What We Stand For

The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The values found in the Girl Scout Promise and Law provide an essential framework for developing character, making sound decisions, and fostering strength of conviction. By working together with their troops/groups and with their adult leaders, girls gain greater insights in coping with moral and social dilemmas. Below, we have made availabe GSLPG's stance on several social issues.

On Planned Parenthood

GSLPG wants its members and partners to know that there is no relationship — past, present or planned — between Planned Parenthood and Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf or Girl Scouts of the USA. Girl Scouts does not take a stand on abortion or birth control. At the same time, Girl Scouts respects the moral teachings and theology of our members churches. We support the right of pastors to verify that troops in their parishes are in compliance with church teaching.

Girl Scouts does not advocate for or against any issue regarding a girl’s sexual and reproductive health. If programs address these issues, girls who choose to participate must have the fully informed consent of their parents or guardians. We believe the issues of sexual and reproductive health are best discussed within a girl's family or church setting..

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is the international organization for Girl Scouts. Much as the United States is only one of 192 members of the United Nations, Girl Scouts of the USA is only one of 145 members of WAGGGS. Girl Scouts of the USA sets its own policies and programs without influence from WAGGGS, and no GSLPG membership dues are used as dues to WAGGGS.

On BSA Bankruptcy Filing

February 2, 2020

Early this week, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This action has led to some confusion about the effects of this decision on the Girl Scout movement. I am writing to address concerns and questions that may have arisen, as well as share information that may be helpful to you in answering questions from members of the general public.

First and foremost, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and BSA are two legally separate youth organizations that have operated entirely separately for each of their over 100-year histories. Though some confusion arose over BSA’s 2017 decision to allow girls within their membership, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have not merged, and have no plans to do so. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts do not share membership, programming, finances or risk management practices.

The BSA bankruptcy filing in no way affects Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf (GSLPG), GSUSA, or our members. Locally and nationally, Girl Scouts is fiscally strong and has the financial resources to continue offering our program to future generations of girls.

At Girl Scouts, the safety of our girls has always been of highest priority. What can sometimes seem to our members like a great many rules and red tape is truly the evidence of our commitment to girls’ physical and emotional wellbeing. We not only require comprehensive criminal background checks for every adult volunteer and staff member, but also utilize the buddy system among girl membership, and maintain strict girl-to-volunteer ratios to keep girls supported, safe, and happy.

With this announcement placing scouting in the national spotlight, I hope you will take the opportunity to share in your own networks of influence some of the reasons Girl Scouts is the best leadership organization for girls:

Girl Scouts is proud of its more than 100 years of dedicated and expect service to girls in an environment that is girl-led, girl-focused, supportive of girls’ positive development and, above all, safe. This environment has produced 90% of female astronauts, 80% of female tech executives, 69% of female US Senators, and every female US Secretary of State among its 50 million living alumnae.
The Girl Scout movement is 2.5 million members strong, with 1.7 million girls and 750,00 adult volunteers who continue our 108-year history of building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
The Girl Scout cookie program is the largest entrepreneurship program for girls in the world, with more than 50% of female business owners claiming it as their first business experience.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience equips girls with the skills, confidence and competence they need to succeed in any number of situations they may find themselves within the classroom, in their careers, and in their communities. Girls learn these crucial lessons through programming in STEM, outdoor education, entrepreneurship and life skills that is girl-led, cooperative, and hands-on.

I hope you will share this information with those in your networks who may have questions about how the BSA bankruptcy filing affects Girl Scouts in general, and GSLPG in particular. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this announcement, please feel free to reach out to our helpline at 800-960-2093 or info@gslpg.org. Thank you for all that you do to support our local Girl Scouts in their efforts to make the world a better place.

Sincerely,

Rachel Broussard
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of Louisina - Pines to the Gulf

On Faith

According to the Girl Scout Constitution, “The motivating force in Girl Scouting is spiritual. The ways in which members identify and fulfill their spiritual beliefs are personal and private.” The Girl Scout Movement is a secular, values-based organization founded on democratic principles, including freedom of religion. We do not attempt to dictate the form or style of a member’s worship. We believe that faith is a private matter for girls and their families to address.

