Photo courtesy of http://www.klaw.com
I just finished reading an article about an 11-year-old Girl Scout who was told she couldn’t collect donations via PayPal for cookies that could be sent to our troops overseas. Who was she told by? The organization executives. How did they even know she was doing this? Apparently, a mother of another girl in her troop alerted the “authorities” resulting in this girl getting called out by the national committee although just hours before, their Twitter account was commending her for her initiative.
The main reason the organization will not allow this little do-gooder to continue her online campaign: because the girls need to develop face-to-face “oh-so-important” people skills.
Like Steamfeed says in their article:
1) We are in 2013. Social media is how people communicate today, regardless of whether they are two feet away from each other or 2,000 miles. It’s quick, it’s easy, and, despite popular belief, it’s SOCIAL!
Photo courtesy of http://www.prconversations.com
Emma’s mother spoke with their local council VP of Retail and Product Sales who responded by saying that,“the online, social media stuff does not matter because it is behind a computer. Not real life!!”
No it’s not face-to-face with someone, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t “real”. It’s still a conversation where you have to choose your words appropriately depending upon the situation.
…..and 2) This girl is going above and beyond by wanting to make a difference in the lives of many soldiers fighting for our freedom right now. Who cares if she chooses to put a smile on their face by sending cookies. This is an outrageously generous gesture, especially for an 11-year-old. If that doesn’t uphold the Girl Scout standards I don’t know what does.
Being a social media fanatic, I really found this article interesting mainly because the Girl Scout Organization is so behind the curve when it comes to how people communicate now. What are your thoughts?
OH! and one more thing! What the heck was this tattle-tale mom thinking? Sounds like she was pretty jealous her daughter didn’t come up with that idea herself. Parents these days…
Live, Laugh, Lighty 