Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. When Juliette Gordon Low founded the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, her vision was to provide all girls, regardless of race, class or situation, with the opportunity to better themselves, their circumstances and their communities. 100 years later, Girl Scouts provides the premier leadership program for girls in grades K—12. Girl Scouts live by a promise; a promise to help people at all times and to live lives of honesty, purpose and resourcefulness.

Building upon a century of tradition, girls develop a strong sense of self, demonstrate noble ways to succeed in school and in life and leverage the investment made in them to re-invest their time, talents and energy to make the community a better place. While Girl Scouts will always be faithful to our values-based ideals, the business skill-enhancing Girl Scout Cookie Program and our core environmental and outdoor education programs, we have updated our organization to be the premiere leadership opportunity for girls and young women in the United States. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a critical youth development program that enhances both academic performance and life skills by engaging girls in afterschool and summer programs promoting Financial Literacy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Leadership Development, the Arts, Healthy Life Skills, Environmental Stewardship and Community Engagement.

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is based on 22 independent research studies by the Girl Scout Research Institute and establishes 23 of the 40 Developmental Assets identified by The Independent Search Institute as necessary to creating healthy, caring, responsible adults. According to their research, an average girl possesses fewer than half of the 40 assets, making a Girl Scout more likely to develop into a mature young adult who succeeds academically, pursues higher education and career aspirations, develops healthy behaviors and reinvests herself in the community. According the The Partnership for Afterschool Education, programs such as Girl Scouts directly impact a student’s ability to succeed in school and graduate with the skills and experiences necessary to succeed in post-secondary endeavors. These key focus areas not only help girls become successful students and more effective citizens and friends, they inspire the next generation of employees who are able to support themselves and their families, make healthy choices and take an active interest in the world around them.

When you invest in a girl, you produce the greatest return in economic development, social progress and public health. Women shape the future of their children so when we impact a girl, we change the woman she will become and the family she will have. Girls who complete school and have good self-esteem are healthier when they choose to have families and they make better, more informed decisions when it comes to their families. The girls we serve now are the business leaders, community stewards and mothers of the next generation. Girl Scouts affords the opportunity for girls to develop good self-esteem, adopt healthy life skills, avoid risky behaviors, stay in school and gain the employable skills they need to make themselves and their families healthy and self-sufficient for generations to come.

How to get involved: Does your daughter want to join the long list of world-changing women by joining Girl Scouts? Join us at our City-Wide Registration on September 6 from 6:30 — 8:00 at Hope Lutheran Church. Girls welcome! Can’t join us? E-mail us at bozemangirlscouts@gmail.com or check out www.gsmw.com for more information on Girl Scouting in the Montana & Wyoming council.

Abby Turner is the owner of Icing on the Cake Events and is the Co-Service Unit Manager for the Bozeman Girl Scouts.