Girl Scouts Of The USA Smashes Leadership Stereotypes With New PSA, Anthem, And Data Showing Impact Girl Scouts Have On The World This Giving Tuesday

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:  http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7914751-girl-scouts-of-the-usa-giving-Tuesday

A Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) study shows that 81 percent of voters believe preparing girls for leadership roles should be a national priority. Nevertheless, fewer than eight cents of every dollar granted by U.S. foundations go toward addressing girls' needs and issues. The PSA and anthem are rallying cries for the importance of leadership development for girls of all ages, and the data is proof of the amazing work Girl Scouts are doing every day. As an organization, Girl Scouts believes leadership should not be narrowly defined. At Girl Scouts, girls are empowered to empower themselves, and encouraged to try new things, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and take the lead in their communities.

Powerful Celebration of G.I.R.L.

Bringing to life Girl Scouts' new brand platform, the "I'm Prepared" PSA celebrates every girl's inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™. Applauding girls who never give up, who try new things, and who make their ideas a reality, the PSA is a visual representation of how Girl Scouts prepares every G.I.R.L. to practice leadership like a Girl Scout––uniquely encouraging girls to cultivate grit, problem-solving, risk-taking, and leading with empathy. It is a call for girls to embrace their leadership potential and empower themselves through Girl Scouts and for consumers to invest in the future of girls for the betterment of our world.

The PSA is set to Girl Scouts' new powerful pop anthem, "Watch Me Shine," co-written by songwriters Liz Rose and Emily Shackelton, and performed by Shackelton with Girl Scouts singing backup vocals. The song exemplifies how Girl Scouts empowers girls to find the strength and confidence they need to take the lead every day and to create impactful change in themselves and in their communities. Both songwriters, as Girl Scout alumnae, are go-getters and risk-takers themselves: Rose is a two-time Grammy Award winner who has collaborated with well-known female artists like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Jewel; Shackelton's songs have been featured on TV shows like American Idol and Nashville. "Watch Me Shine" will be available to stream or download on iTunes, Amazon Music and Google Play.

Data with Impact

GSUSA is releasing new data gathered over the past 45 days from Girl Scouts ages five to 18 in 43 states that gives new insight into how girls are taking the lead to build a better world. The preliminary data reveals the social impact Girl Scouts have on their communities and the world as measured through key objectives of the United Nations' Global Sustainable Development Goals for education, poverty, gender equality, and more.

• In total, girls dedicated the most hours to projects within education, reflecting Girl Scouts' desire to empower others and create sustainable progress in society. Education was followed by, respectively, health, poverty reduction, gender equality and empowering women and girls, food security and hunger elimination, environment, and life on land and life below water.
• Girl Scouts dedicated the most volunteer hours, on average, to projects about life on land and life below water. This was followed closely by projects focused on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls—with an impressive average of 170 hours dedicated to projects in this category. Girl Scouts are at the frontlines of advocating for gender equality, establishing their important role in achieving that goal in our lifetime.
• The further girls advance in the Girl Scout program, the more hours they commit to changing the world—elementary school students submitted 2,900 hours total; middle school students, a total of 9,095 hours; and high school students, a total of 19,968 hours. Girl Scouts who didn't share their age spent 3,197 hours creating change. Girl Scouts uniquely contributes to girls' development by fostering a sense of leadership that grows as they do. 

"Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity to support Girl Scouts everywhere, providing the funding necessary to support vibrant developmental leadership experiences for girls," said Sylvia Acevedo, interim CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. "Our new PSA showcases what it means to fearlessly practice leadership like a Girl Scout and is an amazing reflection of the grit and determination our members exemplify on a daily basis. Girl Scouts has always been more than just cookies, camping, and crafts—our organization provides girls the skills to lead effectively and to be the change-makers our society needs. From a broader standpoint, the return on investment in girls yields long-term, impactful results, because girls, in turn, channel their passions into creating powerful and lasting change in their communities and in their work." 

Today marks the first time both GSUSA and Girl Scout councils have activated a national giving platform during Giving Tuesday, and donors are encouraged to visit www.girlscouts.org/investingirls through December 2, 2016, to invest in girls' leadership development so they can maximize their potential. Through ToGetHerThere: The Girl Scout Challenge, Girl Scouts is bringing people together to invest in the future of girls—giving everyone the opportunity to invest in girls' leadership potential for the advancement of our world.

We're Girl Scouts of the USA  
We're 2.7 million strong—1.9 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe girls can change the world. It began over 100 years ago with one woman, Girl Scouts' founder Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low, who believed in the power of every girl. She organized the first Girl Scout troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, and every year since, we've made her vision a reality, helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents. Today we continue the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs for girls from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to do something amazing. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscouts.org.

About ToGetHerThere: The Girl Scout Challenge  
The ToGetHerThere campaign originated in 2010 as the largest fundraising campaign for girls in history, with a goal of $1 billion by 2020, in the interest of empowering girls to reach their fullest potential and build a better world. ToGetHerThere: The Girl Scout Challenge, spotlighting Girl Scouts who are making a demonstrable difference in the world, brings a new dimension to the campaign and represents the first national small-dollar donation platform with a mobile giving option for Girl Scouts of the USA and its affiliated councils. This two-part campaign consists of a girl-facing website and separate fundraising website, with Girl Scouts challenged to share how they give back to build a better world, and potential donors exposed to girls' powerful Take Action projects and challenged to invest in Girl Scouts who take the lead to make the world a better place. Learn more about ToGetHerThere: The Girl Scout Challenge or about investing in girls.

About #GivingTuesday  
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2016 iteration will be held on November 29, 2016. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits, businesses, and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate, and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global moment dedicated to giving around the world.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit www.givingtuesday.org.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA

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