Companion Guide
...all girls have the clothing
and shoes they need
to attend school feeling
proud, confident
and ready to learn
Making the World a Better Place
How to Use This Guide
Supplement your GIRLtopia
experience by going on a journey
with My New Red Shoes and help
girls have the clothing and shoes
they need to attend, enjoy, and
succeed in school — and in life!
Don’t Forget...
... to check out My New Red Shoes’
guide for Girl Scout Seniors so you
know what we do, why, and how
Seniors can Discover, Connect and
Take Action with My New Red
Shoes!
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Icebreakers
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls
who will
accompany
you on youricebreakers
GIRLtopia Journey.
Use these
clothing
and shoe-themed
to get to know the girls on your Journey!
Icebreaker #1: If the Shoe Fits...
Write each half of the shoe-related sayings below on sheets of paper. Attach one paper to
each girl’s back without letting her see what is written. Once all of the papers are attached,
the girls will ask each other questions to figure out who completes their saying. Once the
pairs find one another, they should discuss one fashion item they both own and another
that makes them unique. Each pair should then share their findings with the full group.
If the shoe fits…
Kick up…
These boots…
Goody…
Start off…
Waiting for…
Pull yourself up…
Take a walk…
...wear it
...your heels
...were made for walking
...two shoes
...on the right foot
...the other shoe to drop
...by your bootstraps
...in someone else’s shoes
Icebreaker #2: Candy
This game requires candy that comes in five or six colors (like gummy bears, gumdrops
M&M’s or Skittles). Ask each girl to choose anywhere from one to five pieces of candy of
any color (don’t eat them yet!). Then tell the girls what each candy color represents:
 Color #1 – Something that you wear that makes you feel confident
 Color #2 – Something that you wear that makes you feel self-conscious
 Color #3 – A memory of one of your first days of school
 Color #4 — A time in your life that clothing or shoes really made a difference
 Color #5 – Wildcard (tell us anything about yourself that relates to clothing and/
or shoes!)
Ask each girl to introduce herself in turn, saying one fact for each of the colored candies she
chose.
Icebreaker #3: Fashion Fears
Ask each girl to write an anonymous “fashion fear” on a sheet of paper. This can be silly or
serious (for example, one girl might write about a nightmare in which her pants tore open
at a well-attended soccer tournament while another may not have had a dress to wear to a
formal dance at school). Collect the papers in a hat, bowl or basket. Have each girl pull a
fashion fear out of the hat, basket or bowl and read what it says. Then discuss together
what would happen if these fears came true for girls and what the consequences may be
for each instance.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Create It!
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
Envision a world where all girls have the clothing and shoes they need to attend school feeling proud, confident and ready to learn! My New Red Shoes is in need of creative visions of
this GIRLtopia to enhance our warehouse and office space and inspire other Girl Scouts and
community members to join our movement. Examples of possible Create It projects include:
 Paintings
 Videos
 Collages (Don’t forget that you can
earn your Collage Artist legacy badge
Ideas?
while you’re at it!)
Do you have other Create It,
 Murals
Guide It, or Change It ideas that
 Poems
Girl Scouts could do with
My New Red Shoes? Email
[email protected]
and let us know!
Guide It!
Consider the following topics for your Guide It
activity:
Louisa May Alcott
Discuss the quote below from Louisa May Alcott, the nineteenth century American novelist
most famous for writing Little Women and describing Jo, the novel’s heroine:
“She had a womanly instinct that clothes possess an influence more powerful
over many than the worth of character or the magic of manners.”
What does the quote mean? Do you think it’s true?
Teens and Fashion
Read and distribute one or all of the following articles from high school newspapers. What
is the message that each student is trying to convey? Do you agree or disagree with the
opinions expressed in the articles? Do the articles reflect how you feel about fashion? How
others in your school feel? How do you think it feels not to be able to afford fashionable
clothing?
