what’s
inside? Save the Date
2
From Your CEO & Board President
2
Troop Notes
4
Campaign for Girls in Arizona Update
7
Annual Meeting Recap
8
GSRI Key Findings
10
Volunteer Recognitions
12
Girl Scout Gold Awards
15
summer
2013
setting your daughter up for success
Girl Scout Research Institute confirms girls want and need to be financially literate now. Girls today reflect an upcoming generation of financially empowered and independent citizens. An overwhelming majority of girls feel gender is not a barrier to what they can accomplish financially. But is the world ready to support them? As it now stands, students receive little financial education at school and have repeatedly failed broad tests measuring their mastery of basic personal finance and economic concepts. Just 14 states require high schools to offer a course in personal finance, according to the Council for Economic Education, and even fewer require students to take such a course in order to graduate.
Optimism in Uncertainty A new report by the Girl Scout Research Institute reveals that girls feel optimistic
about their financial futures, yet are The study, which surveyed 1,040 girls less than fully knowledgeable about ages 8 to 17, found that girls are averse essential financial principles and to debt. However, in order to avoid instruments, from using credit cards debt, these girls say they need more to establishing good education about how credit. And only 12 credit works. Perhaps Only 12% of girls percent of the girls not surprisingly, a vast surveyed say they feel surveyed say they feel majority say that it is confident in making confident in making important for them to financial decisions. financial decisions. learn how to manage their money. The study, Having It All: Girls and Financial Literacy, Despite the recession and economic comes out at a time of continued uncertainty, this generation of girls is economic uncertainty. The country’s bullish about their financial futures. recovery from the 2009 recession A majority envisions a future family has been marked by slow economic structure where they are fully engaged growth and high unemployment, as in financial decision making and well as increasing concern over the planning. costs of a college education and the Cookies are ‘healthy’ unprecedented levels of student loan Girl Scouts is committed to the financial indebtedness. continued on PAGE 6.
Building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.