Democracy Badges Guide - Building Girls Of Courage .

Democracy for Brownies Badge ActivityIt’s All About the LawThe following activities have been adapted from the GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit.For additional activity ideas please utilize the GSUSA Volunteer ToolKitUser Guide.Purpose: In this badge series, Brownies will discover how people in thegovernment decide what rules are made and how they are followed.Activity 1: Opening CeremonyRecite the Girl Scout Promise and Law to help guide Girl Scouts through the activities. Take a few minuteshere to talk about the badge and what they will be learning.Activity 2: DiscoverThe United States government is broken into three parts, or branches. The government is divided in this wayto make sure that power is shared, so no part has too much. The legislative branch makes laws. The executivebranch makes sure the law is carried out. The judicial branch decides what the law means if there arequestions. Watch “3 Branches of Government” on YouTube.Activity 3: ConnectPick one (1) of the following activities: as a troop hold a pretend presidential election OR as an individualyou may interview an older family member. W ith your Girl Scout friends, break out into two teams to hold an election. Instead of voting for a president,vote on some silly topics like a dog vs. cat OR cake vs. pie. Each team should make campaign signs andspeeches for your “candidate.” Once you are done vote by secret ballot to choose a winner. A s an individual, interview a few members of your family and find out which president has meant themost to them in their lifetime and why. Did they choose the same president? Do they have different reasonsfor their choice?Activity 4: Take-ActionCongress meets in Washington, D.C., in a place called the Capitol Building. The Senate meets on one side ofthe building and the House of Representatives meets on the other. Take a virtual tour of the Capitol Buildingthrough Virtually-Anywhere.com! Together, look up the answers to the following questions: Who are yourstates two U.S. Senators? How many representatives does your state have?What kinds of issues are important to some of them? Together, write a letterto a U.S. Representative or Senator about an issue that’s important to you.My Girl Scout Super Power:Activity 5: Closing CeremonyReflect on the day’s activities. Ask your Brownie Girl Scout to share one thingshe learned, her favorite part, and something she’d like to explore further.Congratulate your Girl Scout on earning her Democracy badge!Democracy

Democracy for Juniors Badge ActivityWe Want More Representation!The following activities have been adapted from the GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit.For additional activity ideas please utilize the GSUSA Volunteer ToolKitUser Guide.Purpose: In this badge series, Juniors learn more about how theirgovernment works—from their town or city to the whole country.Activity 1: Opening CeremonyRecite the Girl Scout Promise and Law to help guide Girl Scouts through the activities. Take a few minuteshere to talk about the badge and what they will be learning. Open up the conversation why asking “What isa government?” A government is when a group of people come together to keep order in the country andprovide services for its citizens, from the local, state, or federal level.Activity 2: DiscoverThe United States government is broken into three parts, or branches. Each branch has its own role in howthe law is made and used. The Constitution of the United States divided the government in this way to makesure that no one person or group has too much power. The legislative branch makes laws, the executivebranch enforces laws, and, the judicial branch interprets laws. A system of “checks and balances” helps tokeep power evenly distributed between the three branches. Each branch “checks” the power of the other.Look at “3 Branches of Government” on YouTube.Activity 3: ConnectLearn How a Bill Becomes a Law and draft your own bill! Your bill can be on a topic or issue that’s importantto you such as voting rights, healthcare, education, food safety, or so much more. Share your bill with yourfriends or family and be prepared to defend it and answer questions.Activity 4: Take-ActionEach state in the country is represented by two people in the United States Senate. The House of Representativesis more complicated. There are currently 435 House members, and the number for each state is decided by thesize of its population. Look at a map of the United States and find the current number of representatives in eachstate. Now, how many of the 435 are women? Which states don’t have any female representatives? Did you knowthat a record number of women ran for the House of Representatives in 2020 breaking 2018’s record?!? What wasthe number when you were born? How about when some of the older women in your life were your age?Create an inspirational flyer through PosterMyWall.com to recruit morewomen to run for office in the future!Activity 5: Closing CeremonyReflect on the day’s activities. Ask your Junior Girl Scout to share one thingshe learned, her favorite part, and something she’d like to explore further.Congratulate your Girl Scout on earning her Democracy badge!My Girl Scout Super Power:Democracy

