Girl Scouts: Understanding Today's Girls - Notes from Lynn Casey's Presentation

Introduction

Lynn Casey, CEO and founder of ShineScout, discusses a year-long study on the challenges and opportunities for Girl Scouts, focusing on non-member girls in the United States.
The study aims to provide a clear picture of the current world for girls and their caregivers.

The Need for Current Research

Research must be ongoing due to the ever-changing nature of human tastes, desires, activities, milestones, and lifestyles.
The timing of the project was crucial due to watershed events like the global pandemic and a shift in parenting values from Gen X to millennials.
Millennial parents have different values and desires for their children compared to previous generations.
It's essential to understand the current state of the world, what caregivers want, and how these factors impact Girl Scouts and girls in general.

Research Methodology

Review of Existing Research: Examination of Girl Scout's prior research (5-6 years) on families, DE&I, market size, attitudes, and voices.
Membership Qualitative Study: Included eight groups of four caregivers (32 total) who rated Girl Scouts highly (4 or 5 out of 5); diverse recruitment across the US (urban, suburban, rural, various ethnicities/cultures, and household incomes from stay-at-home parents to full-time employed).
Category Synthesis: Collection of current syndicated data from sources like census data, Pew data, Mintel, and Annie E. Casey Foundation to understand the landscape for girls aged 5-10 and their caregivers.
Social Listening Scrape: Capture of conversations on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit) regarding challenges and opportunities in raising young girls; analysis of over 5,000,000 conversations.
Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with leadership from Girl Scouts USA and council leaders to understand key issues and challenges in real time.
Qualitative Learning: Over 14 insight groups with caregivers of non-member girls, volunteers, and teachers, with a focus on the BIPOC cohort.
Ethnographic Work: In-depth observation in the homes, minivans, playgrounds, and parks of 28 non-member girls in three different target markets.
Large Scale Quantitative Study: Survey of over 800 caregivers of non-member girls and potential volunteers.
Segmentation Study: Conducted by KNOWN with 4,000 targeted respondents, using data from previous research phases (results to be released shortly).

Key Findings

Smaller Families: The average American family consists of approximately three people, which is smaller than in previous decades.
Single-Parent Households: Single-parent households account for 30% of families, predominantly headed by moms.
Working Women: 80% of women work outside the home, working longer and harder for less money.
Racial Diversity: Children of color comprise over 50% of all children nationally.
Childhood Poverty: Childhood poverty is spiking, expected to worsen due to the end of pandemic stimuli.
Relocation and Job Changes: Significant relocation, job changes, and other movements occurred during the pandemic.
Lack of Aftercare: Three out of four children who need aftercare cannot access it.

Impact of the Pandemic

Job Losses: Significant job losses led to community disruption, requiring people to move for work.
Shift in Geography: Families sought safety in exurbia, moving out of dense urban areas for cheaper living and employment.
School Closures: Widespread school closures and cessation of activities left communities splintered and isolated; many activities have not restarted.
Increased Technology Use: Technology became more prominent in children's lives, leading to self-agency and isolation.
Social Anxiety: Increased social anxiety among children and caregivers.
Individualization: A focus on individualization in child-rearing and family behaviors.
Loss of Community Leaders: Loss of maternal figures in BIPOC communities due to the pandemic.

Challenges Faced by Today's Girls

Lack of Confidence and Self-Esteem: The number one concern reported by caregivers.
Mental Wellness Issues: One-third of caregivers reported anxiety or depression in their children.
Authenticity: Girls are afraid to be their authentic selves.
Technology: Struggling with technology and the impact of social media.
Risk Aversion: Girls are afraid to try new things.
Loneliness: Post-pandemic loneliness and difficulty making friends.
Social Bullying: A rise in social bullying due to increased online communication.
Emotional Regulation: Lack of emotional regulation skills.
Lack of Positive Role Models: Reliance on TikTok and YouTube influencers as primary role models.
Paranoia: Caregivers increasingly view the world as unsafe.

Impact of Technology

Emotional Struggles: Technology is seen as a key factor in girls' emotional struggles and loss of confidence.
Comparison: Social media fosters comparison and hypersexualization.
Adult Behaviors: Premature exposure to adult behaviors.
Inappropriate Role Models: Exposure to inappropriate role models.
Consumerism: Encourages consumerism.
Passive Play: Provides passive rather than active play and learning.
Loneliness and Isolation: Feeds loneliness and isolation.
Loss of Curiosity: Replaces curiosity with mindless content.
Intrinsic Value: Strips girls of their intrinsic value.
Early Use: Smartphones and screens are being used at younger ages, particularly affecting girls of color and those in lower-income households.

