Companion Guide

...all girls have the clothing and shoes they need to attend school feeling proud, confident and ready to learn

Making the World a Better Place

How to Use This Guide

Supplement your GIRLtopia experience by going on a journey with My New Red Shoes and help girls have the clothing and shoes they need to attend, enjoy, and succeed in school and in life!

Dont Forget...
... to check out My New Red Shoes guide for Girl Scout Seniors so you know what we do, why, and how Seniors can Discover, Connect and Take Action with My New Red Shoes!

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls thesewill accompany you on youricebreakers to get to know the girls on your Journey! Use who clothing and shoe-themed GIRLtopia Journey.

Icebreakers

Icebreaker #1: If the Shoe Fits...

Write each half of the shoe-related sayings below on sheets of paper. Attach one paper to each girls back without letting her see what is written. Once all of the papers are attached, the girls will ask each other questions to figure out who completes their saying. Once the pairs find one another, they should discuss one fashion item they both own and another that makes them unique. Each pair should then share their findings with the full group. If the shoe fits Kick up These boots Goody Start off Waiting for Pull yourself up Take a walk ...wear it ...your heels ...were made for walking ...two shoes ...on the right foot ...the other shoe to drop ...by your bootstraps ...in someone elses shoes

Icebreaker #2: Candy

This game requires candy that comes in five or six colors (like gummy bears, gumdrops M&Ms or Skittles). Ask each girl to choose anywhere from one to five pieces of candy of any color (dont eat them yet!). Then tell the girls what each candy color represents: Color #1 Something that you wear that makes you feel confident Color #2 Something that you wear that makes you feel self-conscious Color #3 A memory of one of your first days of school Color #4 A time in your life that clothing or shoes really made a difference Color #5 Wildcard (tell us anything about yourself that relates to clothing and/ or shoes!) Ask each girl to introduce herself in turn, saying one fact for each of the colored candies she chose.

Icebreaker #3: Fashion Fears

Ask each girl to write an anonymous fashion fear on a sheet of paper. This can be silly or serious (for example, one girl might write about a nightmare about her pants tearing open at a well-attended soccer tournament while another may not have had a dress to wear to a formal dance at school). Collect the papers in a hat, bowl or basket. Have each girl pull a fashion fear out of the hat, basket or bowl and read what it says. Then discuss together what would happen if these fears came true for girls and what the consequences may be in each instance.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey. Envision a world where all girls have the clothing and shoes they need to attend school feeling proud, confident and ready to learn! My New Red Shoes is in need of creative visions of this GIRLtopia to enhance our warehouse and office space and inspire other Girl Scouts and community members to join our movement. Examples of possible Create it projects include: Paintings Videos Collages (Dont forget that you can earn your Collage Artist legacy badge Ideas? while youre at it!) Do you have other Create It, Murals Guide It, or Change It ideas that Poems Girl Scouts could do with My New Red Shoes? Email outreach@mynewredshoes.org and let us know!

Create It!

Guide It!
Consider the following topics for your Guide It activity:

Louisa May Alcott

Discuss the quote below from Louisa May Alcott, the nineteenth century American novelist most famous for writing Little Women and describing Jo, the novels heroine: She had a womanly instinct that clothes possess an influence more powerful over many than the worth of character or the magic of manners. What does the quote mean? Do you think its true?

Teens and Fashion

Read and distribute one or all of the following articles from high school newspapers. What is the message that each student is trying to convey? Do you agree or disagree with the opinions expressed in the articles? Do the articles reflect how you feel about fashion? How others in your school feel? How do you think it feels not to be able to afford fashionable clothing?

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Paint Branch High School Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.

