​Hello everyone! My name is June Urdy and I am a second-year AmeriCorps VISTA serving the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM). The mission of Girl Scouts: “Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place”. My service assignment includes: developing programming for 6th-8th grade girls and their parents promoting college readiness, recruiting community volunteers, contributing to/facilitating badge activities focused on college readiness, and creating/promoting community service opportunities for girls. 
 
I have been working on programming, using community partners whenever possible. In January, we repeated the “Sewing for Service” workshop. A professional sewing instructor, myself, and several troop leaders helped the girls learn basic machine sewing. The girls made a pillowcase for themselves, to practice and get comfortable with the sewing machine. This was the first time most of them had ever used a sewing machine. Then they completed an additional pillowcase to donate to a child at the homeless shelter or the Whaley Children’s Center. The girls were excited to complete two pillowcases in such a short time period; many expressed a desire to do more sewing in the future. This activity could be the beginning of a future career in clothing construction or design.
 
In February, the girls have the option to attend badge workshops focused on public speaking, created with the help of some very talented volunteers from Flint Community Players. Developing public speaking skills boosts confidence and is important in many future careers. The two badge workshops, Troupe Performer and Public Speaker, will be hosted at the Flint Community Players workshop. The Troup Performer badge workshop, for 9th & 10th grade girls, includes the preparation and practice to perform a play as a staged reading (no memorizing requited).  The Public Speaking badge workshop, for 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls, includes practicing vocalization games, charades and a chance to read a short speech on stage. The girls will get to choose the speech and practice before the presentation. Both badge workshops will include a tour of the facility, meeting with people who work in various capacities in the facility and an opportunity to speak /perform onstage in the “black box” theater. At the end of the workshop, the girls will complete the requirements to earn the badge. These activities could be the beginning of a variety of future careers in theater or public speaking.
 
Planning is in process for a cooperative learning experience for the girls and their parents at a local credit union. The financial literacy activities will happen in celebration of Money Smart Week. (April 4th to 11th, 2020). Also in April, I will be helping at one of the activity stations at a local nature center, for Global Youth Service Day. The girls will have the opportunity to spend the day doing a variety of service projects such as: making laundry soap, planting seeds for the nature center garden, sewing pillowcases to donate and making greeting cards for senior citizens.  
 
As spring approaches, I look forward to making sure the “seeds” I have planted (partnerships, programs, and new activities) have everything needed to thrive and grow into the future. Together we are doing great things. 

Hello, everyone! My name is June Urdy and I am a second-year AmeriCorps VISTA serving the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM). The mission of Girl Scouts is: “Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place”. As I begin a second year of service, I am excited about the projects I am working on but I am definitely feeling the pressure to exceed last year’s efforts. I also know the pressure is based more on my personal expectations for myself than on external expectations.
 
I am currently completing the final preparation for a college readiness workshop for 6th-8th grade Girl Scouts and their parents scheduled for October 2019 at UM-Flint. Titled, “Planning Your Future”, this will be a dual workshop running in tandem. The parents will learn about college options and preparation and the girls will participate in activities that will help them envision their future after high school. The girls will complete a variety of college-bound and career-based games and activities. Representatives from UM-Flint, Mott Community College and Kettering University will give short presentations for the parents on preparing their daughters for post-secondary options after high school graduation. Representatives from each organization will also staff information tables to answer the parent’s individual questions and to provide copies of enrollment and financial aid forms. In August, I worked with my supervisor to create a brief college readiness webinar for 6th-8th grade Girl Scouts. It will be available to use at the college readiness event and will be shown at Girl Scout events throughout the year.
After completing training on how to use the Genesee Serves volunteer platform created by the United Way of Genesee & Shiawassee Counties, I am now able to share this information with the Girl Scout volunteer support staff. I’m also attending a training on the Youth Genesee Serves grant program. This is a grant program specifically designed to provide money for youth-led service projects. Sharing the materials provided and information will enable staff to maintain the GSSEM listings and utilize the system to connect Girl Scouts with service-learning opportunities and apply for grant money after my service term is completed.  

Planning continues with two local community theater organizations to partner with the Girl Scouts to provide space and technical assistance with one-day workshops for girls to earn the Public Speaking and Theater badges. I am compiling speaking parts for the girls to use in the badge workshops that consist of speeches or essays written by former Girl Scouts, such as Sandra Day O’Conner, Condoleezza Rice, Sally Ride, and Michelle Obama.
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My calendar is filling up with events, the Human-Centered Design class, workshops, networking, and more! I am ready for a very busy, productive service year with an amazing team of VISTAs. Together, we are doing great things.

