The Girl Scouts Builds Strong Leaders

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Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912 and since its humble beginnings, the organization has grown to 3.2 million members—and that is just in the United States. Low created the organization to give girls the opportunity to develop into leaders and give back to their communities. Today, the Girl Scouts’ mission statement says, “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place” ("Facts about Girl Scouting”). This is a new, modern mission statement, but it holds true to the ideals that Low imagined for all girls. By joining Girl Scouts, girls are given the support of a whole community and the tools to achieve their dreams.

I joined Girl Scouts when I was six years old and continued with it until my senior year of high school. Without Girl Scouts, I know I would not be where I am today. By the time I entered high school, my troop consisted of a mere eight girls. Despite that small number, we were able to take on big projects that our leader gave us entire control over. It is because of these events—Girls Night Out, the Father Daughter Dance, and Spa Night to name a few—that I learned how to be a leader. Planning these events taught me how to organize, manage my time, and delegate tasks. Being a leader was never something I was thrilled to do, but Girl Scouts forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me skills I will use for the rest of my life.

A study done in 2012 by the Girl Scout Research Institute, reported that “women who were Girl Scouts as children display significantly more positive life outcomes” than women who were not involved in scouts (Tompkins). This does not mean the women were involved for all twelve years. Even a small amount of time in th...

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"Girl Scouts: Year of the Girl - The Day to Get Involved." Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .

Loss, Jennifer. "My Girl Scout Experience." E-mail interview. 18 Mar. 2014.

Tompkins, Michelle. "New Research Affirms Lifetime Benefits of Girls' Participation in Girl Scouting." News Releases. Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .

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