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Discover the Top 8 Fun Facts About Girl Scouts: Empowering Moments, Unique Achievements, and Surprising Traditions

illustration of girl-scouts
Dive into the deliciously surprising world of Girl Scouts with these fun facts that are guaranteed to make you crave a Thin Mint...or two!

1. Suffragette Scout: Juliette Gordon Low's Rebellion

She might have been a suffragette in secret, but as a scout, Juliette Gordon Low believed that "A little rebellion is a good thing now and then": While founding the Girl Scouts of the USA during the peak of the women's suffrage movement, she refrained from openly supporting the movement, choosing instead to focus on promoting physical activity, leadership training, civic understanding, and career development for her feisty Girl Scouts.
Source => georgiahistory.com

2. Wilderness Warriors & Entrepreneurial Experts

Forget the cookie monsters of Sesame Street—the real wilderness warriors and entrepreneurial experts lie with the marshmallow-toasting, badge-collecting superheroes of the Girl Scouts: The organization, founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low and based on the British Girl Guides, has grown to be one of the world's oldest and largest girls' organizations, empowering young women through skill development in outdoor activities, community service, STEM, and financial management, all while racking up that precious badge count.
Source => americanhistory.si.edu

3. Polyester Superheroes Saving the World

While some kids were playing hopscotch or trading baseball cards, the Girl Scouts were busy saving the world like miniature superheroes in polyester and pleated skirts: Throughout World War II and the Great Depression, they not only collected clothing and food for those in need, but also ran bicycle courier services, cultivated Victory Gardens, and established troops in Japanese American internment camps—all before rallying like 1970s eco-warriors with their groundbreaking "Eco-Action" program.
Source => girlscouts.org

4. Girl Scouts: The Ultimate Gold Award Achievers

Who runs the world? Girls (Scouts)!: The Girl Scouts' Gold Award, earned by a mere 5% of scouts, requires a whopping 80 hours of dedication to identifying, researching, and solving a significant issue, forming a team, and sharing inspiring outcomes. Essentially the female equivalent to the Boy Scouts' Eagle Scout, this prestigious accolade counts among its recipients U.S. Senator and veteran Tammy Duckworth, yet remains mysteriously less recognized.
Source => msmagazine.com

Rocket-Powered Badges: Scouts in Space!

5. Rocket-Powered Badges: Scouts in Space!

Houston, we have a Girl Scout: prepare for a cosmic collision of merit badges and moonwalking! Hilarity in 3, 2, 1: Girl Scouts from grades K-12 can now boldly go where no scout has gone before by earning their Space Science badges through the "Reaching for the Stars: NASA Science for Girl Scouts" program, complete with hands-on activities, resources, and astronomical guidance to expand their celestial horizons.
Source => seti.org

6. Cybersecurity Sleuths with Cookies

Move over, Nancy Drew - there's a new sleuth in town, and she comes armed with cookies and cybersecurity skills: Girl Scouts of the USA has partnered with security firm Palo Alto Networks to introduce 18 cybersecurity badges, teaching girls from kindergarten through high school about the digital world, making the internet safer, and inspiring them to pursue STEM careers.
Source => nbcnews.com

7. Stitching History's Tapestry: Textile Artists

You might think Girl Scouts were mere social butterflies with their fluttering fabrics, but little did you know they've been stitching together history's tapestry for decades: Since the 1970s, the Textile Artist badge has been a staple, introducing girls to the colorful world of textile arts, from the intricacies of embroidery and weaving to the comforting geometry of quilting.
Source => girlscouts.org

8. Palm Oil Showdown: Cookie Crusaders for Sustainability

When two cookie crusaders from Michigan decided to give palm oil the cold shoulder, even the mighty Girl Scout cookies had to crumble: In 2012, the Girl Scouts of the USA began reducing palm oil usage in their cookies and introduced the GreenPalm logo on each box, signifying a commitment to sustainably sourced palm oil, addressing concerns of deforestation and endangered orangutans.
Source => nbcnews.com

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