Girl Scouts of Orange County   

Girl Scouts offers the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, with a research-proven program. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) was founded in 1912, by Juliette Gordon Low. Today, Girl Scouts is a global movement of 2 million Girl Scouts across 92 countries keenly focused on preparing girls to bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Girl Scouts of Orange County (GSOC) was founded in 1968 and now serves 15,000 girls (ages 5-18) and 10,000 volunteers and adult members from every zip code in Orange County. GSOC’s membership spans all age levels (5-18), races, ethnicities, socio-economic levels, and physical abilities. Girl Scout troop levels consist of: Girl Scout Daisies (Grades K-1), Girl Scout Brownies (Grades 2-3), Girl Scout Juniors (Grades 4-5), Girl Scout Cadettes (Grades 6-8), Girl Scout Seniors (Grades 9-10), and Girl Scouts Ambassadors (Grades 11-12). Girls meet regularly during the school year and participate in camps and many other activities over the summer.  The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is built around five pillars that serve as the foundation of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience: Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Outdoors, Life Skills, Arts (Entertainment and Hospitality) and Entrepreneurship.   Girl Scouts helps girls thrive in five important ways. Girl Scouts: • Develop a strong sense of self • Display positive values • Seek challenges and learn from setbacks • Form and maintain healthy relationships • Learn to identify and solve problems in the community.  Further, the inclusive, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space where girls can try new activities, develop skills, take on leadership roles, and be themselves.  The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls-- and the most difficult to earn and it is only available through Girl Scouts. Through the Girl Scout Gold Award, girls engage in a rigorous process that calls for leadership at the highest level, as girls tackle issues, they are passionate about. Gold Award Girl Scouts earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities. Here in Orange County, approximately 100 Girls earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award annually. Girl Scouts of Orange County relies on foundation grants, fundraising events, individual gifts, and corporate sponsorships to fulfill its mission. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, GSOC operates four program centers throughout the county, including Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center in Newport Beach, a Community Center in Santa Ana, and a 700-acre resident camp, Camp Scherman, in the San Jacinto Mountains.