Girl Scouts is an organization for young women that was started in 1912. The purpose of the organization was to build the courage [ شجاعت ], confidence [ اعتماد ], compassion [ شفقت ] and character [ شخصیت ] of girls so that, as young women, they could make their communities, country and world better. They do community improvement projects as well as camping trips to develop their strengths and abilities [ توانایی ]. Today, Girl Scouts continues to be a popular organization and it's girls are encouraged [ تشويق كردن ] to do bigger and better things each year. That's just what one 16-year-old Girl Scout, named Shelby, did. Last fall she wrote a letter to the president of a company that made a commercial [ تبلیغات تلویزیونی ] showing someone using a plastic straw to blow out candles on a birthday cake! She wrote:
"Did you know that straws are one of the top ocean polluters? Scientists are predicting [ پیش گویی کردن ] by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish if we don't start making drastic [big, serious] changes with our plastic pollution. I'm urging [ اصرار کردن ] you to stop using this specific commercial."
She sent similar letters to companies that use lots of plastic straws. Most of the companies did not answer her letter, but enough companies did answer so that her voice started to be heard. Her efforts started to make a difference [change things].
But Shelby didn't stop there. She started her own organization called Jr. (Junior) Ocean Guardians.
"Junior" usually refers to someone who is still of a young age. A
"guardian" is someone who protects and cares for something. Jr. Ocean Guardians helps
educate children about
plastic and recycling. It also organizes beach clean-ups with
schoolchildren. Less than one year later, news reports are telling us
that more and more companies are changing from plastic to paper straws
and cups. Of course there are lots of people who have been working to
help educate the world about reducing its use of plastic. Still Shelby's
efforts have made a real difference in the world. People say that Shelby has been successful because she persisted [ سماجت کردن ]. Lots of people feel passionate [ پرشور ] about things, but they don't persist. Everything that has really changed the world has taken incredible [ باور نکردنی ] persistence [ ماندگاری ]. ‡
Words to remember from this story:
ability - توانایی
courage - شجاعت
confidence - اعتماد
compassion - شفقت
character - شخصیت
to encourage someone - تشويق كردن
incredible - باور نکردنی
to persist (verb) - سماجت کردن
persistence (noun) - ماندگاری
to predict something - پیش گویی کردن
to urge someone - اصرار کردن