Building Girls

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Girl Scout Mission

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

In previous posts I've talked about courage, confidence, character, and making the world a better place. But what does it mean to build girls?

Buildings start with a foundation, and then a framework, and finally the full structure. Each step is necessary before moving on to the next, but the building isn't complete until the structure is finished.

So it is with Girl Scouting. Each level has its place in the building of a girl, but the process isn't completed until the older levels. Despite the current GSUSA focus on K-5, the most significant benefits of Girl Scouting are achieved in Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors. When Juliette Gordon Low started the Girl Scouts it was for girls ages 10-18. This age range provides the maturity necessary to allow for true girl leadership.

How program levels build girls

What girls learn and can accomplish at the different program levels depends on characteristics of child development.

Daisies focus on the promise and law, creating the moral foundation of Girl Scouting to guide their ethical decisions as they grow.

Brownies continue this foundational process by exploring the world around them, learning to deal with friendships, understanding the outdoors, and helping their community.

Juniors creates the framework through skill-building. By this age, most girls have the dexterity and mental development to learn a wide variety of skills. Badges play an important part in encouraging girls to try new things and expand their skill set. At this age, most girls are still eager to explore lots of different activities, so be sure to do so. A broad skill set will serve them well in the future.

The real magic begins at the Cadette level. As girls travel through adolescence, they exert their independence and a truly girl-led troop begins to emerge. This age is fraught with changes, including potential changes in friendships and a growing awareness of each girl's individuality. Now the foundation and framework of ethics and skills that was laid in K-5 can be fleshed out as girls discover the women that they will become.

Senior/Ambassador girls bring the program to fruition. At this age, the girls experience what it means to lead for themselves. Scouting is a relatively unique youth program in this regard. Most other youth programs and extracurricular activities depend on significant adult coaching or leadership, especially at the High School level, when competition and excellence become paramount. Scouts takes the opposite approach. We let the girls be their own coaches and administrators, with the attendant failures, tears, and sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing you did it all yourself.

Keeping Girls active

The best recruiters are the girls themselves. At every level, girls need interaction with older troops. They need to feel like sisters to the older girls to build expectations of continuing. The younger your girls are when they aspire to be like the older scout troops, the more likely they will stay involved. Be sure that interactions with older girls include an understanding that they are Girl Scouts and that your troop will be them some day.

Keep progression reasonable. The girls need something to look forward to at the next level. Remember that a big trip taken with 5th graders, which requires a lot of organizing by adults, is a very different experience than High School girls get, when they do most of that organizing themselves. Don't defeat the leadership purpose of trip travel or challenging adventure program by pushing it to a younger age.

Why focus on K-5?

Currently, GSUSA has initiated a focus on K-5 program levels. If older girl program is so important, why is GSUSA focusing on K-5? Because they want high membership numbers and younger girls are easier to recruit. But we must be willing to let the world know that Girl Scouts true purpose serves grades 6-12, and downplay the younger levels as preparatory (similar to the Cub Scout/Boy Scout link) or we do the older girls a disservice.

Unfortunately, as Girl Scouts has pushed into younger and younger demographics, it has created a perception that the program is for little girls. This intensifies the attitude among adolescents that it's not cool to be a Girl Scout. It's not a new problem, either. When I was a Brownie, we looked up to the Juniors as "The Girl Scouts." I had no clue that any level older than that even existed. But I am extremely grateful that my scouting path eventually led to an awesome Senior Troop, which has in turn led to a lifelong commitment to the organization.

Is it possible to recruit older girls? As girls get older, their interests intensify. If they're not already Girl Scouts when they hit adolescence, it's a hard sell. I have found that the Ambassador age is the tipping point. In the middle of High School, girls grow past peer pressure concerns and will join if they are excited by the program. At this age, your girls may recruit new friends who have never been Girl Scouts before.

Finishing touches

The end of the building process involves finishing the project with paint, carpeting, and landscaping. As our girls get ready to leave Girl Scouting and bring their leadership skills into the adult world, they will hone the subtle nuances of leadership, developing tact and the passion to inspire others. Developing these high level social skills that will lead our girls into the future depends upon practicing leadership with the maturity and independence inherent in older troops. Keep them in, keep them building, and let the program serve the age that it serves best.

Smitty