Caitlyn, 14, from Troop 81040, has been rewarded for her ability to convey the importance of being a global citizen by the Girl Scouts of the USA in her essay All Because of One Button. Caitlyn was one of 18 winning entries in a contest designed to have girls reflect on how their Girl Scouting experience broadens their horizons and increases their cultural sensitivity.  In recognition of her accomplishment, Caitlyn won a trip to Washington, DC which will take place this summer.

Girls were asked to describe a Girl Scout experience that has inspired them to become global citizens who understand and appreciate cultural differences. This writing contest was separated into two age groups Twelve of the 12-14-year-olds won a four-day all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC and six 15-17-year-old winners were awarded with a seven day adventure to Paris and London.  Nearly 150 girls entered and the18 winners are set to travel this summer.

Caitlyn’s Story
Developing Her Essay
Every once in a while I like to go to the Studio 2B website, just to see what’s going on in Girl Scouts. The last time I went on, I found a pleasant surprise. There was a writing contest. Now I know most teenagers would laugh and ignore the ad for it, but I’m not like most teenagers. I love to write. When my schoolwork isn’t very heavy, I like to look around for things and there it was. And the prize for winning also added a little reason for entering it. Not only that, but I could connect to the topic. It was easy to write about because of my friend Georgia (my pen pal from England). I felt that I had something to contribute and that it would just be a good way to express myself and do some writing, regardless of how it ended up. Although, it turned out that a little project I did in my spare time got me an awesome trip and an awesome reason to keep writing.

 

All Because of One Button
I’m sitting in front of my computer, fingers dancing wildly across the keyboard. I quickly scan through my e-mail one more time and hit the send button. In that one hit of a button, my e-mail is being sent along the internet, across the ocean in a matter of seconds.
It’s four in the afternoon and I’ve just gotten home from school. I can’t wait to check my e-mail because my new friend Georgia may have written back. Georgia is a Girl Guide in England. My mom and Georgia’s troop leader got the both of us hooked up with each other’s e-mails.
Our troop is hoping that one day (when we’re older) that we’ll be able to go to England and meet up with our online pen pals. So, we’re starting early. We’ve decided that we’re going to get a good relationship before we go.
I have to admit, I am kind of narrow minded at times. When I started e-mailing Georgia, I didn’t expect her to be like me and my friends. I don’t know what I expected, but I sure didn’t think she would be like me. I love to write; she does too. I do gymnastics; she does dance and is on a racket ball team. I love music; she listens to a lot of the same bands and artists I do. We also talk about all that our Girl Scout troops have done. We talk about the volunteer work we’ve done and all the events we’ve taken part of as older Girl Scouts and Girl Guides. Because we’re older, we can do so much more to help out around our towns.

I used to think that the world was some huge, vast place. Talking to Georgia has made me realize that it really isn’t. We’re all not that different. Everyone wants the same things. Georgia and I both want to do well in sports. We both want good grades. And, we both want friends and to be liked. If everyone in the world thought like this and tried to make this connection that two thirteen year olds like Georgia and I have made, the world would be a more peaceful place. We’d understand where each other are coming from and how we want (and need) this world to be. It would be a better place to live, wouldn’t it be?

Caitlyn