June 2007

14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866

Vol 37 Issue 6

Expensive Clothes: There Are Other Alternatives

By Haley Zurita Online Exclusive a plain polo from American Eagle costs $24.50 and polo from Lacoste costs about $80. The polo from American Eagle would be better in two ways; its A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous, cheaper and the Lactose logo, the alligator, is said Coco Chanel and that is what students are at Paint stitched on top of the shirt, while the eagle from the Branch, especially girls. Most girls dress nicely, other polo is stitched with the shirt which is better. maybe to show off, to impress someone, or just to So when the Lacoste polo is washed the alligator look good. But, what do these girls wear? It could be a logo will start to come off. purse, shoes, jewelry, or simple accessory. Some of Some students like wearing expensive the clothes that walk through the hallways have the clothing because most unbelievable theyre popular, and prices. they have to stay on A regular I wear expensive clothes because it the top. Most popular Coach purse is about students have to look looks better to have expensive things, $300. Is it me or is that nice every day, or they price to high? I guess plus celebrities wear those kind of wont think they [will] people like expensive clothes so I guess that influences me and be popular anymore. name brands, but a But, then again, some purse from Paul Frank other people... students dont care is about $40. Everyone what they wear as long probably owns someas they get good thing expensive, but grades. I dont care what I wear because my parwhy do people buy such expensive things? I wear ents refuse to buy me expensive clothes; they say expensive clothes because it looks better to have exthats not important, but when I finish with school, I pensive things, plus celebrities wear those kind of guess in the future Ill be rich, and then I can buy clothes so I guess that influences me and other peowhatever I want, stated sophomore Natasha Chople, says sophomore Amday Wolde. Actually one pra. famous person who is not influenced has his own shoe In the end, it doesnt matter what you called the Starbury by Stephan Marbury which really wear, because its just school students are attending, cheap. The shoe costs only $14.98, which is very afnot some party and its not like someone is going to fordable, but kids dont seem to wear them, because get beaten up for not dressing well. theyre cheap. Students today want to be seen looking expensive, like they can afford to look as good as a celebrity, or there could be other reasons why students choose to wear these kinds of clothes. Most of the expensive clothing is better than cheap clothing; maybe it lasts longer or is better quality. For example, Content downloaded from Paint Branch High Schools section of www.myhsj.org on October 19, 2011.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.

THE CLAWPRINT
CREEKVIEW HIGH SCHOOL CANTON, GA
Monday, October 17, 2011 By Emma Cook Online Exclusive

The Demand of Fashionable Clothes

The desire to fit in and be considered popular or the need to be accepted, to be a part of a certain crowd or clique could lead to teens making bad choices under pressure. The pressure to wear fashionable clothes is just one such concern for teenagers struggling to find an identity and place in life. Teenage years can be difficult and through conformity to a dress code. The demand for dress code at high schools is not very popular for students at this age. It keeps everyone from appearing different, but that is exactly what kids want at school: to look different from one another. On the other hand, it does contain some benefits that keeps girls in check and covered. Not all parents of teenagers belong to the same background, culture or income group, but all teenagers want to look the same. They may be giving in to implied pressure from peer groups or cliques to wear trendy clothes. By giving in to the peer pressure to wear a certain type of dress, even if it is revealing or too expensive, puts pressure on their parents. Teenagers are sensitive. They are at the age when the opinion and approval of their peer group and social acceptence matters more than anything. A teenager does not want to be teased or taunted, or feel excluded. Creekview junior Aly Chandler explains, The reason why I try to dress fashionably is because I have a certain reputation and I like to keep it up. A teenager will follow the latest fashions to follow the crowd and be accepted. The alternative is to face the pressure, and to avoid that, a teenager will pick up the latest style and adopt it without question.
Content downloaded from Creekview High Schools section of www.myhsj.org on October 19, 2011.

Not all parents of teenagers belong to the same background, culture or income group, but all teenagers want to look the same.
demanding. Along with the struggles that enter into the relationships between teens and parents, teenagers struggle with selfconflicting ideals. In the absence of strong parental control and with overexposure to celebrity images, teens today have started living borrowed lives. It is far easier to copy what your friends and celebrities are wearing then to craft your own style. Creekview student Hannah Swanson stated, One of the reasons why my friends and I wear the same kinds of clothes is because we all have the same personality and we all go shopping together. Teenagers today feel the pressure of conforming to a groups culture and the first way this allegiance manifests itself is

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLto-

THE CHARLES
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.

