The Girl Scout Mission  :  Girl Scout Promise
The Girl Scout Law  :  The Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program
The Girl Scout Advantage  :  Reaching Out to Every Girl, Everywhere
Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast  :  Board of Directors

The Girl Scout Mission
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

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.

The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to respect myself and others,
respect authority
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program
As Girl Scouts, girls are challenged and encouraged to reach for and achieve their best. In small groups, girls work in partnership with adult leaders. Using the democratic process, girls plan and carry out their own activities. This girl-adult partnership helps girls learn lessons, build values and develop self-confidence that lasts a lifetime.

Beginning in the Fall of 2008, Girl Scouts can expect to see Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program material updated. With feedback from girls, volunteers and council staff, the new model is still being refined by GSUSA, but there are some pieces that can already be applied. The model follows a girl-centric "girls at the center" approach and organizes girls’ achievements into three broad categories – Girls Discover, Girls Connect, and Girls Take Action. The new model offers a framework for girls to create their own experiences, reflect on them, and apply what they learn to new challenges. More important than what girls are doing and what awards they achieve, is how they are doing it. Even though the model is being fine-tuned, you can get in on the excitement now by introducing girls to the New Interest Projects for Girl Scouts in middle school and high school, and to the Girl Scout Challenge Awards for girls of Brownie Girl Scout age and up. Both sets of awards were developed using the emerging program model. In answer to requests to make resources easily accessible, the activities and requirements for the Girl Scout Challenge Awards are available online at www.gogirlsonly.org, and at www.Cadette/Senior.org. Information about the new Girl Scout Challenge Awards are at www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/challenge/default.asp.

Unique Girl Scout Experience: Approaches

The Girl Scout Advantage
What sets Girl Scouting apart from the multitude of other youth-serving organizations? We are a values-based organization that reaches out to every girl, everywhere. Three goals - values, leadership and diversity - permeate every aspect of Girl Scouting. The values found in the Girl Scout Promise and Law provide an essential framework for developing character, making decisions and fostering strength of conviction. It provides a moral compass for girls and teaches them to respect one another and the differences that define us as individuals.

Leadership in Girl Scouts - Opportunities for leadership exist for all Girl Scouts - from the youngest girls making decisions in a Daisy circle to the oldest ones taking leadership roles in their councils. Girl Scouts learn a wide range of real life skills to help them succeed in life - first aid, resume writing, managing money and gaining the self-confidence to face challenges. A large majority of American women say Girl Scouting improved their ability to work with others, helped them gain interpersonal skills and interest in volunteer activities.

The Benefits - Girl Scouting provides a wide variety of unique and innovative opportunities for girls to distinguish themselves and to define their short-term and long-term goals. Girl Scouts encourages girls to become integral members of their communities and prepares them to be active and constructive members of the society.

Reaching Out To Every Girl, Everywhere
The Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast wants every girl who wants to be a Girl Scout to have that opportunity. Girl Scouts is for every girl, everywhere!

Our volunteers and staff are working together to ensure that Girl Scouting is available to ALL girls, reaching beyond racial, ethnic, socioeconomic or geographic boundaries. We want Girl Scouting to reflect the true face of America and the face of our community.

While the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast is currently reaching almost 17,000 girls in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, we want to increase our outreach efforts and make the program available to more girls - to every girl, everywhere.

Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast
Membership is extended to all girls who accept the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The council gives the highest priority to including girls from currently under-represented populations:

• Over 16,000 girls in approximately, 1,500 troops and groups
• Over 5,500 volunteers providing guidance and role modeling to girls as well as support to volunteer troop leaders.
• About 75 full and part-time executive and business staff, and camp caretakers
• Serving girls, ages 5 -17, in a 25,000 square mile area of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

Board of Directors
Elected by delegates from the council membership, 20 women and men serve on the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast board of directors. They establish policy, approve budgets, set direction for the council, and monitor progress.

Current officers are:
Chair of the Board: Ann M. Fitzgibbon
Chair Elect: Sandra J. DeLoatch
Vice Chair: Melissa L. Burroughs
Secretary: Denise L. Frey
Treasurer: David W. Thomas

12th GS Sabbath Flyer

View the 2008 GS Bulletin Cover