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Girl Scouts Beyond Bars
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| Program Description |
| Girl Scouts Beyond Bars enables girls, ages 6-17, to visit and connect with their incarcerated mothers. Currently, sixteen girls from the Kansas City metropolitan area visit their mothers at the Topeka Correctional Facility on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and have been participating in the program now for almost one year.
Mothers are trained as Girl Scout leaders, getting together twice a month to plan for their Saturday troop meeting. Activities similar to what other troops do all across our communities, including things like science experiments, relationship building exercises, crafts, and cookie sales.
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| Resources |
The program is being orchestrated by Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri, and has been operating for more than five years. A $2,000,000 Congressional appropriation received in 2003 supports the program nationwide, with more than 28 councils participating.
Currently, we are seeking a pool of volunteers to regularly transport the girls from home to Topeka twice a month. It takes most of the day to pick the girls up, drive them to Topeka for their three hour meeting, and deliver them home.
Our ultimate goal is to provide a Girl Scout setting for the girls in between prison visits. Their need to bond with each other is apparent, and the additional Girl Scout opportunities would be beneficial. Again, more volunteer time and money are required.
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| Program Benefits |
According to Partners in Brainstorming, a girl is arrested every 40 seconds. The Girl Scout experience, rooted in the Promise and Law, provide a unique opportunity to help girls thrive in spite of such difficult circumstances as having a mother in jail. And,
by helping incarcerated mothers learn skills required of all Girl Scout troop leaders, they can begin to be the role model every daughter needs. In short, the program makes an impact by strengthening the relationship between a mother and daughter -- improving the odds that this young girl will grow up to her full potential.
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| How You Can Help |
| Contact the council office, 1-800-728-8750 and ask to speak to the Beyond Bars program coordinator. |
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