Can I donate money to Troop 6000?
Yes! Make a gift through our online form for Troop
6000.
Can I donate items to Troop 6000?
Though we are very grateful for people’s generosity, we do not have
the capacity to sort, package, store, or deliver items to shelters.
Thank you for understanding.
We have made exceptions only very occasionally for materials that
fit within existing program needs. If you think your donation might be
exceptional, please contact customercare@girlscoutsnyc.org.
If you are interested in making donations directly to shelters, here
are some organizations you can contact:
Please note, we cannot give out the addresses of shelters due to
confidentiality purposes.
Can I offer an experience to Troop 6000?
Yes! We have a Troop 6000 e-newsletter where we list such
opportunities for troop leaders to choose from if and only if they are
free-of-charge. Contact customercare@girlscoutsnyc.org with
the details of your offer.
How many girls are experiencing homelessness in New York City?
There are approximately 60,000 people living in New York City
shelters, 20,000 of whom are children under the age of 18, including
approximately 12,000 girls.
Why do children become homeless?
Families with children make up the majority of New York City's
homeless population at 68% of the 70,000 people living in shelters.
In contrast to traditional stereotypes of people experienceing
homelessness, the reasons families enter shelter include rent is
unaffordable compared to their income, there is a shortage of
affordable housing compared to need, and women are escaping domestic
violence.
What do Girl Scouts in Troop 6000 do?
Members of Troop 6000 attend weekly meetings, held in more than 20
shelters across all five boroughs of New York City, and do what all
Girl Scouts do — build their network, be carefree, and gain confidence
in new situations.
They earn badges on topics like STEM, financial literacy,
environmental protection, civic engagement, and community service.
Troop 6000 also goes on field trips, visits workplaces, participates
in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, and even goes to Girl Scout
Camp!
How can I help Troop 6000?
The best way to help Troop 6000 is to make a monetary gift or become a volunteer.
What is required of a troop leader?
Troop 6000 is led by parents and caregivers of Troop 6000 Girl
Scouts paired with community volunteers. The time commitment for
volunteer troop leaders is approximately two hours per week. Troop
leaders lead meetings, liaise with shelter staff and parents, and take
Girl Scouts on trips.
All Troop 6000 volunteers are required to complete a background
check and training course. Through training, you will learn about
NYC's shelter system, the support offered by our council, and how to
lead troop meetings. You will also have the opportunity to hear from
current volunteers about the rewards and challenges they face.
After completing these requirements, you will be matched with one of
our locations. Your availability and distance will be taken into consideration.
Learn More >
Can I do an article or video about Troop 6000?
For more information, please contact
media@girlscoutsnyc.org.
Can my company help?
Yes! What we need most is funding. If your company is interested in
becoming a financial supporter of Troop 6000 or you’d like to offer a
workplace visit opportunity, please contact customercare@girlscoutsnyc.org.
We also occasionally need spaces to hold events. If your office has
a space that can hold 200+ people and you are interested in hosting a
Troop 6000 event free-of-charge, contact customercare@girlscoutsnyc.org.
Can I or my Girl Scout troop meet members of Troop 6000?
To respect the confidentiality and privacy of Girl Scouts, their
families, and other residents, visitors are not permitted to attend
Troop 6000 meetings.
If you want to get to know members of Troop 6000, check out the
following news items:
Can my Girl Scout troop write letters or send SWAPS to Troop 6000?
Your Girl Scout troop is welcome to write letters to members of
Troop 6000. However, please note our council cannot facilitate return connections.
Please be mindful to use person-first language that views girls
living in shelters as whole individuals and avoids language that
others them. We will screen letters before sending them to Girl Scouts
in Troop 6000. Please see below for an example letter.
Dear Troop 6000,
We read about you in the news and wanted to reach out to say we are
so excited to learn you are part of our Girl Scout sisterhood. You
have sisters and supporters all over the world cheering you on,
including us!
We hope these SWAPs remind you of us and the courage, confidence,
and character we all strive for.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Troop ____
Other ideas include cards celebrating Troop 6000’s birthday
(established February 2017), Founder’s Day, or promoting traditional
Girl Scout activities like camping or World Thinking Day.
Please mail letters and SWAPS to:
Girl Scouts of Greater New York
Attn: Troop 6000
40 Wall
Street, Suite 708
New York, NY 10005
If your troop would like to donate money to Troop 6000, make a gift through our online form.
Can my Girl Scout Troop work with Troop 6000 to earn their Gold,
Silver, or Bronze Awards?
To protect the privacy of Troop 6000 Girl Scouts, we do not allow
visitors at troop meetings.
However, if you are inspired by the girls and volunteers in Troop
6000 and want to make changes in your community, there are many ways
to create a take action project addressing structural issues that
affect the communities who are a part of Troop 6000.
Projects addressing issues such as homelessness, affordable and safe
housing, low wages, and domestic violence can help positively impact
our Girl Scout community and their families.
Contact your
elected officials to advocate and change the root causes of girls
having to live in the shelter system. If you are an NYC Girl Scout and
you would like to discuss ways to incorporate these issues into a
Highest Awards project, please contact
highestawards@girlscoutsnyc.org.
What happens when girls in Troop 6000 leave the shelter?
The average length of stay for a family in a New York City shelter
is 18 months.
To help facilitate a successful transition from shelter to permanent
housing, it is essential girls stay connected to the community and
opportunities introduced to them through Girl Scouting.
Therefore, on October 1, 2018 we launched our Troop 6000 Transition
Initiative to ensure girls and their families continue to have access
to Girl Scouting and the community, consistency, fun, and learning it
provides. We support girls and their families by:
- Delivering a “Welcome Home Basket” with items like shampoo,
soap, pillows, and blankets, to ease the transition to their new
homes.
- Connecting families to a local troop where Girl Scouts
can continue their experience.
- Continuing to provide
need-based financial aid for up to three years.
- Continuing
to invite Troop 6000 Girl Scouts to community events to stay
connected to friends and the vibrant and supportive community
they’ve built and nurtured.
Why do members of Troop 6000 sell Girl Scout Cookies?
All Girl Scout troops are “girl-led,” which means girls get to
choose and direct their own activities. Selling cookies was not part
of our original plan for Troop 6000, but the girls spoke up and said
they didn’t want to miss out on this classic Girl Scout experience!
The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches valuable financial literacy and
entrepreneurship skills that benefit all who participate.
Where does the money from their Girl Scout Cookie sales go?
100% of the proceeds from each box of cookies sold by members of
Troop 6000 directly supports their troop experience and is used to pay
for things like badge activity supplies, uniforms, field trips, and
trips to Girl Scout Camp. Like all Girl Scouts, Troop 6000 members
work together to set goals and to decide how their cookie profits are
spent.
I feel bad for girls in Troop 6000.
That’s understandable. Shelters provide families with much needed
emergency housing, but children are particularly distressed by the
process of moving frequently, losing comfort items (stuffed animals,
favorite clothes, pets, neighborhood connections), and being uprooted
from their routines.
Losing your home is a traumatic event to be sure. Many families that
enter the shelter system have moved two or three times before they end
up in a shelter, which can negatively impact a young person’s sense of
stability and community if they are uprooted from their school,
neighborhood, and friends. Troop 6000 is built to provide consistency,
stability, fun, and community through an uncertain and stressful time
in a child’s life.
Besides becoming a Troop 6000 leader or donating, you can make change in your community by
advocating for affordable housing, welcoming a shelter to your
neighborhood, or contacting your local service provider to find out
how best to help according to their needs.
