“I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight,” Juliette Gordon Low, who formed the first Girl Scout troop in March of 1912 in Savannah, Georgia told her cousin. Since then, the Girl Scouts have become a cultural icon in their 100+ years. Here are some fun facts about this pivitol organization for girls.
1. Girl Scouts Isn’t Strictly American
Juliette Gordon Low met Sir Robert Baden-Powell in 1911. He created the Boy Scouts in England, which had grown to more than 40,000 members in America and Europe. Gordon Low was inspired by the combination of military preparedness and having fun, so she decided to lead a patrol of Girl Guides (the offshoot for girls) near her home in Scotland. She also formed two Girl Guide patrols in London by the winter of 1911.
When Gordon Low returned to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia in 1912, she decided to form the American Girl Guides. Her first troop comprised 18 girls. In 1913, Gordon Low changed the name to Girl Scouts when her troop told her they wanted to be known as Girl Scouts.
Today, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is a global female-oriented Guiding and Scouting organization represents 150 countries.
Do you know the confusing connection to The Boy Scouts?