Girl Power and the Girl Scouts Gold Award
This post is sponsored by the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
GIRL POWER.
It’s the refrain that I heard throughout my childhood growing up in the 90s. It was the Spice Girls banding together, Missy Elliot rivaling male rap artists, it was the beginning of Beyonce’s reign, and there was never a moment in school or at home that I thought for one second that there was something that I could not do because I was a girl.
Of course, I grew up and times changed. I learned that despite all of the lip gloss and party music were waves of feminism and layers of injustice that I just had never understood. When I look at my daughter and when I look at my female students, I want so badly for them to grow up feeling empowered, fierce, and craving justice; I want them to feel the positivity of “girl power” with a healthy dose of the realism of what it means to be a girl in the 21st century.
One organization doing this incredible work is the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Girl Scouts teaches girls things such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); entrepreneurship; life skills; financial literacy; and outdoor experiences—in the safe, all-girl environment of a Girl Scout Troop, where they can try new things, develop a range of skills, take on leadership roles, and feel comfortable failing, dusting themselves off, and trying again! This kind of support from an extracurricular activity is critical, and one that I hope more and more of my female students discover.
What I’m most inspired by is the Girl Scouts Gold Award. The Gold Award is the most highly regarded award in the world for girls. It’s the mark of the truly remarkable—proof that a girl can not only make a difference, but she already has. It’s a distinction that can open a girl's world to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, and amazing career opportunities. To earn this unique award, Girl Scouts tackle issues dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond. These girls are leaders in their communities, schools, and will bring those skills with them into the future. As a teacher, I’m so excited to share these stories with with my female students and see who is up for being part of this incredible organization.
The ten National Gold Award Girl Scouts were chosen by Girl Scouts of the USA and nominated by their local councils as ten exceptionally inspiring National Gold Award Girl Scouts. Their voices, their ideas, and their commitment to social justice is exactly the kind of girl power that makes me excited to see what this incredible generation of young women will bring into our world. Curious what these National Gold Award Girl Scouts have been recognized for?
Isabella: Wrote and directed a play to shine a light on violence against Native American women.
Taryn-Marie: Working to help foster kids make the grade in college
Ana: Using education to fight racism
Megan: Proving that girls + robotics = a perfect match
Kai: Reviving music education where it had been silenced
Gracie: Teaching kids about hand-raised food
Phoebe: Showing the world the diversity and depth LGBTQ+ community
Minely: Making sure the needs of the deaf community are met with dignity
Lauren: Giving cancer patients a sense of community
Mary Katherine: Helping to save the coral reefs
Story after story, it’s pretty simple: these girls inspire me. I know they will inspire my students as well.
To learn more about the research behind the leadership development that Girl Scouts of the USA have been working out, check out their in-depth report.
