Girl Scouts Of West Central Florida Inc

Through community troops, GSWCF provides the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 2,886 girls (21% of GSWCF's total girl membership) who experience barriers to the Girl Scout experience. Grant funding enables these girls to participate in traditional Girl Scout activities such as badge work, advocacy, the Girl Scout Cookie Program and a variety of emotional and behavioral skill-building exercises that develop their self-esteem, confidence and critical life skills. These girls are served in troops that are established in easily accessible locations such as community centers, schools and churches, among other sites. Research has shown that members of community troops experience improvements in the areas of confidence, communication, interpersonal relationship skills, improved grades, improved school attendance and decreases in school disciplinary action. The Girl Scout Impact Study (2017) showed that Girl Scouts are more likely than non-Girl Scouts to have adults in their lives who help them pursue their goals and think about their future.

Outdoor education and environmental stewardship are core values in the development of the Girl Scout leadership experience for girls. Each year, thousands of GSWCF members experience the outdoors at a variety of Girl Scout-owned camp properties. Camping is coordinated with the girls' troops, service units or as a part of a GSWCF activity or summer camp program. Both day and overnight experiences are offered. Research from the Girl Scout Research Institute's Girl Scouts Soar in the Outdoors report (2019) indicates that Girl Scouts gets girls outdoors, exposes them to new and challenging experiences and helps them develop outdoor leadership skills (outdoor competence, outdoor confidence, outdoor interest and environmental stewardship) that will enable them to engage responsibly with nature throughout their lives. Of girls who started the study with room to grow (i.e., their outcome score was less than 4.0), 70 percent increased their confidence, interest and environmental stewardship, and 80 percent increased their competence.