Girl Scouts at Concordia: From Inspired to Inspiring

“To be inspired is great but to be an inspiration is an honor,” says Ms. Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts in the United States. At Concordia Shanghai, our Girl Scouts are paving the way for a better future by making a difference! For years, they have transformed inspiration into action, proving that young leaders can indeed shape a better future.

At the most recent Phoenix Friday, Concordia Girl Scouts brought the most popular original Girl Scout cookies to the Bake Sale. All proceeds from the sales were donated to a nonprofit that supports children in rural Yunnan. Every crumb sold translates to possibilities for children 2,000 miles away.

Girl Scout, originating in the USA, is a voluntary program aiming to build girls’ courage, confidence and character, to make the world a better place. With 30-50 Concordia students engaged annually, spanning Kindergarten through Grade 12, the program divides participants into age-specific troops, with troop levels differing by age/grade.

Parent volunteers lead the activities based on each troop’s common interests. But starting from the junior level, girls start to take on big projects and help in a big way, as they’re trained to be future leaders. 

△ Girl Scouts on World Thinking Day March 2025

Girl Scouting is more than just enabling girls with life skills such as camping and self-defense, and outdoor exploration opportunities. It also includes STEM and entrepreneurship skills, such as woodwork engineering, science experiments, and charity fundraising.  

△ Girl Scouts in community activity, egg drop experiment, and first-aid training

The Cadette Troop (a mix of middle school students from Grade 6-8), aimed to receive a Girl Scout Silver High Award, recognize by USAGSO. They initiated a “Who I Am” Project. This  project is to raise self-awareness and did a presentation at the middle school assembly.

 

“The project was an incredible opportunity for us to practice our leadership skills, and even more so, to recognize how crucial self-awareness is in every aspect of our lives.”—Amy Z. (Class of 2029)

“I learned about how self-awareness affects people, how it affects physical and mental health and why having good self-awareness is important.”—Kayarose W. (Class of 2030)

“The ‘Who I Am’ program has helped my girl build confidence and develop a deeper sense of self. I am proud of what she can do now after 8 years of scouting and service,” shares Ms. Wei Wei, a Girl Scout troop leader and parent of Concordia student Amy Z.

The Junior Troop (Grade 5 students) initiated a ReUniform Project for their Girl Scout Bronze High Award. They designed a windbreaker-style uniform, crafted from recycled polyester, for active use during PE and recess.   

 

“This project allows us to take action on something that matters to us, while developing our leadership and design skills. It’s a way for us to improve our own experience and help others at the same time.” — Zoe W., Marian L. and Grace G. (Class of 2032)

As girls master skills, they earn embroidered badges and awards celebrating their growth. The highest awards represent the highest honors a girl scout can earn.   

From drafting proposals to delivering final reports, the girls plan and execute their projects by themselves—whether it’s creating a website to offer free art history lessons to young students, launching a Wall of Wellness Project, or organizing a stationery donation drive within the school. In the process, they’ve learned to be leaders.   

Teaming up with NGOs such as CWEF (Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation), Shanghai Sunrise, and Beacon of Love, our girl scouts over the past years have worked really hard in helping those in need, either through fundraising on Daddy Daughter Day or Bake Sale at community events such as the Concordia Christmas Bazaar. All the income was used for charity purposes. Such commitment to community service and leadership makes the girl scout program a powerful force for positive change.

Volunteer adult leadership is essential to the program. Concordia Girl Scout activities are run entirely by parents who are interested in making a difference in a young girl’s life, including working directly with girls as troop leaders or offering administrative support to troops.

 

“The reason why I volunteer is because I want my daughter to see me as a role model. If I can be a leader, she can also be unafraid to step forward and take action. And I’ve seen the direct benefits in my own daughter,” says Ms. Patricia Tam, Concordia Girl Scout Coordinator and OCMT (Overseas Committee Management Team) Shanghai Liaison (Shanghai-wide GS Leader). Her daughter Ina (Grade 10), is a Senior Girl Scout member.

Thank you to our Concordia young role models for a job well done! To every parent who has packed camping gear at dawn, helped their daughter craft homemade fundraising posters in the evening, or simply listened as their girls debated project proposals with peers—your time and effort leave an indelible mark on these girls’ journeys!