Volume XXI Issue II 300 Charles Street Lindenhurst, NY 11757

Labeling yourself rather than your clothes

Friday, November 30, 2007 By Danielle Owens & Nicole Bansen Do labels really matter around Lindenhurst High School? When youre walking into any store at the mall, what do you think other people are going to think about you? In the outfit you wear? It may seem all too often people make easily judgments based on a name brand. One of the most popular labels girls and guys around school wear is Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. Abercrombie takes on an urban persona, while Hollister is more for beach goers. Although some of the items are expensive, teens are very drawn to shopping there. What do the people who are stereotyped for shopping at Abercrombie and Hollister feel? People judge too easily, says Samantha Morocco, a freshman to the school. I like the things they [Abercrombie and Hollister] sell. The type of style they advertise is what Im into. On the opposite end of the label spectrum, Hot Topic is anything but ordinary. Hot Topics slogan, its all about the music, is displayed on the stores shopping bags. The stores main attraction is the band tees they sell, which range from death metal to 80s pop. The clothing has some of the fads that most high school students are wearing, while still creating outfits that are unique and different from what their peers are also sporting. Other items sold at the store consist of question-able graphics and unique accessories, such as wristbands and neon makeup. What about the stereotype that some people feel they belong to? Most people get a bad impression from certain people who go all out from Hot Topic, not all people who shop there are what you think, says freshman Ashley Yevik. For a person who doesnt want to spend their money on an expensive new outfit, Target, WalMart, the Salvation Army, or even a thrift store is a quick place to pick up something cool or vintage. Target and Wal-Mart sell trendy clothing for a reasonable and cheap price, without the worry of tearing fabric or poor quality. For a person that wants to find a nice vintage outfit, without the cost of some boutiques, a thrift store is the perfect place to find clothes. A tee shirt or pair of pants can sell for as low as two dollars. What are you going to do when you find an outfit you love at Target, but are afraid the label obsessed peers of yours are going to do when you tell them you got your outfit for twenty dollars? I dont care where I get my clothes from, says eleventh grader Kelly Drummond. And I dont care what they think about me. If I like it, I buy it Too often, people are easily apt to judging someone on how much your outfit is worth. Other stores whose patrons are the victims to stereotyping are PacSun and Zumiez. Zumiez, located in most shopping malls, even sell skateboards that you can create. DC, Fox, Famous, Volcolm and Element are some of the many name brands sold within the stores. Most skaters wear the brand name of their favorite pro-skater, like Ryan Sheckler, who sports labels such as Volcolm and Etnies. Chad Muska, another skateboard favorite, is sponsored by Kr3w Apparel and Supra Footwear. For guys, the clothes are loose shirts with tighter jeans, but for girls, the clothes are tight-fitting shirts to go along with equally tight jeans or shorts. How do guys and girls feel when some of their classmates judge them on the skating/ surfing image they appear to be? Is the opinion of others able to make you conscious of what you wear so you buy a certain brand? Some people never show their true colors because of peers who judge others based on the labels and trends they are wearing. Your personality should be shown in your own personal style, not in what you think everyone else will like. So the next time you walk into a store, are you going to buy what you like?
Content downloaded from Lindenhurst High Schools section of www.myhsj.org on October 19, 2011.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey. Your GIRLtopia Journey book describes the difference between service and action on page 69. Did you know that My New Red Shoes provides both service and action? Giving children in need new clothing and shoes for school is a direct service. But we also create longterm action. Read on to discover how.

Service or Action?

For homeless and low-income children, one of the root causes of failing to attend and do well in school is not having the supplies, clothing or shoes they need. One study showed that of the homeless children who did not attend school in Santa Clara County, California, 21% did not do so because they did not have any or the right school clothing. As a result, children from homeless and low-income families often do not attend school or they go to school day after day wearing ill-fitting, unseason-

able hand-me-down clothing, sometimes the same outfit

over and over again.
Leonard Brzezinski, 2010

Giving children school clothing and shoes for school not only solves their immediate need for warmth and comfort, it allows them to form a good first impression and gives them lasting confidence that has been proven to increase their odds of attending school, doing well in class, and participating in playground and afterschool activities. A heartfelt gift can have a spiral effect in the life of a child. By giving kids special, personalized back-to-school gift bags, My New Red Shoes helps them feel connected to a strong network of families who care about them in the community. Children are often surprised that someone they didnt know gave them such a wonderful gift for no apparent reason and then pay it forward by gifting kindness to someone else the next day or even years later!

