Some call it the best-kept secret in leadership recruitment; others call it a business incubator with a century-long track record. We just call it Girl Scouts.
In greater Los Angeles, more than 40,000 Girl Scouts are in the pipeline set to lead in industries where research tells us we need them most: academia, medicine, athletics, startups, STEM, and government.
As the largest girl-serving nonprofit in Southern California, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles prepares girls in grades K–12 for a lifetime of leadership through access to impactful experiences, programs, and connections. Not only are Girl Scouts learning skills (like coding, robotics, public speaking, or budgeting)—they are also gaining the confidence and resilience needed to overcome challenges they’ll face in their industries. In Girl Scouts, girls learn that taking charge means taking action—and this carries into adulthood.
Leadership, the Girl Scout way, encompasses traits like grit, problem-solving, and empathy. For nearly 100 years in the greater Los Angeles area, Girl Scouts has offered girls the best leadership development experience in the world. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a research-based leadership development program that builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Recent research from the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) on alumnae shows that the impact of Girl Scouts continues well into adulthood. This is also evidenced by the sizable number of Girl Scout alums who become leaders in their fields, including 53% of female business owners and more than half of the women in Congress.
One in every three women in the United States were Girl Scouts at some point in their lives, with an average length of participation in Girl Scouting between 2–3 years. Even just a year in Girl Scouts can make a lifelong difference in a woman’s life. Even just a year in Girl Scouts can make a lifelong difference in a woman’s life: Girl Scout alumnae are more satisfied with their education and attain higher levels of education than non-alumnae, and are more likely to be in management positions than non-alumnae.
Girl Scout alumnae take on challenges, persist when encountering failure, and are determined and motivated to achieve their goals. In a recently rleased study from GSRI, 75% of all Girl Scout alumnae say they learn from setbacks and failures (compared with 66% of non-alumnae) and 61% of alumnae say they are ambitious (compared with 49% of non-alumnae). Girl Scout alumnae possess deep self-confidence, and are assured in their ability to set and achieve their goals. Of Girl Scout alumnae, 74% say they generally accomplish what they set out to do (compared with 63% of non-alumnae) and 80% say they strive to be the best at whatever they do (compared with 70% of non-alumnae).
Girl Scout alumnae feel a sense of purpose, meaning, and conviction in living their values. And the study found that 67% percent of former Girl Scouts say they lead a purposeful and meaningful life, compared to 54% of non-alumnae. Beyond success and purpose in their personal lives, Girl Scout alumnae are more likely to be in management positions at work, more satisfied with their careers, and more likely to want to have a positive impact on society through their work. Research also showed that 42% of former Girl Scouts hold leadership positions at work, compared to 37% of non-alumnae.
Girl Scout alumnae are also more likely to volunteer and contribute financially to causes they care about than non-alums. Girl Scout alums are invested in supporting their communities by donating their time and money and in making a difference in the world through civic action; 48% of Girl Scout alumnae volunteer for organizations and causes they’re passionate about, compared to 33% of non-alumnae.
And Girl Scout alumnae shine in leadership. Former Girl Scouts are more likely to exhibit leadership attributes and hold more leadership roles than non-alums. They bring people together, make decisions, and get things done. The longer alums were in Girl Scouts, the more likely they are to exhibit leadership attributes – of all alumnae, 84% hold leadership roles, whether that’s at work or in their communities.
Evidence suggests that participation in Girl Scouts is a powerful factor in developing these positive outcomes, providing the foundation for women to excel in education and careers, to become leaders at work and in their communities, and to be satisfied in their lives.
Emily Andrews is senior communications manager for Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles.
