Scouts shifts to compete with girls' busy schedules

Changes aside, organization says it still aims to produce tomorrow's leaders

By MARTIN C. BRICKETTO
Staff Writer

Instead of relaxing on its 50th anniversary, the Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council is overhauling itself to attract modern girls with new needs compared with those who earned badges and sold cookies during the Cold War.

Council leaders are steaming ahead with structural changes to their programs to keep Scouting relevant for time-pressed young women who grow up immersed in the Internet, iPods and cellular phones the size of matchbooks.

In a recent meeting with Courier News editors, Donna Dolce, chief executive officer for the Westfield-based council, described this direction as a "high-tech, high-touch" approach that would allow girls to remain Scouts through concentrated six- or eight-week programs instead of weekly meetings.

Today's merit badges include categories such as computer smarts, communication and global awareness, but a core goal will continue to be giving girls the tools to become future leaders.

It's no coincidence that all of the U.S. Supreme Court's female justices were Girl Scouts, officials said.

Dolce, a councilwoman in Fanwood, said women are still underrepresented in the corporate world and government.

"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go to achieve parity," Dolce said.

Dolce said the council plans to amass 50,000 hours of community hours by 2008 and noted that even the cookie sale is intended to relay key entrepreneurial lessons. She added that Scouts attend a "cookie college" where they develop a budget and marketing plan.

Dolores Kresge, a long-time volunteer with the counci, said, "So much of it is geared toward the girls making decisions. They are used to planning their own futures."

Another change keeping up with recent trends: None of the cookies are made with trans fats.

"We, as an educational association, try to help girls make healthy choices," Dolce said.

The cookie sale is now under way and will last until Feb. 4. The council generates about 38 percent of its $1.7-million budget from product sales.

As a name and governmental structure, the Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council may not exist to celebrate a 51st anniversary.

The council plans to merge this year with two other councils along Route 22 -- part of a national restructuring plan intended to strengthen the organization's leadership. The 11 councils in New Jersey will consolidate to four, though officials say local troops won't be impacted.

Founded in 1957 from eight existing councils, the Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council includes 7,652 girls and 3,396 adults from communities in Union, Middlesex and Somerset counties. The largest number of girls and adult volunteers comes from Westfield.

Council Board Chair Tiffany Wilson of Plainfield is one example of a modern Girl Scout doing big things in the community.

The lifelong Scout is a law school graduate and assistant prosecutor for Union County.

As her council prepares to embark on program and leadership changes, Wilson gave credit to the Girl Scouts for reinventing itself.

"I think the Girls Scouts have really recognized that girls change, and if we want to continue to serve and help them, we have to be willing to change with them," Wilson said.

Visit the Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council on the Web at www.westfieldnj.com/girlscouts/.

Galería de Foto - Photo Gallery

GIRL SCOUTS OF WASHINGTON ROCK COUNCIL
Plainfield Girl Scouts in the early 1960s. Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council leaders say they are making changes to their programs to keep Scouting relevant for the time-pressed young women of today.

DOLCE

KRESGE

WILSON