Girl Scouts: Courage & Confidence, not Cookies & Crafts

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“Girl Scouts is no longer just arts and crafts activities; it’s a program that builds girls of courage, confidence, and character,” says Amy Kennedy, leader of Girl Scouts in Beijing. The current foundation of the program is built on four pillars: entrepreneurship, STEM, outdoor skills, and life skills. Girls can pursue their passions in a supportive, girl-led environment, and complete “take action” projects to give back to their community.

Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon-Low, the program has evolved a lot over the past 108 years. Girls have the opportunity to learn new skills by earning badges, primarily at frequent troop meetings or larger events that happen a few times a year. Any girl aged 5 to 18 who is enrolled at an international school or holds a foreign passport is welcome to join.

I’ve been a Girl Scout for nearly ten years, and it’s given me a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have found elsewhere. I’ve moved between four different countries since joining, and I’ve found a sense of community in the program no matter where I was in the world.

Want to know more about what Girl Scouts do? Keep reading to learn about a few of the badges Girl Scouts offer. Likewise, we’ll present a few facts about the activities required to earn a badge from each pillar of the program.

One of the outdoor skills badges, dubbed “Primitive Camping,” teaches girls how to prepare for a camping trip, as well as essential outdoor skills once they’re in the wild. For the last activity needed to fulfill the requirements of the badge, girls get to apply their new knowledge by going on a camping trip.

“Financing my Dreams” is an entrepreneurship badge where girls explore dream jobs and philanthropy, as well as financial literacy and life skills such as budgeting practical expenses.

Younger Girl Scouts earning a STEM badge

“Programming Robots” is a STEM badge where girls learn about the inner-workings of robots, and how to program them. They then get to put their programming skills to the test by creating a simple code for their robot at the end.

These are just four of the many badges offered by the Girl Scout program in Beijing. Besides earning badges at troop meetings, they also organize a few large events that are a lot of fun. Last year, my favorite was a day trip to the Silver Pagodas, where we went on a guided hike with every Girl Scout troop. It was a great experience, where all age levels of girl scout troops got to meet together for a fun day.

If you are interested in getting involved as a Girl Scout or as a leader, contact [e-mail]. Don’t pass up this opportunity to make new friends and discover new skills.

Images: Courtesy of Amy Kennedy

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