Girl Scouts USA: The Year of the Girl
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My mom came to New York City to visit for the weekend and brought with her a bunch of old photos, including one of me in the fourth grade wearing my Girl Scout uniform.
I look really ticked off because I think I was mad at my dad for some reason. Let it be known the expression I have in the picture does not reflect my enthusiasm for my years of scouting.
In fact, I really loved being a Girl Scout and was really honored when I was asked to deliver the keynote speech at their annual convention in Houston, Texas. It was there in November that I learned about the organization’s “Year of the Girl” initiative and the “To Get Her There” campaign.
Beginning January 31, Girl Scouts of the USA will begin these programs to raise awareness about the leadership gap that exists between men and women in positions of authority across most industries and sectors. For example, just 3% of CEOs are women and just 17% of Congress.
Women in business and government have come a long way since I took the Girl Scout pledge, and maybe, to quote “Dirty Dancing,” nobody puts baby in a corner anymore — or calls us “baby” for that matter. But as a society we’ve also been slow to put women in corner offices.
Girl Scouts isn’t unique in undertaking this endeavor. There are many other organizations that are seeking to empower the girls of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. But the new CEO of Girl Scouts USA, Anna Maria Chavez, who is the first Latina to head the organization, told me that Girl Scouts are uniquely positioned for this goal. After all, most women business leaders and 11 of the 17 women in the U.S. Senate were scouts.
I met with a troop of girls from Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice in Philadelphia, all of whom shared with me their dreams for the future. One wanted to be an obstetrician, another said she’d like to work for Apple and help develop the latest tech gadgets. Girl Scouts is helping “to get them there,” as the slogan suggests.
Tomorrow morning I’ll be on “Good Morning America” to talk a bit more about it and introduce you to some of the girls I met along the way. See you in the morning!
Tweet me your thoughts @katiecouric.
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All across the country Girl Scouts are selling the properties purchased by previous generations. Scouting has transitioned from a community-based operation which had always left a surplus for the next generation to a financial drain run by corporate types. Peel away the layers of hype and what Girl Scouts has become is not sustainable.
Posted by: Michael | January 31, 2012, 8:43 am 8:43 am
I want to thank Katie for being a wonderful advocate for Girl Scouting. I was one of the fortunate people to see her and hear her at the National Conference in Houston. She is the epitome of the roll model I want for my girls. She is smart, articulate, and passionate. Girl Scouting has stepped up to the plate to identify what is holding girls back from being the women who are equal partners of their futures. Believe it or not, the old saying, Girls can do anything, is true. They just have to believe it and have the tools to get it done. Girl Scouting helps them do that. I know that there are controversies about the organization, but if you truly do your homework and look at what the organizations values and goals are, you would have to admit that NO other group has so targeted getting girls involved in their own futures and building their own destinies. I say Hurray for GS! 2012 is just the beginning of every year being “The Year of the Girl”!
Posted by: Melody | January 31, 2012, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm