What I’ve learned as a Staff Member of the Lime Green Giraffe

I joined the Lime Green Giraffe when I was in the sixth grade. My mother found out about it online, gave me the application, and I showed up to my first meeting unaware of anything we would do other than write. In the years since, I’ve learned that the LGG is about so much more than writing. Sure, that’s what’s printed on the ticket, but Lime Green Giraffe is about community more than anything. LGG is about finding community with your fellow Girl Scouts, with your fellow writers, with your fellow art lovers, and with the mentors who care about your wellbeing.

LGG is about creating that community for others, through connecting with other Girl Scouts in the numerous photo shoots for articles, and through the annual Writer’s Workshop. These events taught me how to connect with girls who might not have the same passion for writing, but who still wanted to learn about creating stories, or even wanted to be a part of the process in other ways, like with the photo shoot. I found my passion for event planning through creating the Writer’s Workshop one year. Seeing all the younger girls who wanted to join the LGG or just keep writing because of the Writer’s Workshop helped me understand the importance of creating space for others to find their passion.

Additionally, LGG taught me that community isn’t always about creating or finding space for people similar to you, it’s also about helping the larger community of humankind. Through LGG, I participated in tons of cool service projects, like reshelving in a library, weeding a path for the Atlanta Beltline, and working in a garden. Every time I walk through the Beltline now, I remember the day we spent working on the trail, and realize how that one day of hard work had impacted the world around me. In doing these projects, I was able to connect with the community around me in a positive way, and create things that can have a lasting impression on the world.

While I’m biased, and obviously going to tell you to join the Lime Green Giraffe for both the community and the writing space, if that’s not your thing, that’s totally cool! However, with the (totally infinite and immensely correct) knowledge I’ve gained in my (many, many, many) years of life that have led to my senior year of high school, I’ve learned that community is one of the most important things you can invest in. Your community can be anything, it can be a club at school, it can be your friend group, your city, your neighborhood, or even the LGG(!), but it’s important that you have one. No one exists in a void, and finding people who are like-minded is going to be one of the best things you can do. During my time as a member of the Lime Green Giraffe staff, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is about the importance of not only finding a community, but doing the work to grow and help that community.