Posts Tagged "Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program"
Girl Scouts and Kraft Take Action
On the first anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, Girl Scouts and Kraft Foods demonstrated how corporate and community partnerships are helping achieve the Let’s Move! goal of ending childhood obesity within a generation. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Kraft Foods’ President of Global Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Rhonda Jordan, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, Lidia Soto-Harmon and hundreds of Girl Scouts joined together to demonstrate how today’s girls are making healthy choices and incorporating physical activity into their daily lives. The town hall event took place at Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. EST and linked via satellite Girl Scouts in Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles with Washington, D.C.
“First Lady Michelle Obama and her Let’s Move! campaign seek to put children on the path to a healthy future starting with their earliest months and years by giving parents the information they need to make healthy choices for their families. I am proud to be her partner in this effort. By eating right and getting the right amount of exercise, young girls can be an example to their friends, siblings, and even their parents to live healthier lives. With great partners like the Girl Scouts of the USA and Kraft Foods I know that we can ensure a bright and healthy future for our children” said Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
As part of its participation in Let’s Move!, Girl Scouts is challenging its 2.3 million girl members to take the lead and make healthy food choices and exercise a part of their daily activities. At the Town Hall, Girls exchanged ideas on how to encourage their families and peers to become healthier with the nation’s leading health authority, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Girl Scouts in Chicago, with Chef Robin Ross in the Kraft Kitchens, demonstrated how to prepare nutritious after-school snacks, while girls in DC created a hydroponic garden and took a Zumba class. Girls in Atlanta and Los Angeles also participated in the Town Hall via webcast, asking questions and sharing ideas on healthy living.
“Encouraging girls to lead happy, healthy, active lives has always been an important part of Girl Scouting. We are thrilled to be partnering with First Lady Obama, Secretary Sebelius, and our friends at Kraft Foods on Let’s Move!,” said Kathy Cloninger, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA.
“Healthy eating and physical activity habits that girls learn at an early age can last a lifetime,” said Rhonda Jordan, President, Global Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Kraft Foods. “As the nation’s largest food company, we know we have a role to play in helping people make good choices, whether it’s providing nutritious food options or offering healthy recipes. We’re delighted to stand here today with the Girl Scouts and US Secretary Sebelius to encourage young women to start with the small steps that can lead to a healthy future.”
Girl Scout Senior Serena Patel, a student at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, MD., earned her Gold Award helping women at a local center understand nutrition information to prepare healthier meals for their families. Patel, who plans to explore a career in public health said, “It was easy to get mothers interested when I showed them how good nutrition can help their children become more alert and better students in the classroom.”
Serena’s story is only one example of how Girl Scouts is building the next generation of female leaders who are tackling the challenging issues of the day. Through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and new programs including It’s Your Story – Tell It!, girls enjoy experiences, opportunities and activities that promote skills building and responsibility, and also promote the development of strong leadership and decision-making skills.
CONTACTS:
Girl Scouts of the USA
Michelle Tompkins 212-852-5074
mtompkins@girlscouts.org
Kraft Foods
Susan Davison/Valerie Moens 847-646-4538
news@kraft.com
Girl Scouts Unveils New National Brand Initiative
Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), one of the most well known and well loved organizations in the nation, is revitalizing and reenergizing its brand to reach a new generation of girls.
After extensive research and development, Girl Scouts debuted today a long-term, multichannel brand campaign that is designed to reacquaint the country with the iconic organization and communicate the power girls have to change the world through Girl Scouting. The campaign is also keyed to boosting the number of girls and adult volunteers who participate in Girl Scouting annually after a period of declining membership.
“A revitalized and energized brand is absolutely essential for us and our future growth,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA. “About one out of every 10 girls participates in Girl Scouting and that’s a tremendous number when you think about it. But that also means that we have a great opportunity to grow even after almost 100 years. We have literally revamped our entire organization to appeal to that 90 percent of girls who aren’t benefiting from the Girl Scout leadership experience. And with our new brand work, we think we have the right message at the right time.”
