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Real Benefits for Real Girls

Written by Marcella Germanotta

For generations, girls and women have sought opportunities to be empowered, to be effective and to connect with others to make a difference. They, like the women role models in our history, work to find ways to influence others through team efforts and activism. Our gender has long-known that strong leadership is not necessarily the result of orders issued from above. Instead, we tend to lead through connections with others, relying on our preference to listen, to support and to give encouragement to take difference-making actions.

Researchers feel this leadership paradigm may be related to our gender, on average the more social. It’s only natural that we use those social skills in our leadership capacities. Not such a bad thing in a global society that depends on interconnectedness.

“Girls want to be in leadership roles, and they recognize the value of making that happen in partnership with adults,” Tracy Keller, the CEO for the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast said.

“Research has now shown that the more girls discover, the more they want to share what they have learned with others. Leadership skills, such as planning, goal-setting and working with others, enable girls to take action and use their discoveries to make the world a better place.”

The new Girl Scout Leadership Experience model, which was introduced two years ago, sets a priority on girls taking action. The objective is that girls will learn to advocate for themselves and others and work to improve their world through community service. Ultimately, girls will become more environmentally and socially responsible and be empowered.

As part of creating the national leadership model, 700 diverse girls of different ages, in and out of Girl Scouts and from 16 states, participated in focus groups designed to find out what leadership means to girls. Their conclusions:

Girls perceive providing emotional support and building consensus as important aspect of leadership
Leaders have good character traits
Leaders are an example and an inspiration, often in the face of adversity
Leaders can be in the spotlight or behind the scenes
Leaders not only know how to make a difference for themselves, they make a difference for the rest of the world

Leadership through advocacy will be spotlighted on August 7 at an all-day event sponsored by Girl Scouts at the Oak Grove United Methodist Church, 472 N. Battlefield Blvd. in Chesapeake. The event is free and open to adults who are interested in learning more about Girl Scouting, leadership and advocacy. The day will be kicked off with guest speaker Shamika Lawrence, a graduate of the Women Studies Program at Old Dominion University.

While a student, Sabrina took part in a service education experience in South Africa. She and other Women Studies students spent weeks helping women who were living in poverty conditions to gain life and job skills. She recently started the non-profit Sibahle that promotes conscious consumerism and features handmade crafts by domestic workers and survivors of domestic violence.
Hearing from Sabrina and other speakers will provide examples of how girls and women are taking action to change their communities and the world today. Those who attend the free event will also learn about national organizations with which Girl Scouts are partnering, such as CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

If you are not able to make the August 7 event, contact the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast and ask about other fall educational or volunteer opportunities. You can mentor, be a leader, volunteer for a short-term event or activity or get involved in numerous other ways.

No matter whether you are a college student, young professional or recent retiree, you can hone your leadership skills through Girl Scouts. Good leadership has as much to do with attitude as with age. So, get a “take action” attitude and lead for change.

If you would like more information about how to get involved in Girl Scouts – working with girls or on committees, such as advocacy, contact Marcy Germanotta at marcyg@gsccc.org.

Visit www.gsccc.org to view information on summer camp sessions that will address some of these issues, such as The Clique Book Club. Girl Scouts serves girls in grades K-12 grades through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience that helps build girls of courage, confidence and character, to make the world a better place.