The Hispanic/Latino community accounted for 25 percent of North Carolina’s population increase over the past 20 years, and the average age of Hispanics living in North Carolina is 9 years old — meaning many could be Girl Scouts!
The September Patch of the Month highlights the Girl Scouts mission to serve all girls and their families by developing awareness and appreciation of diversity. The Discovering Hispanic Heritage patch program was inspired by Hispanic Heritage Month which lasts from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. Girl Scouts of all backgrounds are encouraged to dive into Hispanic culture and become familiar with its cultural elements like language, history, heroines, and stories, while completing activities to go along with it.
To discover and learn more about Hispanic heritage, Girl Scouts learning Spanish phrases and the history of influential Latina heroines and their life stories. To connect, girls can invite a Hispanic speaker to share their cultural experiences, take a tour of a Latin American Embassy or Hispanic Center, and learn about Girl Scouting in Latin American countries. To take action, girls can visit a Hispanic grocery store and prepare a meal of Hispanic origin, learn how to dance one of the many Latino dancing styles, or become pen-pals with a Girl Scout in a Latin America. Girls can choose which activities they would like to complete to earn their patch, making the patch program a fun and engaging experience for all girls that participate.
The Girl Scout patch programs are a great way for girls to learn new things in innovative and exciting ways. By learning more about a new culture, or delving deeper into their own, girls develop an understanding of diversity and why it is important in society. Whether it’s making a new friend in a pen-pal from a different country, or discovering a passion for salsa dancing, the Discovering Hispanic Heritage patch program is the perfect opportunity to learn about the world around them while developing courage, confidence, and character.
Learn more about our council patch programs and about joining Girl Scouts by visiting www.nccoastalpines.org.