Girl Scout leaders are some of the most dedicated, selfless and creative people. But, they can’t do it all by themselves! In Girl Scouting, we hear this from volunteers annually through face-to-face feedback and formal surveys. While we recognize that parent support is critical to the success of our mission,  we have an “untapped” resource; it’s the fathers of the girls. Perhaps finding ways to include fathers can be to everyone’s benefit. Childwefare.gov says that, “Children who grow up with involved fathers are more comfortable exploring the world around them.”

We can all agree the female role models are important for girls and are a big part of our Girl Scout history.  We can also agree that girls benefit from having positive male role models who can introduce new skills and support girls to become leaders. Voila, a winning combination. Now, how can we find ways to include more positive male role models in troop activities while engaging more parent support.  Check out the suggestions below:

• Invite fathers to events where girls have the opportunity to explore the world around them like camp activities, field trips and group project implementation.
• Host a father/daughter dance in partnership with your local service unit.  You can help create a fun environment for fathers and daughters to get to know one another.
• Invite fathers to engage in activities like service projects, troop meetings and product sales.
• Invite fathers to give their input on sensitive topics like bullying and self-esteem. They may have unique insight to these topics.
• Invite fathers to share their careers with girls.
• While working on the requirements for skill builder badges, search out fathers in your troop that hold the skills necessary for overseeing a particular skill.
• Remember to be sensitive to girls who may not have an active father in their life.  Make activities for dads open to girls and a positive male role model in their lives.  It could be a grandparent or uncle who is really ready to step up and support the troop.
• Share this video with the fathers connected to your group to get them inspired to get involved.