Since its founding in 1912, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America has grown to have nearly 2.5 million members worldwide! When Juliette Gordon Low met the founder of Scouting Robert Baden-Powell in 1911, she was inspired to bring the movement to girls close to home and all around the world. She told her cousin, “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight!” Scouting is a global youth movement that empowers members to try new things, provide service to the community, build self-confidence, and develop strong ethical standards. Practical outdoor skills are a key component to Scouting – Scouts engage in hiking, camping, woodcraft, swimming, backpacking, and sports to develop an abundance of qualities that can set them up for a happy, successful, proactive adulthood. The objective of Girl Scouts is to empower members to advocate for themselves all the while cultivating character, kindness, courage, confidence, leadership, entrepreneurship, and citizenship. By engaging in activities that build these invaluable characteristics, Scouts can earn a fantastic collection of badges, pins, and patches. Some examples include the “Cookie Entrepreneur Family Pin” which is earned by participating in the annual Girl Scout cookie sale and the “Community Service Bar” which is earned after 20 hours of service to a chosen organization. There are also the “Money Explorer”, “Bugs Badge”, “Automotive Design”, and “Space Science” badges which are all earned when the Scout completes the badge requirements. For example, the “Automotive Design” badge is earned when the Scout creates a prototype of a vehicle that helps other people. This infographic explores the placement and meaning behind every Girl Scout patch, pin, and badge. There are some beautiful designs, like the badges for participating in World Thinking Day!
