Girl Scout Congressional Advocacy Day

On June 13, 2007, over 600 Girl Scout advocates - including girls, Council Board members and CEOs, and National Board members and staff - converged on Capitol Hill to visit the offices of every Member of Congress to advocate for support of girls' healthy living. Due to the hard work of Girls Scouts in communities nationwide, nearly half of the 535 Congressional meetings were with the Members of Congress themselves! Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative Nancy Boyda (D-KS) even took the opportunity to request a pinning ceremony to officially join Troop Capitol Hill, the Honorary Congressional Girl Scout troop.

Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota takes the oath and joins the Honorary Congressional Girl Scout Troop after being pinned by Young Women of Distinction Linsey and Minna.

With a long-standing commitment to the well-being of girls, Girl Scouts has a unique understanding of the complex issue of girls' health. Our experience and research, including the Girl Scouts Research Institute's original research report The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living tells us that girls have a view of health that combines good nutrition and physical fitness with emotional and social wellbeing. We know that teaching girls about making healthy decisions is about teaching them how to decide, not what to decide. With a historic emphasis on health in the Girl Scout experience, girls are educated and empowered to take action to strengthen their physical and emotional health and positively impact their communities and the world.

This day was a particularly effective way to build relationships with congressional offices and help educate legislators as they make decisions and create policy that impact girls' health.