and graphic messages about children’s hopes for the future. Some of the re­peated themes were peace, environ- mental concerns and the importance of education. The completed art design along with a documentary video will be offered as a gift to Sasha and Malia Obama in hopes that they’ll share these ideas with their father.

Our Girls Scout Troop (Juniors and Cadettes), helped conduct and film the art workshops in addition to decorating the first of the patchwork squares to be incorporated into the giant art piece of over 60 coded messages.

We learned a lot of really interesting historical facts about patchworks and their use during the civil war from Sta­cey. Thanksto Jude, a professional photographer, we also became skilled at using a cinematography camera. She is helping us create the video documentary of the event. - by Mia, Sarah, Nathalie, Rebecca, Paris, Ella, Céline, Reyna and Ella.

Daisies Dazzle Retirement Home Residents

On January 11 Daisy Troop 1 brought holiday cheer to senior citizens living at the Résidence Soyer in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The girls visited three floors of the residence, singing Christmas carols in French and English and distributing homemade cookies. The Daisies, who were painfully shy at the start of the year, impressively rose to the occasion, singing boldly and in unison, and chatting with the seniors while passing out the/ goûter/.


Three special encounters marked the visit. One was troop member Caroline’s 97-year-old grandmother, Amelia Bourdet. Another was a blind women who despite her handicap draws beautiful colored flower prints (and gave the troop several).


The last was an American GI who married French after WWII and made Paris his home. He was quite surprised to awake from his nap with a gang of American Girl Scouts and mammas surrounding his bed piping English Christmas tunes. Once he figured out it wasn’t a dream, he smiled and clapped for more.


When asked what they liked about the project, Daisy Carlotta answered “that we sang.” Penelope liked best “that we gave cookies.”


Carlotta later explained, “We were nice to them.” When asked if the seniors enjoyed the visit, she said “Yes, because they said thank you and smiled.”


It was a great service project because the girls were in direct contact with those they were helping. Many of the residents had not had visitors in quite awhile and were dazzled by our girls. A petal well earned for our Grand Section girls!

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!

Change a Life

Millions of girls around the world learn something new by being a Girl Scout. The Girl Scout program can change the way girls see the world and their place in it. Girls learn the importance of personal responsibility, the value of goal-setting, the spirit of teamwork, and the thrill of accomplishment. The skills, attitudes, behaviors and values that girls gain in Girl Scouting enable them to lead with courage, confidence, and character, and to make the world a better place. Your donation helps the Paris Girl Scouts sustain the Girl Scout program overseas and deliver new and innovative global opportunities to girls at all levels of participation.

Making a Difference

There are many ways for people like us to Change a Girls Life. You may want to Volunteer, you can work directly with girls or you can provide indirect service to girls through your support of other volunteers who work directly with girls by donating your time as, for example, a board member, mentor, trainer, or event planner. You can also give the Gift of Girl Scouting by making a monetary contribution and help make an immediate difference in the lives of girls. However you choose to give, your contribution will contribute to the continuation of the Girl Scout program in Paris.

Volunteer

alissbetsyweb.jpg
If you’re wondering what our volunteers are like, be assured that they’re not all outdoor enthusiasts with experience in crafts and working with groups of girls, by a long shot! Our volunteer group is made up of busy professionals as well as multi-tasking stay-at-home-moms. Some share their work expertise and skills, some a personal interest, while others enjoy going on outings or helping with outdoor activities.

Whatever your interest, we're interested in YOU!



Mentoring: Adult Opportunities

Adult support strengthens girls’ experiences, and allows them to grow in a safe, nurturing environment. Nearly 100 adults are already working within our very active Neighborhood at many different levels.

There are so many opportunities to plug in for a few hours, a day, once a month or a couple of times a year:

    volunteer_leader.jpg
  • Accompany girls on an event that lasts a few hours. Interested in dinosaurs? You could assist on a fun, informational trip to a natural history museum.
  • Do you have specific experience that could help girls make good value-based decisions? Perhaps you might act as a discussion facilitator in a small group setting on health issues or peer pressure, for example.
  • If you work in an office all day, how about an opportunity that gets you outside – on a hike or a campout?
  • Preteen and teen Girl Scouts organize their activities around their interests. Could you accompany girls to a restaurant so they could improve their spoken command of one of the foreign languages they study? Advise them on skin care? Introduce them to an exercise program? Give them tips on writing letters of motivation and/or helping them to prepare for college or internship interviews?
  • Get involved with the Adult Training program, the Neighborhood Management Team, or other organizational aspect to keep your professional skills sharp or learn new ones.

Click here for the Girl Scout Opportunities Contact.

Paris Patches

Welcome to our Paris Patch Program, a great way to visit Paris above and underground! See historical places in France and discover the highlights of our fascinating City of Lights, learn about the lives and adventures of historical French and American female figures, African Americans, and daring aviators; find out how the tremendous effort that we know as “D-Day” was planned and carried out, and more …

We recommend our patch program for all Girl Scouts from Daisies to Alumnae except where indicated otherwise.

