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Girl Scouts: A Leader in Hispanic Inclusion in Governance and Youth Development |
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| Published on August 21, 2006 |
By the middle of this century, one in four U.S. women will be Hispanic.But young Latinas face high suicide rates in addition to social problems ranging from dropping out of school to substance abuse to teen pregnancy, according to a recent study by El Diario/La Prensa.
These statistics are a call to action for the Girl Scouts and everyone else who has a stake in this country’s future, said Patricia Diaz Dennis, Girl Scouts Board Chair and mother of three.
Led by a Latina board chair and with nearly 15 percent of its board seats filled by Hispanics, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is a leader among the country’s top nonprofits in the inclusion of Hispanics in governance.Beginning with its leadership, the Girl Scouts are working to reverse these trends in the Hispanic community.
As the Girl Scouts’ first Latina board chair, Diaz Dennis stresses that diversity is in the Girl Scouts’ bones, a vital part of its mission.Hispanic inclusion on the board allows the organization’s leaders to make better decisions and to reach out more effectively to young Latinas, she said.
“It’s essential to us to perform our mission,” Diaz Dennis said.“It gives you special insights and it gives you a window into the Hispanic community.”
While the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility’s primary focus is on Hispanic inclusion in corporate America, Hispanic inclusion in the United States’ largest nonprofits is also an important area for inspection.This is the focus of HACR’s newest research into Hispanic inclusion in the governance of America’s top 25 nonprofits, as ranked by the November 1, 2005 Nonprofit Times.HACR will release the results of this first-of-its-kind research within the next few months.
Roughly 235,000 Girl Scouts in 2005 were Latina, but the Girl Scouts is working to serve a greater number of them by improving its recruitment and retention.From 2002 to 2005, Latina membership improved by about 20 percent and the Girl Scouts is developing new programs to continue reaching out to this growing segment of American youth.
“We need to bring in girls from all these underserved populations,” Diaz Denis said.“There are segments where we don’t really reflect the change in birth rate in the Hispanic community.We don’t have anywhere near the numbers of girls that you would think [we’d] have, given their numbers in the general population.”
In addition to partnering with groups such as the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Migrant Council, the Girl Scouts is also working with local, community-based organizations, including churches and schools, to reach out to young Latinas.Their goal is to educate young girls and their parents about the benefits of scouting and to change the misperception of Girl Scouts as an activity for “rich” girls, Diaz Dennis said.
In 2001, the Girl Scouts launched a border initiative to reach out to migrant families and those who live along the border.In collaboration with various groups, they even offer a CD-ROM in Spanish and English to teach girls and their families about how to apply for college and financial aid.This program is especially important for girls who will be first-generation college students, Diaz Dennis said.
To keep the Girl Scouts moving along the path toward greater inclusion, they are seeking advice from marketing specialists and will be voting on how to realign their 312 national councils, Diaz Dennis said.This realignment will help them offer better programs and increase their capacity, she said.
Scouting prepares girls to become leaders, whether they become savvy businesswomen, stay-at-home mothers or community activists, Diaz Dennis said.Girl Scouts accomplishes this by developing girls’ confidence, values and character through a rich array of fun and engaging programs and activities in areas like math, science, technology, business and lots of other areas far beyond the traditional cookies, crafts and camping, she said.
“Girl Scouts helps to build girls’ courage, confidence and character so they can make the world a better place,” Diaz Dennis said.“And we won’t be able to do that unless our membership reflects the diversity of this great country.”
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