On April 23-25 in Chappaqua, New York, 24 young women from all over the nation joined in the launch of the National Board Leadership Lanes (NBLL) project. Our mission for the NBLL: "to influence operational and policy-making processes" for the Girl Scouts. The NBLL project consists of three distinct leadership opportunities:

1. National Girl Consultants (me!) work with the National Board and Girl Scouts of the USA staff to provide feedback and project support.

2. The National Board Task Group members serve on the Advocacy and World Association of Girl Guides (WAGGS) task groups

3. The Young Alumnae Volunteers receive governance training and mentor the NBLL participants.

A teenage native of Austin, Texas, I am working with highly accomplished girls from Washington to Florida. Although a bit nervous at first, I was quickly put at ease with this group of talented, young women as we each contributed our thoughts and expectations to create an ambitious, optimistic group vision statement for the NBLL. With this vision statement in place, we are now able to set the conceptual foundations that will drive our interaction with the National Board members and GSUSA staff:

To use our voices and experiences as young women of today, to make changes wanted and needed by girls and to create a permanent forum for girl leadership.

Perhaps most of all, I love getting to know all of the other motivated young women of the NBLL. I feel privileged to work with them. And think that these following months could be incredibly consequential to the future of the Girl Scouts.

Sohini Bandy, National Girl Consultant
Austin, Texas