Troop 20269 took over Parking Day on Gay Street earlier this year to show that Girl Scouts are more than just cookies and crafts. Because Parking Day promotes natural services and preserving natural resources, the Cadettes emphasized camping and solar-powered cooking with their exhibit.
Parking Day Knox is an annual global event in which citizens and artists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places such as pocket parks. Their mission is to call attention to the need for more pedestrian-oriented open space in urban environments and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.
Parking Day banners
With a fake campfire and hammock set up, the girls illustrated that Girl Scouts do a wide range of activities – like camping! Involved in the project were Anna Grzywacz-Jones, Annabella Spezia, Cassandra Natavidad, Celestina Pint, Marie Kouakou, MJ Parkhill, Molly Brinkmann and Shelby Gensheimer.
They wrapped closed plastic boxes with aluminum foil so the sun gradually cooked the girls’ hot dog and s’mores lunches for their solar-power display.
Homemade banners were made to highlight the G.I.R.L. Girl Scout DNA: Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker and Leader. The banners also highlighted key components of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience: STEM, outdoors, life skills and entrepreneurship. And living by the Girl Scout Promise and Law of “using resources wisely,” the banners will be used for future bridging ceremonies.
The event concluded with an award ceremony, at which the troop was awarded the Next Generation Award!
Brooke Conner is social media and content coordinator for Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians.