This
year during Girl Scout Week, Girl Scouts of the USA will celebrate its rich
history of partnership and collaboration with faith-based communities by
highlighting the My Promise, My Faith pin girls can earn that complements
existing religious recognitions and allows all girls to further strengthen the
connection between their faith and Girl Scouts.
Everything
in Girl Scouting is based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law, which include many
of the principles and values common to most faiths. Thus, while a secular
organization, Girl Scouts has, since the Movement began, encouraged girls to
take spiritual journeys via their faiths' religious recognitions.
“The
motivating force in Girl Scouting is spiritual, and I am proud to lead an
organization that places individual faith at the center of its mission,” said
Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. “We encourage and support
every girl to grow in her religion, and we work to foster an environment that
celebrates a girl’s spirituality, even as we champion inclusion and mutual
respect for all religious beliefs. As a mother, a woman of deep faith, and a
female leader, I am so proud of our legacy of close collaboration with
religious institutions across the world, and I look forward to continuing to
work with faith-based communities to help girls earn their My Promise, My Faith
pin.”
Every
time a girl makes the Girl Scout Promise, she is promising to “serve God.” One
way she can do this is to participate in the religious award program of her
faith-based community and wear the recognition proudly on her uniform.
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Faith-based
awards include religious recognitions as well as the My Promise, My Faith pin. In
addition, many faith-based communities offer programs, in conjunction with Girl
Scouts, that recognize local girl members. Adult volunteers from faith-based organizations
partner with girls by connecting the My Promise, My Faith pin to their faith’s own
religious recognitions, guiding girls through their personal faith journey and
helping them understand their faith intellectually and spiritually.
While
the design of the My Promise, My Faith pin seeks to accommodate girls of all
faiths, Girl Scouts’ 100-year partnership with the Catholic Church is one
powerful example of how Girl Scouts partners meaningfully with faith-based
communities.