We’ve all seen them: little girls wearing blue tunics or vests, brown sashes, sometimes green hats and skirts. They stand in front of banks and supermarkets and hardware stores peddling their brightly colored boxes of deliciousness. The price has gone up, again, and though what the girls sell is addictive and only available once a year, it’s hard to justify spending that much on cookies.
But we should. Here are three reasons why.
1.) We’re teaching today’s girls to be future leaders.
The girls who are selling you cookies today, if they stick with the program, are poised to become lawyers, doctors and politicians when they reach adulthood. The skills that they learn during cookie sales are invaluable when it comes to growing into productive members of society. They learn how to talk to people (not just customers), how to deal with money, and how to budget their time. Goal-setting is an important part of this time of year, too. The girls learn that hard work brings rewards.
2.) We’re giving girls self-confidence and self-worth.
When a Girl Scout discovers that she has the ability to set goals, achieve them, talk to strangers (in a safe environment), and raise funds for her troop, she learns that she has value. This is a step in the direction of empowerment, not entitlement. We are showing these girls that they can make a difference if they work hard and persevere. They are valuable in not only who they are, but what they can do.
3.) The money goes to help girls.
Not all of the money that’s spent on cookies goes straight to the troop. There’s the manufacturing cost of the cookies, transportation, council administration costs, reward costs, and in our council some of the cost goes to supporting the local campgrounds and council owned properties. The money the troops sell with their cookie sales goes to supporting all Girl Scouts in our council. Funds are available for scholarships so girls can experience camp, participate in council-wide activities and learn self-confidence, even if their families can’t afford to send them on their own. So when we buy a box of cookies, we’re supporting the larger community of Girl Scouts.
Girl Scouts is more than an after school activity for these young ladies. It’s a program that teaches them strength, courage, compassion, and prepares them for the world. We want our girls to be educated and self-confident, so we need to show support to the programs whose goals are to do exactly that.
Besides, the cookies are delicious.
Missy Kirtley
http://missykirtley.com/
Through my books The Royals, Three Tiers, Under, and others, I awaken a love of reading in teens and adults alike by showing them familiar stories in new and intriguing ways.
Read The Royals, Volume 1: Eddie on Kindle!
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AuthorMissyKirtley@gmail.com
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