Guest Blogger: Celebrating Our “Men in Green”

Pictured here: Mike Berg with his daughter Sarah as a Girl Scout Brownie. Mike is a Leader of Troop 990 in Sterling, VA.

It  was seven years ago–when my next door neighbor/Service Unit Manager asked me to lead my daughter’s Girl Scout troop–that I learned in addition to “dad” I was to be called “Man in Green.”  I had not a clue what this honorary title meant, and it is only now that I have given the name any serious thought.

As a “Man in Green,” I have been my daughter’s troop leader since her first year as a Brownie, and I will continue to move through the Girl Scout experience with her until she finishes as an Ambassador.  As my daughter progressed, I, too, began to take on more responsibility. In addition to being a leader,  I have helped our Service Unit establish a mentoring program for leaders with the assistance of another more experienced leader.   In my third year as a Girl Scout, our Service Unit Manager moved away and I was asked to become Service Unit Manager for our area. After spending 5 years in that role, I stepped down as Service Unit Manager to become the SHARE coordinator for our Service Unit.

Although these positions have given me greater insight into the Girl Scout experience, of all the things I have done as a Man in Green being my daughter’s Troop Leader has meant the most to me.   I have had the opportunity to watch the nine girls in my troop grow both individually and together.  We have camped, canoed, hosted dances, and taken a trip to Savannah, Georgia for a week.  I would not trade my experiences as a “Man in Green” for anything.  Being there with my daughter as she achieves her goals has been my greatest joy both as a leader and a father.

In the midst of writing this I realized that the definition of a “Man in Green” is how he, the man, defines it.  It can mean being a leader, working with the troop as a committee member, serving on the Service Unit Team, camping, training, or just helping out whenever and wherever you can.

I am proud to contribute to the Girl Scout movement as a father and a “Man in Green.”