March 12, 2012 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the inception of the Girl Scouts. In 1912 the history of girlscouts begins with a woman named Juliette Gordon Low inviting 18 girls to join the first troop and go camping and learn to play sports like basketball.
The history of Girlscouts shows us that the very first uniforms worn by the girls were blue in color and they made them themselves. In just four short years membership was up to 5,000 girls and they no longer had to make their uniforms themselves. Uniforms made the first change to khaki and were made specifically for the scouts.
By 1916, the girls had their own handbook and as membership increased there became a need for a national training center for troop leaders and local councils. World War I brought the girls into doing things for the war effort like, collecting scrap metal and collecting peach pits for use in gas mask filters. They also worked in hospitals and sold war bonds.
Badges could be earned by completing the requirements set forth by the councils for 25 different badges. Earning badges was one way that the girls could not only help the community but help themselves by increasing self-esteem and confidence in their new abilities, as well. The badges meant you were accomplishing what you were asked to do and also helped you move on up in the rankings.
1917 brought about the first ever sale of Girl Scout Cookies. First made in kitchens of the members and their mothers, it was a way to offset the money being spent by the founder, Juliette Low, who originally sold her very treasured pearl necklace, to finance troop activities.
Who doesn’t look forward to this time of year when the girls get out and start selling? We all have our favorites and can’t wait to have a box or two all to ourselves! We usually buy a couple extra boxes and put them in the freezer for later-in-the-year enjoyment.
Today, there are approximately 4 million girls, and leaders or other volunteers, who proudly call themselves Girl Scouts in the United States of America and many more in many other countries to the tune of approximately 10 million girls and women in 145 countries.
The girls are continually striving to make this world a better place for all by discovering the “fun, friendship and power of girls together.” The girls are encouraged to realize and reach their full potential and become strong, confident women willing to go the extra mile for not only their communities but for themselves and the world.
There is a museum in New York City, on Fifth Street, where one can go to see the history of girlscouts with over 60,000 photographs, 7,000 publications, 5,000 periodicals, 650 Girl Scout uniforms and other memorabilia dating back to the beginning including a media section with all sorts of material, some dating all the way back to 1918.