By Martha Daly
Six representatives from Los Altos Girl Scout troops attended the 50th National Girl Scout convention in Atlanta last month. The event, held once every three years, brings together a diverse membership representing 2.8 million girl members and almost 1 million adult volunteers.
The convention featured workshops, exhibits and a national council session, which focused on the changing role of Girl Scouts in the 21st century as they strive to maintain their core mission of developing young women of courage, confidence and character.
The six Los Altos representatives are all members of local Service Unit 8. The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County chose Meg Solera, official delegate, and Leslie Carmichael, alternate delegate, as adult representatives, and Kylie Bilbrey, 16, from Los Altos Troop 321, as a representative to the National Girl Congress. Other Los Altos attendees, Suzanne Moshier, Ann Bilbrey and Martha Daly, are volunteers with the organization.
As part of the pre-convention activities, the Los Altos women visited Savannah, Ga., where Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. The tour, which included visits to the Low birthplace and the first Girl Scout meeting site, also placed the genesis of Girl Scouting in its historical context: Low was born into a military family, and leadership and survival skills were required of southern women after the ravages of the Civil War.
Speakers at this year’s convention included Ann Curry,
news anchor of NBC’s “Today” show; Dr. Johnetta Betsch Cole, president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.; and Kavita N. Ramdas, president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women in San Francisco. The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County also honored Ramdas in 2005 with the Juliette Gordon Low Award for her contribution to women’s human rights and for being a role model for girls and women.
The convention also honored 25 Girl Scout Gold Award Young Women of Distinction - the highest award in Girl Scouting. Last year approximately 3,000 girls earned the award nationally, including ten from Los Altos.
In the new century, Girl Scouting programs will focus on flexible programs, girl-planned activities, girls’ health issues, and creating a sense of personal safety where girls can learn the critical life skills to succeed as adults. Nearly 33 percent of all girls in Los Altos are Girl Scouts, compared to 9 percent nationally. The 85 local troops serve 1,200 girls.
