Despitea nationwide decline of youth and adult membership in Girl Scouts, Southeast Missouri is seeing an increase in participation throughout the organization.
According to Chief Communications Officer Brigitte Scott, the Southeast chapter grew by more than 360 members, including youth and adult membership. In fiscal year 2012-2013, the region had 4,006 memberships and 2013-2014 it had 4,369 members.
“We are proud to report that we have more girls there than we did last year,” Scott said. “It’s very exciting that we are having an incline in the midst of all the movement-wide challenges with regard to volunteers and recruitment.”
Nationwide, the number of the organization's membership for youths and adults dropped from 2,994,844 to 2,813,997 in 2013-2014, totaling a 6 percent decline. There were 809,413 adult leaders and 2,004,584 youth members. In comparison, the organization had more than 900,000 adults and 2.9 million youth in 2003.
“I think we are exhibiting some residual factors from the financial crisis that we had in 2008,” Scott said. “Obviously Girl Scouting is a volunteer organization so we’re trying to work in different ways in making the time and commitment less so that Girl Scouting can still happen in the area.”
Scott said she believes the success in the Southeast region is due to the organization adapting to the needs and wants of members in the area. Girl Scouts collaborates with local organizations like the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center and Southeast Missouri State University.
“We are working with that area to figure out what it is they want from Girl Scouting,” Scott said. “We provide a lot of activities in that area like troop camping, the horse programs, the wild outdoors.”
Though there is a decline in membership, there is still a nationwide and local waiting list for girls who want to join. Scott encourages more adults to volunteer so girls do not have wait for an opening.
“I think girls and parents should be a part of Girl Scouting because we offer leadership skills and outdoor skills that maybe they don’t get anywhere else,” Scott said. “Our program has been designed with girls in mind because as we all know, financial literacy, science technology, engineering and math, is all very good life skills that they need as they continue to grow through life.”
For more information on becoming a member, the organization is collaborating with Southeast’s sororities and fraternities to host a recruitment event for children in kindergarten through fifth grade on Nov. 1 at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, Mo.