The Girl Scouts have gone digital

Excited to get those Thin Mints? Are you like me and your daughter has moved on from Girl Scouts? Or did the little girl that you use to count on to show up at your door selling cookies go to college?  Worry no more. The Girl Scouts have gone digital with their sales. There is now the Girl Scout Cookie Finder App.

This is interesting from more than just a way to get cookies perspective. It is a clear acknowledgement of how digital our children’s lives have become. There is no denying how pervasive technology has become in both our children’s educational and social lives. But now we see it become a part of their extra curricular activity, and one that is probably the most organic of all.

This is a good thing. One of the goals of the Girls Scout Cookie Program is to give young girls the opportunity to be leaders in the business world and to develop entrepreneurial skills. If this is the goal of the program, how can the digital age not be involved in this objective? Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of GSUSA, says this:

For almost a century, the Girl Scout Cookie Program has been teaching girls to be leaders in the world of business and finance, and we intend to ensure that legacy continues in the digital age.

Like most things, GSUSA has put the emphasis on teaching the girls the proper, appropriate and safe way to sell cookies using technology. You have to be invited by a Girl Scout to use the app or the online platform, and all sales and contacts have to be approved by the Scout’s adult. Additionally, all scouts and adults have to sign the ‘Internet Safety Pledge‘ (this is a great contract that you can use for your own family). 

I love that GSUSA has found a way to take an iconic program involving thousands of young girls and bring it to this hyper digital age in such a positive and educational way. Additionally, it is exciting to see such a practical and historic activity be used in a way that increases children’s awareness of safety on the internet.  I applaud GSUSA and therefore will feel the need to support their cookie sales this year!