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other Educating the community about chilgirlsdren whoaccompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey. who will don't have appropriate school clothing and shoes opens others eyes about the issue, which can have long-term consequences. One persons testimony can have a viral effect, leading to mass awareness and action.

Check out the article on the following page to see a real-life example of
how this can work.

Teaching kids that some children dont have appropriate clothing and shoes for school can help stop teasing and bullying about fashion and what is the right thing to wear.
Leonard Brzezinski, 2010

By providing clothing and shoes to families in homeless shelters, My New Red Shoes makes sure that these cash-strapped organizations need not spend their precious resources on outfitting their clients, freeing up their time and money to focus on providing tutoring, counseling, job training and other services that will help these families succeed in the long run.

Simple Gift. Remarkable Results.

For more information about how My New Red Shoes work creates lasting action in the community, check out My New Red Shoes Senior Girl Scout Guide at www.mynewredshoes.org.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
Posted: Sep 26, 2011

Donations pour in after Vancouver teacher's plea

An East Vancouver elementary school teacher has generated a surprising response after writing an open letter calling attention to the desperate poverty of some of her young students.

Carrie Gelson, who teaches seven- and eight-year-old children at Admiral Seymour Elementary School on Keefer Street, has received thousands of dollars in donations after revealing in the letter that some of her students constantly arrive at school late, hungry, without socks and with shoes that are falling apart. Gelson said she wrote the letter after a particularly frustrating recent day in her Grade 2 classroom. "I think I was feeling a little overwhelmed, cause I have a little boy [student] who's like, 'Ms. Gelson you said you're getting me shoes right?' Because I said I could probably find them," she said. "Someone had promised me the right size of shoes for him and he'd asked me that morning and I hadn't them yet and it was raining." Gelson said she also feels she has to bring snacks for some of her students "When I have five kids who ask and four crackers each, you can see that my stack of five crackers doesn't go far," she said. She dips into the snack drawer for the students several times a day. The letter was written to raise awareness about the plight of inner city children, and originally was just circulated among her friends some of whom put it on the internet. It has since spread to blogs and other postings online. The impact quickly moved some people to try to help. "One person came to the school and handed my principal $1,500 cash," Gelson said. A woman brought Gelson some socks and a $1,000 cheque Monday. "I happened to be shopping [Sunday] and saw Carrie's call for help and just thought I'd drop [the socks] off, along with the cheque," said donor Linda Murray. Calls offering help have been flooding into the schools office are coming from as far away as Edmonton. With files from the CBC's Belle Puri Content downloaded from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/09/26/bc -poverty-kids-gelson-letter.html on 10/18/11.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Change It!
Below are just a few ideas about how you can complete your GIRLtopia Take Action project with My New Red Shoes. The sky is the limit!

Raise Awareness about the Need for School Clothing and Shoes and Organize a Shoe Drive: Let others know why its important for all children to have the resources they need to attend school feeling confident. Tap into the resources of your school, church, soccer team, and Girl Scout community to collect shoes for children in need. Sew Gift Bags or Decorate First Day Cards: Help My New Red Shoes provide a heartfelt gift with the potential of creating a spiral effect in the life of a child. For more information, visit the Girl Scouts page of www.mynewredshoes.org. Teach Younger Girl Scouts about the importance of My New Red Shoes work and empower them to Take Action in the community and help a child in need attend school feeling confident and ready to learn. Check out the leveled guides on the Girl Scout page of www.mynewredshoes.org for fun games and activities for younger girls. Its Your Story Tell It!: Have a lasting impact by inspiring others to support our cause. Lend your youth voice to our website by writing entries about your how you Discovered, Connected, and Took Action on your GIRLtopia Journey. Make My New Red Shoes Stronger: Help My New Red Shoes create a program that has the power to create a GIRLtopia. Survey the Girl Scout community to gather testimonials and statistics about their involvement with My New Red Shoes. We will use this information to inspire others to get involved and to make our program even better serving more children in need and making the world a better place! Create a compelling, compassionate Video or Multi-Media Presentation showcasing the work of My New Red Shoes and how it creates long-term change in the world.