Hello everyone! My name is June Urdy and I am a first-year AmeriCorps VISTA serving the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM). As I approach the end of my service year, I am reflecting on what I have accomplished and what I have learned. The assigned activities felt overwhelming at the beginning and the few ideas I came up with to complete them seemed very insufficient. I worked with a site supervisor that was, and is, very patient and supportive, but turning ideas into action was a constant challenge for me.
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The very first project planned for my service year was a college readiness event for 6th-8th grade Girl Scouts and their families. I was unable to get enough girls to sign up to hold the event and it did not occur during this service year. Everyone I talked to prior to the event told me they thought it was a great project that would benefit the girls attending, but no one seemed interested in actually going to the event. Now what?

Encouraged to create service opportunities based on my interests/talents, I created an event for girls to learn sewing. The girls learned basic sewing by making pillowcases; one pillowcase they could keep and one pillowcase was donated to Whaley Children’s Center and/or the local homeless shelter. This event was held twice and all available slots were full for both days. The sewing instructor now has a relationship with GSSEM and will continue the sewing event after my service term is completed. 

I attended multiple networking meetings, which helped me bring in a group of women as presenters for an “Everyday Heroes” event. The event included female paramedics, female law enforcement officers, and a female firefighter along with a fire truck, police car, and ambulance. The girls attending, along with their families, were able learn about the various occupations from females working in their chosen fields; the event was interactive and self-directed. The girls attending had the opportunity to make dog chew toys for Global Youth Service day; the dog toys were donated to the Genesee County Humane Society. The presenters are now connected with GSSEM and offered to be presenters at any future event.

As a member of the Flint National Service Accelerator, directed by the United Way of Genesee & Shiawassee County, I had the opportunity to serve the community directly by packaging food on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and by completing blight elimination art projects during the Russ Mawby Signature Service Day. 

I attending numerous webinars and trainings, including the +Acumen Human-Centered Design course. Using the format learned in the course, I worked on a team project with a talented group of MNA AmeriCorps VISTAs from various cities in Michigan. We compiled an informational resource packet for educators and high school counselors of the many post-secondary education options in professions that do not require a four year college degree. 

Even if every goal was not met, I learned event planning skills, time management skills, how to document my work, and team building skills, along with perseverance. I plan to take grant-writing classes and hope to improve my leadership skills. To continue the work I have started, I am serving a second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA serving the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. The college readiness event has been re-scheduled for October 2019 and there are multiple partnership, community engagement, and college readiness projects for Girl Scouts in the planning stage. I appreciate this opportunity to serve. The learning and the work continues. 

​Hello everyone! My name is June Urdy and I am a first year AmeriCorps VISTA serving the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. The mission of Girl Scouts: “Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.” My service assignments include: developing programing for 6th-8th grade girls and their parents promoting college readiness, recruiting community volunteers, contributing to/facilitating badge activities focused on college readiness, and creating/promoting community service opportunities for girls.
 
Although my AmeriCorps service is new, I have a long affiliation with Girl Scouting. My mother was a Girl Scout in the 1940s and I received her Girl Scout pin when I moved from Brownie to Junior Girl Scout. I wore my mother’s Girl Scout pin during the seven years I served as a Girl Scout leader; both of my daughters were Girl Scouts. I still proudly wear my Girl Scout pin, along with my AmeriCorps pin, when dressing in the adult Girl Scout uniform is appropriate to my service activity. 

My AmeriCorps service is different than most of the paid employment I have had over the past 21 years. My biggest challenge has been turning my “big picture” assignments outlined in my VISTA Assignment Description (VAD) into tangible activities.  Creating, collaborating and project management is a much different use of time during the day than punching a time clock and completing pre-determined (and often repetitive) tasks. My service activities more closely resemble the volunteer service I have given at numerous organizations in the past.

Using my passion for sewing, I was able to organize a workshop in January titled “Sewing for Service” where the Girl Scouts could learn basic machine sewing. The girls completed pillowcases to donate to Whaley Children’s Center, a local residential center for children who have been removed from their families due to severe abuse/neglect. We had 11 sewing machines, a professional sewing instructor and many seasoned volunteers to help the girls be successful during the two sessions. The girls made a pillowcase for themselves to practice and get comfortable with the sewing machine, since this was the first time most of them had ever used a sewing machine. Then they completed an additional pillowcase to donate. They were very excited to be able to make something for other children. The sewing event was very popular and it will be repeated in March. This workshop is being set up to be an ongoing service learning opportunity for the Girl Scouts and additional pillowcases made by the girls will be donated to the both the Whaley Children’s Center and to the children at the YWCA Safe House. 
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I am currently working on completing the final preparation for a college readiness workshop for 6th-8th grade Girl Scouts and their parents scheduled in April 2019. In addition to working on the college readiness workshop, I will be arranging speakers and volunteers to help in a series of one day badge workshops for Girl Scouts in various skill areas, such as recycling, first aid, financial literacy and public speaking. I have a very supportive group of women supervisors and co-workers at the Flint and Detroit Service centers who help me stay focused on the Girl Scout mission and guide my efforts as I serve the community though serving the girls. Together we are doing great things.