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Paint Branch High School
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
June 2007
14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866
Vol 37 Issue 6
Expensive Clothes: There Are Other Alternatives
By Haley Zurita
Online Exclusive
a plain polo from American Eagle costs $24.50 and
polo from Lacoste costs about $80. The polo from
American Eagle would be better in two ways; it’s
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous”,
cheaper and the Lactose logo, the alligator, is
said Coco Chanel and that is what students are at Paint
stitched on top of the shirt, while the eagle from the
Branch, especially girls. Most girls dress nicely,
other polo is stitched with the shirt which is better.
maybe to show off, to impress someone, or just to
So when the Lacoste polo is washed the alligator
look good. But, what do these girls wear? It could be a
logo will start to come off.
purse, shoes, jewelry, or simple accessory. Some of
Some students like wearing expensive
the clothes that walk through the hallways have the
clothing
because
most unbelievable
they’re
popular,
and
prices.
they
have
to
stay
on
A
regular
“I
wear
expensive
clothes
because
it
the
top.
Most
popular
Coach purse is about
students have to look
looks better to have expensive things,
$300. Is it me or is that
nice every day, or they
price to high? I guess
plus celebrities wear those kind of
won’t think they [will]
people like expensive
clothes
so
I
guess
that
influences
me
and
be popular anymore.
name brands, but a
But, then again, some
purse from Paul Frank
other people...”
students don’t care
is about $40. Everyone
what they wear as long
probably owns someas they get good
thing expensive, but
grades.
“I
don’t
care
what
I
wear because my parwhy do people buy such expensive things? “I wear
ents
refuse
to
buy
me
expensive
clothes; they say
expensive clothes because it looks better to have exthat’s
not
important,
but
when
I
finish
with school, I
pensive things, plus celebrities wear those kind of
guess
in
the
future
I’ll
be
rich,
and
then
I can buy
clothes so I guess that influences me and other peowhatever
I
want”,
stated
sophomore
Natasha
Chople”, says sophomore Amday Wolde. Actually one
pra.
famous person who has his own shoe called the StarIn the end, it doesn’t matter what you
bury is Stephan Marbury and it is actually really
wear,
because
it’s just school students are attending,
cheap. The shoe costs only $14.98, which is very afnot
some
party
and it’s not like someone is going to
fordable, but kids don’t seem to wear them, because
get
beaten
up
for
not dressing well.
they’re cheap. Students today want to be seen looking
expensive, like they can afford to look as good as a
celebrity, or there could be other reasons why students
choose to wear these kinds of clothes. Most of the
expensive clothing is better than cheap clothing;
maybe it lasts longer or is better quality. For example,
Content downloaded from Paint Branch High
School’s section of www.myhsj.org on October 19,
2011.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
THE CLAWPRINT
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
CREEKVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
CANTON, GA
The Demand of Fashionable Clothes
Monday, October 17, 2011 By Emma Cook
Online Exclusive
The desire to fit in and be considered popular or the need to be accepted, to be a part
of a certain crowd or clique could lead to
teens making bad choices under pressure.
The pressure to wear fashionable
clothes is just one such concern for teenagers struggling to find an identity and place in
life.
Teenage years can be difficult and
“Not all parents of teenagers belong to the same background, culture or income group, but all teenagers want to look the same.”
demanding. Along with the struggles that
enter into the relationships between teens
and parents, teenagers struggle with selfconflicting ideals.
In the absence of strong parental
control and with overexposure to celebrity
images, teens today have started living borrowed lives. It is far easier to copy what
your friends and celebrities are wearing then
to craft your own style.
Creekview student Hannah Swanson
stated, “One of the reasons why my friends
and I wear the same kinds of clothes is because we all have the same personality and
we all go shopping together.”
Teenagers today feel the pressure of
conforming to a group’s culture and the first
way this allegiance manifests itself is
through conformity to a dress code. The
demand for dress code at high schools is
not very popular for students at this age. It
keeps everyone from appearing different,
but that is exactly what kids want at
school: to look different from one another.
On the other hand, it does contain some
benefits that keeps girls in check and covered.
Not all parents of teenagers belong
to the same background, culture or income
group, but all teenagers want to look the
same. They may be giving in to implied
pressure from peer groups or cliques to
wear trendy clothes. By giving in to the
peer pressure to wear a certain type of
dress, even if it is revealing or too expensive, puts pressure on their parents.
Teenagers are sensitive. They are
at the age when the opinion and approval
of their peer group and social acceptance
matters more than anything. A teenager
does not want to be teased or taunted, or
feel excluded. Creekview junior Aly Chandler explains, “The reason why I try to
dress fashionably is because I have a certain reputation and I like to keep it up.”
A teenager will follow the latest
fashions to follow the crowd and be accepted. The alternative is to face the pressure, and to avoid that, a teenager will
pick up the latest style and adopt it without question.
