Join Girl Scouts!

Our Mission  Statement

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

Juliette Gordon Low

In 1911, Juliette Gordon Low met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. On March 12, 1912, she gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. The name of the organization was changed a year later to Girl Scouts.

She brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional women—in the arts, sciences and business—and for active citizenship outside the home. Girl Scouting welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were excluded from many other activities. This idea seemed quite natural to Juliette, who never let deafness, back problems or cancer keep her from full participation in life.

From the original 18 girls, Girl Scouting has grown to 3.7 million members. Girl Scouts is the largest educational organization for girls in the world and has influenced the more than 50 million girls, women and men who have belonged to it.

Why Join Girl Scouting?

Of every 100 girls who become Girl Scouts:
Eighteen will develop hobbies used during their adult lives
Seventeen will be future Girl Scout volunteers
Twelve will have their first contact with a church
Eight will enter a vocation that was learned through a badge or patch program
Five will earn their church religious award
Four will earn the Gold Award, the highest award earned in Girl Scouting
One will enter the clergy
One will use her Girl Scouting skills to save someone’s life
One will use her Girl Scouting skills to save her own life

What does Girl Scouting mean to a girl?
An opportunity through Girl Scouting will help her to:

Meet challenges
Make decisions based on her values
Learn to care for her community
Develop and refine social skills
Take a stand and act on issues important to her
Explore careers
Learn to appreciate diversity
Turn dreams into reality

In Girl Scouting, girls can:

Develop leadership skills
Set goals and then achieve them
Learn in a safe environment
Improve their own abilities and talents
Learn from caring, positive adult role models
Build self-confidence, respect and self-reliance
Explore the world around them
Develop lifelong friendships
Foster understanding and acceptance of others
Become role models for others
Develop the spirit of volunteerism
Enhance the communities where they live

Girl Scouting helps girls to develop to their fullest potental, relate to others,
develop values, and contribute to society.