Building character

Girl Scout Mission

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

The third facet of the mission statement is to build character. Girl Scout program has this in spades. Our promise and law serve as a basic character building foundation for the organization.

What exactly does the mission statement mean by "character"?

Merriam-Webster defines character as one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual. By this definition, everyone has their own unique character. Later on the same page we come across this definition: moral excellence and firmness.

While the latter definition more closely describes what we think of when we read the mission statement, we need to remember the earlier definition as well and understand that our job is to help girls develop their own unique self expression of moral integrity.

Use the Promise and Law
Can you and your girls recite the Girl Scout Promise from memory?
Can you and your girls recite the Girl Scout Law from memory?

Many of us would say yes to the first question, but no to the second. I've found that knowing the Girl Scout Law by heart has made it much easier to identify character building situations with the girls. When your girls need moral guidance to make a decision or resolve a conflict, a quick reference to the appropriate Girl Scout Law can help them to think through their response. Remember that these situations will rarely be planned. They will come up spontaneously in the course of your meetings and other activities. Being ready with a good knowledge of the Girl Scout Law will enable you to make good use of opportunities for character building.

Let Them Do It
Keep in mind that building our girls means letting them do things themselves to learn from the experience. Don't lecture the girls and tell them what is the right thing to do. Simply point out the appropriate Girl Scout Law and let them apply it. Not every moral dilemma has a straightforward or single right answer. By deliberating on the situation with the Law as a guide, the girls will be developing their own sense of character, not simply following your orders.

Set an Example
Careful the things you say, children will listen. Careful the things you do, children will see. And learn. - lyrics from Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim

In the "Cookies" episode of the TV sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray gets into a war with his daughter's scout leader over cookie sales. In a climactic scene, Ray takes over the leader's top cookie boothing site. When she shows up at the booth they get into a fight. But before they do, they send their daughters away into the store to get ice cream. While I can hardly condone the behavior of the adults in this episode, at least they understood that this sort of stuff isn't the example you want to set for your children. I've seen some horrible behavior in front of girls over similar issues.

Don't forget to apply the Girl Scout Law to your own dealings with the troop and other adults. Perhaps the most common violation I see leaders make is to ignore the Law to "be a sister to every Girl Scout." One way we can show girls that we believe in this Law is to welcome new girls into the troop regularly. While I understand that troop size is limited by adult/girl ratios and meeting space size, we can show girls how to "be a sister" by allowing the troop to change and grow. It shouldn't be a clique that forms in first grade and doesn't welcome newcomers for 12 years. The challenges involved in getting along with different members - girls and their parents - can be tremendously character building.

How do you build character with your girls? Share your experiences in the comments.


Smitty