Council Realignment

In Orlando Work Session, All Eyes Are on the Resource Map

When Jasper Johns painted his "Map," in 1961, he made each state in that large-scale canvas shimmer with modulated color. Colorado, for example, includes at least eight different hues. Curiously, that's not far from the number of Girl Scout councils now in the Rocky Mountain state: Colorado has five councils, but four more councils from neighboring states reach into its boundaries.

Johns' "Map," of course, is a 1960s Pop Art masterpiece: Now 45 years old, it's not at all a 21st-century vision. Neither is the current Girl Scout council map, which originally dates from the 1960s, and now, after many revisions, features 312 councils.

As GSUSA moves ahead with its Core Business Strategy, a key step is the realignment of councils. The jurisdictional boundaries of all councils are being reviewed and redrawn – to assist in the creation of high-capacity councils that have the funding, connections and scale to achieve their purpose. To that end, GSUSA hired two demographers to create a 21st-century council resource map. The map from demographers Peter Francese of Exeter, N.H., and Jeanne Gobalet of Saratoga, Calif., is far simpler than the current one. It has fewer than 110 councils spread over 50 states and Puerto Rico.

This resource map was previewed at the recent Board Chairs and CEOs Work Session in Orlando, Fla., and an early straw poll reveals a positive response from existing councils, reported Courtney Shore, GSUSA's Senior VP of Communications and Marketing. "There was a lot of esprit de corps," added Nancy Fox, interim Executive Vice President, Mission to Market.

Before drawing the resource map – which will not be finalized until all councils and the National Board have had their say – the demographers considered a number of key factors needed by councils to help ensure an adequate potential membership base and financial strength. These included:

• Demographic shifts in the United States, which show girl populations concentrating in the West and South
• Adequate local economy, meaning greater than $15 billion in aggregate household income and at least one substantial population center (a city of more than 50,000 residents) within each council's jurisdiction.
• Distinct regional identities that should be preserved
• Natural and geographic boundaries that should be respected
• The need for contiguous coverage across the nation without any gaps or overlaps

These factors led to a revamped council resource map with various new combinations of existing councils. Still, some councils – including Great New York and those in historically one-council states such as Utah and Hawaii – will remain much as they are today.

Councils have until June 1 to submit jurisdiction proposals. From June to August, a GSUSA-led team of local and national volunteers and staff will review all proposals and establish the final council boundaries for the National Board's approval.

Although the emphasis is on what's best for the girls and for Girls Scouts as a Movement, no one is losing sight of individuals and their needs, particularly the possibly changing roles for existing council staff. "Peoples' lives are involved," said GSUSA CEO Kathy Cloninger, speaking at a New York headquarters staff meeting in early March. "Every day we talk about the human impact."

Like Johns's "Map" painting, which drew laughs from the crowd when Francese showed it during his presentation at the Orlando work session, the new map will be made of many colors. But it will also be a map designed for Girl Scouts of the 21st century and beyond.