Is the Girl Scout Leadership Experience working? Is my girl gaining leadership skills? It’s time for a refreshing reminder about the Three Keys to Leadership: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. These are the “what we do” part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Today’s conversation focuses on Discover, but you can view our other articles on Connect and Take Action, if you’d like to learn more.

Discover is the first step on the path to leadership. Activities that help girls “Discover” are already written into your Journey, Badge, and Award meeting plans. But you might be wondering… is it working? Think about your recent experiences with your girls as we review what “Discover” means and what it looks like when girls embrace discovery.

Girls discover themselves.

This varies by age level, but here are some examples of what you might see.

• Girls talk about or demonstrate their skills and talents.
• Girls can identify their feelings and express them.
• Girls take pride in their accomplishments.
• Girls understand how friends, family members, or cultural influence can affect how they see themselves.
• Girls can identify challenges of being part of a group and/or making their own decisions.

Girls discover their values.

This varies by age level, but here are some examples of what you might see.

• Girls can identify fair and unfair actions and explain the difference between right and wrong.
• Girls take responsibility for their actions.
• Girls think it’s important to help others, the environment, and other things important to them.
• Girls make decisions and can explain how their values played a role in their choice.
• Girls can talk to someone about values that are different from their own.

Girls use their knowledge and skills to discover the world around them.

This varies by age level, but here are some examples of what you might see.

• Girls ask lots of questions about the world.
• Girls try new things, even when they think they can’t do it.
• Girls know they can learn from their mistakes.
• Girls can explain how completing something challenging helped them grow.
• Girls set challenging goals for themselves.
• Girls move from trying new skills, to seeking proficiency, to seeking mastery.

All Girl Scout resources are designed with leadership in mind. With a healthy dose of fun, laughter, and excitement covering it all, we sometimes need a minute to reflect of the benefits of the program and the growth we see in our girls.