Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Building Girls of Courage, Confidence and Character
Guest Blog post: Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
At Crystal Lake Elementary, approximately 70 students are Girl Scouts this year thanks to support from United Way Central Florida.
Each week, these Girl Scouts participate in girl-led, hands-on, collaborative activities spanning Girl Scouts’ four pillars: science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), life skills, outdoor/environment, and entrepreneurship. Already, students are demonstrating increased confidence, stronger sense of self, healthier peer relationships and academic improvements. In addition, the Girl Scouts are mentored regularly by Southeastern University Students.
Girl Scouts fosters the development of confident, future leaders by facilitating “Girl-Led Experiences” centered around the organization’s four pillars: STEM, Outdoor Adventures, Life Skills and Entrepreneurship. Pictured left, the girls cultivate crucial life skills, fostering a spirit of collaboration and teamwork. Right, members of a Daisy Girl Scout troop at Crystal Lake Elementary School in Lakeland, Florida, use beads to explore STEM’s mathematical component of counting, sorting and patterning.
“This school year, we are engaging more than 1,200 Girl Scouts in our Community Troops thanks to incredible partnerships with Boys and Girls Club and Polk County Public Schools,” said Regional Vice President of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Michelle Patten. “The need for what Girl Scouts has to offer is increasing because our program addresses our girls’ mental wellness needs, encourages healthy relationships, inspires a love for the outdoors, engages youth in community action, and fuels the workforce pipeline.”
United Way Central Florida has made it possible for Girl Scouts in Community Troops at some public schools and Boys and Girls Clubs to gain this experience for free to include membership fees, uniforms that foster belonging and achievement, the program supplies, troop leader mentoring and support, and an array of hands-on experiences where Girl Scouts take the lead, learn by doing, and build healthy relationships with their peers.
“In addition to our community troops, the demand for volunteer-led Girl Scout Troops has increased across Polk County and we are seeking parents, Girl Scout alumnae, and others who feel passionately about empowering girls to join us as volunteers,” Patten said. “You can help by visiting www.gswcf.org.”
About Girl Scouts of West Central Florida: Girls Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) proudly serves as the local Council of Girl Scouts of the USA, offering support to nearly 20,000 members across Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sumter counties. GSWCF is committed to empowering all girls, fostering essential qualities such as compassion, courage, confidence, character, leadership, entrepreneurship and active community engagement. Through involvement in activities like camping, community service, learning first aid and earning badges, girls acquire practical skills that prepare them for a lifetime of self-empowerment and the capacity to create positive change. For information on how to join, volunteer, become a corporate partner or donate to Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, visit www.gswcf.org or email info@gswcf.org.
Girl Scouts of West Central Florida is a partner agency of United Way of Central Florida and leverages community-driven, asset based program experiences & mentoring to build participants’ social-emotional skills and pro-social behaviors to facilitate improved academic and life outcomes. They currently provide programming at our Community Partnership School, Crystal Lake Elementary.
Thank you, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida!