Content downloaded from Creekview High
School’s section of www.myhsj.org on October
19, 2011.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLto-
THE CHARLES
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
Volume XXI Issue II 300 Charles Street Lindenhurst, NY 11757
Labeling yourself rather than your clothes
Friday, November 30, 2007 By Danielle Owens & Nicole Bansen
Do labels really matter around Lindenhurst High School? When you’re walking into any store at the mall,
what do you think other people are going to think about you? In the outfit you wear? It may seem all too
often people make easily judgments based on a name brand.
One of the most popular labels girls and guys around school wear is Abercrombie & Fitch and
Hollister. Abercrombie takes on an urban persona, while Hollister is more for beach goers. Although some
of the items are expensive, teens are very drawn to shopping there. What do the people who are stereotyped
for shopping at Abercrombie and Hollister feel? “People judge too easily”, says Samantha Morocco, a
freshman to the school. “I like the things they [Abercrombie and Hollister] sell. The type of style they advertise is what I’m into.”
On the opposite end of the label spectrum, Hot Topic is anything but ordinary. Hot Topic’s slogan,
“it’s all about the music,” is displayed on the stores shopping bags. The store’s main attraction is the band
tees they sell, which range from death metal to 80’s pop. The clothing has some of the fads that most high
school students are wearing, while still creating outfits that are unique and different from what their peers
are also sporting. Other items sold at the store consist of question-able graphics and unique accessories,
such as wristbands and neon makeup. What about the stereotype that some people feel they belong to?
“Most people get a bad impression from certain people who go ‘all out’ from Hot Topic, not all people who
shop there are what you think,” says freshman Ashley Yevik.
For a person who doesn’t want to spend their money on an expensive new outfit, Target, WalMart, the Salvation Army, or even a thrift store is a quick place to pick up something cool or vintage. Target and Wal-Mart sell trendy clothing for a reasonable and cheap price, without the worry of tearing fabric
or poor quality. For a person that wants to find a nice vintage outfit, without the cost of some boutiques, a
thrift store is the perfect place to find clothes. A tee shirt or pair of pants can sell for as low as two dollars.
What are you going to do when you find an outfit you love at Target, but are afraid the label obsessed peers
of yours are going to do when you tell them you got your outfit for twenty dollars? “I don’t care where I get
my clothes from, says eleventh grader Kelly Drummond. “And I don’t care what they think about me. If I
like it, I buy it” Too often, people are easily apt to judging someone on how much your outfit is worth.
Other stores whose patrons are the victims to stereotyping are PacSun and Zumiez. Zumiez, located in most shopping malls, even sell skateboards that you can create. DC, Fox, Famous, Volcolm and
Element are some of the many name brands sold within the stores. Most skaters wear the brand name of
their favorite pro-skater, like Ryan Sheckler, who sports labels such as Volcolm and Etnies. Chad Muska,
another skateboard favorite, is sponsored by Kr3w Apparel and Supra Footwear. For guys, the clothes are
loose shirts with tighter jeans, but for girls, the clothes are tight-fitting shirts to go along with equally tight
jeans or shorts. How do guys and girls feel when some of their classmates judge them on the skating/
surfing image they appear to be?
Is the opinion of others able to make you conscious of what you wear so you buy a certain brand?
Some people never show their true colors because of peers who judge others based on the labels and trends
they are wearing. Your personality should be shown in your own personal style, not in what you think everyone else will like. So the next time you walk into a store, are you going to buy what you like?
Content downloaded from Lindenhurst High School’s section of www.myhsj.org on October 19, 2011.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Service or Action?
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
Your GIRLtopia Journey book describes the difference between service and action on page
69. Did you know that My New Red Shoes provides both service and action? Giving children in need new clothing and shoes for school is a direct service. But we also create longterm action. Read on to discover how.

For homeless and low-income children, one of the root causes of
failing to attend and do well in school
is not having the supplies, clothing or
shoes they need. One study showed
that of the homeless children who
did not attend school in Santa Clara
County, California, 21% did not do so
because they did not have any or the
right school clothing. As a result, children from homeless and low-income
families often do not attend school
or they go to school day after day
wearing ill-fitting, unseason-
able hand-me-down clothing, sometimes the same outfit
over and over again.
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2010

Giving children school clothing and shoes for school not only solves their immediate need for warmth and comfort, it allows them to form a good first impression and gives them lasting confidence that has been proven to
increase their odds of attending school, doing well in class, and participating in
playground and afterschool activities.

