CEO says she's devoted to keeping the 'Girl' in Girl Scouts - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

CEO says she's devoted to keeping the 'Girl' in Girl Scouts

Posted: Updated:

  • NationalMore>>

  • States aim to stop internet release of 3D-printed gun plans

    States aim to stop internet release of 3D-printed gun plans

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 7:40 PM EDT2018-08-21 23:40:43 GMT
    A federal judge in Seattle is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to issue an injunction to block a settlement the U.S. State Department reached with a company that wants to post blueprints for printing...More >>
    A federal judge in Seattle is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to issue an injunction to block a settlement the U.S. State Department reached with a company that wants to post blueprints for printing 3D weapons on the internet.More >>

  • Hard to see, hard to breathe: US West struggles with smoke

    Hard to see, hard to breathe: US West struggles with smoke

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 6:55 PM EDT2018-08-21 22:55:07 GMT
    (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). The sun is seen through smoky air as it sets Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, behind the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Wash. Poor air quality will be common across parts of the Pacific Northwest this week as winds push smoke from surroundin...(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). The sun is seen through smoky air as it sets Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, behind the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Wash. Poor air quality will be common across parts of the Pacific Northwest this week as winds push smoke from surroundin...
    Smoke from wildfires has blotted out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delayed flights and forced authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors.More >>
    Smoke from wildfires has blotted out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delayed flights and forced authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors.More >>

  • The Latest: Dem: Court pick won't say if rulings are correct

    The Latest: Dem: Court pick won't say if rulings are correct

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 7:40 PM EDT2018-08-21 23:40:19 GMT
    (AP Photo/Cliff Owen). In this Aug. 15, 2018, photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, center, walks to the office of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., for a meeting with her on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kavanaugh is set to meet with Republican Sen. ...(AP Photo/Cliff Owen). In this Aug. 15, 2018, photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, center, walks to the office of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., for a meeting with her on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kavanaugh is set to meet with Republican Sen. ...
    Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set to meet with Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist who's seen as a potential swing vote on his confirmation.More >>
    Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set to meet with Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist who's seen as a potential swing vote on his confirmation.More >>
    •   

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) - The head of the Girl Scouts says that while the organization is disappointed that the Boy Scouts have decided to accept girls it is focused on helping "parents understand the benefits of Girl Scouts."

"At Girl Scouts, we're going to stay completely focused on girls. The 'girl' is going to stay in Girl Scouting," Sylvia Acevedo, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "We were disappointed that an organization that we had partnered with for 100 years decided to accept girls, but you know what? Our focus is on what we do really well."

Acevedo was in Detroit to attend an evening ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new headquarters for the southeastern Michigan chapter.

Her visit comes at a time of strained relations between the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, which last month announced a new name for its Boy Scouts program: Scouts BSA. The change will take effect in February. The parent organization will remain the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts - the program that serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade - also will keep its title. But the Boy Scouts, the program for 11- to 17-year-olds, will be known as Scouts BSA. The organization already has started admitting girls into the Cub Scouts, and Scouts BSA will begin accepting girls in 2019.

Girl Scout leaders have said they were blindsided by the move, but Acevedo stressed Wednesday that her group has a strong case to make to parents.

"A lot of times people think Girl and Boy Scouts are similar," she said. "We have programming that has been focused on girls for over 100 years, with these amazing outcomes."

As part of the Girl Scouts' campaign to recruit and retain girls as members, it is creating a number of new badges that girls can earn and concentrating on outdoor activities and on science, engineering, technology, and math.

The Girl Scouts are among a number of major youth organizations in the nation that are seeing declines in membership in recent years due to competition from sports leagues and busy family schedules.

According to Acevedo, the key is getting across the Girl Scouts' message.

"A lot of times, parents haven't understood the lifetime benefits of a girl being in Girl Scouts, so we're going to do a much better job explaining that to parents," she said.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • More From wfmj.comHot ClicksMore>>

  • Trump sends mean tweets, first lady talks positivity online

    Trump sends mean tweets, first lady talks positivity online

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 7:31 PM EDT2018-08-21 23:31:36 GMT
    (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais). First lady Melania Trump speaks as she attends the 6th Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention (FPBP) Summit at Health and Human Service in Rockville, Md., Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais). First lady Melania Trump speaks as she attends the 6th Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention (FPBP) Summit at Health and Human Service in Rockville, Md., Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.
    Melania Trump is encouraging technology and social media companies to provide more opportunities for children to share ideas on how to be good citizens online.More >>
    Melania Trump is encouraging technology and social media companies to provide more opportunities for children to share ideas on how to be good citizens online.More >>

  • Science Says: Hotter weather turbocharges US West wildfires

    Science Says: Hotter weather turbocharges US West wildfires

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 6:55 PM EDT2018-08-21 22:55:21 GMT
    (AP Photo/Noah Berger). FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, firefighters monitor a backfire while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire near Ladoga, Calif. The years with the most acres burned by wildfires have some of the hot...(AP Photo/Noah Berger). FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, firefighters monitor a backfire while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire near Ladoga, Calif. The years with the most acres burned by wildfires have some of the hot...
    An AP analysis finds a clear connection between warmer temperatures out west and more land burned by wildfires.More >>
    An AP analysis finds a clear connection between warmer temperatures out west and more land burned by wildfires.More >>

  • Hard to see, hard to breathe: US West struggles with smoke

    Hard to see, hard to breathe: US West struggles with smoke

    Tuesday, August 21 2018 6:55 PM EDT2018-08-21 22:55:07 GMT
    (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). The sun is seen through smoky air as it sets Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, behind the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Wash. Poor air quality will be common across parts of the Pacific Northwest this week as winds push smoke from surroundin...(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). The sun is seen through smoky air as it sets Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, behind the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Wash. Poor air quality will be common across parts of the Pacific Northwest this week as winds push smoke from surroundin...
    Smoke from wildfires has blotted out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delayed flights and forced authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors.More >>
    Smoke from wildfires has blotted out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delayed flights and forced authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors.More >>
    •   
Powered by Frankly
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2018 WFMJ. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms