PREPARING GIRLS TO THRIVE IN WESTERN OHIO

Girl Scouts is the world’s preeminent leadership development program for girls. Girls learn and grow in a safe, all-girl environment, discovering who they are, connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place. This report highlights Girl

Scouts of Western Ohio’s 2018 program results.

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is built on program processes and a specific framework that help girls demonstrate courage, confidence, and character. Having supportive adults, utilizing the three Girl Scout processes, and participating in STEM and

Community Service Activities all contribute to high outcome score achievement.1

2018 PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS

Impact Report

Succes s Factors

Supportive Adults

Cooperative Learning

Learning by Doing

STEM Activities

Community Service Activities

Outcomes

Sense of Self

Positive Values

Challenge Seeking

Develop Healthy Relationships

Learn Community Problem Solving

WHAT DO GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN?Girl Scouts provides many opportunities for girls, including exploring new activities and developing skills through progressive

learning experiences. In 2018, more than 10,000 girls participated in various Girl Scouts of Western Ohio-sponsored events and camps. Girls who have completed Journey and Take Action projects are more satisfied with their overall Girl Scout Experience, are more likely to have done a variety of activities, and are more likely to have developed the Girl Scout Leadership Experience

outcomes, especially the Community Problem Solving outcome.1 Locally and nationally, Girl Scouts address needs and promote girls’ success across broad interests that include the program areas and activities below.

ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGE OF ACTIVITIES COMPLETED BY GIRL SCOUT TROOPS

Earning Badges or Petals 90%

Outdoor Activities (other than camping) 82%

Council Activities or Events 76%

Community Service Projects 63%

STEM Activities 48%

Completing Leadership Journeys 41%

Overnight Camping Trips 35%

1GSUSA, The Girl Scout Impact Study, 2017.

THE GIRL SCOUT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE:WHAT MAKES GIRL SCOUTS, GIRL SCOUTS Have You Ever Wondered?

Participate in activities from the four program pillars.

S.T.E.M .–Science, Technology, Engineering, Math: Activities help girls develop problem-solving skills and confidence to pursue these topics in school.

Outdoor: Develop outdoor skills over time. When Girl Scouts get outside, they discover that they can better solve problems, overcome challenges, and develop a lifelong appreciation for nature.

Life Skills: Develop key life skills girls can use forever, like citizenship, teamwork, art, first–aid, and more. Badges are great for this!

Entrepreneurship: Participate in the Girl Scout Cookie and Fall Product programs to build key financial and entrepreneurial skills girls will use for a lifetime! See the back cover of this guide for more information.

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3Reinforce the program processes through questioning and conversation:The Girl Scout Leadership Experience comes to life, when activities are led by girls, feature cooperative learning, and highlight learning by doing.

These three processes allow girls to ask questions, offer ideas, use their imaginations, learn to work together, brainstorm, problem solve, and reflect on their experiences. To help your Girl Scout get the most out of her experience, take time to ask questions and help her reflect at home. Here are some sample questions to help:

• What made today’s meeting special, meaningful, and/or fun for you?

• What is one thing you learned/worked on today?

• How did you help out at the meeting?

• How did you help someone else today?

• What did you try that was new today?

• Is there something you would do differently if you had to do it again?

Know how Girl Scouts helps girls thrive.These five outcomes are what we want girls to achieve through Girl Scouts:

• Develop a strong sense of self: Girls have confidence in themselves and their ability, and form positive identities.

• Develop positive values: Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

• Seek Challenges: Girls learn to take appropriate risks, try things even if they might fail, and learn from their mistakes.

• Develop healthy relationships: Girls develop and maintain healthy relationships by communicating their feelings directly and resolving conflict constructively.

• Learn community problem solving: Girls contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, and create "action plans" to solve them.

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The answer is as simple as one-two-three!

Girl Scouts at CampGirl Scouts facilitates girls’ outdoor experiences in unique ways. For example, 50 percent of girls who completed our survey said that Girl Scouts provided them with opportunities to experience the outdoors in ways they could not have other-wise, and about three-fourths said that Girl Scouts gave them the chance to build their skills or try new outdoor activities. Girl Scouts played an even stronger role in the outdoor experiences of girls with more intense or frequent outdoor exposure in Girl Scouts. Even girls who say they don’t go outside very much – are not doing this because they don’t enjoy it. In fact, even girls without a lot of exposure to the outdoors still say that they enjoy it when given the opportunity to go outside.