A heartfelt gift can have a spiral effect in the life of a child. By giving
kids special, personalized back-to-school gift bags, My New Red Shoes helps them
feel connected to a strong network of families who care about them in the community. Children are often surprised that someone they didn’t know gave them such a
wonderful gift for no apparent reason and then pay it forward by gifting
kindness to someone else the next day or even years later!
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Choose
from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
 Educating the community about chilgirlsdren
who who
will accompany
on your GIRLtopia
Journey.
don't’ haveyou
appropriate
school clothing and shoes opens others’ eyes about the issue, which can have long-term consequences.
One person’s testimony can have a viral effect, leading to mass awareness and action.
Check out the article on the following page to see a real-life example of
how this can work.

Teaching kids that some children don’t have appropriate clothing and shoes for school can help
stop teasing and bullying about fashion and what is the “right” thing to wear.
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2010

By providing clothing and shoes to families in homeless shelters, My New Red Shoes
makes sure that these cash-strapped organizations need not spend their precious
resources on outfitting their clients, freeing up their time and money
to focus on providing tutoring, counseling, job training and other services that will
help these families succeed in the long run.
Simple Gift. Remarkable Results.
For more information about how
My New Red Shoes’ work creates
lasting action in the community,
check out My New Red Shoes’
Senior Girl Scout Guide at
www.mynewredshoes.org.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
Donations pour in after
Vancouver teacher's plea
Posted: Sep 26, 2011
An East Vancouver elementary school teacher has generated a surprising response after writing an open letter calling attention to the desperate poverty of some of her young students.
Carrie Gelson, who teaches seven- and eight-year-old children at Admiral Seymour Elementary School on Keefer Street, has received thousands of dollars in donations after revealing in the letter that some of her students constantly arrive at school late, hungry, without socks and with shoes that are falling apart.
Gelson said she wrote the letter after a particularly frustrating recent day in her Grade 2 classroom.
"I think I was feeling a little overwhelmed, cause I have a little boy [student] who's like, 'Ms. Gelson you said you're getting me shoes right?' Because I said I could probably find them," she
said.
"Someone had promised me the right size of shoes for him and he'd asked me that morning
and I hadn't them yet and it was raining."
Gelson said she also feels she has to bring snacks for some of her students
"When I have five kids who ask and four crackers each, you can see that my stack of five
crackers doesn't go far," she said.
She dips into the snack drawer for the students several times a day.
The letter was written to raise awareness about the plight of inner city children, and originally
was just circulated among her friends — some of whom put it on the internet. It has since
spread to blogs and other postings online.
The impact quickly moved some people to try to help.
"One person came to the school and handed my principal $1,500 cash," Gelson said.
A woman brought Gelson some socks — and a $1,000 check Monday.
"I happened to be shopping [Sunday] and saw Carrie's call for help and just thought I'd drop
[the socks] off, along with the check," said donor Linda Murray.
Calls offering help have been flooding into the school’s office are coming from as far away as
Edmonton.
With files from the CBC's Belle Puri
Content downloaded from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/09/26/bc
-poverty-kids-gelson-letter.html on 10/18/11.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Change It!
Below are just a few ideas to get you thinking about your GIRLtopia Take Action project
with My New Red Shoes. How can you make each of these last beyond your involvement?
1. Understand the Issues:
Review the information in My New Red Shoes’ Guide for Senior Girl Scouts and on our
website so you can answer the following questions:
 Why do some families need help getting clothing and shoes for school?
 How can new clothing and shoes make a difference in the life of a child who would have
otherwise not had any?
2. Pick a Project
Here are a just a few suggestions. Let us know if you have more!
 Shoe drive or sewing party: Organize a Girl Scout troop, school, service unit, church or
the larger community to collect new shoes or host a gift-bag sewing party. Educate participants about the role of clothing and shoes in feeling confident and prepared for
school.
 Workshops: Lead younger Girl Scouts or other children in learning about the importance of clothing and shoes for school and help them make a difference. Create your
own activities or use My New Red Shoes’ Girl Scout materials from our website.
 Create a play, art show or movie to spread the word about this issue and inspire others
to take part in the solution. Ask everyone who attends the event to donate a new pair
of shoes.
