In 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts, she saw an opportunity to make sure that girls and women were part of creating history, and Girl Scouts was born. Today Girl Scouts unleashes the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)^TM in every girl, preparing her for a lifetime of leadership. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. Research shows that girls learn best in an all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment. It’s a place where she’ll practice different skills, explore her potential, take on leadership positions—and even feel allowed to fail, dust herself off, get up, and try again.

Everything a Girl Scout does centers around STEM, the outdoors, development of life skills, and entrepreneurship, and is designed to meet her where she is now and to grow along with her. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the most prestigious award in the world for girls, is only available to Girl Scouts. This opportunity allows girls to engage in a rigorous process that calls for leadership at the highest level, as they tackle issues they feel passionately about. In March 2018, Girl Scout Caroline Dowd completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project with DNREC and the Delaware Forest Service by organizing a reforestation for part of Blackbird State Forest.  She oversaw over 500 volunteers to plant 8,800 oak seedlings over one weekend. This is just one example out of many of a Girl Scout changing the world.

Learn more about the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay.

DANA Members: Want to share your story of impact during Nonprofit Impact Month? Send us your story (300 words or less, or short video) to Mikia Guy at [email protected]. Or post your story online using #SupportDENonprofits and/or #NonprofitImpactMonth.