Girl Scouts And Park Service Collaborate

Girl Scouts of the USA has produced a new program book for girls ages 11-17 called Parks Matter. The booklet focuses on the National Park Service and the immense and diverse potential of the nation’s park system.

Seizing on this new opportunity to inform girls and leaders about the scope of the nation’s parks, their resources, and opportunities for volunteer work and employment in a variety of fields, the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut approached Connecticut’s only national park and the only site in the nation to honor an American painter: the Weir Farm National Historic Site, located on the Wilton/Ridgefield border.

Weir Farm provides visitors with the opportunity to learn about the history of such artist occupants as American Impressionist J. Alden Weir, his son-in-law sculptor Mahonri Young, and painter Sperry Andrews. In addition, the park’s non-profit partner, Weir Farm Trust, provides art exhibitions and public art classes and other programs for visitors, as well as development opportunities for professional contemporary artists, such as the highly regarded artist-in-residency program.

In response to the Girl Scout Council’s request, staff at Weir Farm were enthusiastic about the opportunity to inform more of the public about the benefits of the National Park System in preserving environmental, historic, and cultural assets; to offer hands-on project activities; and to build a relationship with the Girl Scout Council, which serves almost 9,300 girls ages 11 to 17 in the 15 Fairfield County towns and cities of Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.

The first collaborative program will take place on April 23 and will focus on careers for women in the National Park Service and associated organizations. Many people only think of trails or visitor centers at a national park and do not realize the variety of employment opportunities available in the sciences, history, historic preservation, art and curatorial work, law, and communications, to name just a few categories.

The program, entitled “Parks Matter and So Do You!,” is expected to be a chance for girls to get to know a world-class resource, to learn in detail from present park professionals about their careers, and to consider a number of different ways individuals can support their parks and all they offer to all people across the country.