GIRL SCOUTS OF WISCONSIN SOUTHEAST INC
131 S 69th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53214 www.gswise.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts is a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) community focused on practicing everyday leadership.

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage confidence and character who make the world a better place.

MEMBERSHIP is directed to the recruitment, training, support, and retention of girl members and adult members who deliver the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) to girls in grades K5-12. The GSLE engages girls in discovering self, connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place. Girl Scouts helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others. The long-term result, or the leadership destination, is a generation of girls who lead with courage, confidence, and character. Girls of color make up more than 5% of the council's girl membership, and 8% identify as Hispanic. Girls and adults participating in Girl Scouts are supported by council-provided financial assistance for membership dues, training fees, and materials. Membership totals for 2020 were 16,545 girls and 6,688 adults with a membership retention rate of 49.6%. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced membership numbers and diversity, as the most populous school system in our jurisdiction, serving the most people of color, was closed during a peak after-school programming timeframe.

The GIRL SCOUT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE (GSLE) provides personal leadership development opportunities to girls in grades K5-12, with defined outcomes and differentiated by grade level. The organization offers and promotes flexible opportunities for participation. Events and activities offered span a wide range of options and topics that support and enrich each girl's experience, e.g., STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), camps, travel, environmental stewardship, global citizenship, arts and culture, healthy living, entrepreneurial skills, community service, and career exploration. These events and activities also provide opportunities for girls from a variety of different communities to meet, connect, and work together. Staff, tools, resource materials, equipment, awards, and venues including council-owned program properties are available and included in the GSLE program delivery. Beginning in March 2020, camp and most in-person activities and events were cancelled for the safety and well-being of our girls, volunteers, and council staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council pivoted to Girl Scouts at Home activities and supported volunteers and troops with virtual experiences. Total girl experiences for all activities and events during 2020 were 9,258. Financial assistance is provided for program fees, camping fees, and transportation costs for regional, national, and international opportunities. GSLE revenues include income from program-related product and supplies sales, program fees, and rentals.

GIRL SCOUT PROMISE PROGRAM and LATINA INITIATIVE. For more than 50 years, GSWISE has been serving girls in economically distressed neighborhoods to give every girl the opportunity to pursue the GSLE and reach her full leadership potential, regardless of her family's financial means. Through the GIRL SCOUT PROMISE PROGRAM, girls in low-income central city neighborhoods in southeastern Wisconsin are guided by Girl Scout staff and volunteers who inspire them to explore new things, gain practical skills, and prepare for a lifetime of leadership in a safe girl-led environment. The Girl Scout Promise Program encompasses many different pathways of participation in the GSLE curriculum that occur year-round and provides financial assistance, bilingual materials, and customized curriculum. In a typical year, girls can participate in out-of-school time staff-led Girl Scout troops, middle school series programs, summer workshops, camp experiences, and Girls of Summer Softball. The COVID-19 pandemic and concern for the safety and well-being of all those involved in this programming prevented in-person school activities and summer programs this year. In 2020, more than 1,140 Girl Scout members participated in one or more of these experiences. The LATINA INITIATIVE offers mothers and daughters the opportunity to develop new leadership skills together, aligning with the unique cultural values and language needs of their community. The program was designed to expand leadership development opportunities for women and girls in the region's Latino community. In 2020, GSWISE served more than 200 girls and nearly 20 adult volunteers through the Latina Initiative. While this program is supported in various ways throughout the council, expenses reported here reflect only direct program costs.

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