The other night, I was helping a coworker run a Girl Scout registration event in a small town. It was my first time helping at one of these events, so I had a lot of questions about how girls could register.
The school already had Daisy and Brownie Troop Leaders trained and ready to kick off another great year, but no volunteers available to lead any older girl troops.
“But what happens if an older girl wants to register?” I asked.
“Well, we may be able to find a volunteer to lead an older girl troop if we need to. Otherwise, girls can register and attend programs, camp, and go on trips,” my coworker said, “Girls can register to be a Juliette.”
Although I’d heard about Juliettes (named after Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low), I knew very little about this membership option. What I did know was that Juliettes — also called Individual Girl Members (IGMs) — work on badges, complete projects, serve the community, sell cookies and earn awards outside of a troop experience.
One mother of a Juliette states, “My daughter was never in a troop because I have a son with Autism, so troop meetings were tough to make. As a Juliette, she has sold cookies and raised her own money to attend camp. If she couldn’t be a Juliette, she wouldn’t be able to be a Girl Scout. For both of us, it’s a huge benefit.”
Gwen Taylor, Director of Innovation and Program at GSNWGL states, “This year we are focusing a lot on membership options — we call them membership Pathways. The most important thing to us is that every girl — no matter her location, schedule, abilities, or her family’s financial standing — can take part in Girl Scouts.”
As you probably guessed, the older girls get, the harder it is for them to fit everything into their schedules. Suddenly she’s in the school play, on the rugby team, taking banjo lessons and learning French. These membership Pathways ensure that girls and volunteers can still get involved with Girl Scouts as their schedules allow. A century ago, Juliette Gordon Low created the Girl Scout organization to expand girls’ horizons, and to this day, Girl Scouts proudly stands as a completely inclusive, flexible leadership development program.
In case you were wondering, an older girl did come by that night looking to register. I explained the many ways that she could participate in Girl Scouts — she didn’t have to join a troop. The girl looked intrigued by this independent approach to Girl Scouting, and the mom looked like she wanted to hug me.
Jess Radke is copy writer for Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc., a proud United Way partner program.
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