Girl Scouts of Gateway Council

Property Services - Properties in Gateway Council exist to serve the needs of the Girl Scout program. These include offices where staff and volunteers meet and work, little houses where troops and small groups meet and sometimes hold overnight events, and camp properties where residential and day camping activities, environmental learning, team building, etc are held. There are three little houses, three camp/learning centers, and the corporate headquarters building located in Jacksonville, FL.

Membership Services - Girl Scouts of Gateway Council serves over 6,200 girl members by providing the girl scout leadership experience. Approximately 70% of our membership experiences this program in tradional girl scout troops led by adult volunteers. These volunteers are supervised by membership and program staff. The girls also participate in council sponsored program activities, primarily large-scale events that are more appropriately offered by the council rather than in the troop setting. The other 30% of our membership experiences the girl scout leadership program through in-school or other group settings, short-term series activities or other settings. These innovative girl scout programs are delivered by membership staff and usually funded by the council.

Leadership Services - Girl Scouts Leadership Development is the world's preeminent organization dedicated soley to the leadership development of girls. Together with commited adult volunteers, girls discover their personal best and prepare for a positive future, connect with others in an increasingly diverse world, and take action to solve problems and improve their communities. In the early days of girl scouting, girls learned gardening and first aid skills. They also learned about childcare, morse code, camping, and cooking. Although some of these activities are still part of girl scouting, technological advances have changed society and girls needs and interests. Today, the girl scout program includes a myriad of educational experiences, including field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, and environmental stewardship. Additionally, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council has offered various STEM activities and robotics competitions. Other issues current today are obesity prevention, anti-bullying and conflict resolution, and forming healthy relationships.

Product Sales Program - Includes the cookie campaign and the fall product sale. Each program event helps underwrite program opportunities such as camping, program center activities, and training for adults and girls. The girl scout cookie program is the largest girl-led business in the country and generates immeasurable benefits for girls and our local communities. Through participation in the product sales programs, girls develop five key business and leadership skills that last a lifetime: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. While monies earned through the product sales program are important to Girl Scouts of Gateway Council and our troops, the intangible benefits to our girls, such as building self-confidence, learning the importance of teamwork, financial and budgeting skills, realizing the importance of personal responsibility and the value of hard work, are equally important.

Adult Services - Girl Scouts of Gateway Council maintains a staff that is skilled, competent, well-trained and diverse. In addition, werecruit, train, support and recognize a large corps of several thousand volunteers each year. Because the girl scout program depends so heavily on volunteer leadership, significant financial and staff resources are devoted to adult services. The safety of the girls is our primary concern, therefore, we make significant investments in the screening and training of these adult volunters.