I’m tidying up my blog files about Girl Scout conventions and found this favorite from the 2014 Convention:
Today’s National Council Session at the Girl Scout national convention included a discussion on new programming.
Imagine my surprise when this slide popped up during GSUSA CEO Anna-Maria Chávez’s presentation:
Here’s a better view:
Those aren’t NEW badges. Those are OLD Council’s Own badges.
How do I know?
Because I took the photograph months ago.
It appeared here in a post in May 2014.
I guess someone at GSUSA reads the blog.
I remember my jaw hitting the floor in surprise. And I remember staff from my own council telling me to shut up and not make a scene over such a trivial matter.
To be clear, this isn’t trivial. THIS IS THEFT.
Intellectual property laws require permission–or at minimum attribution–when using someone else’s work. And writing and photography are work.
I approached a National staff member who did take it seriously, but–as so often happens–she quit a few months later. The issue went nowhere.
I considered a different line of argument. The photo was taken on top of the desk in my home office, and I’ve never invited a GSUSA staff member into my home. So if not intellectual theft, we could consider it breaking and entering.
Why Does This Still Matter?
Because it still happens.
I’ve recognized portions of blog posts incorporated into high-level speeches at subsequent conventions.
I wonder what parts of the July 2026 session will be familiar?
© 2026 Ann Robertson, writer, editor, Girl Scout historian, but NOT a Girl Scout employee.
Leave a Reply