Program areas at GSWCF
GSWCF served 10,597 girls in grades K-12 and 6,055 adult members in the Florida counties of Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter. GSWCF is a girl-led organization that believes in providing hands-on learning experiences in order to develop empowered G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers and Leaders). GSWCF members benefit from their participation in a variety of activities and programs that foster a strong sense of self, positive values, challenge-seeking, healthy relationships and community problem-solving. These opportunities are supported by four program pillars: STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), outdoors (camping, environmental stewardship and adventure), life skills (healthy living, civic engagement, global citizenship and communication skills) and entrepreneurship (goal setting, financial literacy and business ethics). In December 2016, the Girl Scout Research Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of girls to assess specific ways girls benefitted from participating in Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout Impact Study (2017) provided compelling evidence that Girl Scouts demonstrate more well-rounded lifestyles and a stronger propensity for success than non-Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts were more likely to: exhibit strong leadership outcomes; earn "excellent" grades; expect to graduate college; aspire to STEM, business, and law careers and feel hopeful about their future.
Outdoor education and environmental stewardship are core values in the development of the Girl Scout leadership experience for girls. Each year, thousands of GSWCF members experience the outdoors at a variety of Girl Scout-owned camp properties. Camping is coordinated with the girls' troops, service units or as a part of a GSWCF activity or summer camp program. Both day and overnight experiences are offered. Research from the Girl Scout Research Institute's Girl Scouts Soar in the Outdoors report (2019) indicates that Girl Scouts gets girls outdoors, exposes them to new and challenging experiences and helps them develop outdoor leadership skills (outdoor competence, outdoor confidence, outdoor interest and environmental stewardship) that will enable them to engage responsibly with nature throughout their lives. Of girls who started the study with room to grow (i.e., their outcome score was less than 4.0), 70 percent increased their confidence, interest and environmental stewardship, and 80 percent increased their competence.
Through community troops, GSWCF provides the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 1,385 girls (11% of GSWCF's total girl membership) who experience barriers to the Girl Scout experience. Grant funding enables these girls to participate in traditional Girl Scout activities such as badge work, advocacy, the Girl Scout Cookie Program and a variety of emotional and behavioral skill-building exercises that develop their self-esteem, confidence and critical life skills. These girls are served in troops that are established in easily accessible locations such as community centers, schools and churches, among other sites. Research has shown that members of community troops experience improvements in the areas of confidence, communication, interpersonal relationship skills, improved grades, improved school attendance and decreases in school disciplinary action. The Girl Scout Impact Study (2017) showed that Girl Scouts are more likely than non-Girl Scouts to have adults in their lives who help them pursue their goals and think about their future.