The New Girl Scout Leadership Development Program

Leadership Development Program Key Messages

• The mission of Girl Scouts of the USA is Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. To honor this commitment to girls, Girl Scouting is moving forward with a strengthened leadership experience, referred to as the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program.
  
  
• The Girl Scout Leadership Development Model is the new design for what girls do in Girl Scouting and how adult support can strengthen their experience. It is the road map for determining what a girl will learn and how she will be impacted. The model defines and displays all the elements that must be in place to positively impact girls’ lives. The Girl Scout Leadership Development Program, then, is the model in action.
  
  
• The Girl Scout philosophy of leadership says that it's not just what girls do (activities), but also how they do it (processes), that will determine the outcome.
  
  Activities
  
  Discover
  As a Girl Scout discovers her world, she:
  - Develops a strong sense of self
  - Gains practical and healthy life skills
  - Strengthens her values
  
  Connect
  As a Girl Scout connects with others in a global community, she:
  - Forms caring relationships
  - Promotes cooperation and team building
  - Embraces diversity
  
  Take Action
  As a Girl Scout takes action in the world, she:
  - Feels empowered to make a difference
  - Identifies and solves problems she cares about
  - Advocates for herself and others
  
  
• The Girl Scout Leadership Development Model keys represent cycles of activities that engage girls in practicing leadership skills, based on the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. These activities are directly tied to specific outcomes such as: valuing cultural diversity and individual uniqueness; educating and inspiring others; and making a difference through community service and action.
  
  
• The Girl Scout Leadership Development Model consists of three processes; girl-driven, experiential learning and cooperative learning. These processes, intentionally combined, make Girl Scouting unique, determine the quality of experience, and create fun and friendship for girls. Girls will have the opportunities to create their own experiences, reflect on them and apply what they learn to new situations.
  
  Processes
  
  Girl-Driven
  - Designed by girls, working with adult mentors
  
  Experiential Learning
  - Learning by doing; hands-on
  
  Cooperative Learning
  - Working toward shared goals in an all-girl team
  
  
• The outcomes indicated in the Girl Scout leadership development model will allow us to measure the impact Girl Scouting has on girls’ lives.
  
  Outcomes
  
  Courage
  - Girls seek out issues they care about and take a leadership role
  
  Confidence
  - Girls discover and cultivate strengths; feel empowered to make a difference
  
  Character
  - Girls act with integrity and compassion, making decisions that promote well-
  being of self and others
  
  
• Girl Scout staples, like books, badges, and Web sites, exist to engage girls in leadership skill building in fun ways. GSUSA will begin to phase in new and updated resources to support the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program in October 2008.
  
• Decisions about the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program are based on input and ideas gathered from all members of the Girl Scout community including councils, volunteers, members, non-Girl Scouts, and experts in the youth development field. As the program continues to evolve, additional ideas and input will be elicited.
  
• Girl Scouts has a long-standing tradition of change. Since 1912, Girl Scouting has risen to the challenge of meeting the unique needs of each generation of girls.

Click here for more information about the new Leadership Development Program.