WINTER 2024
Stories of girls leading with purpose and impact
Girl Reps to the board lend their voices for all girls Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI) strives to make sure that the girl drives our decisions and programming. Girls, parents, troops leaders, and community leaders all provide direct insight into what’s impacting girls in our community today. Building girls of courage, confidence, and character takes getting to know girls and understanding the effects of the world around them and how it affects them and their peers. In 2008, the GCNWI board of directors committed to ensuring that the girls’ voices are heard through the Girl Representative of the Board program. This program is for high school Girl Scouts who want to lend their energy, passion, and Girl Scout experience to influence our council’s governance process. Each year, eight girls are chosen to serve for a one-year term, during which time they participate in GCNWI Board of Directors meetings and act as spokespersons at board and council events.
Girl Scout of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
Board of Directors and Girl Representatives Meet Aaliya, a creative and outgoing 10th grader who has been a Girl Scout since she was a Daisy. Her troop meets within her Ismaili Muslim Mosque and they have had the same Girl Scout leader since the start of their Daisy troop. “Girl Scouts has always been a constant for me, even when the world around us was unstable.” This sense of comfort and stability is what inspired Aaliya to apply for the Girl Representative to the board position.
Here’s is what being a Girl Rep means to Aaliya: Why did you want to be a Girl Rep? “It is important to me to give back to this strong group of women who has empowered me to be the person I am today. I also want to see the behind-thescenes of an organization and what makes it work to help increase my awareness of possibilities for my future.” What do you hope to contribute to the council as a Girl Rep? “I want to bring my lived experiences and the lived experiences of the other Girl Reps. Our lived experiences I believe help to bring fresh ideas and different perspectives and advocate for the ideas. I also want to be part of fostering an inclusive environment within Girl Scouts and being part of the change that will support these efforts.” What do you hope to gain from your Girl Rep experience? “I hope this will help me in the future to keep the Girl Scout community close to me. This will also help empower me to find what I’m passionate about for my Gold Award Project.” When asked what her Girl Scout experience meant to her, she shared, “It has been a transformative experience. I have grown as a person, as a girl, as a friend, and [I am] growing as a mentor. I have built lifelong relationships with my leader and my friends in my troop. Being in Girl Scouts has taught me the value of service and helped to build my confidence.”