Girl Scouts Saving the Day at the 2018 Macy’s Flower Show® in Chicago

At Girl Scouts, we believe within every girl is the strength and confidence of a hero who’s ready to raise her voice to be a catalyst for change. To celebrate girls everywhere who are leading positive change through civic action, Girl Scouts of the USA, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, and Macy’s created a garden at Macy’s State Street to be featured in their annual Flower Show. In line with this year‘s Flower Show theme, “Once Upon a Springtime,” the Girl Scout garden portrays a bold, girl hero, equipped with a bow and arrow, who is poised to write her own story and change the world in the process.  

In Girl Scouts, girls learn to stand up for what they believe in, identify issues they care about, and take the lead like a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to make the world a better place. Since its founding in 1912, Girl Scouts has always emphasized the importance of being civically engaged, teaching and encouraging girls to create positive change in their communities through advocacy and action.

By focusing on Girl Scouts’ commitment to civic engagement, the Girl Scout garden at the Macy’s Flower Show represents both the past and the future of Girl Scouts. The garden is also interactive! Visitors can take part in an interactive photo op that lets every girl literally be the face of change and see herself as a heroic character who’s prepared to take on the world’s challenges.  The garden truly reflects the power of girls with vivacious plantings including: haworthia, calathea, lavender daisy mums, cineraria, and paphiopedilum maudiae.

Volunteers and girls from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana showed their G.I.R.L. spirit at the first of two Family Fun Days at Macy’s State Street (the second one is April 7^th at 1pm).  The council hosted a hands-on coloring activity for flower show visitors to embrace their inner hero and think about how they can take action in their communities.Anyone interested in participating from home can also download this coloring sheet.

If you find yourself in the Chicago area between now and April 8, head to Macy’s State Street to visit our garden to snap a photo of yourself as a hero and post on social media with the hashtags #macysflowershow and #GIRLagenda. Also be sure to share your personal hero story with your post.

For inspiration and tools to be catalysts for change visit GIRLagenda.org. By making age-appropriate resources based on GSUSA’s proven programming accessible to all, the G.I.R.L. Agenda will give hundreds of thousands of girls and adults tangible ways to take civic action on topics of their choosing.