The word “God” has always been — and remains — central to the Girl Scout Promise, with no alternative wording:

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Girl Scouts also provides many opportunities for girls to grow in their faith, including these religious recognitions and programs that are facilitated at an individual or troop level through the parish:

* God and Me (Protestant)
* God and Family (Protestant)
* Family of God for Girl Scout Brownies in grades 2-3
* I Live My Faith for Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes in grades 4-6
* Mary, the First Disciple (Marian Medal) for Girl Scout Cadettes and Seniors in grades 7-10
* The Spirit Alive for Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors in grades 9-12

For more information, visit the Girl Scouts and Faith page.

On Patriotism

The Girl Scout Promise states that girls will “serve God and my country”. Girl Scouts participate in flag ceremonies, donate cookies to troops overseas, and wear an American flag on their sash. Patriotism, citizenship, and community service is a basic tenet of the Girl Scout Program and is embedded in the Preamble to our Constitution.

Statement on Membership

Policy update from the Board of Directors, May 2016:

Girl Scouts of Louisiana - Pines to the Gulf builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We welcome all girls in kindergarten through 12th grade as members. We recognize that girls benefit most from a program designed specifically for them and delivered in an all-girl setting. We affirm that our council's programming is for girls only, and has not been designed to meet the specific needs of boys or transgendered youth.

Other Questions and Answers Concerning Girl Scouts

Is it true that the Girl Scouts place minimal emphasis on the family?

No. Families have always been encouraged to be a part of their daughter’s experience in Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf encourages families to get involved with their daughter’s troop. Parents also must sign the membership form and provide permission for all Girl Scout activities.

Is there a mandate against Christmas caroling or praying at meetings?

There is no mandate against Christmas caroling or praying at meetings. Although Girl Scouts has policies supporting religious diversity, no policy by Girl Scouts of the USA prohibits or requires the saying or singing of a grace, blessing, or invocation before meals or at a meeting, conference or other large group. The decision to say grace, blessing, or invocation is made locally at the troop or group level and should be sensitive to the spiritual beliefs of the participants.

Is Girl Scouting “anti-boy” in its curriculum?

No. Girl Scouts is not“anti-boy”. The Girl Scout program does not portray boys negatively. Research shows that girls benefit from a program designed specifically for them and delivered in an all-girl setting. Boys have unique needs and interests as well, which are best addressed by an organization structured to meet their specific needs.

Is it true that there is a Girl Scout badge, called “Our Rights, Our Responsibilities”, which requires girls to role play sexual activity and learn about birth control?

No. “Our Rights, Our Responsibilities” is not sold in the Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf Council shops. It was available 2005-2008 by Girl Scouts of the USA, but did not include these requirements, nor was it a requirement for any girl. The focus of the patch and activities was to teach girls about age-appropriate human rights issues around the globe. There were no links to the issues identified above.

Does Girl Scouts support Susan G .Komen for the Cure?

No. Girl Scouts, in their capacity as Girl Scouts, may not raise or solicit money for other organizations.

Our Commitment to Equality & Inclusivity

As Girls Scouts, we’ve all at one time or another become frustrated with the dominance of the Girl Scout Cookie Program and our community’s inability to see beyond it. While we can stand proud that it is the largest female entrepreneurship program in the world, some want to scream, “we are so much more than cookies.” The current social injustices that our country faces provide an opportunity for the Girl Scout community to rise and proudly share with the world who we are.

We are Leadership. We are Life Skills. We are STEM. We are Positive Values. Most importantly, this century-old organization has always had a fierce commitment to equality and inclusivity.

It all started with Juliette Gordon Low paving the way for girls in 1912. From that first gathering of a small troop of 18 culturally and ethnically diverse girls, Juliette broke the conventions of the time—reaching across class, cultural, and ethnic boundaries to ensure all girls, including those with disabilities, had a place to grow and develop their leadership skills.