Please click on the links below to begin your journey. All downloads are in PDF format.

Get Adobe Reader Get Adobe® Reader®!

Patch order information is at the bottom of the page. Bon voyage!



Paris Worlds to Explore
patch_worlds_sm.jpg

Visit Paris and earn the “Paris Worlds to Explore” Patch which guides you to all of the highlights of this fascinating city. See the sights, but also taste French pastry, sit in an outdoor café or ride on a Bateau Mouche to get the whole Parisian experience!

Minimum time: 2 days
Patch requirements can be fulfilled online.

Questionnaire to complete: Paris Worlds to Explore Questionnaire
Itinerary: Paris Worlds to Explore Itinerary

Paris Underground

paris_underground_sm.jpg NEW!

You may have visited Paris by day or even by night but have you ever visited Paris Underground? Explore the underground highlights of our intriguing city to get the whole Parisian experience! Travel by metro and visit famous crypts, catacombs, historical fountains and even take a tour of the sewer system.

Minimum time: 2-4 days
Some patch requirements can be fulfilled online.

Information sheet: Paris Underground Information Sheet
Questionnaire to complete: Patch Paris Underground Questionnaire
Answer key: Paris Underground Answer Key

Women in Paris
patch_women_sm.jpg

Two cleverly constructed walking tours lead you around Paris, providing intriguing glimpses into the lives and adventures of historical French and American female figures who lived in the city.

Minimum time: 1-2 days

Questionnaire to complete: Women in Paris Questionnaire
Answer key: Women in Paris Answer Key

Africa to America
patch_africa_sm.jpg

Discover the history of African Americans in Paris: The amazing art of Lois Mailou Jones, the heroism of the Harlem Hellfighters, Josephine Baker’s generosity and much more.

Minimum time: 2 days
Patch requirements can be fulfilled online.

Questionnaire to complete: Africa to America Questionnaire
Answer Key: Africa to America Answer Key

Historical Versailles

versailles_patch_sm.jpgNEW!

Kings, Queens, statues and things... Travel back in time and discover the rich historical and cultural heritage of Versailles; its buildings, parks, breathtaking gardens and the famous Palace of Versailles. Rare art collections, special concerts, and open-air sound and light performances are only a few of the treasures you will uncover on this historical adventure.

Minimum time: 1-2 days (Girl Scouts Juniors to Alumnae)
Some patch requirements may be fulfilled online.

Questionnaire to complete: Historical Versailles Questionnaire
Answer Key:
Historical Versailles Answer Key

Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches
patch_normandy_sm.jpg

Take a trip to Normandy and experience the D-Day Landing Beaches. Thousands of American soldiers landed on June 6, 1944 along with British, French and Canadian forces to free France and Europe from Nazi domination during World War II. Walk along the beaches and cliffs where so many Americans lost their lives and visit the numerous museums and memorial sites that will help you understand the importance of the D-Day Landing.

Minimum time: 2-3 days
Recommended Girl Scout program levels: Brownies to Alumnae

Information sheet: Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches Information Sheet
Questionnaire to complete: Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches Questionnaire
Answer key: Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches Answer Key

Peace Program
patch_peace_sm.jpg

This program encourages girls to resolve conflict, reach out to others in peace and friendship, dedicate themselves to acts of kindness, understand our differences to avoid misunderstandings, and rejoice in our likenesses.

Minimum time: 2 days (Girl Scouts Juniors to Alumnae will need more time)
Completed question sheets should be sent in with patch order or by e-mail attachment.

Questionnaire to complete: Peace Patch Program Questionnaire

La Fayette Escadrille Memorial
patch_escadrille_sm.jpg

Every November 11th, an Armistice Day Ceremony takes place at the La Fayette Escadrille Memorial to commemorate those brave American aviators who defended France before the US joined the war effort in World War I. Participation in this moving ceremony in Marnes-la-Coquette is the only requirement for this Patch.

USA Girl Scouts – Paris, France (Unearned)
patch_usags_sm.jpg

This unearned patch may be purchased by all Girl Scouts.
It also makes a great souvenir!

Patch Ordering Info
Please mail Paris Patch requests to:
USAGSO PARIS - Paris Patch Coordinator
34, avenue de New York
75116 Paris, France

Click here to download a patch order form.

All USAGSO-PARIS patches are US $ 5.50 or 4,00 € per patch ordered, plus postage.

Kindly send payment by US Dollar or Euro check only (no other currencies please), written to the order of GIRL SCOUTS.

For mail orders, please add postage as follows:

  • 1-5 patches, $ 3.00 or 2,00 €
  • 6-10 patches, $ 4.50 or 3,00 €
  • 11-16 patches, $ 6.00 or 4,00 €
  • 17 or more patches, please inquire

Save postage! If you are in Paris, you may schedule an appointment to pick up your patches by contacting our Paris Patch Coordinator.

Thank you!