NEWS

East Rockaway Girl Scout troops travel to Jamaica

Local girls, leaders make a difference at group home

Posted

When my Girl Scout leader first presented the idea of going on a service trip to Jamaica to our Troops 2072 and 2101, I was intrigued yet skeptical. How could we possibly make a difference in only two days’ work? But after spending ten days in Costa Rica with a volunteer organization last summer, I could not imagine how we could substantially help the girls in the group home we were connecting with in such a short span of time. Despite my doubts, my mother and I, along with seven other East Rockaway Girl Scouts and mothers; gathered bright and early to head to JFK International Airport on Aug. 18, a Tuesday, eager to find out what we would experience when we arrived.

Our adventure began with a high-speed bus ride on the narrow, twisting roads leading up into the mountains from the Jamaican coast. After an hour of driving we finally reached our destination. The group home we were working with housed about 29 girls and 1 boy. Their ages ranged from 10 to 19 and each had a unique story about their life prior to their time at the home. Most of the girls did have families, but needed to be sent away due to various factors such as abusive environments, and other reasons that made it unsafe for them to remain at home.

When we arrived at the home I think everyone was a little bit on edge. Would the girls like us? Would we be able to connect with them? Would it be really awkward for both parties? The first order of business was presenting the piles and piles of donations we had collected from our friends, families, and coworkers over the past few months. Each girl received a backpack full of school supplies and basic necessities that the home desperately needed. Next we set up tables and different groups mixed with girls from the home and Girl Scouts to decorate pillowcases and make friendship bracelets. This was a great icebreaker and once we started talking to the girls, all anxieties and shyness vanished. We bonded over similar movies and music artists we liked and found out we had a lot more in common than we expected. It was easy to see some of the girls were already forming real friendships with us.

Page 1 / 2