![A local Girl Scout sells cookies in front of her neighborhood supermarket. [Nicole Y. Kim]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Girl-Scout.jpg)
Granada Hills High School junior, Madison Grant, has been a Girl Scout since 5th grade and enjoys interacting with the people in her community. “I love being a Girl Scout because it teaches girls to be responsible and to express themselves through leadership. This program has taught me how to be more patient with others and I hope to become a better person overall by the time I graduate from this program”, says Grant, during an interview with JSR. Grant encourages other girls to join the program because “it’s a safe environment, there’s no judgement, and it’s welcoming like a family”.
Stephanie Susilo, a major supporter of the Girl Scouts program, says “the cookies are worth buying even for $5 a box because it helps the girls feel proud of themselves for meeting their goals. It teaches them skills to use when they are adults and have jobs. Plus, the cookies are so good I can’t help but buy a bunch every time I see a Girl Scout.” After the interview with JSR, Susilo walked away with 3 boxes of Thin Mints cookies and recommended that others try them as well.
The Girl Scouts of America organization has been helping girls across the country to discover their passions, strengths and talents for nearly a century. Girls in the program set goals with their troops and raise funds for their troop’s activities. The profit from cookies provides the girls with various badges and rewards, and it helps troop leaders organize activities for girls to earn their badges. These rewards encourage girls to take pride in their abilities to contribute to a greater cause and inspire them to take action in leadership. The five skills that are taught through selling cookies are goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics– skills often necessary for successful work environments.
Purchasing cookies from a Girl Scout may seem like a small act of kindness, but to the girls involved in the project, they are able to learn priceless lessons that will ultimately set them up for success. The community’s involvement with the Girl Scouts program allows girls to overcome gender stereotypes and make their dreams realities.
