To celebrate today's Girl Scouts event at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum we have compiled a brief history of the organization!
The movement started with a group of eighteen girls in Savannah, Georgia led by the ambitions of Juliette Gordon Low. Low was inspired to start the Girl Scouts after meeting with Boy Scouts founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell in 1912. At the time that the Girl Scouts was formed, women did not have the right to vote in the United States, so the organization broke social expectations by encouraging girls to embrace their own strengths while advocating for inclusiveness.
In the 1920s Girl Scouts extended internationally with the first troops outside of the United States forming in China, Syria, and Mexico. In the 1930s the Girl Scouts collected and contributed clothing and food for relief efforts during the Great Depression. Throughout World War II the Girl Scouts participated in a number of tasks to promote the war effort including establishing Victory Gardens, collecting metal to be melted, and sponsoring Defense Institutes for women to learn critical survival skills. In 1944 the Girl Scouts directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt reported that they collectively served 15,430,000 service hours between 1941 and 1944. During the Korean War, the Girl Scouts assembled “Kits for Korea,” containing daily essentials for Korean citizens impacted by the war. In the 1950s the organization focused on conservation projects, completing over 35,000 in the decade. The 1960s saw the Girl Scouts participate in the Civil Rights Movement by launching initiatives focused on inclusivity and breaking racial barriers. They participated in the first Earth Day in April of 1970 and continued focusing on inclusivity and community service into the 1970s and 1980s.
The Girl Scouts have been active in Arkansas since 1927! The White Oak Troop of Pulaski County became the first Girl Scout troop registered in the state on July 21 of that year. By 1929 six troops were registered in Little Rock with more than 200 members combined. Currently around 10,000 girls in Arkansas participate in Girl Scouts in around 900 troops around the state.
Since the organization’s founding, Girl Scouts across the United States and across the world have worked on both the local and national level to improve their communities.
Nearly one hundred years since Daisy’s death in 1927 the organization continues to inspire young girls to take leadership while promoting inclusivity, curiosity, and embracing their inner strengths.
We’re excited to meet all the scouts today!
You can read more about the Girl Scouts and their history in the links below: