Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida

GSSEF served 6,988 girls in grades K-12 and 3,827 adult members in Broward, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St Lucie counties. We are a girl-led organization that believes in hands-on learning to develop empowered Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders. Our members participate in a variety of activities & programs that benefit them by fostering a strong sense of self, positive values, challenge-seeking, healthy relationships and community problem-solving. These activities & programs are supported by our four program pillars: STEM, Outdoors, Life Skills and Entrepreneurship (goal setting, financial literacy, business ethics) which includes the Product Sales Program. (continued on Schedule O) When a girl participates in our Product Sale Program (cookies, nuts, candy and magazines), she's part of the world's largest financial literacy program for girls, run by girls. She's building a lifetime of skills and confidence. She learns goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. She discovers that selling cookies is more than just a business - that she can do whatever she puts her mind to, that her decisions matter, and that she can make things happen. Our girls change the lives of those in their community through service projects and outreach, when they put the almost $1,416,459 they earned in proceeds to work.

Through staff-led troops, GSSEF provides the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 1,765 girls (25% of our total girl membership) in community areas that need it most. These girls are served in community centers, schools and a variety of sites through grant funding and are able to participate in traditional Girl Scout activities like the badge work, advocacy, the Girl Scout Cookie Program and a variety of emotional and behavioral skill-building exercises that develop their self-esteem, confidence and critical life skills. Research has shown that members of staff-led troops experienced improvements in the areas of confidence, communication, interpersonal relationship skills, improved grades, improved school attendance and decreases in school disciplinary action. (continued on Schedule O)The transformative impact of the Palm Beach County Youth Services Department funding has reshaped the landscape of our offerings, leaving an indelible mark on the personal and professional development of 830 girls and 108 adults. This partnership has seen substantial increases across our five key outcomes. Girls now exhibit a strong sense of self, with newfound confidence and positive identities, fostering an ethos of challenge-seeking and the willingness to take appropriate risks. This grant has enabled the cultivation of positive values, ethical conduct, and a genuine concern for others, contributing to the development of healthy relationships and instilling a deep-rooted desire for community problem-solving. At the core of our approach are the four pillars: STEM, Outdoor Stewardship, Life Skills development, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. With a specific focus on DEI, Mental Health Awareness, and Workforce Development, our programs strategically align with these pillars. Notably, the emphasis on career and college readiness skills has manifested in the provision of 20 paid internships with local organizations, a pivotal step in empowering our girls for future success. All girls participating in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience gained valuable life skills and college-readiness skills that aid them in creating more well-rounded lifestyles and stronger prosperity for success. Three in four Girl Scouts now assert they have become leaders in more activities with friends, reflecting a tangible increase in leadership capabilities. An overwhelming 88% report a higher positive sense of self, showcasing the enduring effects of this partnership on the girls we serve. GSSEF's Get REAL! Program, supported by the Florida Department of Education is a 30-week, in-school program for at-risk girls at Broward County Middle Schools. We served 103 girls in the school. This comprehensive program has a three-pronged approach to target the areas of greatest concern and detriment to the success of the girls. First, Get Real! addresses literacy by promoting a reading program comprised of contemporary literature that opens the door to discussing real-life problems and situations. The second component is a character-building course that develops character and self-esteem and strengthens the decision-making skills and autonomy of the girls. The third and final piece of the program is focused on community service and provides a vehicle to return benefit to the community through community service projects designed and implemented by the girls. These three components together present a multi-faceted advance on the difficult issues and situations the girls face daily. Funding provided by the Children's Services Council allows Girl Scout troops to be located in underserved areas where volunteer leadership is extremely challenging in St. Lucie County. GSSEF delivers an interactive combination of programs to 582 girls that includes "PowerUp" (focusing on anti-aggression and bully-prevention), STEM activities (including candy science and career exploration in the technology fields), and healthy living (integrating sessions to boost self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as personal safety, nutrition and fitness.

The Girl Scouts outdoor program at camp is a place to embrace nature, teach critical thinking, introduce the topics of earth sciences and environmental sustainability as well as and create future leaders. GSSEF offers camp programs year-round that promote these essential life skills in the outdoor settings at our two 640-acre camp properties located in Jupiter and Clewiston. Outdoor education and environmental stewardship are core values to the Girl Scout leadership experience for girls. We watch as girls who experience camp and the great outdoors eclipse their peers (who spend little/no time outdoors) in environmental stewardship activism, more readily seek challenges, and are better problem solvers - all critical traits in leadership. (continued on Schedule O)Additionally, GSSEF added outdoor program elements that help girls understand how distraction-free time outside can improve how they feel physically and offer strategies to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, while improving overall self-esteem. Thousands of our members experience unique outdoor programs while staying rooted in the traditions of overnight camping, outdoor cooking, trailblazing, water sports, identifying and encountering wildlife, at our camp properties through camping or attending one of our many programs for girls at every age and skill level. This year 178 girls attended summer resident camp at Camp Welaka over six consecutive weeks. GSSEF served more 2,000 participants at both camp properties in 2023.

Other programs and member services.