Three Colusa Girl Scouts are more than voices for the service unit they belong to: They are serving as youth advisors to the Board of Directors for the Heart of Central California Girl Scouts with courage, confidence, and character.
Girl Scout Ambassador Alexis Avera has served as a board representative since 2019 and will finish her second term on Sept. 23. Avera graduated from Colusa High School in June as a Super Seven scholar, and has been an active member of Girls Scouts of the USA for 13 years.
As board representatives for Colusa Service Unit 101, Alexis Avera, along with Danica Chavez, and Ariana Avera, both finishing their first term, advise the Heart of Central California Board of Directors on setting strategic direction, maintaining focus on the Girl Scouts mission, and articulating, safeguarding, modeling, and promoting Girl Scouts values, among many other duties.
“It definitely takes a lot of responsibility and I got to make a lot of friends along the way,” said Alexis Avera, who plans to continue her studies at Butte College in the fall, before transferring to a four-year university. “I think it taught me a lot of life skills and I’ve learned a lot from it.”
Chavez, an incoming senior at Colusa High School, has served as a youth representative to the board since 2021. She will move into an Ambassador position on Oct. 1, and will serve her second term until 2025.
Ariana Avera is also finishing her first term. She, too, will move into an Ambassador position on Oct. 1, and will serve her second term until 2025.
Each term for a Girl Scout Representative is two years.
Alexis, Danica, and Ariana are among representatives from other service units and serve as the voices for girls from 18 different counties within Girls Scouts Heart of Central California.
That representation allows for the Board of Directors to fulfill its duties to ensure that the council has a robust process in place for creating and implementing strategic priorities, ensure that necessary resources are made available, and establish a process for two-way dialog with membership within making decisions, said Troop Leader Debbie Shantz. ■