Girl Scout of the Philippines

Coping up with my posts, I’ll be sharing with you one of my daughter’s activity last September 30. It’s a delayed post but I have many article rewrites and paid blogging work lately so I kinda neglected my blog. Sorry guys, I need to prioritize my earnings since 70% of our income comes from online work and 30% comes from my field work and homebase biz. I have 4 kids to feed and 1 niece to send to school that made 5 kids to grow. We’re a big family indeed and we really have to work overtime to cope up with our daily expenses.

I am always active and supportive to my kid’s activities and one of this is GSP activity. GSP means Girl Scout of the Philippines. Last September 30, 2008 Tarlac South District Elementary schools from different  barangays of Tarlac South celebrated Escoda Day. Sapang Tagalog Elementary hosted the event.

GSP Theme

It started at 6am so my kids woke up early to prepare. It was a whole day activity which includes formation, Marching, Yelling competition and parlor games. The activity ended at 3pm and San Miguel Elementary school was the overall champion in Yelling Completion.

Hub took this picture before they go to the Formation area. He said the morning was so pleasant and he can’t help but take this picture.

I also made a research about the brief history of GSP to give you a clear idea why they are celebrating Escoda day. What or who is Escoda anyway?

Research from Wikipedia.com

The Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) is the national Guiding association for girls and young women of the Philippines. Its mission is “to help girls and young women realize the ideals of womanhood and prepare themselves for their responsibilities in the home, and to the nation, and the world community. The girls-only association serves 671,267 members (as of 2003).

Lone Girl Scout troops were organized in the Philippines as early as 1918 by American missionaries and servicemen. These Scout troops were directly registered with the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Pilar Hidalgo-Lim and Josefa Llanes Escoda spearheaded the organization of a Scout movement for girls, and requested the assistance of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). In 1939, Mrs. Escoda was sent to the United States and Britain for training through the help of Joseph E. Stevenot of the BSP. Upon her return to the Philippines, she immediately started to set up the GSP with the help of other civic organizations.

On May 26, 1940, the GSP was chartered under Philippine Commonwealth Act No. 542.

In 1946, the GSP was accepted as a tenderfoot member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) during the 11th World Conference held at Evian, France. In 1948, the GSP became a full member of WAGGGS during the 12th World Conference held at Cooperstown, New York.

Since 1995 the organization lost nearly half of its members; the membership number shrunk from 1,275,113 in 1995 to 671,267 in 2003. In reaction to this, the BSP opened the Senior Scout Section for girls in summer 2006 which led to a public conflict about the focuses of both GSP and BSP.

Program

The GSP’s program focuses on “well-being, family life, heritage and citizenship, world community, preparedness, economic self-sufficiency, arts and environment. Center of the program is the “eight-point challenge”, a merit-badge program. The highest award is the “Chief Girl Scout Medal” which was introduced in 1976.

The Girl Scout emblem incorporates elements of the flag of the Philippines.

Sections

The association is divided in five sections according to age:

* Twinkler Scout – ages 4 to 6

* Star Scout – ages 6 to 9

* Junior Girl Scout – ages 9 to 12

* Senior Girl Scout – ages 12 to 15

* Cadet Girl Scout – ages 15 to 21

Scout Promise

Filipino:

Sa aking karangalan, gagampanan ko ang aking tungkulin

sa Diyos at sa aking bayan;

tutulong ako sa aking kapwa sa lahat ng pagkakataon

at isasabuhay ko ang Batas ng Girl Scout.

English:

On my honor, I will do my duty:

to God and my country;

to help other people at all times;

and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Scout Law

1. Ang Girl Scout ay mapagkakatiwalaan (A Girl Scout’s honour is to be trusted)

2. Ang Girl Scout ay matapat (A Girl Scout is loyal)

3. Ang Girl Scout ay matulungin (A Girl Scout is helpful)

4. Ang Girl Scout ay kaibigan ng lahat at kapatid ng bawa’t Girl Scout (A Girl Scout is a friend to all and a sister to every other Girl Scout)

5. Ang Girl Scout ay mapitagan (A Girl Scout is courteous)

6. Ang Girl Scout ay magalang sa lahat na may buhay (A Girl Scout respects living things)

7. Ang Girl Scout ay disiplinado (A Girl Scout is disciplined)

8. Ang Girl Scout ay may sariling paninindigan (A Girl Scout is self-reliant)

9. Ang Girl Scout ay matipid (A Girl Scout is thrifty)

10. Ang Girl Scout ay malinis sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa (A Girl Scout is clean in thoughts, words and deeds)

Sapang Tagalog Elementary School Stage

Girl Scout Formation – Sapang Tagalog Gym

The big GSP Crowd includes the parents as audience

GSP Patrol Leaders holding the GSP Flags

Star Scout Yell presentation – San Miguel Elementary School

My daughter Rajisha is included in this presentation under my Best friend Liza’s sister Madam Susana Tam. They were awarded as Yell Champion

My daughter Rajisha and her friends – She’s in grade 4

My daughter Sabrina: they are reciting Girl Scout Law

My daughter Sabrina – She’s in 5th Grade

My daughter Sab and her friends. They also won the Yell Competition

Sabrina & Rajisha – My 2 daughters

One positive experience they have experienced transferring to a public school is this GSP activity. They never have a GSP activity when they were studying at Tarlac Montessori School.

Naalala ko tuloy nung bata pa ako, I used to go on camping and jamboree from one place to another, my dad is allowing me to do so but todays generation is different because of many dangers in todays environment so I’m always hesitant to allow them to join camping in far flung areas. My kids, especially my 14 years old daughter Jessica is asking for permission in their forthcoming camping activity outside Tarlac, on November but I said I’ll think about it 🙂

How about you? do you still remember your great experiences during GSP & BSP campings? 🙂