We are girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world
a better place.
And that “make the world a better place”
part? That’s about civic involvement, and it gets at the very heart of
what it means to be a Girl Scout.
Whether we’re being
good neighbors, participating in school activities, addressing
concerns in the community, or taking our quests for positive change to
the state, national, or international level, we recognize how
important it is that we serve as empathetic leaders who advocate for
what’s important to us.
From the very beginning, Girl
Scout founder Juliette
Gordon Low saw Girl Scouting as a movement that would inspire
girls to make a difference in their world. The Girl Scout movement has
always promoted the values upon which our nation was founded. Call it
patriotism. Call it advocacy. Call it being a good citizen. Call it
being an American who simply wants to make a difference and help our
communities shine.
We call it being a Girl Scout.
Fittingly, the very first Girl Scout Handbook was titled How
Girls Can Help Their Country. Published in 1913, it was full of
forward-thinking concepts; it even encouraged girls to learn a trade
or two, so that they could be independent and prepared to serve their
country. As early as 1918, Girl Scout activities encouraged
exploration of civics and citizenship, an emphasis that has continued
ever since.
As the Girl Scout organization grew through
the years, so did opportunities to make a nationwide impact. The Girl
Scout commitment to service and duty to country was visible in many
ways during World War I, as girls across the country embraced the war
effort—planting “war gardens” and selling war bonds.
As
early as 1920, Girl Scouts were rallying in New York City’s Central
Park, lifting their voices to introduce the organization to the nation
and to advocate for what they believed in. And when the 19th Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in August of that year, Girl
Scouts sprang into action to support women’s suffrage. (Many troops
offered to take care of women's babies while they cast ballots.) Also
around this time, Girl Scouts were encouraged to learn about
government, voting, and the election process on the way to earning
their Civics and Citizen badges.
In 1931, First Lady of
the United States and Honorary Girl Scout President Lou Henry Hoover
publicly called on girls to help families dealing with unemployment.
And Girl Scouts nationwide stepped up big time—raising money, holding
food and clothing drives, and volunteering in schools and hospitals.
Consequently, Girl Scouts earned a deserved reputation as a group that
could be counted on to help those in need.
To celebrate
its 25th anniversary, in 1937 Girl Scouts participated in a series of
community civic projects that included safety campaigns, health
initiatives, and clean-up weeks. Also during the Great Depression,
Girl Scouts led community relief efforts such as collecting clothing,
making quilts, carving wood toys, gathering food for the poor,
assisting in hospitals, and providing meals to underfed
children.
Girl Scouts just kept going. During World War
II, the organization demonstrated its recognized ability to mobilize
around a cause, effecting change in a big way. Girl Scout leadership
distributed materials with ideas for service projects. Girl Scouts
took action by operating bicycle courier services, investing thousands
of hours in Farm Aid projects and growing “victory gardens.” They
collected rubber for tires, nylons and rags for parachutes, and scrap
metal by the ton. They picked 7,930 pounds of milkweed pods to fill
life jackets and aviator suits. And in 1944, Girl Scouts presented
then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a “check” for 15,430,000
Girl Scout service hours invested in the war effort since 1941. Talk
about leadership!
After the war Girl Scouts used funds
from the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund to lend a helping hand to
war-torn European countries. They reached out to children overseas
with brightly colored Friendship Bags containing needle-and-thread
sets, toothbrushes, hard candy, hair ribbons, crayons, and small toys.
And Girl Scouts kept their eyes on their homeland, too, participating
in important projects through a National Home Safety campaign.
In the 1950s, Girl Scouts emphasized its commitment to the
environment by performing more than 35,000 Outdoor Good Turns,
conservation projects to clean up and beautify neighborhoods—and in
the 1960s, as the civil rights movement gained momentum, Girl Scouts
launched several major initiatives supporting racial and ethnic
diversity. In 1969, Girl Scouts launched Action 70, a nationwide Girl
Scout effort to overcome prejudice and improve relations among people
of all ages, religions, and races.
Of course, Girl Scouts
participated in the very first Earth Day in April 1970, later that
year launching Eco-Action, a nationwide program to bring attention to
environmental issues. And pivoting back to civic involvement, Girl
Scouts opened the 1980s with Leadership in Action, identifying eight
crucial areas to focus on, including pluralism, community service, the
environment, and taking the lead for a better world, as well as the
international aspects of Girl Scouting and leadership.
Since then, as always, Girl Scouts have worked steadily on both a
large and small scale to make the world a better place. Locally, Girl
Scouts from Gateway Council are running Smile Camp for children with
special needs, placing flags on veterans' graves, visiting senior
citizens, supporting first responders and finding ways to beautify our
communities — along with so much more, on a daily basis.
And that’s just a fraction of the amazing actions Girl Scouts
everywhere have taken to improve their communities.
Now,
to celebrate more than a century of Girl Scout civic engagement, we’re
featuring the G.I.R.L. Agenda
Powered by Girl Scouts, a nonpartisan initiative to inspire,
prepare, and mobilize girls and those who care about them to lead
positive change through civic action. Sign on to support the G.I.R.L.
Agenda, and gain access to Girl
Scout civic engagement resources for both girls and adults.
If it takes just one girl to change the world, imagine what all
of us can do—together.
It’s our world. Let’s change it.
From the Girl Scout Blog: Girl Scouts’ Powerful Legacy of Civic Action in America
01 Dec 2017
