Volunteer Essentials Volunteer Essentials 2015-16 - Updated 5/31/17 | Page 6

  We Are Girl Scouts Girl Scouts was founded in 1912 by trailblazer, Juliette Gordon Low. We are the largest girl-serving organization in the United States and a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, a sisterhood of close to 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries. Our Mission and Vision Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We strive to be the premier leadership organization for girls, and experts on their growth and development. Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God* and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. *Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish the nature of their spiritual beliefs for themselves. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word “God.” Note: This disclaimer appears in the National Leadership Journey adult guides, but not in the girls’ books. It is included here as a reminder to you, as a volunteer, that it’s your responsibility to be sensitive to the spiritual beliefs of the girls in your group and to make sure that everyone in the group feels comfortable and included in Girl Scouting. Please feel free to share this information with girls’ families. Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be and to honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. and responsible for what I say and do, More than 3 Million Strong We are urban, rural and suburban. We are in schools, churches, temples, mosques, public housing, foster homes and detention centers. We are in virtually every zip code and in 90 countries around the world. ● 2.3 million girls 5 to 18 years of age ● 16,800 Girl Scouts overseas ● 888,000 adult volunteers ● 59 million alumnae ● 112 councils throughout the United States