The World in My Community (Junior Badge)

1. Design or use a prepared map of your neighborhood,
county, parish, town, or community.
On your map, highlight the contributions of
people from different ethnic groups. either
from the past or the present. These could be
restaurants, shops, street names, statues, or
memorials, businesses, names of parks, trails,
historic houses or buildings, agriculture and
plants, specific neighborhoods, etc. See how
many different ethnic groups you can find .

2 Open your community telephone book to any
page. How many different family names are
on the page? Open to another page. How
many different family names are there? Find
one name that you think is unusual or interesting.
Imagine the family history of a person
with that name and write a short story, poem,
or diary entries. Or, create a song or draw pictures
that show the exciting things that have
happened in that person's life.
or  Find out the origin of the name. What can you
discover about its history?

3 Read the section, "Other Kinds of Prejudice
and Discrimination" in Chapter 5 of the Junior
Girl Scout Handbook . Survey your community or
school to find out how easy or hard it is for
people with disabilities to get around. If possible,
interview a fellow Girl Scout or someone
you know with a disability as a part of
your survey.

4 Participate in a cultural event, parade, or a
festivity of an ethnic group other than your
own. Find out the meaning and background
of the event.

5 Visit a restaurant that serves food that is different
from the food your family cooks. Ask
the waiter or restaurant manager about the
different ingredients and styles of cooking.
Ask whether it has been necessary to change
the recipe because of different tastes or available
ingredients. Ask about any special holiday
recipes or dishes that are not on the restaurant
menu.

6 Find out from your school principal or a
school secretary if there are any students in
your school who have recently arrived from
another country or section of the United
States. Ask the students before or after school
or during lunch to tell you the similarities and
differences between their new community and
their old community. Share with them some
of your favorite things about your community.

7 Help organize a backyard or neighborhood
fair, a fun olympics, a sports day, or other
event. Create a special activity or game that
shows others all the different types of people
who live in your community.

8 Try to learn more about the history, customs,
and heritage of an ethnic group different from
your own that is represented in your community.
Demonstrate what you have learned
through a skit, puppet show, series of drawings,
a short story, a shadow box display, clay
figures, or a speech.