About Girl Scouts

In March of 1912, Juliette Gordon Low started a project that would soon become one of the largest, most widely-known organizations dedicated to girls in the United States. In Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Low hosted the first Girl Scout meeting. Within a few years, the organization had incorporated, and shortly afterward was represented nationally with troops in nearly every state. Now the organization boasts nearly four million members, a far cry from the original eighteen girls that met in Mrs. Low's home only ninety years ago. Even more phenomenal is the number of members involved internationally: "through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries" (from GSUSA's Fact page).

Girl Scouting in Indiana began in the fall of 1912 (see the March 1997 issue of the Indiana Historian). The beginning of Girl Scouts in central Indiana is best summarized by the Girl Scouts of Hoosier Capital Council website: "The first Girl Scout troop began in Indianapolis in 1917. On May 14, 1921 Indianapolis received a Council Charter from GSUSA. Today, the Girl Scouts of Hoosier Capital Council serves 7 ½ counties including: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, ½ of Morgan, and Shelby."

The registrar has reported that we registered 338 girls on time for the 2005-2006 year, approximately 100 girls below our goal of a 10% increase over 2004-2005. Since on-time closed, we have registered additional girls and currently stand at 375 girls, 216 adults. Nine of these are lifetime members! We've been "growing strong" the last few years and look forward to continuing the trend as we add troops in all of our schools: Isom Elementary, Northeast Elementary, Southwest Elementary, Westwood Elementary, Greenwood Community Middle School, Greenwood Community High School, Our Lady of the Greenwood School, and Greenwood Christian School.

The Girl Scout program has four goals:

Help her develop to her full individual potential.
Teach her to relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect.
Help her develop values to guide her actions and to provide the foundation for sound decision-making.
Help her contribute to the improvement of society through the use of her abilities and leadership skills, working in cooperation with others.

(The above list is from The Guide for Brownie Girl Scout Leaders published in 1993)

It is through these four goals that the adults in Girl Scouting try to guide girls through the sometimes-awkward stages of growing up; to teach the girls to accept the many differences that every person in the world has; to teach them to not only accept those differences, but to welcome them; and to help them realize their full potential. The program teaches dedication to service--to their country, to their community, to each other, and to those around them. The girls are encouraged to develop their own ideas and to share their opinions while respecting the opinions of others. The volunteers in Girl Scouts recognize that the girls of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and each one tries to help shape each girl to be the best that she can possibly be.

For more information, please visit the following sites:

"Girl Scouts" and other GIRL SCOUT Trademarks are registered trademarks of Girl Scouts of the USA and are used herein pursuant to license.

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This site was last updated on Sunday, April 15, 2007.