Additional Resources for Daisies, Brownies, and JuniorsInformational WebsitesWe The People by ScholasticDuckers.comReadingsSenant.govI am Abraham Lincoln Children’s Books Read AloudVideosWhat Does a Mayor Do?3 Branches of GovernmentVirtual Tour GuideUnited States Capital Building TourUnited States White House TourGamesBrainPop.comGirl Scouts of the USA ResourceGirl Scouts at Home: Daisies (Grades K-1) – Democracy for DaisiesGirl Scouts at Home: Brownies (Grades 2-3 ) – Democracy for BrowniesGirl Scouts at Home: Juniors (Grades 4-5 ) – Democracy for Juniors Badge ActivityHow a Bill Becomes a LawUnited States Map

Democracy for Cadettes Badge ActivityWho Represents You?The following activities have been adapted from the GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit.For additional activity ideas please utilize the GSUSA Volunteer ToolKit User Guide.Purpose: In this badge series, Cadettes find new things about their government—how each branch works, how they work together, and how each piece makes adifference in society.Activity 1: Opening CeremonyRecite the Girl Scout Promise and Law to help guide Girl Scouts through the activities. Take a few minuteshere to talk about the badge and what they will be learning.Activity 2: DiscoverThe United States government is broken into three parts, or branches. Each branch has its own role in howthe law is made and used. The Constitution of the United States divided the government in this way to makesure that no one person or group has too much power. The legislative branch makes laws, the executivebranch enforces laws, and, the judicial branch interprets laws. A system of “checks and balances” helps tokeep power evenly distributed between the three branches. Each branch “checks” the power of the other.Watch “3 Branches of Government” on YouTube.Activity 3: ConnectDid you know that the Constitution of the United States was signed in 1787 by the country’s Founding Fathers?The Constitution is one of the most important documents in United States history. Do you know what theconstitution consists of three parts?1. PreambleA preamble explains the purpose of the document. (It begins “We the People ”)Watch The Preamble of The Constitution Schoolhouse Rock on YouTube.If you were to write your own preamble what would you include?Don’t forget that your Preamble must start with “We the People.”2. ArticlesArticles map out the structure of the government and explain how theConstitution can be changed. Learn about the seven articles of theConstitution by reading pages 1-3 on iCivics.com on theAnatomy of the Constitution.My Girl Scout Super Power:Democracy

3. Amendments, or changes to the Constitution.The first ten amendments are called The Bill of Rights. There have been 27 amendments to theConstitution since it was written more than 200 years ago. Watch a short video entitled AmendingAmerica: How We Amend by the History channel. This video is a depiction of the Amendments andthe changes it underwent years ago.When most people think of “government,” their first thought is of the president and other electedofficials in Washington, D.C. They usually know a lot less about their local government. Talk to anexpert. With help from an adult, find an expert who can talk to you about your local government. Thiscould be a teacher, a lawyer, a judge, or someone elected to local office. Have them explain all the jobsthat are done in your local government and talk to you about local elections. Ask any other questionsyou can think of?Activity 4: Take-Action Find Out About the Federal Legislative BranchWrite a letter to one of your local representatives about an issue in the news right now that’s importantto you? What makes this issue important to you? How can this representative take action on this issue?Do you think there’s something more that lawmakers can do to help? If you are unsure of your localcouncil member visit the New York City Council website. Find Out About the Federal Executive BranchCreate a craft branch by drawing a picture of a tree with three branches, then label the branches witheach branch of government. Take a list of 10 people or groups of people and make them into “leaves”for the corresponding branch. You can write them near the branches or cut out leaves from greenconstruction paper and glue or tape them on. Unsure how to start this craft watch this short videoentitled The Branches of Government Find Out About the Federal Judicial BranchOne of the best ways to understand the legal system is to see it in action!Watch CNN: Inside the Supreme Court. What did you notice about the Supreme Court building? Isthere anything that stood out to you? What traditions in the Supreme Court did you find intriguing?Activity 5: Closing CeremonyReflect on the day’s activities. Share one thing you learned, whatwas your favorite part, and something you’d like to explore further.Congratulations on earning your Democracy badge!My Girl Scout Super Power:Democracy

