The term “Girl Scouts” almost always conjures up what we may think of as an organization that helps little girls have fun until they are old enough to have fun without being in a group. But hear this: Girl Scouts offer so much more. Members are offered an amazing array of activities, trips, skills and more. And, although the Boy Scouts have offered to include girls, when you see the list of activities these girls learn so much from, you will agree they needn’t join the Boy Scouts to obtain the skills so useful in today’s world.

Right now The “big thing” offered through Girl Scouts is the annual cookie sale. We can all benefit from that even if we are already full of Valentine’s Day chocolates. Before tackling cookies, however, let’s find out more about the broad purposes of the Girl Scouts. Here we are concentrating on the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage which includes 20 troops, serving more than 120 young girls within this area. In addition to environmental studies, they can choose STEM (the study and use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Kelly Stombaugh, membership coordinator with the Silver Sage group, took time off her busy day to describe the activities that are truly important to the Girl Scouts.

In her work she has found that, “It is exciting to watch young girls grow into being responsible young women. I cannot say enough about their progress as volunteers, their positive attitudes and the continual progress they exhibit.”

She continued, describing the practical use of their learned abilities and how all Girl Scouts serve their communities through volunteer activities, help, business opportunities, finance ability, setting goals, helping with benefits and more. These offerings are important and are taught through a variety of topics. The end result enhances human skills including self-confidence, character and capability.

“Learning through doing” is provided to these young girls from kindergarten age up through high school. In addition, the volunteer leaders responsible for this learning are not only competent in the fields of study available, but they provide excellent examples of self-confidence, poise and “know-how.” The youngest members start to learn multi-leveled abilities. Then, as they get older, they are eligible to travel elsewhere to learn about skills such as “Swim with the Dolphins,” film-making and the like. At the age of 14, they are eligible to take longer trips. For example, a recent trip was to Brazil where they were introduced to individuals in organizations similar to the Girl Scouts, learned more about the geology and history of Brazil and had conversations with people who represent a variety of cultures.

Often, in today’s world, people are intent on protecting their children from perceived dangers, but we all know that the more we learn, the more capable we are of coping with adversity. This is not to suggest that the Girl Scouts merely send young people out into the unknown. To the contrary, the safest way to learn and to travel is to be with well-informed people who can encourage the development of expanding knowledge and personal confidence.

Many of the activities initiated through Girl Scout Troops are judged by time spent, work done and of course, results. Bronze, Silver, and Gold rewards are offered depending on age, hours spent and the quality of the final product. As examples, some of these efforts include planning events such as Bicycle Safety, making care bags, planning and producing videos and more. Regardless of the project, end results ensure further steps toward character, courage and confidence.

OK, now we can go back to the Cookie Sales. This is once-yearly activity brings money to the group while providing practical experience in advertising, planning, distribution, sales and responsibility. On Feb. 23 cookies will be available at many places such as Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Pine Ridge Mall, Idaho State University and many other places. We have all had a Girl Scout cookie or two and now is the time to stock these tasty goodies. Also, it is important to see that beyond offering yummy products, the cookie sale is a central combination of the skills Scout members learn: Besides, they help the Scouts earn money and prizes for those who sell the most boxes of cookies.

Kay Merriam of Pocatello has a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. She was the president of the state League of Women Voters for two years and president of the Pocatello chapter for two years as well. She was the president of the Bannock County Planning and Zoning Committee for 11 years and on the Pocatello-Chubbuck District 25 School Board for six years.