Date of Award
12-2003
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Social Responsibility: M.S.
First Advisor
Elizabeth Scheel
Second Advisor
Linda Havir
Third Advisor
Polly Kellogg
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Social change, Social Capital, Gender Empowerment, Grassroots Groups
Abstract
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is an organization whose mission is to provide informal education for girls ages 5 to 1 7 with the intent of "inspiring girls with the highest ideals of character, conduct, patriotism, and service that they may become happy and resourceful citizens" (GSUSA 2003b). By design the Girl Scout movement challenges structural inequities that girls and women in our communities face. But exactly what kind of impact does Girl Scouts have on our culture? Since few studies exist on how the Girl Scouts or similar organizations effect change in our communities, little is known about the social change potential of these organizations. In what ways are they successful at creating change? What methods are most successful at helping to create this change? What hinders this process? What kind of change results?
Using Social Movement Theory as a base, this paper begins to address some of these questions by looking at how the Girl Scouts has worked to reduce structural discrimination. First by an examination of the historical emphasis GSUSA has placed on eliminating discrimination. Secondly by a study on the work the Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis (GSCGM) has done in order to develop a philosophy of inclusiveness.
In particular this study examines an inclusiveness effort by GSCGM that involved the development of a document called the Principles of Inclusiveness (POI). This document is signed by all volunteer and staff members who hold positions at GSCGM. In order to determine the impact of this document, a survey of a critical GSCGM volunteer group, troop leaders, was done.
There were three key findings in the study. First of all, the frame of inclusiveness developed by GSCGM and represented by the POI has not been diffused amongst members as much as hoped. Secondly, there has not been a systematic mobilization of resources to support this frame, nor have members understood the benefits of the change. Third, groups that have experienced discrimination have not been encouraged to have a voice in the change.
In conclusion, there is some suggestion that Girl Scouts is working on being a part of an ever evolving change that is happening at the national level. Girl Scout councils and the national organization may be helping to shape conversations around discrimination and could play a part in helping this change to happen. However, Girl Scouts is most often only talking about change. There is not strong evidence that it is systematically working on this change or mobilizing the necessary resources to make it happen. While Girl Scouts has positioned itself philosophically at the front of this change and is part of the movement to make this change a cultural norm, it has yet to match actions to words. Because Girl Scouts does not seem to have incorporated this change throughout its systems, it may not be in a position to help create change on a national level.
Recommended Citation
Cardarelle, Renee, "Where Girls Grow Strong: Exploring the Social Change Dimensions of the Girl Scouts" (2003). Culminating Projects in Social Responsibility. 26.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/socresp_etds/26
