Our Year

A message from Girl Scouts of Colorado
President and Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Foote

The mission of Girl Scouting is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. But, there’s another “c” that is key to our success and that’s collaboration.

We are the experts in girl leadership experiences, but we can’t champion female ambition all on our own. It takes collaboration — collaboration with our community; collaboration with every single person who sees the good in giving girls the opportunity to lead; collaboration with corporations and with civic leaders.

From the local fire stations working with girls earning first aid badges, to GE Johnson showing Girl Scouts that they can build things, and the Colorado State Forest Service guiding girls and their families to care for our environment, our community partners are making a difference in the lives of girls.

Everything from a local art studio to colleges and universities, local police to the FBI, sporting organizations to professional athletes, city council members to our state’s governor, locally owned businesses to large corporations like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, The North Face, and Xcel Energy, collaboration is woven into the fabric of Girl Scouting. And, in turn, Girl Scouting is woven into the fabric of our communities.

Partner organizations provide amazing programming and opportunities for girls to explore new things, discover their passions, and connect with their community.

This year, more than 9,500 girls participated in Girl Scouts of Colorado-hosted community partner events, exploring topics such as STEM, life skills, entrepreneurship, environmental advocacy, civics, entertainment, community service, aviation, outdoor adventure, and much more.

Many of these local events enhanced the rollout of 42 new badges and Journeys, including nine cybersecurity badges, three space science badges, 18 Coding for Good badges, and the Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey. Our new programming prepares girls to address some of society’s most pressing needs through hands-on learning in cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, and space exploration.

Additionally, 12 outdoor high adventure badges were introduced, designed for girls to explore nature and experience exciting outdoor adventures like backpacking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, and tree climbing—giving them the confidence to support one another, take healthy risks, and spend dedicated time in nature. To kick off this new programming, Girl Scouts of Colorado partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to offer nearly 500 Girl Scouts, along with their friends and families, special events/activities at 10 state parks. Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies also participated in Global Climbing Day activities by climbing indoor walls in partnership with The North Face.

Collaboration does not stop at partners providing programming to girls and troops. Instead, our 22,000 girls, and the 10,000 adult members who support them, give back to community partners in ways big and small. From troops choosing a local food pantry or an animal shelter as their Hometown Hero recipient for donated Girl Scout Cookies to a Gold Award Girl Scout partnering with a local nonprofit to shine light on mental health issues faced by first responders and their families.

This is how we are all tied together. It’s how Girl Scouting is about so much more than troop meetings, adventures, and even badge-earning.

At our core, Girl Scouts aims to inspire girls to be leaders in their own lives by building the courage, confidence, and character to raise their voices and be advocates for the issues and ideas important to them. Then, with a community full of partners, collaborators, and supporters, they make the world a better place.

Thank you to all of our supporters, partners, and collaborators – from every single cookie customer to giant corporations, from every volunteer and every Girl Scout family member to every community organization that answers the call from a Girl Scout asking for a tour, a glimpse into their world. You are all champions for girls, and you are all making the world a better place.