Volunteer Spotlight
A STUDIO 2BSM Advisor

April 13, 2004

By Michele Landa Riggio, staff writer

Sara Bednarofsky, a 20-year-old college student from Pennsylvania, is a volunteer for STUDIO 2B, the new way girls 11-17 can participate in Girl Scouting. As part of Girl Scouting, STUDIO 2B is based on the same goals that girls have benefited from for more than 90 years. In STUDIO 2B, girls refer to those goals as the 4Bs: become, belong, believe, and build. Specifically, it's a place where girls become who they want to be, feel like they belong to a safe place, are comfortable expressing what they believe in, and build a better world.

In the STUDIO 2B approach to Girl Scouting, girls, coached by adult advisors, set and achieve their own goals, and have an opportunity to accomplish tasks and earn charms. Emphasis is placed on the flexibility of scheduling group meetings and deciding what activities the group participates in. Here's how Sara does it:

Q: What made you get involved with volunteering through STUDIO 2B?
A: I had been a Brownie troop leader for about one year, and then became involved with STUDIO 2B. I attended a training session in my community about it, because I really didn't know much about STUDIO 2B and wanted to learn more before I decided if it was something for me. After the training, I was hooked and decided to start my own STUDIO 2B group.

Q: What types of activities does your STUDIO 2B group do?
A: When the group first began in the fall, the girls all wanted to go white-water rafting. Of course, with winter so close, that plan was put on hold until warmer weather. All but two of the girls in my group are involved with the high school musical, so our last meeting was held after rehearsal (which worked out great since I'm also involved with the musical). I'm very aware of the other activities the girls participate in, so we try to do activities that relate to their interests and schedule group meetings to accommodate everyone's schedules.

Q: What's your role in the STUDIO 2B group?
A: At the first group meeting, I asked the girls to decide what they wanted my role as their advisor to be. My only stipulation was that they had to consider safety when planning activities. I promised to let them know about upcoming events they might be interested in, in our community. Once the girls helped define my role, they developed a list of activities they were interested in, and we fleshed that list out together. I help to facilitate the activities. As a STUDIO 2B advisor, the girls in my group perceive me as their friend and equal, but they understand that I am the "adult" figure and in charge of safety. To reinforce the STUDIO 2B experience, I offer direction and suggestions in unobvious ways and empower the girls to make decisions on their own.

Q: What would you say to others who want to get involved working with teens in Girl Scouts?
A: Give it a try! Learn about STUDIO 2B, look at the research that tells us what girls want, think about it from their point of view, and it makes sense! It's also such a rewarding experience to know that you're impacting someone's life.

Q: How do you benefit from volunteering in Girl Scouting?
A: In ways far too great to count! Working with the girls in this group is like a burst of energy. Even though I'm only four years older than the oldest member in the group, each member makes me feel energetic. Their spunk and excitement for activities and knowledge is amazing. I share with them information about Girl Scouting, high school classes, and future careers. It's really an amazing group.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
A: It's exciting to see how STUDIO 2B has taken shape from the original research done with thousands of girls nationwide. I can remember participating in a research survey for The Ten Emerging Truths: New Directions for Girls 11-17 and wondering what this new option would be like. Today, I'm very excited to be part of STUDIO 2B. I think it's wonderful to see girls in my community joining Girl Scouting for the first time as teens, and sticking with it because of STUDIO 2B.

Like Sara, volunteers in Girl Scouting create flexible and convenient schedules for themselves and their groups. Positions as STUDIO 2B advisors, Girl Scout leaders, camp counselors, travel facilitators, board members, or mentors are available in every zip code across the country. For information about how you can volunteer in your community, please call 1(800) GSUSA 4 U or log on to the Council Finder for the Girl Scout office nearest you.

To find out more about STUDIO 2B, visit the Web site at www.studio2b.org.