The branding, in the works as part of the organization’s comprehensive transformation that began in 2004, is composed of a striking new visual identity, which includes a distinctive trefoil mark, revised color palette, and refreshed logo that was originally created in the 1970s by the legendary designer Saul Bass. In addition, the initiative also includes plans for a 360 degree marketing program that taps the online, place-based and traditional media.
As part of the new campaign, Girl Scouts also has developed Spanish-language advertising to target the Hispanic market, one of the few girl populations in the country that is growing. GSUSA already has secured more than $10 million in donated exposure in Spanish-language media ranging from Telemundo to People en Español. In its general market campaign, Girl Scouts is working to secure $30 million in pro bono placements from national online and in-mall and airport outlets, as well as traditional broadcast and print media.
“What we’re doing with this initiative is repositioning Girl Scouts with a message that is relevant to girls and the lives they lead today,” said Laurel Richie, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at GSUSA. “To some degree, our brand had faded and our research revealed that while many girls and parents knew about us, they had a very limited view of us. While we are proud of our $700 million cookie business run by girls, we offer so much more than that, and this new work is designed to let people know about all the new and exciting things girls do every day as Girl Scouts.
“Our brand promise is that Girl Scouts gives every girl access to life-changing experiences that inspire her to do something big. That’s a promise we keep every day, and you don’t have to look much further than our National Young Women of Distinction and Gold Award earners to see evidence of that.”
Girl Scouts has already implemented major changes in recent years as part of its Core Business Strategy, which was developed under Cloninger’s leadership to turn around the organization amid changing demographics and a gradual decline in membership. In just the past few years, the organization has realigned its federated system of 312 councils to 112. Those councils now operate with bigger budgets and are able to draw on economies of scale. And in 2008, the organization rolled out the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, a program that every Girl Scout will engage in from the youngest Girl Scout Daisy to the eldest Girl Scout Ambassador.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience also features a series of 15 outcomes, or benefits, that for the first time in the organization’s history will allow Girl Scouts to gauge how well its program is working in terms of developing key leadership skills in girls.
Richie said that Girl Scouting is launching its rebranding from a position of strength because it can draw upon strong name recognition and a long legacy of leadership development. With this new campaign and the projected growth in overall girl population in the United States, Girls Scouts expects to see its membership begin to increase over the next few years. The campaign will also pave the way, Richie said, for a major effort to gain exposure during the organization’s national centennial celebration in 2012.
CONTACTS:
Girl Scouts of the USA
Josh Ackley 212.852.8038
jackley@girlscouts.org
Girl Scouts to Take Action on Energy Awareness and Conservation through Trane Grant Project
New York, N.Y.—Girl Scouts from six U.S. councils are exploring the importance of energy efficiency and conservation and discovering ways to make an impact on the environment through a grant project funded by Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and services.
Trane employees will engage in activities with Girl Scouts to help them understand how proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics can make a difference in their communities and the wider world around them.
“We know that girls care deeply about the environment, and this is a wonderful opportunity for them to not only learn about energy efficiency and conservation, but conduct an actual energy audit,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Trane volunteers, in partnership with council staff members, will work with girls to take action around energy efficiency as part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, the new leadership program. Girl Scout Juniors in grades four and five will team with Trane volunteers to conduct a building energy audit and other activities to learn about energy efficiency and conservation in buildings.
“Buildings consume more energy than any other sector in the United States,” said Jeff Watson, Vice President of Hussmann and Trane in North America. “Equipping girls with the skills needed to make buildings more efficient today will help ensure a better environment tomorrow.”
Most of the projects at councils in California, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and New York will take place in late March and April.
The newly implemented Girl Scout Leadership Experience program engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others and taking action to make the world a better place. The first series of books for Girl Scouts that incorporates the leadership model, known as Journey books, was introduced in 2008. The second series of Journey books, It’s Your Planet—Love It, had an environmental theme and was published in the summer of 2009.
In addition to the collaboration with Trane employee volunteers, the grant from Trane supported the development of the It’s Your Planet—Love It Journey book for Girl Scout Juniors that focuses on energy and helps girls perform a simple building energy audit, analyze the results and present their findings and possible solutions.
CONTACTS:
Girl Scouts of the USA
Victor Inzunza 212.852.8529
vinzunza@girlscouts.org
