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 Take Action, but you can view our other articles on Discover and Connect, if you’d like to learn more.

Take Action is the third and final step on the path to leadership. Activities that help girls “Take Action” are already written into your Journey Award meeting plans. But you might be wondering… is it working? Think about your recent experiences with your girls as we review what “Take Action” means and what it looks like when girls make the world a better place.

Girls find the root cause of an issue they observe.

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

• Girls gain understanding of how their community functions.
• Girls can prioritize which issues in their community deserve action.
• Girls consider their troops and their communities resources when selecting an issue to address.
• Girls want to identify a network of causes for issues they see.

Girls plan sustainable solutions.

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

• Girls learn how to plan a project.
• Girls can brainstorm more than one solution.
• Girls work with others to make a bigger impact.
• Girls can debate pros and cons of proposed solutions.
• Girls assess progress and results.
• Girls reduce their level of adult guidance for projects over time.

Girls feel empowered to make more change.

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

• Girls speak up for themselves and others.
• Girls speak up about issues they care about.
• Girls know multiple ways to make change and can select what works best in their situation.
• Girls see value in teaching others about their point of view or about what they care about.
• Girls get others excited about teaming up to make change.
• Girls feel like they are important and can make change.

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 on the benefits of the program and the growth we see in our girls.

How do your Girl Scouts take action to change the world?