03/12/2014
In honor of the 102nd birthday of the Girl Scouts today -- an organization which has been a part of more than 59 million women's lives -- we're celebrating the woman that made it all possible: Girl Scouts of the USA founder, Juliette Gordon Low.
The early 20th Century was a time when a lot of restrictions were placed on young girls. Athletics and outdoor exploration were not encouraged activities. In general, girls were expected to set their sights on the traditional roles of wife, mother and homemaker. Juliette Gordon Low, set out to change the status quo and give girls access to a broad range of new experiences and opportunities.
Born in 1860, Low, known as "Daisy" to friends and family, grew up in Savannah, Georgia but spent much of her early adulthood traveling extensively and exploring the world. In 1911, she discovered a new passion when she met former English General Robert Baden-Powell who had recently founded the Scouting movement in the UK. Baden-Powell has also recruited his sister Agnes to organize the Girl Guides and new scout troops were springing up across England.
Inspired to bring the new movement to America, Low returned to the US in 1912 and made a historic call to her cousin, Nina Anderson Pape where she stated: "Come right over! I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" The two women recruited girls from throughout Savannah and, on this day in 1912, held the first meeting of the American Girl Guides. By 1913, the group was thriving with Low as president, and the organization's name was changed to "Girl Scouts."
In the final years of her life, Low dedicated her energy to building the global scouting movement. She believed that "Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting can be the magic thread which links the girls of the world together." Following her death in 1927, Low was buried in Savannah in her Girl Scout uniform and friends created the Juliette Low World Friendship Fun to honor Low's love of travel and cultural exchange. To this day, the Fund supports international friendship by funding Girl Scout exchange visits, service projects, and travel to global events.
Through her founding of the Girl Scouts, Low has left a tremendous legacy. Today in the US, there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts -- 2.3 million girl members and 890,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers. Many of the Girl Scouts of the past and present have been inspired by the Girl Scouts Law to "make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout." Low's goal was to include all girls and the Girl Scouts have historically welcomed girls with widely varied backgrounds and abilities, at one time leading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to call the organization “a force for desegregation.”
In honor of the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary, two excellent books were published about Low’s life -- "First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low" for readers 9 to 12 (http://www.amightygirl.com/first-girl-scout) and “Here Come the Girl Scouts!” for readers 4 to 8 (http://www.amightygirl.com/here-come-the-girl-scouts).
Additionally, there is a book about Low's childhood, "Juliette Low: Girl Scout Founder," for ages 8 to 11 (http://www.amightygirl.com/juliette-low-girl-scout-founder) and a paper doll history of the Girl Scout uniform at http://www.amightygirl.com/helping-hands
For more stories of real-life women explorers, visit our "Explorers / Adventurers" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/history-biography/biography?cat=347
For stories to inspire children to follow the Girl Scout motto of "Do a good turn daily," visit our "Generosity/Charity" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/values?cat=317
In this photo, Juliette Gordon Low (center) is standing with two Girl Scouts, Robertine McClendon (left) and Helen Ross (right).
