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CASEY RIFFE/Gazette Staff
Girl Scouts, from left, Amber Charles, 10, Kelsey Smith, 15, and Britney Charles, 10.
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
You don't have to be in a troop to be a Girl Scout anymore. You don't have to attend every meeting or wear a uniform.
But opportunities for personal growth have never been greater.
Girls can learn through mentors and hands-on experience about a career that interests them. They can explore possibilities they never dreamed of in expressing their talents. Hopefully, they can acquire the confidence and courage to reach their full potential as adults, and the character that will make them leaders of a better world.
"People think they know what Girl Scouting is," said Tena Lammers-Redfield, who is in charge of public relations and fund development for the Girl Scouts Treasure Trails Council in Billings. "We're not what we were. We're so much more."
Scouting opportunities start in kindergarten and extend through high school graduation. About 1,700 girls and adults in Eastern Montana participate and there is always room for more, Lammers-Redfield said.
On Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., members, prospective members and their parents will have a chance to learn more about scouting programs and the year ahead during a Family Registration Fun Night at Pioneer Park.
Look for the group between the tennis courts on Third Street West. Girls will have a chance to win prizes while families enjoy snacks and browse displays and activities. Bring a chair or blanket.
The biggest group in scouting ranks are girls in grades 1 through 5. Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts have remained fairly stable through the years, Lammers-Redfield said. Numbers start to fall off in the fifth or sixth grade, she said, when "they think it's not cool."
The Treasure Trails Council has been striving to make it cool for girls in the 11-to-18 age group by offering programs that are relevant to their lives now and to their futures.
"It's always a challenge with older girls," Lammers-Redfield said. "But that age is so vulnerable. Girls need a place where they belong."
The council is approaching the third year of it Studio 2B Initiative program aimed specifically at 11-to-18s.
"Girls don't have to be a member to participate," she said. "If they come several times we may ask them to register, mostly for the insurance. The $10 fee covers insurance if they are hurt during a scouting activity."
The program has three parts. On Totally Tuesday, the last Tuesday of every month, girls can drop in to meet other girls and adult mentors. Hot Topics includes five or six weeks of in-depth sessions on a specific area of interest. This fall, girls can take advantage of a program designed by CTA that will give them hands-on learning with women architects, engineers and designers.
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The final prong is E3, short for extended educational experiences. Lammers-Redfield explained that the group chooses an umbrella topic that may have several subtopics. These are usually part of weekend events. Over the summer, the scouts had a program on rocketing. They also took a weekend trip to Bozeman to study history and archaeology at the Museum of the Rockies. While they were there, the girls toured the campus at Montana State University.
Innovation is key in attracting older girls, Lammers-Redfield said.
"We want to make sure they have the opportunity to be involved in scouting," she said. "We want to give them the Girl Scout experience without having to be one. It has to meet the needs of the girls, however that happens."
The council hopes to see at least 100 girls, old scouts and new ones, at the welcome session Tuesday. Board members, staff and service unit volunteers from all over Billings will be there to explain what will be happening this year in each area of town.
It will be the 54th annual welcome meeting in Billings.
