WST 3015
April 9, 2010
Activism Log 6
Activism
Since the majority of our activism portion of our project is done, I thought my next few logs would just focus more on reflection.Reflection
The Girl Scouts website says that "Girl Scouts of the USA is committed to ensuring that all girls have an opportunity to build extraordinary lives and join with those around them in making the world a better place," (Girl Scouts of the USA). This just made me think that, as a whole, the organization of the Girl Scouts is actively working to better the lives of girls across the country. With all of the troubles plaguing girls in our country today (teen pregnancy, poor body image, education rights, eating disorders, etc), it's nice to think that there are active organizations working to build girls up.
Reciprocity
Kilbourne made the observation that "adolescents are new and inexperiences consumers- and such prime targets. They are in the process of learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even to question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media," (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey 231). Relating it back to the media again, it seems like girls these days need an overwhelming amount of help in order to be themselves. The Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is amazing support system for girls. The organization works with girls as young as 5 all the way through high school. Girls who participate are surrounded by their peers and mentored by strong women. These girls are also taught life lessons that they probably would not learn in school. A good example of this is "The Penny Project." Much of what was taught in this seminar I remember thinking to myself that I wish I know learned these lessons before college! Things like making and managing your own budget and knowing the importance of saving for a life time are lessons that women today especially need to learn at a young age. As discussed in past entries, women today are much more vulnerable to financial issues than they have been in the past. I think one of things I respect most about the Girl Scouts is that they teach girls that it is a good thing to be a woman in America. This is a lesson most of these girls would probably never have learned on their own. Like Elise Matthesen argued: "[w]e have a right to take up space," (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey 209). And I think the scouts is a perfect opportunity for these girls to feel like they matter and that they take up space.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Fifth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print.
Girl Scouts of America. Girl Scouts of Citrus Council. 2 February 2010 .
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