Girl Scouts of the USA

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States, as well as girls of parents serving in military service abroad, based on the Scouting principles developed by Robert Baden-Powell. Juliette Gordon Low, who had met Baden-Powell in London while she was living in the United Kingdom, dreamed of giving the United States "something for all the girls." She envisioned an organization that would bring girls out of their cloistered home environments to serve in their communities and experience the open air.

Girl Scouting began in 1912 when founder Juliette Gordon Low, nicknamed "Daisy", organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting in Savannah, Georgia on March 12. Originally named after the Girl Guides in the United Kingdom, it was known as the Girl Guides of America, until 1913, when it became the Girl Scouts of America. It was further renamed to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1947, and was chartered by the United States Congress on March 16, 1950.

Girl Scouts started with a membership of only 18. Within months, girl members were hiking through the woods in their knee-length blue uniforms, playing basketball in a curtained-off court, and going on camping trips. Today (2005) there are over 3.7 million Girl Scouts — 2.8 million girl members and 954,000 adult members in the United States. More than 50 million American women have enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhood.

Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA, is part of a worldwide family of over 10 million girls and adults in 144 countries. The Girl Scouts of the USA National Headquarters is located at 420 5th Avenue, New York, New York. The Girl Scout Birthplace is located in Savannah, Georgia, which was the Gordon family home that now provides tours to thousands of Scouts every year. Upon Low's death in 1927, she willed her carriage house, eventually named The Girl Scout First Headquarters, to the local Savannah Girl Scouts for continued use. To the general public, they are best known for selling Girl Scout cookies every year as a fundraiser.

Program aims

The aim of the Girl Scouts is that girls will develop to their full potential by:

Fostering girls' feelings of self-acceptance and unique self-worth by;
- Promoting girls' perception of themselves as competent, responsible, and open to new experiences and challenges.
- Offering girls opportunities to learn new skills.
- Encouraging girls' personal growth.
- Allowing girls to use and practice talents and abilities.

Relating to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect by;
- Helping girls develop sensitivity to others and respect for their needs, feelings, and rights.
- Promoting an understanding of individual, cultural, religious, and racial differences.
- Fostering the ability to build friendships and working relationships.

Developing a meaningful set of values to guide their actions and to provide for sound decision-making by;
- Helping girls develop meaningful values and ethics that will guide their actions.
- Fostering an ability to make decisions that are consistent with girls' values and that reflect respect for the rights and needs of others.
- Empowering girls to act upon their values and convictions.
- Encouraging girls to re-examine their ideals as they mature.

Contributing to the improvement of society through the use of their abilities and leadership skills, while working in cooperation with others by;
- Helping girls develop concern for the well-being of their communities.
- Promoting girls' understanding of how the quality of community life affects every member of society.
- Encouraging girls to use their skills to work with others for the benefit of all.

There are five age levels in Girl Scouting:

Daisy, ages 5-6 (Kindergarten-Grade 1)
Brownie, ages 6-8 (Grade 1-Grade 3)
Junior, ages 8-11 (Grade 3-Grade 6)
Cadette, ages 11-14 (Grade 6-Grade 9)
Senior, ages 14-17 (Grade 10-Grade 12)

The program for girls aged 11-17 is currently under revision. A new program called Studio 2B is being phased in, but girls are allowed to choose whether to call themselves "2Bers," "teen scouts" or Cadettes and Seniors. All scouts, age 11-17, can do both badges and Studio 2B activities, and the Silver and Gold Award requirements have been rewritten to require both. Studio 2B activities differ from badges in two ways: each booklet focuses on topics such as environmentalism or self-confidence rather than being as skill-based on a badge; and to earn each Studio 2B pin, the scout must finish the booklet and then meet a goal relevant to the booklet topic. She must create her own plan for achieving her goal, following a basic planning procedure called SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely). While troop membership is still the most common way to participate in Girl Scouting, girls who are interested in Girl Scout programs and events but don't wish to be in a troop can sign up as an individual Girl Scout, called a Juliette. Juliettes work individually on badges and awards and participate in activities as they choose.

For college students that are over the age of 18, the Campus Girl Scouts program allows women and men to stay active in Girl Scouting. Campus Girl Scouts are adult volunteers and involve the community, the local council, and the campus in their events.

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards

The highest achievement in Girl Scouting is the Gold Award; it can be earned by Senior Scouts only. Cadettes can earn the Silver Award and Juniors the Bronze Award. Both the Gold and Silver Awards require projects similar to Boy Scout Eagle projects and involve showing leadership and many service hours. The Honor Pin recognizes an adult member who has delivered exceptional service beyond position expectations to two or more geographic areas, service units or program delivery audiences in a way that furthers the council's goals.

The Mariner Girl Scout

The Mariner Girl Scout program was launched in October of 1934 the 20th National Council of Girl Scouts of the USA. The program was designed for older Girl Scouts interested in outdoor activities such as swimming and boating. The program was similar to the Boy Scouts of America's program Sea Scouts.

By the end of 1934 there were twelve registered Mariner ships and the first two handbooks, Launching a Girl Scout Mariner Ship and Charting the Course of a Girl Scout Mariner Ship, were published.

By and large, the Mariner Girl Scout program is no longer operational. Most girls who want to be involved in this program have instead joined Sea Scouts, which have been co-ed since 1971.

The Girl Scout Promise and The Girl Scout Law

Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

This is often recited at Girl Scout troop meetings while holding up the three middle fingers of the left hand, the Girl Scout pledge symbol (note: the fingers must be held together, as opposed to spread apart).

The Girl Scouts say that the word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

Note: The Girl Scouts of the USA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). The WAGGGS Constitution requires Member Societies to maintain membership standards to include a promise similar to the one established by Baden-Powell, which includes the concept of Duty to God. Further elaboration on this WAGGGS requirement can be found in Exploring Spirituality in GirlGuiding-GirlScouting Module1 cowritten by a representative from GSUSA and issued by WAGGGS in 2000. ^*

Law
I will do my best to be
•honest and fair,
•friendly and helpful,
•considerate and caring,
•courageous and strong, and
•responsible for what I say and do,
and to
•respect myself and others,
•respect authority,
•use resources wisely,
•make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout

Controversy

No official stand on sexuality
Girl Scouts of the USA has consistently upheld the belief that issues of sexuality belong between a girl and her parents, and therefore does not take any official position on the issue of homosexuality; Girl Scouting is open to all girls and adults who accept the Promise and Law.

Other Issues
There have been some controversies concerning GSUSA, particularly over the 1992 decision to allow girls to substitute other wording for the phrase "To serve God" in the Girl Scout promise. See GSUSA Challenges and Girl Scouts and Discrimination for details.

Support of Planned Parenthood
Although nationally GSUSA does not have a relationship with Planned Parenthood, some Girl Scout councils may choose to have connections to Planned Parenthood (which provides reproductive health services). In 2004 in Waco, Texas, the Bluebonnet Council had endorsed a Planned Parenthood education event (which did not mention abortion) but did not provide money nor send scouts to it. This was criticized by some pro-life movement supporters and social conservatives. The Bluebonnet Council subsequently removed their endorsement. (USA Today article). The pro-life group STOPP states that 20% of the investigated councils have some connection to Planned Parenthood though that includes councils that have endorsed events that Planned Parenthood also endorsed.

Popular Culture

For the main article see Scouting in popular culture

Throughout the history of scouting, many references to Girl Scouts have been made in popular culture.

External links

Girl Scouts of the USA | WAGGGS member organizations

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