I am the Service Unit Chair of Beavercreek North Girl Scouts – one of the many local Service Units that are a part of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. In my volunteer position, I oversee the activities of 48 Girl Scout troops in the city of Beavercreek, including 7 troops made up of Girls who attend the parochial school attached to our local parish, St Luke Catholic Church. The relationship between St. Luke School and Beavercreek North Girl Scouts has existed for decades. Girl Scouts is a significant identity to these girls – so much so they refer to themselves as “St. Luke Girl Scouts” and the leaders of these troops have formed a close-knit cohort that works together make sure that their girls fully integrate the pillars of Girl Scouts into their Catholic education, their Catholic faith and practices, and community service aimed at the school, parish, and wider Catholic interests. I would say, without a doubt, the leaders of these troops model the actions that all Girl Scout leaders can do to make Girl Scouts relevant to girls’ lives. Beyond the faith-related aspects of Girl Scouting, please recognize that girls benefit in many ways from their involvement in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts offers ALL girls a safe place to grow as individuals, become leaders, and explore life in ways that might not otherwise be possible. Girl Scouting offers ALL girls the chance to interact with strong female role models, interact in the out-of-doors safely at dedicated Girl Scout camps, identify and remediate issues in their community that concern them, and make new friends among girls they might not otherwise meet. All of these activities help grow “girls of courage, confidence, and character that make the world a better place.” Indeed, our Girl Scout Law lists 15 character values, that although they are presented in a humanist form, are exactly the kind of Christ-focused ideals all people should learn and practice, especially our girls. Girl Scouts has been a venue to reach ALL girls with these ideals, along with a carefully designed and pedagogically effective curriculum encouraging the development of life skills, the exploration of personal interests, the encouragement of STEM activity for girls, an emphasis on outdoor skills, and the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship in an age-appropriate way. It is my personal opinion that discouraging girls who participate in Catholic parishes from also participating in Girl Scouts is a mistake – it certainly is for the St Luke Girl Scouts whose lives are absolutely made richer through Girl Scouting.
- Susan Grinkemeyer, Beavercreek