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Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring girls to build courage, confidence, and character through programs that develop life skills in business, entrepreneurship, science, and technology; provide adventures and challenges in sports, the environment, and the great outdoors; and encourage girls to give back to their communities through service projects conducted locally, across the United States, and internationally.
The Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council, Inc., (GSVSC) was chartered on July 1, 1963 when a number of councils joined together to become one. The council, chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA, serves over 11,500 girls ages 5-17 and over 3,500 adult volunteers throughout a 36-county jurisdiction within southwestern, western, central, and southside Virginia. Want to find out more about our council's history? Contact our Archives Group today!
Our Values & Mission
The values that underlie Girl Scouting are reflected in the mission statement that guides the program's activities. The Promise and Law, which every Girl Scout learns, reflect the goals girls are taught through participation in Girl Scouting.
Our Mission Statement
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong,
and responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Council Organization
The council is divided into 51 service units for the purpose of policy influencing of the council and for delivery of Girl Scouting to local communities.
A map of the council's service area is shown here.
Funding
The council is funded by the annual Girl Scout Cookie Sale, the Nut & Candy Sale, program fees, grants, gifts from individuals and corporations and United Ways. Learn the different and many ways you can contribute to Girl Scouts and make a difference in the life of a girl!
Girl Scout Age-Levels
Troops begin meeting in the fall of the year and continue until spring or even throughout the summer. Under the guidance of their leaders, the girls in the troop or group set their own goals. A Brownie Girl Scout troop may decide to work on several different Try-Its, adopt a family, and go on a science museum overnight. A Junior Girl Scout troop could decide to earn several badges, take a trip, volunteer in the library, and plan a bridging ceremony for younger girls. A Cadette or Senior Girl Scout troop might decide to go caving or backpacking, landscape an area park, participate in a weekend career workshop, or even spend several years planning a trip to one of the world centers.
Daisy Girl Scout, Ages 5-6, Grades K-1
As a Daisy Girl Scout, each girl has the opportunity to: learn about and believe in herself; develop an awareness of others and a sense of personal responsibility; build a sense of personal worth; develop good citizenship; develop a growing awareness of the world; and find guidance in physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual growth.
Brownie Girl Scout, Ages 6-8, Grades 1-3
As a Brownie Girl Scout, each girl has the opportunity to: embark on exciting adventures; gain self-confidence and build self-esteem; make new friends; explore her world; discover her unique qualities – talents, gifts, and strengths; and help other people through community service projects. Brownies learn to be honest, fair, and helpful.
Junior Girl Scout, Ages 8-11, Grades 3-6
As a Junior Girl Scout, each girl has the opportunity to be involved in activity, intellectual growth, new friendships, deepening relationships, and discoveries of both the outside world and inner selves. While the family is still very important to the Junior Girl Scout, friends and outside interests and experiences increase in importance.
Cadette/Senior Girl Scout, Ages 11-17, Grades 6-12
Girl Scouts ages 11-17 participate in Girl Scouting in many ways. Under the guidance of a trained adult advisor, girls mix and match activities and resources to suit their needs while giving back to their communities. They connect with each other and build self-esteem and confidence in their skills as they work on a range of projects and gain life experiences.
Sample activities for Girl Scouts 11-17:
- Learning how to be a first responder in an emergency
- Setting goals and earning charms related to a STUDIO 2B focus book
- Exploring their future career options with a mentor
- Spending a summer as a counselor-in-training at camp
- Rafting down Class III (moderately difficult) rapids with a river guide
- Publishing their stories online on the STUDIO 2B website
- Attending a Broadway play on a trip to New York City
- Investing "play dough" in a stock-market game and beating the experts
- Earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting, for working on a project that benefits their community
- Traveling across the country or around the world to explore culture, science, the outdoors, and more through STUDIO 2B destinations.
Girl Scout Adult Members
Adult volunteers ages 18 and up (women and men) participate in Girl Scouting as troop leaders, organizers, camp directors, registrars, trainers, council members of the board of directors, and in many other capacities.
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the USA organization is the world’s largest voluntary organization for girls and adults. It was founded on March 12, 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low and is part of a worldwide movement in 145 countries through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
The Girl Scout program is an informal education program for girls 5-17 years old designed to help girls put into practice the program goals of GSUSA. It is carried out in small groups with adult leadership and provides a wide range of activities developed around the interests and needs of girls. It is a values-based organization serving over 3.7 million girls.
World Centers
In 1919, the International Council was formed which later became the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. The mission of WAGGGS has always been based on spiritual values, with a commitment to peace and international understanding. WAGGGS operates four world centers: Pax Lodge in London, England; Our Chalet in Abelboden Switzerland; Our Cabana in Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Sangam in Pune, India. The world centers enable Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to experience the culture of the host country and to interact with and learn about travelers from around the world.
Girl Scout destinations
destinations are your chance to go somewhere new, do something different, and meet people from everywhere you can imagine. Choose from many types of events. See what life is really like for an M.D., or camp in the green depths of the Costa Rican rainforest. You can travel around the corner or around the globe. Don't be intimidated by the price. There may be funding from your local Girl Scout council, and we'll help you figure out your funding options. Check it out at www.studio2b.org. |
