Women’s History Month is celebrated each March to honor the achievements of women who have made the world a better place for everyone. The trailblazers, groundbreakers, and icons of the past are truly inspiring, but what about the go-getters who are sparking real change in their communities right now? This year, we’re all about celebrating HERstory in the making: Girl Scouts who aren’t asking for permission and are actively improving their communities—and the world—one good deed at a time.
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Thanks to Girl Scouts Avery, Ella, Maggie, and Virginia, local students can feel more confident and comfortable as they get dressed for school each day. After extensive research, the Girl Scouts worked together to propose revisions to the school district’s dress code to be more equitable to all students, including changes on how skirt and dress hemlines should be measured. Their petition received over 1,000 signatures and support from the school board to adopt their changes in January 2023.
In true “prepared for anything” fashion, Girl Scout Troop 60601 knew a certain member of the family was left out in the storm when it came to hurricane prep in their community. For their Girl Scout Silver Award, the troop motioned their state government to include pet supplies on tax-exempt hurricane sales. They presented their educational brochures and a petition signed by members of their community to legislators at their state capitol.
Girl Scout Troop 82394 proves there’s no age minimum to start making the world a better place. When they heard about the impact pesticides were having on local wildlife, the troop of Girl Scout Juniors connected with their state representative to bring awareness to the issue as they worked toward their Girl Scout Bronze Award.
Girl Scouts Ava and Jillian know that students need menstrual support in public schools—period. They’re working directly with the California State Majority Leader to introduce legislation to expand the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, which has now been renamed the Girl Scout Period Equity Act. The Girl Scouts have been gathering photos, videos, and letters to support legislation that aims to ensure public schools serving grades three through 12 provide free menstrual products to students. This change is prompted by recent studies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicating a trend in earlier onset of menstruation than previously documented, especially among Latina and Black participants as well as students in lower income communities.
Girl Scout Andrea also dedicated her Gold Award project, Code Red, to increasing period equity in her community. In addition to her virtual education workshops and drive-through hygiene product donations, she also collaborated with local legislators and gave a testimony to state representatives advocating to make menstrual products tax-free in Texas.
As they champion causes they care about in their communities, Girl Scouts continue to be instrumental in provoking historic change to fit their vision for a better world. Feeling inspired? Explore more HERstory in the making by checking out other Take Action projects through Girl Scouts Highest Awards.@girlscouts Drop a 👏 in the comments for this STELLAR #gsGoldAward ♬ smiles & sunsets - ultmt.