The Moorestown Girl Scouts program offers experiences for girls to motivate, inspire and challenge them.
The Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) surveyed a nationally representative sample of girls in December 2016 to assess the role of Scouts in helping girls attain the five GSLE (Girl Scout Leadership Experience) outcomes – a strong sense of self, positive values, challenge seeking, healthy relationships and community problem solving.
The institute also addressed the ways girls benefit from participating in Girl Scouts, according to the GSRI’s Girl Scout Impact Study.
The GSLE – the foundation of the Girl Scout program – features a variety of challenging and experiential activities that empower girls as they develop attitudes, skills and behaviors essential to effective leadership. Research from the 2016 study showed that Scouts are more likely to exhibit strong leadership outcomes; earn excellent grades; graduate from college; aspire to STEM, business and law careers; and feel hopeful about their future.
The findings also showed that Scouts are more likely to engage in activities that are girl-led, cooperative and hands on.
“I think my favorite thing is that the girls get to be in charge,” said Colleen Wolfram, co-service unit manager and leader for the Girl Scouts of Moorestown. “It’s the one thing where they don’t have to worry about if they’re competing with a male. They don’t have to worry about the pettiness, sometimes, with girls. We’re all equals here. They have to sit down and talk, they have to vote, they get to make the decisions. That’s why we’re following their lead.
“They are in charge,” she added. “This gives them that sense of power and self-esteem.”
The township Scouts program offers unique programs for girls in grades K-12 designed to motivate, inspire and challenge them and their understanding of the world around them. You do not need to be a Moorestown resident to be a Moorestown Girl Scout.
For more information on how to become a Girl Scout or if you’re interested in volunteering, visit the Moorestown Girl Scouts’ Facebook page, www.moorestowngirlscouts.weebly.com or www.gscsnj.org.
“The one cool thing about Girl Scouts is it is very welcoming, it is very open,” explained Maryellen DeMille, service unit manager for Girl Scouts of Moorestown. “It’s very inclusive. I’ve been a Girl Scout leader for 40 years, so I have seen a lot of changes, but in this day and age, it definitely seems more …
“I love the program” she added. “I absolutely adore the girls. (They’re) the reason I’m still here 40 years later. One of the really cool things about Girl Scouts – what makes it different from school – is they (troop members) decide what they’re going to do … It’s the girls saying, ‘We want to do X,’ and we try to make that happen.
“That’s probably the coolest part of the Girl Scout program.”
