Why Become A Girl Scout Leader

Leadership skills, community connections, friendships, fun trips, laughter, toasted marshmallows--- and watching your child and her friends turn into capable young adults right before your eyes. If these are some of the things you’ll get out of scouting—think about what your daughter will gain!

When my good friend, Miriam Beveridge, asked me if I wanted to be a Girl Scout Leader and start a Brownie Troop at Greenacres, the first thing I thought of was the fact that I had been a Brownie “drop-out.”.   I grew up in the 60’s and being in Brownies back then seemed very “Betty Crocker-ish” to me--cooking, sewing and not much else.  But since Miriam and I really enjoyed spending time together anyway, I thought, hey, why not?  We could make our troop more interesting than that.

Our troop loves trips---so over the years we’ve gone rock climbing, snowshoeing, sailing, scuba diving, geocaching, horseback riding, kick boxing and kayaking. We’ve camped in tents and in cabins, in all four seasons. Cooked on an open fire, in an underground pit and in an oven made from a cardboard box and tin foil. We’ve learned about water safety, bird watching, forensics, fashion, film editing, woodworking and fish seining.

As you might imagine, the girls in our troop have become close friends.  They are all very distinct personalities and while their “best” friends in the troop may change over time, they are fiercely loyal to one another.  Sharing all these life experiences has created a bond between them.  They know each other’s foibles and accept them; they know each other’s strengths and depend on them.

Many little girls in our community want to become scouts, but not enough parents are willing to take on the role of troop leader.  For Miriam and myself it’s been a terrific ride that’s not over yet.  Looking in from the outside it may seem daunting, but with the many talented people involved with Scarsdale/Edgemont Girl Scouts, if you were even thinking of starting a troop, you would have a lot of help.  The leaders meet once a month at the Girl Scout House and are always available to give advice and may even come to each others troop meetings once in a while to help in various ways.  Older scout troops will come to work with younger ones--great for both age groups as well as the leaders.  And, if you need to slow things down and meet less frequently, it is perfectly fine.  Your troop is what you make of it.

We asked a couple of girls from other Scarsdale troops, who are now grown, to tell you why they liked scouting.  Samantha Ellis, age 23 and working for Marriott International said “Girl Scouting was one of my favorite activities.  I started in kindergarten as a Daisy and continued through 12th grade.  My mother was a leader, so we went on many trips with all my scout friends.  I loved camping, building fires, running leadership activities, and bonding with my Girl Scout sisters.  When I earned my Gold Award, I learned that one person can really make a difference; it allowed me to help other people but it also helped me.  I learned that community service and volunteering make you feel good.  Girl Scouts taught me how to be organized so I could lead activities.  I became an effective communicator, which has served me to this day.  From camps to badges to community involvement--Girl Scouts turned me from a shy girl into a confident woman.”

Mary Crawford, age 21 and studying for her Masters at University of Edinburgh, told us, “I loved getting together with my fellow Girl Scouts---just hanging out, talking, laughing and helping each other. I also enjoyed all the fun outdoor activities like camping, orienteering and hiking - hobbies I continue to enjoy.  Girl Scouting taught me to be organized, self confident, to work with others and yet make my own decisions and stand on my own. As a scout, my mom made me call our relatives to sell cookies, I didn't like it but it taught me to handle a telephone conversation. Several years ago I interned in Congressman Crowley's office, where one of my responsibilities was to answer the telephone and talk with constituents, another life skill I leaned from Girl Scouting! I was also an intern one summer at the GSUSA National Headquarters working in the archives with old documents. This experience helped me secure my current internship with the National Library of Scotland.” 

Jordana Cooper, age 17 and currently a senior at Scarsdale High School, has been a girl scout for the past 12 years.  “Having my mom as the leader of my troop and watching her in a leadership role, has taught me that I, too, can be a leader.  I definitely think having this relationship with my mom has encouraged me to step up and be a leader in school and in my community.  I know that I will have the confidence and skill to continue to step up as a leader in my future.  Thanks mom!”

Pat Cook, a leader of an Edgemont sixth grade Troop has noted: "My daughter Grayson and I have been doing scouts together for six years.  What it means for me is that I know she is learning how to be a strong young woman and leader by being exposed to new experiences that physically challenge her such as camping, scuba diving, and ice carving and mentally challenge her through creative projects like designing scavenger hunts for a younger troop and observing the media in a critical way.  What it means for me as a parent is that I have special time set aside for my daughter -- to do unique activities, to observe firsthand what is going on with her peers, and to earn her admiration as the cool mom who does scouts.”  

“Over the past six years, our troop has practiced more compassion than many adults do in their lifetime,” Pat continued. “They've held a shoe drive for children in Uruguay, made cards for men and women in the armed forces, visited and donated supplies to a no-kill animal shelter, planted a garden at their elementary school, held a bake sale in honor of a friend who was fighting leukemia, worked at a soup kitchen, and made fleece blankets for fellow scouts in a troop that was displaced by Hurricane Sandy. At Village Government Day in Scarsdale, one of my scouts left Village Hall proclaiming she wanted to become a Defense Attorney.  To me, that is what scouting is all about: finding one's voice and then shouting."

Without parents to become leaders there would be no scout troops.  There are girls right now in our elementary schools asking to be part of a troop but we need parents to come forward to lead them.  Please think about becoming a troop leader at your elementary school.  It’s really an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved.  I know that my daughter’s life would be very different had she not been in our troop. Miriam and I wouldn’t have the many memories we now share or the light in our eyes as we watch our daughters learning to become accomplished young women.

This article was submitted by Lisa Furgatch.  (Lisa is a co-leader of a girl scout troop currently in seventh grade at Scarsdale Middle School) If you are interested in learning more about becoming a leader, please contact Carmela Crawford or Miriam Beveridge at Scarsdale/Edgemont Girl Scouts at recruiter@segirlscouts.org or click here to visit their website.