Girl Scouts plan celebrations for reaching 100-year milestone

One hundred years ago, a girl named Juliette Gordon Low envisioned creating an organization that would empower young women to be successful and productive members of society.

One hundred years later, Low's vision has reached more than 50 million women who have been a part of the Girl Scouts. More than 3.2 million girls and adult volunteers are currently active with the organization , including at least 10,000 in Southern Nevada.

In honor of its centennial anniversary, the organization has declared 2012 as the Year of the Girl, recognizing young women's leadership roles in the community and the issues they face.

Emily Smith, Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada chief marketing and development officer, said studies have shown that girls view leadership as a "power-versus-no-power" concept -- something Girl Scouts troop leaders aim to change.

"Instead of asking the girls if they want to be leaders, we ask, 'Do you want to help your community?' " Smith said. "It's about bringing to life the differences we have and the things we can do together to make leaders."

Part of the Year of the Girl campaign and centennial anniversary includes the Rock the Dam! event slated from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday at Hoover Dam . More than 1,000 Girl Scouts from Arizona and Nevada will "bridge" to the next level, from daisy up to ambassador, during the ceremony.

The local chapter plans to celebrate the anniversary with various events throughout the year, including a Girl Scouts night at 7:05 p.m. March 20 during the Las Vegas Wranglers hockey game at The Orleans Arena, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., and at 7:05 p.m. May 18 with the Las Vegas 51s baseball game at Cashman Field, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North .

Sisters Madison Szczublewski, 10, and Kayla Szczublewski, 9, are looking forward to celebrating an organization they've been involved with for the past couple of years. Both enjoy being involved with Girl Scouts for various reasons.

"My favorite part of being a Girl Scout is having time to help people," Madison said. "We get to do a lot of service projects, too, and help the community."

The Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada is active in local service projects, as troops often work with the Clark County School District, assisting with after-school programs that address self-esteem issues with girls. Smith said another notable program is S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), which engages girls' interests in these subjects.

"According to (the White House Project Report), at the rate women are gaining leadership roles, they won't catch up to men until the 23rd century," Smith said. "That's a scary statistic. You see how politics are mostly male-dominated, and in other areas, such as health care. These are areas where girls haven't caught up, and we're trying to change that."

On her way to busting the same stereotype, Sabina Manzini, 15, is working to make the Girl Scouts and their role in the community more relevant. The senior Girl Scout, who has been involved with the organization for 11 years, received her Gold Award for creating a book that foster care children in Southern Nevada can use as a resource when they enter the system. Sabina is grateful for such opportunities she's received through involvement with the Girl Scouts.

"The Girl Scouts have been really inspirational to me," she said. "I've learned how to be a leader, and it's opened doors (to opportunities) for me that I never even thought about."

Smith said those involved with the Girl Scouts are often prime examples of young women who take pride in their membership. She said, however, that the 100th anniversary of the organization adds to their pride.

"During ( Rock the Dam! ), we'll have girls taking on new ranks, and not only bridging from one (level) to another but also bridging to a whole other century," Smith said. "It's a moment in time these girls are really proud to be a part of."

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.