Thread: Girl Scouts Trying to Speak Young Latinas' Language

It's not the Girl Scouts of Latin America...we speak ENGLISH here! English should be a requirement for membership...the first step toward becoming an AMERICAN!

Girl Scouts trying to speak young Latinas' language

Spanish Trails Council is offering bilingual camps this summer to attract new members and their parents.

By Ari B. Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 1, 2008

Reflecting an increased effort by the Girl Scouts to attract young Latinas and their mothers, the Spanish Trails Council in Montclair is offering a bilingual camp for the first time this summer.

The one-day "Las Divas de Hoy" will be held twice over the summer. Many of the planned activities are the same as other Girl Scouts camps -- painting nails, crafts and fashion shows -- but there will also be salsa dancing and flower arranging.

Most important, said Idalia Silva, the council's community partnership manager, is that Spanish will be the predominant language.

Latino parents "usually don't get involved in Girl Scouts because of the language," Silva said, and children will only get involved if their parents know about the program.

"So now people can be free to speak in Spanish. They're not going to be embarrassed, so they can speak their own language with the girls, because most of the parents don't speak English. . . . This is so they can volunteer and get involved," she said.

Nationally, Latinas made up about 11% of Girl Scouts in 2007, nearly double the 159,797 Latina Scouts in 1999. The organization projects that by 2010 at least 20% of all Girl Scouts will be Latina.

Silva said very few young Latinas come to summer camps and participate in the Spanish Trails Council, and she hopes the bilingual camp can be a gateway to increased participation, "so they can become leaders and also so they can participate with all the events."

In recent years the national Girl Scouts organization has targeted young Latinas with new initiatives. Materials are now offered bilingually and events are being held in predominantly Latino communities. Four years ago, the organization created a Spanish language website.

Patricia Diaz Dennis, chairwoman of the organization's board of directors, said that flourishing programs in Washington, D.C., San Antonio and St. Paul, Minn., have had success tapping into Latino communities.

"The demographic growth is in the Hispanic communities," Dennis said. "For Girl Scouts to remain vibrant and strong, we really have to bring in girls from the populations that are growing the fastest, and of course that is Hispanics across the board."
Dennis, who in 2005 was the first Latina elected to the scouts' highest-ranking volunteer position, said getting more Latinas to join requires a change in cultural mind-sets.

"The problem culturally for us is Hispanics don't really identify with the Girl Scouts," she said. "We have to really compel the parents and the caregivers of young girls who want to join."
In addition to "Las Divas de Hoy," the Spanish Trails Council offers about two dozen other summer camps for young women, including a camp teaching Chinese cooking and baking, a day camp dedicated to beach cleanup, and nature and outdoors camps, among others.

The Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign gave $15,000 to the Spanish Trails Council of the Girl Scouts last year. Thanks to $1.7 million raised last year by the campaign, about 8,000 children will go to camp in Southern California this summer.

The annual campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which matches all donations at 50 cents on every dollar. Unless requested otherwise, The Times fund makes every effort to acknowledge in the newspaper donations of $100 or more received by Sept. 1.

All donations will be acknowledged by mail in three to four weeks. Donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law. Addresses will not be released or published. For information, call (800) LATIMES, Ext. 75771, or e-mail familyfund@latimes .com.

Mail donations (do not send cash) to:

Summer Camp Campaign

File 56984

Los Angeles, CA 90074-6984

Or donate now at: latimes.com/summercamp

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 4316.story

Sadly, the Girl Scouts have turned into a liberal, radical feminist...organization.....their leadership is out to pursue an agenda with young girls....pro-abortion, gay rights, etc. It is sickening....and now this.

Girl Scouts never was about "nail painting" "shopping" etc. It was about learning and putting into practice values that show good citizenship, community service, etc. The Girl Scouts have strayed...at least the Boy Scouts fought off the liberal, gay rights agenda all the way to the Supreme Court and won!

what is going on, do Americans really want a second language and be latinized?

"So now people can be free to speak in Spanish. They're not going to be embarrassed, so they can speak their own language with the girls, because most of the parents don't speak English. . . . This is so they can volunteer and get involved," she said.

Nationally, Latinas made up about 11% of Girl Scouts in 2007, nearly double the 159,797 Latina Scouts in 1999. The organization projects that by 2010 at least 20% of all Girl Scouts will be Latina.

Good grief! Another American institution succumbs to the latinization of this country!

If these kids can't speak English, that's the first clue that they are here illegally. So, illegal aliens in our Girl Scouts? The Girl Scouts is a very old American tradition and should be teaching American values and traditions with American citizens. Just one more thing going down the tubes because of this invasion of our country and our cultures.

I find this effort by "The Girl Scouts" very, very troubling. First, because they assume wrongly that any "Latina" girl doesn't speak English or have parents that do, or prefers to be patronized by every organization to which membership is sought......I was in the Girl Scouts long, long ago and had no problems participating in any activity in English and certainly would've been embarrassed if the leaders singled me out and acted as if I was "different" or needed to be spoken to in a different manner simply because of my ethnic background. I would've been very hurt and my parents probably would've been very insulted. The whole idea is that the Girl Scouts symbolizes what America is all about....and it shouldn't be pandering to those who refuse to assimilate and participate fully in ENGLISH.

Maybe they should start an illegal alien scouts group...

What the @#$4 is going on?This is a very disturbing sign that our job is going to be much harder. It makes me sick!

The Girl Scout of America is pandering to Illegal alien Latino/Hispanics now! How divisive can it get? What are we going to have now, "Hispanic only" troops? And instead of teaching young women good moral values, good home making and child caring skills, resume and job skills, readying themselves for college and careers, they are going to teach manicuring, salsa dancing and continue speaking Spanish only so that EVERYONE WHO IS HISPANIC wont have to lean English?

There goes ANOTHER AMERICAN TRADITION.

....well I won't be volunteering to be a Brownie leader for my daughter's school..perhaps the Campfire Girls maybe something to look into....