73%campers have a strong sense

of self

64%develop healthy

relationships

71%Seek

Challenges

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITETHING ABOUT CAMP?• “Horseback riding”

• “Getting to see new people”

• “Everything because I’ve never beenand I learned a lot!”

• “Canoeing”

• “Archery”

• “Swimming”

• “Hiking”

Because of Girl Scouts…

29% of girls overcame a fearof an outdoor activity.

71% of girls improved an outdoor skill.

48% of girls helped other girls do an outdoor activity.

71% of girls tried an outdoor activity for the first time.

Top Reasons Why Girls Should Get OutdoorsFindings from the 2014 More than S’mores Report*

21

34

Monthly outdoor exposure contributes to girls’ challenge seeking and problem solving.

Girls of color and girls in lower socioeconomic backgrounds report even stronger benefits from outdoor experiences.

Girl Scouts who get outdoors are twice as likely to connect with and care for the environment than non-Girl Scouts.

Girls really enjoy outdoor activities in Girl Scouts.

Start the fun now!girlscouts.org/join

*More Than S’mores, a 2014 study by the Girl Scout Research Institute, talked to nearly 3,000 Girl Scouts in fourth-through-eighth-grade.

“It was my first time on the water, in a lake. I was scared atfirst but when I started to paddle I got the hang of it. I really loved it.” 10-year-old Girl Scout, Missouri

WHAT DO PARENTS SAY ABOUT CAMP?

“With every camp experience, my daughter gains a little more independence and more life skills. This was her first year at resident camp, and I was instantly amazed at her

personal growth after just 3 days!!”

“My daughter and her troop had a great first time experience at TAC. We have camped out before at other council sponsored events, so the girls loved being able to plan and choose all their activities and feel like they

had control over what they did!”

***CAMP findings from June-August 2018 included 3,560 Girl Scouts from GSWO. Percentages are averages of Outcome Achievement Scores” resulting from 2-5 combined survey items in each of 5 GSLE outcomes across multiple age levels. Girl Scouts of the USA, More than S’mores: Successes and Surprises in Girl Scouts’ Outdoor Experiences, 2014.

TOP REASONS WHY GIRLS SHOULD GET OUTDOORS Findings from the 2014 More than S’mores Report*

05-9507-01/2018

Girl Scouts in SERIESWHAT ARE SERIES PROGRAMS?

Series are short-term, themed programs that use progressive curricula and real-life scenarios to help girls develop communication skills, teamwork, positive community, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. SERIES programs

empower girls to lead activities, learn by doing, and cooperate with others for a short-term Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

DIS

COVE

R CON

NEC

T

TAKE ACTION

Develop a Strong Sense of Self – Girls have confidence in themselves and their abilities, and are happy with who they are as a person.

Develop Positive Values – Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

Seek Challenges – Girls take appropriate risks, try things even if they might fail, and learn from mistakes.

Develop Healthy Relationships - Girls develop and maintain healthy relationships by communicating their feelings directly and resolving conflicts constructively.

Learn Community Problem Solving – Girls desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, and create “action plans” to solve them.

GIRL SCOUT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCEThe Girl Scout Leadership Experience is what girls do in Girl Scouts, how they do it, and how they will benefit from participating in Girl Scouts. When girls participate in Girl Scouts, they are expected to benefit in 5 important ways:

WHAT EXPERIENCES DO SERIES GIRL SCOUTS HAVE?

76% used

cooperative learning

71% have a strong sense of self

60% have positive

values

53% develop healthy

relationships

62% seek

challenges

There are different processes that define how Girl Scouting works. One of these processes, cooperative learning, allows for girls to work together toward a common goal.

***SERIES findings reflect 6-8 “in-school” or “community-based” sessions, Fall 2017-Summer 2018, n= 3,520. “Per-centages are averages of Outcome Achievement Scores” resulting from 2-5 combined survey items in each of the 5 GSLE outcomes across multiple age levels.

HOW GIRL SCOUTS GAIN Leadership Skills

Girls are gaining important leadership skills through their Girl Scout experience. According to 2018 program results,* girls in Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s troops scored higher on all of the national outcomes and processes compared to non-Girl Scouts surveyed by Girl Scouts of the USA.1

When girls participate in Girl Scout activities that are structured using the Girl Scout Processes,girls gain more leadership skills.