Juliette’s legacy calls on us as Girl Scouts to continue with passion and commitment to inclusion in the face of systemic racism and inequities. We must stand courageous and strong. And, yes, we know this is a very uncertain and uncomfortable time for all of us. Still, it is only through the acknowledgment of our challenges and the discomfort of our vulnerabilities that we, as a community, can address the inequities and disparities that our Black and Brown communities still face today.

We sincerely believe that if we can lead with love as Nelson Mandela once called his nation to action by explaining, “no one is born hating another person because of their skin color, background, or religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Our sincerest wish for the Girl Scout Community, and our community at large, is that our commitment to teaching girls and each other to possess the courage, confidence, and character to put love and acceptance before hate in the face of racism. We as Girl Scouts will make our world a better place.

It is engrained in the Girl Scout DNA to discover the world around us, connect with others, and take action. For centuries our movement has taken action and addressed the social injustices of its time. If you would like to join us in leading discussions that will open the door to understanding and teach our girls to choose love, please visit these resources...

GSUSA officially launched Girl Scouts’ anti-racism pledge, elevating diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice as organizational priorities and outlining the associated actions we are currently taking with regard to our leadership, staff hiring practices and training and support for our girls and volunteers.

We encourage all Girl Scouts—girls, families, volunteers, alums, and staff—along with all supporters, to sign the pledge and commit to taking action to make the world a just and equitable place. We also encourage you to spread the word among your members, colleagues, friends and wider networks.

Sincerely and with love,

Rachel Broussard

CEO

Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf

Danielle Brown

Board Chair

Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf

Use of Palm Oil in Girl Scout Cookies

We at Girl Scouts want to make it very clear that we understand the development of all young people cannot be facilitated by the under-development of some. As such, child labor has no place in the production of Girl Scout cookies.

As the report pointed out, until a reliable alternative is developed, the world’s food supply is intricately tied to the use of palm oil. As such, we believe promoting proper manufacturing principles is the most responsible approach to how Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookie development is advanced.

The issues the article raises are important ones and require the cooperation of many people, companies, and organizations – including Girl Scouts – to solve. This is why we have pushed our licensed bakers to become members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an organization of growers, buyers, manufacturers, conservationists, and interested parties, who are striving to develop and follow best practices to ensure an ethical supply chain. If certain suppliers are not following best practices, we expect our bakers and RSPO to take action quickly to rectify those exceptions – and indeed they have.

We reached out to our baker, Little Brownie Bakers, to reaffirm our cooperative commitment in this area. Along with stressing their condemnation of child labor and any exploitation of workers, Little Brownie Bakers “continues to work closely with RSPO and other organizations to ensure suppliers adhere to our Global Supplier Code of Business Conduct and human rights policies, and we correct or terminate suppliers who do not.”

Little Brownie went on to say that “as a socially responsible company, our goals is to secure a 100% deforestation-free and exploitation-free palm oil supply chain, and we are working hard to make the complex shifts necessary to achieve this goal. Our future ambition of the Little Brownie Bakers portfolio is to extend our commitment to source only sustainable palm oil that is 100% RSPO Segregated certified to all Girl Scout Cookies that we produce.”

Palm oil is and will remain an important topic that must be addressed globally. We commend Olivia, the Girl Scout from the article, for noticing the “mixed” label on her Girl Scout cookie boxes – which indicates a contribution to the production of certified sustainable palm oil, as well as a commitment to continue moving toward fully RSPO certified palm oil use – and deciding to do something about it.

Olivia discovered a concern, conducted research and developed a plan to make a difference. Her initiative, dedication, and passion are hallmarks of the Girl Scout movement. Olivia – and go-getter Girl Scouts just like her – are proof that Girl Scouts have what it takes to change the world, and inspire us in all that we do to develop girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

Sincerely,

Rachel Broussard, CEO
Girl Scouts of Louisiana - Pines to the Gulf

Keep her engaged and inspired in challenging times. Renew Now.