A Troop Leader Reflects

I’m 75 and I’m a Girl Scout. Literally, a Lifetime Member of GS-USA. So is my daughter. Together with another troop mom and aided by other registered adults, we lead La Grange Troop 32077. You can see photos of troop activities in The Record periodically.

Our troop formed when my granddaughter was in kindergarten, and she and her troopmates are now in 7th grade. Except during the pandemic, when Daisy Girl Scouts in bright blue vests met on my patio for a year, the troop has met at the La Grange Girl Scout Hut every two weeks. The Hut also hosts special events, such as when multiple troops gather to make presentations about other countries and their Girl Scout traditions (see photo), or when family members attend ceremonies marking the girls’progression from Daisies to Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scouting. At the end of last school year, our girls hosted a pancake supper with all the trimmings for their extended families, who proudly watched them receive their end-of-year awards and badges, including being recognized by the regional GS Council as Super Scouts for their accomplishments in all aspects of the Girl Scout program. These include providing community service, camping, earning merit badges, traveling and learning together, attending Council and cultural events, and raising funds for their activities through cookie sales.

Brownie Girl Scouting started for me near Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, I “flew up” to Intermediate level in Arlington, Virginia, entered the then-new Cadette rank in Heidelberg, Germany, and was a Senior Girl Scout and later a young adult camp counselor in San Antonio. You can probably guess I was an Army Brat (though Texas-born). Girl Scouts has long been popular in military communities, in part because it has always been about patriotism and service. It is also about faith in one’s God and helping others. Girl Scouting welcomes girls of every background, and each faith or denomination sponsors religious awards for interested Scouts. Whether a girl is a newcomer or a long-time resident, joining a troop is a great way for her to find her tribe and make lasting friends. I was reminded of my Scouting journey two years ago when a local grandmother called me to ask how to find a troop for her granddaughter, who was moving here. Our Troop then gained a Scout, a Co-leader, and two cookie managers. We are now about to welcome another seventh-grader who is moving to the area.

There are many voluntary youth clubs that build character and community, and our local Girl Scouts are active in most of them, including faith groups, 4-H, school and community athletics, and junior service clubs. More than in past generations, they all compete for girls’ time and attention. But there are some things that make Girl Scouting special. First, it’s just for girls and is led by women (though dads are welcome). That means girls take on all the roles and do all the tasks, following female role models to build competencies that can be less available in co-ed settings. Girl Scouting aims to foster courage, confidence and character. Second, Girl Scouting is a bargain. Most troops raise the money for their outings, badgework, service projects, and campouts through their own product sales. Some troops are able to pay annual membership renewals for the girls and also their registered adult volunteers. Any Girl Scout wearing her membership pin is “in uniform,” so uniforms are optional and relaxed (often just a vest for insignia and awards). And girls can earn their way to weeks at summer camp, so families need encounter few costs. Third and most important, Girl Scouting is a worldwide social movement that is more than 120 years old, offering girls an empowering history and access to international opportunities for sharing and learning. For example, their summer camps often employ some counselors from other countries, and U.S. girls may have travel opportunities. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts operates World Centers for local and visiting Scouts in Switzerland, Mexico, England, India, and rotating locations in Africa, linking an international community of girls and women committed to solidarity and friendship. Perhaps that sheds light on why all three female U.S. Secretaries of State were once Girl Scouts.

It’s no surprise that Girl Scouting has proven to be outstanding preparation for adult leadership. About 60% of all women who have served in Congress, including about 70% of female U.S. Senators, were Girl Scouts, as have been more than 30 NASA astronauts, and 10 current and former CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, as well as a strong proportion of all female business executives. Girl Scouting helped First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hilary Clinton, and Michelle Obama develop as leaders. Whatever paths girls want to follow, experiences in Girl Scouting help prepare them. I’ve thought about writing a piece called “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Girl Scouts,” and, from roughing it in the country to hosting dinner parties, that comes pretty close to the truth.