Girl Scout Power by Katey Bird

When most people hear the phrase “girl scout,” they automatically think about little girls and cookies, but rarely do they ever stop to think about what girl scouts do outside of cookie season, especially in regards to their literacy practices. While being a volunteer troop leader at College Hill Fundamental Academy, I was able to witness firsthand the great things that Girl Scouts of America does in young women’s lives through learning about better communication with others and themselves. Using tools that promote both group discussion and self reflection, girls participating in Girl Scouts of America have become stronger, more confident young women.

When I first began volunteering at College Hill Fundamental Academy, there were nine quiet girls just sitting at the table looking at me. When I or my co-leader Bridgette would ask a question, no one wanted to raise her hand, either from apathy or fear. Yet, as the weeks went on and as we dove deeper into the issues the girls deal with, they really opened up to us and each other. A major tool in getting the girls to this point was personal journaling.




At the end of every meeting, each girl was given a journal sheet that had a question pertaining to what we talked about that day. They ranged from “What are some things that you could say to boost wither yours or someone else’s self esteem?” to “Describe a time when you felt like you did not fit in.” By doing these journals, the girls could volunteer to share and find out that other girls feel the same way or can relate to her situation, especially when it somes to the topic of self esteem.

Self esteem is having confidence in one’s worth and abilities, like having self respect. In the article “Scouting and Girl Scout Curriculum as Interventions: Effects on Adolescents’ Self-Esteem,” David Royse writes, “Studies have shown that females emerge from adolescence with poorer self-image than do males” (Royse 160). Girl Scouts of America is a perfect solution for this problem because the organization’s mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. A way that my co-leader and I have try to measure our girl scouts’ progress within this topic is to interview them through means of a survey. We gave them this survey at the very first meeting to gage where they were beginning at and then gave them the same exact survey again at our very last meeting.




The results were astounding! The first surveys had very low scores when asked about how they felt about themselves, especially when compared to other people, such as looks and material things. After spending six weeks with them, giving them the tools to feel good about themselves and to be confident in who they are, the scores dramatically increased, in some cases going from one extreme to the other. There were many activities that helped us get away from where we started and closer to our goal of support and kindness to one another.

Although the girls were cordial to one another, there were definitely words that were not meant to be nice. They would put each other down, meaning to be teasing, but knowing that it would still be taken to heart in a negative way. These remarks were mainly aimed at the physical appearance of the girls, where their self-image is already hanging by a thread. So one activity we did to promote healthier communication and self esteem was simple and all we needed was a ball of yarn. We all got around in a big circle and each time we passed the ball to another person, we gave them a compliment, holding on to the string as it continued to unravel. So with every new compliment, there was a new strand in a web of love and support, woven with words of kindness.




With every activity we do, there is always a discussion afterwards and with this one we had a lot to talk about. I start by asking the girls if they can tell me the purpose of the activity and what they learned from it. One girl scout said that we were doing this to build stronger bonds between us by lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. Another girl scout added on by saying that it was easy to make this web but it would be really hard to unravel it and that is what makes it strong. So, this literacy practice of the girls drawing their own conclusions from the things that we do gives them a chance to become better thinkers and go deeper to find the meaning of things, making them more confident in themselves to figure things out.




Not only can Girl Scouts of America’s literacy practices improve the girls’ mental well-being but it helps with their physical health as well. In fact, Richard Rosenkranz has done studies on Girl Scout Troops and coming from the journal BMC Public Health, he states, “To prevent obesity and to gain other health benefits, regular opportunities for enjoyable [physical activity] is a desirable and useful component of health promotion efforts” (Rosenkranz 82). So with all of the physical activities we do with the girls, it helps not only with our goals of improving self confidence but also with their physical health, which often go hand in hand. Because not all communication is through writing, girls must find another way to successfully complete a challenge where communication is crucial. I asked the girl scouts to complete an obstacle course together with a balloon in between each girl. If one balloon fell, they had to start back at the beginning and try again. After a couple tries, this was the result:




The girls had to physically move with each other in unison in order to successfully complete the obstacle course without dropping a balloon. It took communication in the form of movement and because of this working together they boosted their confidence that they could achieve what they set out to do, as well as improved their physical coordination. When we asked why we had them do this and what did they learn, the girls were very responsive. They understood that the point of the exercise was to physically work together as a team and by remaining close, they were more successful.




The past six weeks have been an adventure to say the least. In the beginning, the girls were quiet and anti-social. We warmed up to each other with the help personal journaling that promotes self reflection and activities that are followed by group discussion. By the end of our time together, the girls became much more involved and self confident. The literacy practices of journaling and group communication were the common thread that pulled us all together as a group of young women supporting one another. And it is these practices that we will continue to use to help other girls that participate in the Girl Scouts of America program.

Graduation:













Work Cited:

Rosenkranz, Richard R., Behrens, Timothy K., Dzewaltowski, David A. "A group-randomized controlled trial for health promotion in Girl Scouts: Healthier Troops in a SNAP (Scouting Nutrition & Activity Program)." BMC Public Health 10 (2010), 81-93.

Royse, David. “Scouting and Girl Scout curriculum as interventions: Effects on adolescents' self-esteem.” Adolescence, v. 33 issue 129, 1998, p. 159-168.