Girl Scouts Celebrate Opening of New Program

With every season comes change, but teen and preteen girls in the San Gabriel Valley will be offered a whole new realm of adventure in Girl Scouting with the introduction of Studio 2B, a new way for girls 11-17 to make Girl Scouting a part of their lives.

Girl Scouts - Mt. Wilson Vista Council is reaching out to more girls with a project designed to introduce girls to Studio 2B -- a “By Girls, For Girls” approach. Because Girl Scouts seeks to reach beyond its current membership to every girl, everywhere, the Studio 2B kick-off event is open to all girls 11-17 years old. This event will be on Jan. 21 at the Westfield Santa Anita shopping center from 1 to 4 p.m. The kick-off will be a day complete with educational sessions, makeovers, a fashion show, booths featuring sponsors and distribution of program information for teen girls and their families, friends and potential program volunteers.

“Girls today face so many challenges, fears, and choices that the positive influence of Girl Scouting is more important than ever,” said Brenda Berg, chief executive officer of Mt. Wilson Vista Council. “Mt. Wilson Vista Council is working hard to make Girl Scouting relevant and available to every girl in the San Gabriel Valley who wants to take part.”

The Studio 2B program focuses on flexibility and choices. It features activities covering a range of topics from self-defense, health, and careers to taking action and making a difference in the community. Girls and adult advisors involved in the program meet when it’s convenient for the group at places where girls feel comfortable and safe such as libraries, book stores, churches, and community centers. Across the country, Studio 2B meetings are held at local pizza and coffee shops, bookstores, malls, college campuses and other sites. Studio 2B also features a website, www.studio2b.org, where girls 11-17 can interact with and learn from each other. By visiting this online resource, girls can check out how girls in other parts of the country are making a difference in their communities, gain new perspective on pressing teen issues, send cards to friends, share stories and read the latest on relationships, style and travel.

The Studio 2B approach to Girl Scouting was launched in October 2002, and since then, membership among girls 11-17 has been growing. Girls and adults can get more information about the program by calling 1-866-550-4311, logging on to www.studio2b.org, or by calling Girl Scouts -- Mt. Wilson Vista Council at (626) 445-7771, ext. 336.

Girl Scouts - Mt. Wilson Vista Council serves more than 9,000 girls, ages 5-17, in 23 San Gabriel Valley communities. It is one of more than 300 councils chartered by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Today, as when founded in 1912, GSUSA helps cultivate values, social conscience, and self-esteem in girls while also teaching them critical life skills that will enable them to succeed as adults.

Girl membership at Mt. Wilson Vista Council has grown 60 percent during the past 10 years.

For more information on membership, to volunteer or to make a donation, call (626) 445-7771 or visit www.gsmwvc.org.