Democracy for Seniors Badge ActivityMaking ChoicesThe following activities have been adapted from the GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit.For additional activity ideas please utilize the GSUSA Volunteer ToolKitUser Guide.Purpose: In this badge series Seniors will expand their knowledge about howtheir local, state, and national government works.When girls earn this badge, they will have learned new things about theirgovernment--how each branch works, how they work together, and how eachpiece makes a difference in society.Activity 1: Opening CeremonyRecite the Girl Scout Promise and Law to help guide Girl Scouts through the activities. Take a few minuteshere to talk about the badge and what they will be learning.Activity 2: DiscoverThe United States government is broken into three parts, or branches. Each branch has its own role in howthe law is made and used. The Constitution of the United States divided the government in this way to makesure that no one person or group has too much power. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branchenforces laws, and, the judicial branch interprets laws. A system of “checks and balances” helps to keep powerevenly distributed between the three branches.Each branch “checks” the power of the other. Watch “Checks and Balances” on YouTube and learn about howeach branch checks the other. What stood out for you in this video? If you can employ a new method of checksand balances what would it be?Activity 3: Connect Find Out About the Federal Legislative BranchA system of “checks and balances” helps to keep power evenly distributed between legislative, executive,and judicial branches of the United States Government. One responsibility of Congress is creating thefederal budget. Spend some time researching the big buckets of spending in the United State by visiting theTrading Economics website.What percentage of the budget is typically spent on the military? What about health care? How are “checksand balances” put in pace to ensure that no one organization gets all the money?Create your own pie chart showing how you’d recommend allocating funds if you were a member ofCongress.

Activity 4: Take-Action Find Out About the Federal Executive BranchOn your own or with a sister Girl Scout or friend, find out everything you can about one system ofgovernement (such as democracy, monarchy, or oligarchy).Create a presentation of what you’ve learned and share it with a family member, troop leader, or yourGirl Scout Troop. The presentation can take any form (PowerPoint, YouTube video, etc.)— be creative!After you’ve had a chance to share, talk about what you’ve heard. Which do you think is the best systemand why? Find Out About the Federal Judicial BranchOne of the best ways to understand the legal system is to see it for yourself! Watch CNN: Inside theSupreme Court. What did you notice about the Supreme Court building? Is there anything that stood outto you? What traditions in the Supreme Court did you find intriguing?Activity 5: Closing CeremonyReflect on the day’s activities. Share one thing you learned, what was your favorite part, and something you’dlike to explore further. Congratulations on earning your Democracy badge!My Girl Scout Super Power:Democracy

Democracy for Ambassadors Badge ActivityJudge a CaseThe following activities have been adapted from the GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit. Foradditional activity ideas please utilize the GSUSA Volunteer ToolKit User Guide.Purpose: In this badge series Ambassadors become experts on local, state, andnational government—and prepare to use that knowledge to inform 10 trustedindividuals or family members in their community about the local, state, ornational government.Activity 1: Opening CeremonyRecite the Girl Scout Promise and Law to help guide Girl Scouts through the activities. Take a few minuteshere to talk about the badge and what they will be learning.Activity 2: DiscoverThe United States government is broken into three parts, or branches. Each branch has its own role inhow the law is made and used. The Constitution of the United States divided the government in thisway to make sure that no one person or group has too much power. The legislative branch makes laws,the executive branch enforces laws, and, the judicial branch interprets laws. A system of “checks andbalances” helps to keep power evenly distributed between the three branches.Activity 3: ConnectFind out about local governmentHave you ever heard the term “Gerrymandering”? Find out everything you can on the topic by watching“Gerrymandering: How drawing jagged lines can impact an election by Christina Greer” What is thehistory? Do you see examples in your district? Research some of the solutions that have been proposed— andmaybe even come up with some of your own. Share your thoughts with the group.Activity 4: Take-ActionFind out about state governmentWatch the United States v. Virginia case. Share and debate this case with a sister Girl Scout, friend, orfamily member. Do you think that the procedures and methods applied in this case were just?If yes, why? If no, why not? Would you have argued this case anydifferent than Ruth Bader Ginsburg?My Girl Scout Super Power:Activity 5: Closing CeremonyReflect on the day’s activities. Share one thing you learned, what was yourfavorite part, and something you’d like to explore further. Congratulationson earning your Democracy badge!Democracy

Additional Resources For Cadettes, Seniors, and AmbassadorsInformational WebsitesNew York City CouncilTrading EconomicsReadingsAnatomy of the ConstitutionVideos3 Branches of GovernmentThe Preamble of The Constitution Schoolhouse RockAmending America: How Do We Amend.The Branches of GovernmentCNN: Inside the Supreme CourtGirl Scouts of the USA ResourcesGirl Scouts at Home: Cadettes (Grades 6-8) – Democracy for CadettesGirl Scouts at Home: Seniors (Grades 9-10) –Democracy for SeniorsGirl Scouts at Home: Ambassador (Grades 11-12) –Ambassadors for Democracy Badge ActivityMy Girl Scout Super Power:Democracy

PRO-TIP FOR LEADERS: For your next meeting have a Girl Scout lead out in the Girl Scout Promise and Law. An excellent way to get your Girl Scout involved is to create a Girl Scout Kaper Chart for the week. Girl Scout Kapers are a fun tradition that helps girls take the lead, learn by doi