To get started on these

or other GIRLtopia project ideas, please contact My New Red Shoes Manager of Community Outreach and Education at(650) 375-2648 or by emailing outreach@mynewredshoes.org.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey. Twelve-year-old Veronica* became homeless when her family could no longer afford their rising rent. The quintessential middle child, Veronica focused on making sure everyone else was okay when she and her three siblings relocated to the homeless shelter. She never complained about wearing her big sisters hand-me-downs or spending her days after school babysitting her little sister. In fact, Veronica rarely drew any attention to herself. The day Veronica received her gift card from My New Red Shoes, she bubbled with excitement and immediately requested that her mother take her shopping. Lets do something fun for me, she said. When Veronica returned to the homeless shelter after her back-to-school shopping spree, this once quiet and reserved girl gave the shelter staff a fashion show. She was so proud of what she had chosen to wear for her first day of junior high. It was obvious that the new clothing made Veronica feel like she mattered, according to one staff member. When Veronica headed out the door later that week wearing her new outfit, her spirits were high, and she felt that no one mattered more than her.

Real Girls, Real Stories

Leonard Brzezinski, 2011

Twelve-year-old Natalie* is living at a Santa Clara shelter for teens. Raised by her grandparents due to the incarceration of her mother and father, Natalie has a long record of arrests for petty theft and drug Leonard Brzezinski, 2011 use. Since Natalie has been at the shelter, shes been drug and alcohol free, but her case manager has noticed that Natalies adult-sized problems make it difficult for Natalie to feel and act like the child she is. Natalies behavior has changed dramatically since she went back-to-school shopping with My New Red Shoes clothing gift card. As her case manager watched Natalie choose and try on clothing that day, he was amazed to observe age-appropriate behavior from Natalie for the first time. This simple gift has freed Natalie to be twelve again as she started school this fall.

Making the World a Better Place

GIRLtopia Companion Guide

Choose from among these icebreaker games to get *, a 15-year-old girl whose family sufMichelle to know the other girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey. fers from substance abuse problems, has been living in a group home since her release from juvenile hall where she was sent for fighting at school. Now Michelle is trying to turn the corner and have a positive high school experience. Michelle recently decided to try out for the volleyball team. With few clothes that fit (she had outgrown most of them since leaving home), Michelle arrived at volleyball tryouts dressed in her street clothes and a borrowed pair of shorts that were three sizes too big. She was embarrassed and uncomfortable. The back-to-school clothing Michelle bought with her gift card from My New Red Shoes has allowed her to play volleyball and participate in other school activities with pride and confidence. Most of all, Michelles new clothes have helped her imagine a better future for herself.

Leonard Brzezinski, 2010

Elizabeth* is the youngest of six children. Last

year, Elizabeths father got in a car accident. He became disabled and could no longer work. While Elizabeths mother still held her job, it was impossible for her to earn enough to support her family, especially because Elizabeths father needed help with his daily activities due to the accident. Eventually, Elizabeths mother could no longer pay for their home and Elizabeths family had to move into a homeless shelter. As the first day of school approached, Elizabeth worried that her hand-me-down clothes (which had been passed down through five brothers and sisters before her) would make her stick out from the other children in her first grade class. Then Elizabeth received a back-to-school gift bag from My New Red Shoes with her first-ever pair of brand new shoes. She thought, Shoes with laces; I really am a big girl now! She used her Old Navy gift card to buy a brand new uniform so that she could feel as bright and new as the other children in her class.

Leonard Brzezinski, 2011

Making the World a Better Place

www.mynewredshoes.org 111 Anza Blvd. Suite 110 Burlingame, CA 94010 outreach@mynewredshoes.org (650) 375-2648 My New Red Shoes 2011

For More Information

Contact My New Red Shoes Manager of Community Outreach and Education at outreach@mynewredshoes.org or (650) 375-2648

Making the World a Better Place