America's Junior Miss: Be Your Best Self

File:Ajmbybsaaapgssa.jpg
America's Junior Miss: Be Your Best Self is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama Council.

Objective: To develop an understanding of the America’s Junior Miss Be Your Best Self program while gaining a desire for excellence. To build self esteem to help one prepare to successfully deal with daily challenges in a way that exemplifies courage, confidence and character.

Requirements:
Daisies and Brownies must complete one activity from each section.
Juniors must complete two activities from each section. Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors must complete three activities from each section.
The starred (\*) activities are required.

# Be Your Best Self: Girls develop a strong sense of self through involvement in the program.

1. 1. 1. \*Invite a Junior Miss or Junior Miss volunteer to do an orientation of the “Be Your Best Self” program. Visit http://www.ajm.org/about/state\_programs to locate a Junior Miss representative in your area.

2. Adopt a Junior Miss and attend the Junior Miss Program (or AJM’s Community Night during the National Finals if you live in the Mobile area).
3. Research AJM on the internet. Why is AJM in Mobile? Who was the first AJM? How did the program start and why? Identify current sponsors of AJM. How do both parties benefit from this sponsorship relationship?
4. Set up a tour or career exploration with a Junior Miss volunteer.
# Be Healthy: Girls gain practical life skills by practicing healthy living.

1. 1. 1. \*Make a food pyramid listing foods you like in each food group.

2. Plan and prepare a balanced meal.
3. Identify the different parts of food labels and compare the nutrition on a variety of foods.
4. Discover your recommended daily caloric intake and track your caloric intake for three days.
5. Make a record of how many sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups you can do.
6. Research health benefits of regular exercise.
7. Organize a neighborhood or community walk.
8. Research anti-drug organizations targeted at youth in your area.
9. Present a drug free presentation to a group in your area.
# Be Involved: Girls can identify community needs through service in the community.

1. 1. 1. Draw or find pictures of people involved in community service.

2. Make a poster using pictures from magazines and newspapers showing five ways of serving in your community.
3. \*Help in a community service project.
4. Have someone from a community service organization visit your troop and tell you about what they do.
5. List community service organizations in your community and how each helps your community.
6. Volunteer with the Junior Miss program in your community.
# Be Studious: Girls seek challenges in the world.

1. 1. 1. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. Get involved in an after school tutoring program or find an individual who needs tutoring. Volunteer to help teach math and English skills to younger children.

2. Meet with your guidance counselor at school and discuss potential colleges and majors you might be interested in. Learn about the application process and requirements for the schools you are interested in.
3. Go to your local library. Have a librarian explain to you how the books are organized and show you the reference section. What kind of information can you find there? Check out an age appropriate book to read at home or read at the library.
4. \*Research Multiple Intelligences and learning styles on the internet. (http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm) What is a Learning Style? What are the
Multiple Intelligences? What category do you fall into? What can you do with this information to make studying and learning more interesting and successful for yourself? Make a chart of troop members and their learning styles with study habits that help each style of learning and share with your troop.

5. Make a list of professions you would like to be and make an appointment to shadow or mentor a person of those professions in your area.
# Be Ambitious: Girls advocate for themselves and others by setting and achieving goals.

1. 1. 1. Select a daily chore at home and agree to do it for a week. Keep a chart of the week’s task.

2. Select one subject that you would like to improve by one letter grade before the next grading period. Make a study schedule and stick to it.
3. Make a decision to go to college. Research three colleges that interest you. Find their location, yearly tuition and admission requirements. Create a plan of goals to accomplish getting admitted to your college choices.
4. \*Select a book to read for enjoyment. Set a goal to read at least one page or chapter a night.
5. Visit your local recycling center to find out what products can be recycled in your area. Set up a recycling system at your home and recycle for at least a month. The longer the better.
6. Decide to participate in a Junior Miss program. List the five areas of competition and three ways you can prepare for each.
# Be Responsible: Girls develop positive values by living by moral and ethical principles.

1. 1. 1. Discuss signs and prevention of abuse of all kinds (animal, physical, emotional, etc.) with a professional such as a doctor, counselor, or shelter. Do something to help a women’s or animal shelter in your area.

2. Make a list of your personal values and beliefs and rank them in order of most importance to you. Think of why these things are important to you. Share these with your troop, group, or family.
3. \* Examine the Girl Scout promise and law. What principals or values does a Girl Scout live by? Describe an example of when you have done something in keeping with these values and principles.
4. Volunteer your time with the AJM Little Sister Program. Always set a good example to younger girls.
5. Think of a time when you were in a situation where your ethics or morals were being compromised. Without naming other individuals, write about: How did this make you feel? What was the situation? What were the values in conflict? Was there anyone else involved who agreed or disagreed with your viewpoint? How did you react to the situation?

# External Links

Forms and Resources for Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama
Patch Book