Parent Information
Here’s how Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania and families partner together to inspire girls:
Create a supportive environment where girls can feel free to express themselves and experiment with their leadership identities.
Encourage girls to get involved in planning and overseeing family, school and/or community events or take responsibility for specific activities. Skills gained in these types of activities are transferable to other leadership opportunities at work or school.
Spark discussions with girls about the accomplishments and the lives of important women in history and in your own family!
Help girls see the leadership qualities they already possess, and identify new ones to strive for.
Give girls supportive, inspiring and influential role models. Parents, particularly mothers, are a primary influence in the lives of their daughters.
Talk with girls about critical issues affecting them, their community, and communities near and far. Support them as they develop their ideas and help them think of ways to make a change.
Enable girls to engage in collaborative projects and experiences with their peers by providing a range of opportunities.
Engage girls in conversations about family and friends who showed leadership at crucial moments. Discuss the options they had and how making the right choice influenced others.
Give girls the opportunity to practice and develop specific skills, such as speaking in front of others, giving and receiving both instructions and constructive feedback, being assertive and thinking critically in difficult situations.
Encourage girls to participate in a variety of activities so that they can try different roles and develop a toolbox of skills for the future.
Discuss with girls any fears they may have about trying out new or challenging opportunities or positions. Fear should not be a barrier to girls getting ahead.
With girls, identify the stereotypes and negative images of girls and women in different cultures and backgrounds that still persist in society. Empower girls to be the best they can be in spite of any negativity that they may encounter.
