October and the new Girl Scout membership year have arrived! That means leaves are changing, the air is crisper, and a new Girl Scout year is unfolding. As girls start planning their year, recent studies remind us that today’s girls need Girl Scouts now more than ever.  

A recent CDC report, the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey,” reveals 57% of girls experience feelings of hopelessness or sadness versus 29% of boys. Additionally, 41% of girls experience poor mental health compared to 18% of boys. The data reinforces the experiences and needs of girls are different from boys.

The good news is that Girl Scouts, with its supportive sisterhood, program approach, and comprehensive activities, can support girls' emotional and mental health by helping them develop resilience skills combined with supportive adult relationships. 

Girls Scouts of Western Ohio, along with five other Girl Scout councils, is part of the Girl Coalition of Indiana. Girl Co. recently released a comprehensive research study, 2023 Indiana Girl Report, that explores the state of girls in Indiana. In this issue, you will read about the important findings and how our supportive programming makes a difference.

Finally, October is Juliette Gordon Low's birthday month, founder of Girl Scouts. What a great time to highlight the Juliette Gordon Low Society, our donor legacy group whose members have made planned gifts to support Girl Scouts in the future. You will meet two members and learn why they wanted to create a legacy to support Girl Scouts.

Thank you for all you do to support girls of courage, confidence, and character!

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Aimée Sproles

Chief Executive Officer

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio

P.S. RSVP for the Camp Open Houses to see the renovations made possible by the Empower Her comprehensive campaign!

2023 Indiana Girl Report

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is proud to be part of Girl Co., which seeks to enable every girl in Indiana to live her best life physically, academically, emotionally, and socially.

In partnership with Indiana Youth Institute, Girl Co. released the 2023 Indiana Girl Report. This report outlines key issues impacting the quality of life for girls in Indiana.

Key findings include:

• Among 7^th to 12^th grade girls, 47.1% experienced depression in 2022 and nearly 1 in 4 girls seriously considered suicide.
• Girls are more likely than boys to become victims of bullying. They are twice as likely to become victims of traditional bullying and three times as likely to become victims of cyberbullying compared to boys.
• 25% of girls compared to 41% of college-aged boys declared STEM as their first major.

Although the report focuses on Indiana girls, we believe that results in Ohio would be similar. As a next step, we look forward to sharing the detailed report with key stakeholders throughout our council and working together to determine the role that Girl Scouts plays in combatting these issues. GSWO is also looking to conduct a similar study in Ohio.

Download the full report to view all findings.

Addressing Mental Wellness for Girls

The CDC and Indiana Girl Co studies both indicate that Indiana and Ohio's girls require support for their emotional and mental well-being.

GSWO ensures girls' mental and emotional wellness with programs that boost self-confidence, help girls develop healthy relationships, and more. We have some great programs planned for our new membership year, including the Resilient, Ready, Strong Patch Program, Ending the Silence with NAMI, the Cadette aMaze Journey, CSA Conferences, Get Outside and Hike-the list goes on and on!

Girl Scouts is also excited to announce our new Mental Wellness patches! These patches teach girls how to care for their emotions with activities that foster resiliency. The new patches, which are designed for Girl Scouts in grades 4-12, include Knowing My Emotions, Finding My Voice, and Showing Up For Me and You.

Locally, we will also offer mental wellness training through Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) for our staff and volunteers.

Thank you for enabling GSWO to bring this much-needed curriculum and support to girls throughout southeastern Indiana and western Ohio.

Get involved in GSWO's efforts to address girl's mental wellness!

Beverly & Beth: A Passion for Girl Scouts Leads to a Legacy

Meet two of our Juliette Gordon Low society members: Beverly and Beth. Both women have had significant experiences with Girl Scouts that motivated them to leave gifts to continue Girl Scout into the future.

BEVERLY MINER

Beverly began as a Brownie in second grade. She enjoyed camping and the life-long friendships she formed in Girl Scouts. Beverly became a co-leader for her daughter’s troop and loved teaching camping skills to a new generation.

When her daughter’s troop graduated high school, Beverly stayed in Girl Scouts. She became a trainer, worked with council archives, joined P.I.G.S. (People In Girls Scouts), and Green Hats. She is also a member of Friends of Pax Lodge, one of the five world centers for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. While helping girls grow, Beverly has also grown and gained friendships around the world.

Beverly has left a long-standing mark on Girl Scouts through her service, but she also wanted to carry forth her passion for girls. Her legacy gift ensures girls and young women will continue to be empowered to have the courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place.

BETH WYCKOFF

Beth has been an active Girl Scout for 45 years.

As a girl, she earned the Curved Bar (now the Gold Award) and as an adult, Beth was a Girl Scout leader for her two daughters and granddaughters, trained the council's archery staff, and takes girls canoeing and swimming.

Beth has found a lot of satisfaction seeing girls learn new skills, challenge themselves, conquer fears, and become more confident. 

From her own awesome 45 year experience with Girl Scouts, Beth knows the impact and wants more girls to have the same experiences. She joined the Juliette Gordon Low Society to ensure all girls in the future would get to have such a fruitful experience with Girl Scouts as she has had.

Join Beverly and Beth as Juliette Gordon Low Society members!

Contact Kelly or Carol for more information.

Donor Events

Join us for our Open Houses or Girlhood Exhibit!