Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting are international organizations designed to empower girls and young women by fostering leadership skills, community engagement, and personal development. Originating in the early 20th century, the movement began in the United Kingdom in 1910 and quickly spread to various countries, with over ten million members in 146 countries as of 2015. The organizations aim to cultivate future leaders through a combination of outdoor activities, academic pursuits, and practical life skills such as cooking and first aid. Service to the community has been a cornerstone of the movement, with members participating in various initiatives throughout history, including wartime support and social activism. Recognition of achievements is encouraged through a system of badges and awards, which vary by country, such as the Queen's Guide Award in the UK and the Gold Award in the United States. Fundraising efforts, most notably the iconic Girl Scout cookie sales, support community projects and provide practical experience in marketing and entrepreneurship. Overall, Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting promote a holistic approach to personal growth, helping girls become active, informed, and responsible members of society.
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting began in the early twentieth century to help girls and young women develop leadership skills, become active in community and service projects, learn life skills, and have an opportunity to meet like-minded peers. The first scouting organization for girls developed in the United Kingdom in 1910; just a few years later, there were groups in at least ten countries. Into the mid-2020s, there were more than ten million members of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 152 countries.
History
Girls in the United Kingdom gave the female scouting movement a start when they made their way into a September 1909 rally for Boy Scouts at the Crystal Palace in England. Some young women who wanted to join the rally were forbidden to do so. They borrowed scout shirts and hats and walked six miles through a cold mist to attend anyway. Turned away at the entrance, the girls took advantage of the distraction of another arriving group to sneak past the gate attendants. They observed the first-aid demonstrations and other activities until Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouting movement in England, noticed and confronted them. When the girls told him they wanted to do the same thing as the boys, Baden-Powell said he would think about it.
Baden-Powell made good on his promise. Within a year, the Girl Guide Association was established in the United Kingdom. Agnes Baden-Powell, the lord's sister, was president of the new organization, which incorporated in 1910. Soon there were groups of Girl Guides in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, and South Africa, in addition to the United Kingdom. In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Purpose
From the start, scouting for girls was envisioned as a way of training future leaders of every country where the organizations existed. The first scouting handbook for girls emphasized character development and teaching young women how to be productive members of society, though this early handbook stressed the female role in keeping house and raising children.
With the group gathered by Low in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912, there was an emphasis on girls coming together under the leadership of an adult mentor to learn new skills and subjects. Time was spent engaging in outdoor activities and sports, as well as pursuing academic interests such as studying foreign languages and learning life skills such as cooking, sewing, and first aid.
Service
From the start, scouting for girls included a strong emphasis on service to others. The onset of the First World War provided many opportunities for even the young Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to be involved; Girl Guides in England were awarded war service badges if they volunteered in a hospital for twenty-one days or knitted fifteen or more items such as socks for soldiers injured in battle. During the Great Depression, Girl Scouts collected clothing, food, and other items for those struggling with poverty. During World War II, the girls mobilized to grow gardens, collect scrap metal, train people to cope during air raids, and even operated a bicycle courier service.
Service through social activism has also been part of scouting throughout the decades. Scouts in America have been active in social issues such as racial equality and environmental issues. Girls are also encouraged to take an interest in combating issues that face their peers, such as child abuse and substance misuse, and to pursue physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy lives through physical activity and higher education.
Recognition
Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are recognized for their accomplishments in learning and service participation with badges that are earned for meeting specific requirements in each pursuit. In addition to the many badges that can be earned for sports, crafts, and service, the girls can also earn higher honors for completing a series of activities.
Organizations in different countries each have their own version of the highest award that can be achieved. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the Queen's Guide Award is the highest honor for Girl Guides. In Canada, the Lady Baden-Powell Award is the greatest achievement for a Girl Guide. American Girl Scouts strive to achieve bronze, silver, and gold awards. To achieve these high rewards, the girls undertake a project that requires them to demonstrate responsibility, initiative, organizational skills, and time-management abilities.
Fundraising
Girl Scouts and Girl Guides also participate in fundraising to support their community service projects and other initiatives such as camping, activities, and trips. The most famous of these efforts in America is the Girl Scout cookie sale. Girl Scouts have been selling cookies since 1917 when a single troop in Oklahoma baked and sold cookies. During the 1920s, individual troops baked and sold cookies from a recipe provided by Girl Scout director Florence E. Neil from Chicago. Girls and their mothers baked the sugar cookies, wrapped each dozen in waxed paper, and sold them door-to-door for twenty-five cents a dozen.
In 1934, the Greater Philadelphia council became the first to offer commercially baked cookies. By 1936, the national organization started licensing commercial bakers. World War II shortages stalled cookie sales for a time, but they surged in post-war years, and the types of cookies increased. The twenty-first century has seen cookie sales go digital with online ordering and social media campaigns; in addition to providing a source of funds for troop and national activities, these efforts help girls learn marketing skills.
Bibliography
Baden-Powell, Agnes, and Robert Baden-Powell. The Handbook for Girl Guides, or, How Girls Can Help to Build Up the Empire. Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1912.
"Boy Scouts Movement Begins." History, 23 Jan. 2024, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/boy-scouts-movement-begins. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
“Facts About Girl Scouts.” Girl Scouts, www.girlscouts.org/en/footer/faq/facts.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
"Girl Scout Cookie History." Girl Scouts, www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/all-about-cookies/Cookie-History.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
"Girl Scout History." Girl Scouts, www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-history.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
"Our History." World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, www.wagggs.org/en/about-us/our-history. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Summerskill, Ben. "The Day Mere Girls Subdued Baden-Powell." The Guardian, 29 July 2000, www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jul/30/bensummerskill.theobserver. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Ulaby, Neda. “Girl Scouts Are Retiring Two Cookie Flavors (Don't Worry, Your Thin Mints are Safe).” NPR, 8 Jan. 2025, www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252542/girl-scout-cookies. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.