Girl Scouts started with Juliette Gordon Low

October 31 is not just Halloween. It is also National Girl Scout Founder’s Day. This day recognizes the accomplishments of Juliette Gordon Low and her contributions to scouting. She was born on October 31, 1860.

Girl Scouting in the US began on March 12, 1912, when Low organized the first Girl Guides troop meeting with 18 girls in attendance. It took place in Savannah, Georgia, her home town. She organized enrichment programs, outdoor activities, adventures, and service projects for the girls. Three years later, they became the Girl Scouts. By 1920 there were close to 70,000 members. Ten years later, the number increased to 200,000 members and by 2005, there were over 3.7 million members! (NationalDayCalendar). That number has diminished in the last decade and a half, down to 1.7 million scouts and nearly three-quarters of a million leaders, but it is an impressive number for a group that started with less than 20 participants just over a century ago (Recent numbers).

Low described her organization by saying that “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.” While National Girl Scout Founder’s Day focuses on her, she was helped by Sir Robert Baden-Powell who is the founder of the Scouting Movement, according to the National Day Calendar. Low remained active until her death in 1927.

During COVID-19, girls can access Girl Scout programming from home. Girls in grades 9 and 10 would be considered Seniors, while girls in grades 11 and 12 are called Ambassadors. To find out more about membership, go to NorCal Scouting and start earning your badges and making your friends.