I was thrilled to learn about the mega donation made to Girl Scouts by MacKenzie Scott and that Girl Scouts of Greater New York council (GSGNY), where I worked for over 6 years, was among the councils to receive a designated gift as part of this truly significant donation. This is truly heartening as we continue to come out of the pandemic and are having to learn how to live and be in a “different” world.
More research is coming out that reveals women of all walks of life were most detrimentally impacted, along with youth, by the pandemic, e.g., Seven Charts that Show Covid 19’s Impact on Women, by Mckinsey, And research is revealing women are seeking more from their work or they are leaving to find jobs that support them, e.g., Women in the Workplace -2022, by Lean In. This does not bode well for workplaces or for the girls who look up to women in all professions as role models.
It appears from the Girl Scouts’ announcement that girl membership was severely impacted by the pandemic, and now it will have the resources to invest in girls, volunteers, programs, and research in new ways that the future requires. I was reminded of an article I co-authored with Yvette Hyater-Adams in 2016 on the impact of one of GSGNY’s investments in girl leaders and what we learned. (The Anchor is no longer in publication, like many things affected by the pandemic, but you can find the article in the Anchor archives.
I celebrate this wise investment and look forward to seeing the impact of this gift on girls and volunteers around the country as Girl Scouts moves to greater heights in shaping girls who are well-equipped as eco-centric leaders capable of responding to the unfolding challenges of our time.
PS: I will write more in the future on eco-centric leadership