Last week my Girl Scout troop said "see you later" to each other as we concluded our first season of Scouting. As the girls left with all their badges and certificates, I was very proud of what we accomplished this year.
I am asked a lot why I decided to be a Girl Scout Leader and a lot of it had to do with feeling like I needed to use my good to empower young girls to be strong and to accomplishing something great.
My Journey
In my very short career I've worked my way from the world's largest privately-owned global companies to one of the leaders in the world's oldest and largest consumer industry. I've managed to do this all while running two of my own businesses and finding time to give back to the community. And in my last performance appraisal, I was regarded as "
wise and professional beyond her years." But it wasn't until I was
awarded, by the Michigan Business and Professionals Association, with the
One Person Wonder award that I began thinking about how I got this far in only my early twenties.
About a year or so ago I was catching wind about the Girl Scout organization losing members and losing adult support for the programs. Girl Scouting was also losing funding because of the dwindling memberships. They were closing camps and ending initiatives.
I was a Girl Scout for about 10 years. It's not something I was never embarrassed about but sadly I never highlighted it or talked about my experiences. I remember all the great times I had in Scouts and I began thinking that maybe it was the key to my accomplishments—or at least responsible for my drive and determination.
Girl Scouting Works
Girl Scouting has long been known for its extraordinary effects on girls—both during and beyond troop involvement. In fact,
3 of every 4 girls say that because of Girl Scouts they have become a leader in more activities with their friends, classmates, and their communities.
The statistics prove that Girl Scouting has a lasting effect on women throughout their lives. When women were polled about how they felt about their professional accomplishments,
71% of Girl Scout alumni consider themselves competent and capable, compared to only 55% of non-alumni who feel the same. Also,
Girl Scout alumni report higher incomes than those women never involved in Scouting.
And the accomplishments of Girl Scout alumni as individuals are astounding. In fact,
2/3 of U.S. Congresswomen were once Girl Scouts, at least
80% of women business owners were Girl Scouts, and nearly
every female astronaut who has flow into space was a Girl Scout.
Empowering Girls to Lead
After reading up on staggering statistics of Girl Scouting success and hearing of the organization's struggles, I knew I had to do something. So I called the Girl Scout Council and started a troop of Brownies, 2nd and 3rd graders.
I know nothing about teaching children, and I don't pretend to, so I enlisted the help of my my cousin Abby, an elementary school teacher and fellow former Girl Scout, to co-lead the troop.
Together we built a curriculum that was fun but also provided them with
valuable life skills, confidence, and knowledge that follows in line with the Girl Scouting values of discovery, making connections, and taking action. These three values make up the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Through a program centered around the Girl Scout Leadership Experience—a collection of activities and experiences including earning badges, selling cookies, exciting trips, exploring the outdoors, and making a difference—our young girls are able to get a
jump start on leadership qualities.
To add to this complexity, Girl Scouting isn't just about "what girls do" but "how" they do them. And Girl Scouting focuses and stresses that troop programs need to be "
Girl Led," meaning girls play an active part in figuring out the what, where, when, how, and why of their activities. In partnership with the leaders, girls lead the planning and decision-making as much as possible. This ensures that girls are engaged in their learning and experience leadership opportunities as they prepare to become active participants in their local and global communities.
Through Girl Scouting, they're able to
develop and grow their critical thinking, team building, conflict resolution, and acceptance skills from a young age that take them far beyond the skill sets of their peers.
Our Journey, Together
Our troop, which consisted of nine 2nd and 3rd graders, prided ourselves on the overall qualities of being a Brownie:
B brave R reliable O observant W wide-awake N nice to know I industries and innovative E enthusiastic S sensible
Our troop was in session for about nine months this season and within those nine months we saw dramatic changes in our girls that are in line with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Girls gain practical life skills.
A lot of people think Girl Scout Cookies Sales are just a fundraiser but it's so much more! Did you know the Girl Scout Cookies program is the largest girl-led business in the world? And that it teaches and builds some of the most important business skills the girls will use their entire lives? Through Cookie sales the girls practice goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. Even our girls, 2nd and 3rd graders, learned and practiced daily "elevator speeches" and perfected their sales pitches to be used individually and during our troop cookie booths. We worked on our math skills by totaling orders, making change, and keeping an inventory of what cookies we had in stock. We also mastered customer service by making sure every girl was courteous, polite, helpful and knowledgeable about the product.
Girls seek challenges in the world.
During one of our meetings, we asked our girls where their favorite foods come from and the majority of the troop answered with "the grocery store." After that we took the next several weeks to focus on where our food comes from and how it is prepared. We visited a dairy farm to see how milk, cheeses, and ice cream is made and to learn to milk a cow. We used a juicer to make our own fresh and all-natural juices from apples and oranges. And we visited a local pizza place to learn about what goes into making everyone's favorite food! All of this was a lesson to show that fresh foods, straight from the source is always a better and healthier option. To help the girls get closer to their food source, our troop started a community garden plot to grow our own vegetables.
Girls advance diversity in a multicultural world.
Our troop was made of up girls from all types of backgrounds including family structure type, economical status, special needs, and ethnicity. The girls are all very open about who they are and where they come from and none of them saw each other any differently because to them we are all Girl Scouts.
Girls feel connected to their communities.
Our first show of support for our local community and the Girl Scouting sisterhood was though a public display during the local Christmas Parade. They walked alongside our banner and waved to the community, proudly representing Girl Scouts. To become even more involved in the community, the girls joined the local community garden where they have a plot of land to grow their own vegetables so they can continue learning about where our food comes from and how it is prepared.
Girls advocate for themselves and/or others.
Amidst all the fun and exciting activities, we suffered the loss of one of our Scout's parents. Despite everything she was going through, the one place she wanted to be was at Girl Scouts. The sisterhood and support the girls provided is amazing!
An Honor to Lead
Now that our first scouting season has come to an end, I couldn't be more pleased with what we've accomplished. And it doesn't help that we are getting a lot of great feedback from our parents too.
Just think, one day, one of these girls could be the next industry leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner, President, or groundbreaking scientist. They could change the world. The possibilities are endless. These girls are our future. So to be a part of this organization and to work with these girls, is an honor and a privilege.
To learn more about Troop 7169 and to watch them grow and learn, follow us on Facebook.
