Girl Scouts

The Girl Scout organization in the United States is dedicated to building courage, confidence, and character in girls and encourages girls and young women to use what they know to make the world a better place. Girl Scouting in the United States was begun in Savannah, Georgia, by Juliette Gordon Low. After returning from a trip to England and witnessing the activities of the Boy Scout and Girl Guides organizations there, Low was committed to giving girls in the United States the same opportunities to learn outdoor skills, to contribute to their communities, and to develop their leadership abilities. The first Girl Scout troop consisted of 18 girls, and the first meeting was held on March 12, 1912-a date now celebrated by current Girl Scouts as the birthday of Girl Scouting in the United States.

Girls can enter Girl Scouting as a Daisy in kindergarten. They progress to the Brownie level in 2nd grade, to the junior level in 4th grade, to the Cadette level in 6th grade, the Senior level in 9th grade, and the Ambassador level in 11th grade. Those who are in the Daisy, Brownie, and Junior levels meet with other girls and their adult leaders in a troop or group setting. Those at the Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador levels have the flexibility to design their own program and activities while working with an adult adviser/mentor. As girls move through the various levels of Girl Scouting, they are expected to take on more ownership and leadership for their Girl Scouting experience, and the adults move from being the leaders of the troop to advisors for the girls as they lead on their own. The three highest awards for girls in Girl Scouting are the Bronze Award for Junior Girl Scouts, the Silver Award for girls aged 11 to 14 years, and the Gold Award for girls aged 14 to 18 years.

The Girl Scout organization strives to be inclusive and makes concerted efforts to engage in outreach to girls from diverse populations and communities. In the early decades of the Girl Scout movement, troops were established for girls with physical challenges, for girls from the Onondaga nation in New York, and for Mexican American girls in Texas. In the 1930s, Girl Scout materials were translated into Braille so that they would be accessible to girls who were blind. In the 1950s, efforts were made to include girls from both migrant families and military families, as well as girls from various American Indian nations.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Girl Scouts worked on antisegregation campaigns and also assisted Vietnam [Page 622]refugee children settle into homes in the United States. In the 1980s, global understanding projects were undertaken by Girl Scouts to gain a better sense of social issues affecting girls around the world. In the 1990s, Girl Scouts began outreach to two distinct populations through its Girl Scouts Beyond Bars and Girl Scouting in Detention Centers programs.

A group of Girl Scouts learning to sew in 1918. The first Girl Scout meeting was held in March 1912.

...