Provided by Campus Girl Scouts
Murray State University Campus Girl Scouts, a group of adult and college volunteers, hosted their very first World Thinking Day for the local Girl Scouts on Feb. 24.
In this program, the Girl Scouts were educated not only about Girl Scouts around the world but also about the different cultures they live in.
Attending chapters were given a makeshift passport to travel to the information tables of the different countries. Several countries were represented from different continents: Kenya and Madagascar from Africa; Qatar, India, Japan, China from Asia; Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Germany, and Ireland from Europe; and the United States and Costa Rica from the Americas.
Each table was decorated with a trifold of facts and cultural artifacts and had several activities. For China, girls were able to have their names and favorite sayings printed on chopsticks in Chinese calligraphy.
Junrong He, an international student from China said this was a special experience for her.
“I was very excited to educate others about my culture,” she said “They were very curious, even though they only knew about pandas! I’m glad I’m here to enjoy Girl Scouts.”
After sightseeing, the girls were able to enjoy and sample the cuisine of the countries they just saw. Snacks included pita bread from Qatar, shortbread cookies from Europe, Japanese strawberry Poki sticks, and more.
Karla Johnston and Merry Miller, the advisers of the Campus Girls Scouts, were very pleased with the results of the program. They agreed that, as a sisterhood of fellowship and community service, the Campus Girl Scouts enjoy helping out their community.
“I believe the program was a success”, Johnston said. “The girls are interacting with each other and learning about cultures outside the United States. I can tell that they are having fun because I don’t see any glum faces but instead smiles and laughs. I’d like to see more troops next year.”
Friday’s event concluded with a sing-along song of cultural diversity and making new friends and keeping the old ones.
Campus Girl Scouts meet every Monday night at 6 p.m. in the Biology building, room 119.