71% have a strong sense of self

Compared to

68% non-Girl Scouts

70% have positive

valuesCompared to

59% non-Girl Scouts

59% develop healthy

relationshipsCompared to

43% non-Girl Scouts

63% seek

challengesCompared to

42% non-Girl Scouts

49% develop

community problem

solving skillsCompared to

28% non-Girl Scouts

72% are girl-ledCompared to

51% non-Girl Scouts

80% used

cooperative learning

Compared to

61% non-Girl Scouts

70% learned by

doingCompared to

59% non-Girl Scouts

*April-May 2018. GSWO Program Effectiveness Study included Girl Scouts across different age levels though troop pathway (n=309). “Percentages are averages of Outcome Achievement Scores” resulting from 2-5 combined survey items in each of the 5 GSLE outcomes.

1GSUSA, The Girl Scout Impact Study, 2017.

2GSUSA, Customer Experience Mapping Research, 2017

Troops Succes s Struggling Average

COOKIES

TROOPACTIONS

TROOP SIZE

PARENT ENGAGEMENT

CO-LEADERS

Mostly work on badges

50-60% of time on badges supplemented with outright,

community service and council overrides; 100% go overnight

camping

Most deliver a varied experience. Few are doing overnight camping

and Journeys

Parents say they neither the troop leader nor anyone in Girl Scouts, communicated expectations around parent involvement

Hold a ParentMeeting tobegin the year

100%Hold a ParentMeeting tobegin the year

50%1 of 3

12 15+8

2/3 of Co-LeadersKnew each other

beforehand

Average 25% of Troop Time during year

Average 55% of Troop Time during year

Average 36% of Troop Time during year

35% of Co-Leaders are Matched by Girl Scouts

100% of Co-Leaders are Matched by Girl Scouts

The Success vs. Struggling Infographic highlights the factors that are different between troops who report success versus those who report they are struggling. Supporting relationships between co- leaders and parents, a good troop size, and a variety of activities are key to a troop’s experience.2

WHAT DO PARENTS SAY?

In 2018, GSUSA (n= 58,191) invited Girl Scouts of Western Ohio troop leaders (n=1217) to join in a national study of the Girl Scout experience.

88% of parents say “My girlenjoyed participating in Girl Scouts.”

79% say “Girl Scouts offered thetypes of activities my girl wanted to do.

74% say “My girl participated in avariety of activities in Girl Scouts.”

74% say “I can describe thebenefits my girl gets from Girl Scouts.”

70% say “In Girl Scouts, my girlgained new skills and knowledge.”

69% say “My girl worked towardsmeaningful goals at Girl Scout meetings.”

66% say “I can describe thebenefits my girl gets from Girl Scouts.”

53% say “Through Girl Scouts, Ideveloped a closer relationship with my girl.”

GSUSA also surveyed Girl Scouts of Western Ohio parents to evaluate their girls’ experience in Girl Scouting.

What do Girl Scout Volunteers say?*

Support and Training70% of troop leaders say that Girl Scoutsprovides the support they need to be successful. Troop leaders say they would benefit the most from training relating to:

• Outdoor Skills and Progression

• Girl Scout National Program

• Troop Management

Volunteer SkillsGirl Scout troop leaders rate themselves as competent or experts in:

• Planning a variety of activities for their troop

• Conveying the Girl Scout Way in their interactions with girls, parents, and other volunteers

• Adjusting their approach and plans based on the differing needs of girls in their troop

However, volunteers say that they are still learning or need training/support in the following areas:

• Getting parents involved to support the troop

• Empowering girls to take action in the community

• Coordinating community service activities

How can Girl Scouts Help Support Volunteers?In the coming year, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio will partner with service units to strengthen support from the council and the community, specifically focused on first year leader support, quality programming at the council and local level, and strengthening relationships between volunteers and families through resources and program opportunities.

* Findings from Girl Scouts of USA, Girl Scout Voices Count 2018-Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Data Report: Troop Leaders, 2018

** Findings from Girl Scouts of USA, Girl Scout Voices Count 2018-Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Data Report: Parents, 2018

In 2018, Girl Scouts of USA (n=58,191) invited Girl Scouts of Western Ohio troop leaders (n=1,217) to join in a national study of the Girl Scout experience.

WHAT DO PARENTS SAY?**

66% say “My girl got opportunites in Girl Scouts that she would not otherwise have had.”