Each year, we develop a federal legislative agenda to advance key issues and promote leadership opportunities for girls. The agenda is informed by our extensive research and program experience in working with girls for over 100 years.
The Girl Scout 2018 Legislative Agenda (PDF) supports polices that foster leadership and educational opportunities for girls and nonprofit organizations serving youth. Specifically, Girl Scouts' public policy priorities are:
Supporting Girls’ Exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
We want every girl to have opportunities to explore and build an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. We strongly support policy efforts that invest in STEM education programs and develop career pipelines that inspire and enable girls in grades K to 12 and those in underrepresented minorities to enter the STEM workforce.
Strengthening Girls’ Financial Literacy Skills
Ninety percent of girls say it’s important to learn how to manage money, but only 12 percent of girls today currently feel very confident making financial decisions. We want to change that. For over a century, financial literacy has been an integral part of our programming and policy agenda.
Reducing Bullying and Relational Aggression
Our innovative bullying prevention program for middle school girls, called BFF (Be a Friend First), helps girls develop healthy relationships, prevent bullying, and become peacemakers in their schools and communities. We support policies that invest in bullying prevention programs and efforts in schools that encourage partnerships with youth-serving organizations in order to build strong, lasting relationships and social skills.
Increasing Access to Outdoor Activities
For over a century, outdoor activities have been a cornerstone of the Girl Scout experience, and we remain committed to ensuring that girls have the opportunity to take part in everything our camps and our nation’s natural resources have to offer. We support policy efforts to help girls get outdoors regularly and in varied ways.
Fostering Global Citizenship and a Global Voice for Girls
We are dedicated to ensuring that girls have opportunities to develop an increased awareness of the larger world—even if they don't travel beyond their own community—so they can grow into responsible global citizens.
Supporting a Thriving Nonprofit Community
We support policies and activities that help us achieve our mission—and that help nonprofits incentivize charitable giving, as well as recruit and retain staff and volunteers.