3. Make it last!
Can you make your Take Action project live on after you’re done? Maybe another Girl
Scout, troop, or community group is willing to adopt it and make it an annual event. Or,
perhaps you can tap into the power of social media to spread the word about what you’ve
done and help your idea go viral. What else could you do to give your project staying
power?
To get started on these or other GIRLtopia project ideas, please contact My New Red
Shoes’ Manager of Community Outreach and
Education at(650) 375-2648 or by emailing [email protected].
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
Real Girls, Real Stories
Choose from among these icebreaker games to get to know the other
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia Journey.
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2011
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2011
Twelve-year-old Veronica* became homeless
when her family could no longer afford their rising
rent. The quintessential middle child, Veronica focused on making sure everyone else was okay
when she and her three siblings relocated to the
homeless shelter. She never complained about
wearing her big sister’s hand-me-downs or spending her days after school babysitting her little sister.
In fact, Veronica rarely drew any attention to herself.
The day Veronica received her gift card from My
New Red Shoes, she bubbled with excitement and
immediately requested that her mother take her
shopping. “Let’s do something fun for me,” she said.
When Veronica returned to the homeless shelter
after her back-to-school shopping spree, this once
quiet and reserved girl gave the shelter staff a fashion show. She was so proud of what she had chosen
to wear for her first day of junior high. “It was obvious that the new clothing made Veronica feel like
she mattered,” according to one staff member. “When Veronica headed out the door later that
week wearing her new outfit, her spirits were high,
and she felt that no one mattered more than her.”
Twelve-year-old Natalie* is living at a Santa Clara
shelter for teens. Raised by her grandparents due to
the incarceration of her mother and father, Natalie
has a long record of arrests for petty theft and drug
use. Since Natalie has been at the shelter, she’s been
drug and alcohol free, but her case manager has noticed that Natalie’s adult-sized problems make it difficult for Natalie to feel and act like the child she is. Natalie’s behavior has
changed dramatically since she went back-to-school shopping with My New Red Shoes’
clothing gift card. As her case manager watched Natalie choose and try on clothing that
day, he was amazed to observe age-appropriate behavior from Natalie for the first time.
This simple gift has freed Natalie to be twelve again as she started school this fall.
Making the World a Better Place
GIRLtopia Companion Guide
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2010
Choose from among these icebreaker games
to get *,
to aknow
the othergirl whose family sufMichelle
15-year-old
girls who will accompany you on your GIRLtopia
fers fromJourney.
substance abuse problems, has been living in a group home since her release from juvenile
hall where she was sent for fighting at school. Now
Michelle is trying to turn the corner and have a
positive high school experience.
Michelle recently decided to try out for the volleyball team. With few clothes that fit (she had
outgrown most of them since leaving home), Michelle arrived at volleyball tryouts dressed in her
street clothes and a borrowed pair of shorts that
were three sizes too big. She was embarrassed and
uncomfortable.
The back-to-school clothing Michelle bought
with her gift card from My New Red Shoes has allowed her to play volleyball and participate in
other school activities with pride and confidence.
Most of all, Michelle’s new clothes have helped her
imagine a better future for herself.
© Leonard Brzezinski, 2011
Elizabeth* is the youngest of six children. Last
year, Elizabeth’s father got in a car accident. He
became disabled and could no longer work. While
Elizabeth’s mother still held her job, it was impossible for her to earn enough to support her family,
especially because Elizabeth’s father needed help
with his daily activities due to the accident.
Eventually, Elizabeth’s mother could no
longer pay for their home and Elizabeth’s family
had to move into a homeless shelter. As the first
day of school approached, Elizabeth worried that
her hand-me-down clothes (which had been
passed down through five brothers and sisters before her) would make her stick out
from the other children in her first grade class. Then Elizabeth received a back-to-school
gift bag from My New Red Shoes with her first-ever pair of brand new shoes. She
thought, “Shoes with laces; I really am a big girl now!” She used her Old Navy gift card to
buy a brand new uniform so that she could feel as bright and new as the other children
in her class.
* Names do not correspond with photos.
Making the World a Better Place
www.mynewredshoes.org
111 Anza Blvd. Suite 110
Burlingame, CA 94010
[email protected]
(650) 375-2648
© My New Red Shoes 2011
For More Information
Contact My New Red Shoes’
Manager of Community Outreach
and Education at
[email protected]
or (650) 375-2648
Making the World a Better Place