GEMS for G.I.R.L.s

GEMS for G.I.R.L.s

Introducing “GEMS for G.I.R.L.s” from Girls Empowered by Mountain Shepherd (GEMS) and Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council! This unique set of experiences for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors combines the four Girl Scout Program Pillars with the backcountry...

7 Things Girls Learn During GEMS Camp

Girls Empowered by Mountain Shepherd (GEMS) encourages girls to explore and discover new things about themselves, their interests and abilities, and their environment – backcountry or not – every day during our 5-day overnight camps. Here’s a quick...

Time in the Wild

GEMS camp explores the connections between learning survival skills and learning to lead. by Beth JoJack ’98 If Allie Mitchem ever finds herself among the cast of TV’s Survivor, she’s certain to be in high demand as an alliance partner—even at the tender age of 13....

Part 3: ‘M.S.’ is for Mountain Shepherd

On our three-part trek through the Girls Empowered by Mountain Shepherd “G.E.M.S.” acronym, we first skipped, danced, and sprinted triumphantly across the gender-equality playing field in “‘G’ is for Girls.” Then, we built courage, confidence, and compassion on a...

Part 2: ‘E’ is for Empowered

Give me a ‘G!’ G! Give me an ‘E!’ E! Give me an ‘M!’ M! Give me an ‘S!’ S! What does that spell? G-E-M-S, GEMS! Welcome back to the Girls Empowered at Mountain Shepherd trilogy! In our last feature, we began breaking down the G.E.M.S. acronym with a list of some of...

WSLS 10

The New River Valley’s WSLS 10 highlighted Girls Empowered at Mountain Shepherd this summer! The feature shows viewers that middle school girls are learning much more than wilderness survival skills during their week of camp; GEMS campers also develop skills that are...