Troop 6000 is a
Girl Scouts
Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of The Girl Guides ...
troop for girls in the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
shelter system. It was founded by
Giselle Burgess and
Jimmy Van Bramer
James G. Van Bramer (born August 19, 1969) is an American politician. A Democrat, who served in the New York City Council and represented the 26th district from 2010 to 2021, which includes Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside i ...
in 2017, and initially served about 20 scouts; it has since expanded to include more than 600 girls and volunteers at over 18 shelters in New York City.
History
Troop 6000 was founded as a result of suggestions from
Jimmy Van Bramer
James G. Van Bramer (born August 19, 1969) is an American politician. A Democrat, who served in the New York City Council and represented the 26th district from 2010 to 2021, which includes Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside i ...
, a
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
member, and
Giselle Burgess, a community engagement specialist for
Girl Scouts of Greater New York
Scouting in New York has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The first National Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Headquarters was in New York City, a ...
, who was living in a homeless shelter with her children at the time. The proposal was met with enthusiastic support by the Girl Scouts organization.
Initially, it was based at the shelter in
Long Island City
Long Island City (LIC) is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brook ...
where Burgess was living (in the district represented by Van Bramer). By 2019, it had expanded to serve more than 600 girls and women volunteers at 18 shelters city-wide.
The troop has inspired other Girl Scouts troops serving girls in housing insecure situations, such as Troop 64224 in
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...
.
Activities
The troop participates in a similar variety of activities and programs as other Girl Scouts do, including exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields, studying first aid, and camping.
[ Troop 6000 also sells cookies; in 2018, the Kellogg’s Cafe in Union Square provided space for a stand.
Since its founding, the program has expanded to include more than 600 girls and volunteers at over 18 shelters in New York City.]
See also
* Homelessness services
References
External links
* {{Cite web, url=https://www.girlscoutsnyc.org/en/whatgirlsdo/gs-troop-6000.html, title=Troop 6000, website=Girl Scouts, language=en, access-date=2020-03-18
Girl Scouts of the USA
Youth organizations based in New York City