Parents: Why Girl Scouts?

Who do you want the girl in your life to become? Whether she is five or seventeen, you want her to become self-confident, strong, and compassionate. You want her to respect herself and others, make good decisions, be open to new challenges, and use her skills and talents to make her world a better place. You want her to build strong friendships, be a leader, and put her values into practice in her everyday life.

You want her to become her best self.

Social pressure, image issues, and uncertain security-there are so many potential hurdles to girls' well-being. For over 90 years, Girl Scouts has been helping girls realize their full potential and everything that Girl Scouting offers today is more relevant than ever.

What Do Girl Scouts Do?

Girl Scouting provides girls with opportunities to address the important issues in their lives. Girl Scouts do almost anything girls like to do! Girl Scout program activities are open to all girls who are members of Girl Scouting, are based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and the four Girl Scout program Goals follow health and safety standards, and are done with the support of caring, trained adults.

Girls from ages 5-17 enjoy program experiences based on the progression of activities available in Girl Scout handbooks, award books, online at http://www.studio2b.org/ and Girls Only, and other Girl Scout program resources.

Through their Girl Scout program experiences, girls:

• Gain skills and confidence
• Learn to understand and respect others
• Develop the ability to make positive decisions based on their values
• Contribute to their communities and become leaders

Based on expert research and developed through years of experience, the Girl Scout program provides engaging and worthwhile activities that respond to the needs of today's girls, with flexibility that respects their busy lives-and yours!

Your Time, Your Life

Your calendar is full. Your to-do list is jam-packed. You want to help out, but it's almost impossible to find the time. Don't panic. You don't have to give up your life to support your girl.

Because there are only so many hours in a day, girls, along with their parents and guardians, have to balance many growing and diverging interests, commitments, and responsibilities in a world of PDAs and PTAs. You'll be surprised at how flexible Girl Scouting is today. You can choose how little or how much time and energy you can give-an hour, a day, or maybe just a "thank you" to your Girl Scout's troop or group leader.

Customize Your Role

From being the "head cheerleader" who encourages and supports her daughter in Girl Scouting, to accompanying the girls on a field trip to a local museum, to helping raise the funds and traveling with a group to a Girl Scout World Center in India, you can use your skills and explore your interests. Here are a few of the many ways you can support your Girl Scout:

• Suggest a fun day trip
• Set up a phone tree
• Coordinate transportation for an outing
• Be a guest speaker
• Teach girls a new skill
• Design a troop photo album or Web site
• Join girls on a field trip
• Learn first aid at a Girl Scout council sponsored training session so that you can support girls on their outings
• Become an advocate in your community for Girl Scouting
• Tell your girl you're proud of her