Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast calls for new girls and volunteers to join in the fun | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast
September 15, 2016
The school year is back in swing and Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) is inviting girls to join the fun and register for Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts gives girls a supportive space to take chances, try new things, and learn to succeed even through failure—improving all aspects of their lives.
When girls are given a safe and supportive environment to take chances, despite the potential for failure, they’re able to experience the emotional impact of risk without damaging consequences. Girl Scouts is the premier place to provide girls with a safe environment for trying new things and overcoming fears, making them greater challenge-seekers, more academically proficient students, and, eventually, more successful adults.
Feeling empowered to take action is difficult for girls, but experiencing the benefits of girl-led programming like Girl Scouts can lead to significant growth in girls’ leadership skills—and, according to the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), Girl Scouts have more leadership experiences than other girls and boys. Of girls, 84 percent say that they learned or did new things in Girl Scouts, and 80 percent reported that in Girl Scouts they were able to do things that they could not have done in other places. Through experiences like these, girls become more active and engaged learners, develop a positive sense of self, and learn resourceful problem solving.
“It’s not just girls’ confidence and attitude that improve through Girl Scouts—they also become better students,” said Christy Brown, CEO, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast. “Through Girl Scouts, girls learn not to avoid difficult tasks and they become stronger challenge-seekers who are more likely to feel academically engaged and competent as a result. Embracing failure as a natural part of life is necessary to ensure our girls develop the tenacity to overcome obstacles later in life. A girl who can take challenges head-on will grow into a woman who is more successful in all endeavors.”
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Research shows that embracing failure as a learning opportunity, rather than viewing it as a detractor from success, improves all aspects of a child’s life, particularly academics. The GSRI found the variety of activities offered through Girl Scouts—from planning and leading projects to participating in community service and outdoor expeditions—allows girls to gain skills and confidence that also help them do well in school.
Children are resilient and will problem solve until they master a challenging situation, bouncing back if success isn’t immediate. According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, kids perform better if they know failure—trying again when it doesn’t go as planned the first time is part of the learning process. Research shows “helping children to interpret difficulty, not as a sign of intellectual limitation but as the normal learning outcome,” enhanced how they tackled tough tasks and lowered their negative emotional response to these activities.
To join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.