OLD Jayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community engagement, volunteerism, aid & development, women's empowerment, & random thoughts

Why I'm volunteering with the Girl Scouts

16:25, 23 February 2010

.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management


.. Link

I'm volunteering with the Girl Scouts of the USA. Specifically, I'm volunteering with the local Girl Scouts service unit, made up of all the adult volunteers in and near the city where I'm living in Oregon. I'm the communications coordinator, helping to publicize Girl Scouts events here and getting news-they-can-use to all adult volunteers (mostly troop leaders).

I've discovered that most of my friends and colleagues aren't aware of what the Girl Scouts, as an organization, really is. And when I tell them, the response is always the same: Oh, that's why you are volunteering with the Girl Scouts. They aren't what I thought they were!

What I've told my friends about Girl Scouts, I'll now blog to you:

1. Girl Scouts and Girl Guides, altogether, is the largest girls leadership development program in the world. The programs provided by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides help girls to develop qualities that will serve them all their lives, like leadership, strong values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth.
   
   Here are just some Girl Scouts badges (these are for girls Girl Scouts in grades 4 and 5) that girls pursue in order to develop these qualities:
   • Car Care
   • Adventure Sports
   • Eco-Action
   • Healthy Relationships
   • Business-Wise
   • Consumer Power
   • Discovering Technology
   • Science Sleuth
   The badges are probably not what you were envisioning. They certainly don't fit any stereotypes about little girls that I've ever known.  


2. Girl Scouts does not discriminate on the basis of a person's sexual orientation, unlike the Boy Scouts of America.
   


3. Girl Scouts does not require a belief in God for girls or volunteers, unlike the Boy Scouts (note the asterisk next to the word "God" in the Girl Scouts promise) 


4. Girl Scouts are participating in very serious activities, such as UNIFEM's Say No to Violence Against Women campaign.
   


5. Volunteering with the Girl Scouts helps my credibility as a consultant regarding volunteer management to be volunteering myself, and it helps me to know if my recommendations regarding volunteer management are valid if I'm an engaged volunteer myself. Also, I would like to work more in international programs focused on the empowerment of women and girls, and this is great training for me (I frequently recommend volunteering locally to gain training you can use internationally). So, in short, volunteering with Girl Scouts is giving me experiences that look great on my CV.

There are volunteering opportunities with Girl Scouts for every schedule and a variety of skills. Some opportunities are just for one-day, such as helping with a day camp, providing a training activity to troop leaders, or designing a Girl Scout Badge Workshop. Others are ongoing, such as leading a troop or assisting leaders of a troop. Some opportunities support local operations and other adult volunteers, such as undertaking outreach activities, acting as a liaison with various organizations or companies, or translating information into Spanish or another language.

You do not have to be a parent or relative of a Girl Scout to be involved as a volunteer with Girl Scouts. Also, please note that extensive training and guidance is provided to potential troop leaders and to any volunteers taking on a leadership position.

To volunteer with the Girl Scouts in the USA, find your local council (the regional office that serves your state, or your part of your state) and once you are at your council's web site, look for the volunteer link. Please note that all volunteers must complete a background check, regardless of the volunteering role they want to undertake, to help ensure participant safety.