By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
Some of the badges and programs have changed and the variety of cookies has increased, but the mission of Girl Scouts – to teach girls leadership skills by giving them confidence, courage and character – has remained the same for the past century.
The Girl Scouts of the USA will celebrate its 100th anniversary March 12. In honor of the milestone, the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, which includes the Over the Mountain area, will look back on the last 100 years of Girl Scouting at its annual Women of Distinction luncheon and awards ceremony set for 11:30 a.m. March 9 at the Harbert Center.
The event is one of many this year that will celebrate Girl Scouts. The GSUSA has also declared 2012 the Year of the Girl to celebrate girls and recognize their leadership potential.
Hilary W. Perry, director of communications and advocacy for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, said while lots has changed since the first troop formed in 1912, Girl Scouting remains the premier leadership organization for girls.
“The best thing about Girl Scouting is we listen to the voice of the girls,” she said. “If they’re interested in technology, we can adapt programs to fit their needs. That’s how we stay relevant.”
Despite the growing number of extracurricular activities available, Girl Scouting numbers continue to increase. Nationwide, there are about 2.6 million Girl Scouts, and in the North Central Alabama region there are around 15,300. Locally, Hilary said, that’s up 7 percent over last year.
When the first troop formed in Savannah, Ga., under the leadership of Juliette Gordon Low, the goal was to help girls develop leadership skills. At the time women weren’t allowed to vote, and there was little room for them in the workplace.
“Years ago, women weren’t asked to be leaders in their communities,” said Joan Page, a longtime Girl Scout and volunteer of Vestavia Hills. “It was really a courageous thing Juliette did at the time. I still think the organization creates courage, confidence and character.”
Joan said Girl Scouting gave her the confidence later in life to try new things. That was some 40 years ago, but twins and current Girl Scouts Kaitlyn and Kristen Gurosky of Hoover said the program has done the same for them. The sixth graders are members of Troop 532 and have been in Girl Scouting since kindergarten.
“Girl Scouts has helped me have more confidence,” Kristen said. “I have learned to do a lot of things that I thought I couldn’t.”
Both agree that camp and community service are their favorite activities in Girl Scouting. While they participate in the annual Girl Scout Cookie Sale, Joan said that’s just one of many programs Girl Scouting offers.
“We’re not just about cookies,” she said. “We’re so much more.”
The Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program has been around almost as long as the organization and is recognized as the biggest economic literacy fundraising program. But it’s just one of many projects undertaken by Girl Scouts.
Girl Scouts, as they have since the organization’s formation, earn badges for career building and leadership and science and healthy living. The outdoors – be it camping or being good stewards of the environment – is also a key part of Girl Scouting.
Alice Williams, a GSNCA board member and longtime volunteer of Mountain Brook, said it was the outdoors part of Girl Scouting that she and her troop always enjoyed.
In addition to serving as GSNCA board president, Alice was the leader of her daughter’s troop for about 15 years. She said as the girls grew older, many drifted away from the program. But a core group, whose members are still some of her daughter’s closest friends, remained until they were young adults.
“When they got older, it was a challenge to even find an afternoon they could all meet, but they really wanted to stay in it, largely for the outdoor skills,” Alice said. “Some of my happiest memories are when my troop were teens, and they would go to camp with a group of younger Girl Scouts to be program aids and helpers.
“In the early mornings they’d sit around with their vagabond stoves cooking sausage and chocolate chip pancakes. They were just so happy to be together and be outdoors.”
What made Girl Scouts unique then and still does today, Alice said, is that the girls really do set the agenda.
She said at the start of the year, they sit down together with troop leaders and determine what programs they’d like to take part in and what badges they want to earn.
Joan, who is the leader for a special teen and adult troop at Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center, said she approaches her Girls Scouts much the same way. Glenwood is a program for children and adults with autism or other behavioral disorders.
“Girl Scouts is really great for this group because they get to push the envelope a little,” Joan said of her Glenwood troop, which was started by her mother. “They get to branch out and do activities they wouldn’t do in the classroom. We do sit down at the start of the year and kind of discuss the badges. They kind of help me decide what we’ll do.”
To Joan, there is no doubt that Girl Scouting is just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.
In addition to ever-evolving programs, there are also ways other than joining a troop for girls to be involved, such as Pathways, she said. Pathways lets girls find specific areas of interest, like the outdoors or traveling, to get involved with Girl Scouting.
Joan said people need to look no further than the women in leadership today to realize the impact Girl Scouting has had. While great strides have been made in the last 100 years, she said there is always more work to be done.
“There are a lot of women out there who are famous that were Girl Scouts,” she said. “I don’t see how it could be irrelevant. It’s grown and evolved but not away from Juliette’s principles.
“Just think how far we’ve come since 1912. Women do have more to offer. There are always more opportunities.
“There is still a long way to go. We haven’t had a female president, but we could.”
