Girl Scouts of Western Ohio
Building Leaders
By LaRonda Essien
Some of you may have grown up with a person that you looked up to and always asked for advice. However, many young girls don't have that, or need extra encouragement, in addition to what she had at home and at school. But, no worries, your daughter has an opportunity to learn skills that would better their lives and others.
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio's mission statement is "Girl scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place." In Girl Scouts- girls partner with adults and participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience through three processes; girl led, cooperative learning and experiential learning(learning by doing) which involves planning activities, working as a team, and reflection. These processes help girls develop social emotional skills like problem solving, conflict resolution and team work and, and also encourage progression from each level in Girl Scouts making the experience valuable for girls ages 5-17.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience provides the girls with the courage to take action to make the world a better place by discovering self and connecting with others. The Girl Scouts serve over 3,000 people in Butler County positively affecting many lives.
Erin Horsley, shared a success story that shows the impact of this program:
During spring break day camp at Garfield Middle School in Hamilton, Ohio girls in kindergarten through sixth grade worked with staff a week long experience where girls connected with one another, while also participating in self- esteem activities sponsored by Dove.. Girl s were broken into age groups and in the first and second grade group on one of the girls registration forms stated that she was hard to understand. The girl was never embarrassed to participate and had plenty to say and while it was very difficult to understand her she was given the platform to express her feelings and that freedom helped her come out of her shell and feel confident.. The best part of this group was that while the leaders were concerned about how the other girls would treat her, there was no reason to fear because each girl in the group gave her their full undivided attention and by the end of the session were helping the adults know what she was saying showing true caring, and respect for one another.
Another girl in the group had lost her sibling and every day ensured that she mentioned her little sister either through story or through art. On the last day of camp the camper expressed to a staff member that she felt responsible for her sister dying. The leader of the group had to make sure that the girl knew it wasn't her fault. Afterwards, that girl no longer blamed herself; all she needed was someone to let her know that she was not to blame for her sibling's death. This girl found the courage to speak out and was confident in knowing she could express herself.
Information about this program can be found at:
www.girlscoutsofwesternohio.org
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