Girl Scouts:
Changing the Way Leaders Are Made
What are girls saying about leadership?
Leadership means people can trust you and rely on you, no matter what.
- Sarina, Girl Scout Junior |
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Being a leader means not bossing others around, but helping others find the right way.
– McKenzie, Girl Scout Junior |
Leadership is knowing what you believe
and putting it into action.
- Meaghan, Girl Scout Cadette |
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The Girl Scout Leadership Experience
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is not new. Since 1912, Girl Scouting has been about leadership development. Juliette Gordon Low wanted to give members the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. GSUSA has called for a purposeful focus on leadership for girls in the Girl Scout program.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place. This leadership model provides the design for what girls do in Girl Scouting.
Three Keys to Leadership
DISCOVER + CONNECT + TAKE ACTION = LEADERSHIP
All Girl Scout experiences are intentionally designed to tie to one or more of the fifteen National Leadership Outcomes, or benefits, categorized under the three keys to leadership. These three new leadership keys replace Girl Scouting’s four program goals.
- Discover: Girls understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world.
- Connect: Girls care about, inspire, and team with others locally and globally.
- Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place.
Girls Take the Lead
The most important thing about girls discovering, connecting and taking action is that their actions will be "girl led." In Girl Scouting, it’s not just “what girls do,” but “how” they do it. Here’s how Girl Scouts defines these processes:
- Girl Led: Girl led is just what it sounds like—girls play an active part in figuring out the what, where, when, how, and why of their activities. They lead the planning and decision-making as much as possible. Girls are engaged in their learning and leadership opportunities as they become active participants in their local and global communities.
- Learning by Doing: A hands-on learning process that engages girls in action and reflection, resulting in deeper understanding of concepts and mastery of practical skills. As they participate in meaningful activities and then reflect on them, girls get to explore their own questions, discover answers, gain new skills, and share ideas and observations with others.
- Cooperative Learning: Girls work together toward shared goals in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration that encourages the sharing of skills, knowledge, and learning. Working together in all-girl environments also encourages girls to feel powerful, as well as emotionally and physically safe, and lets them experience a sense of belonging even in the most diverse groups.
What does this mean for you and for Girl Scouts?
Pathways for participation
Girl Scouting is flexible and meets the needs of today's girl. The six Girl Scout Pathways are the ways in which girls might participate in Girl Scouting. From a traditional troop setting to a special interest or travel group, you can customize a Girl Scout experience that’s right for you. Girls can choose any one, all, or just a few of these pathways within a single year. The Girl Scout community nationwide continues to develop a new approach to ensure that girls and adults can participate in Girl Scouting in the ways they want to!
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Additional Resources from GSUSA
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