New Parenting Values (Millennial Parents)

Core Values and Character: Desire to instill core values and character.
Loving Home Environment: Aim to create a closer, more loving home environment with more internal communication.
Kindness and Compassion: Strong desire to raise kind, compassionate, and empathetic individuals.
Authenticity and Individuality: Prize authenticity, individuality, courage, character, and curiosity.
Dreams for Daughters: Want their girls to live bold, authentic lives.
Less Emphasis on Leadership: Leadership is seen as less important; focus on girls becoming whoever they want to be.

Shift in Activity Value

Family Togetherness: Prioritizing activities that foster family togetherness.
Rejection of Busyness: Rejecting over-scheduling and doing too much.
Caregiver Decisions: Caregivers are the primary decision-makers.
Suspicion of Unknown: Suspicion of families they don't know.
Neutral Locations: Preference for organized activities at neutral locations.
Family Playdates: Preference for family playdates in neutral locations.
Independent Entertainment: A relaxed attitude about kids entertaining themselves at home.
Focus on Individual Gifts: Emphasis on individual girls and their gifts rather than group activities.
Cultural Values: Recognizing distinct values and focuses in different ethnic groups and cultures.
Safety Concerns: Activities outside the home must have a positive outcome.
School-Based Activities: Preference for activities at school due to safety and accessibility.
$ROI$ Evaluation: Caregivers assess activities based on their value for the child and the family, with ease of access, clear benefits, and lifestyle fit being critical.

Benefits Sought by Parents

Values and Confidence: Activities should partner in developing values, self-confidence, and self-esteem.
Sense of Belonging: Children should feel a sense of belonging.
Variety: Activities that spark discovery.
Anti-Tech: Preference for anti-tech activities in real-time.
Ease of Access: Cost, scheduling, and transportation must be easy.
Safety and Supervision: Supervision by known, pre-vetted leaders from the community.
Family Together Time: Support the goal of family together time.
Complementary Activities: Complement other activities and home-based free play.

Trends in Activities

Growth in Sports and Lessons: Increased participation in sports and lessons.
Decline in Clubs and Playdates: Decreased participation in clubs and playdates.
External Supports: Caregivers seek activities that serve as external supports for parenting, such as building confidence, character, team building, and anti-tech engagement.
Confidence and Strength: Pairing building strength and confidence together
Transparency and Vetting: Seeking transparency and vetted/trained volunteer coaches
Long Term Benefits: Lessons are viewed as an investment in the child's future

Goals of Activities (Parent's Perspective)

Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence: Finding one’s voice and not being afraid to use it; seeking personal growth and a strong sense of self.
Resilience: Handling bullies, being resilient, and pursuing goals.
Making Friends: Addressing loneliness and finding friends through shared interests.

Needs of Today's Girls

Emotional Skills and Mental Resilience: Addressing concerns about girls' well-being.
Value and Strengths: Providing opportunities to experience their strengths and abilities.
Community Response: Addressing challenges created by pandemic isolation and technology.
Support for Caregivers: Helping caregivers raise strong, confident girls.
Life Skills: Access to a toolkit of life skills, including grit, resilience, confidence, and the courage to live a life full of happiness and purpose.

Girl Scouts' Conundrum

Well-Known but Not Understood: Girl Scouts is widely recognized but lacks a clear value proposition.
Cookie Focus: Public perception is heavily driven by cookies, limiting understanding of the organization's actual purpose.
Word cloud on Girl Scouts topics is significantly driven by cookies, this limits brand image and the true understanding of what the organization does.

Challenges for Girl Scouts

Lack of Understanding: Lack of clarity about what Girl Scouts stands for and its offerings.
Lack of Relevance: Not relevant or visible to today's parents.
Safety Concerns: Questions about safety and discomfort with activities at a stranger's house.
Lack of Transparency: Lack of understanding of how the organization works.
Perception of Membership: Membership is seen as a barrier.
Nonprofit Questions: Questions about whether it's a nonprofit and if membership requires knowing someone.
Lack of Community Visibility: No visible signs of the organization's impact on the community.
Lack of Generational Understanding: Lack of generational participation or understanding, making it hard to ascribe value.
Outdoor Activities Disconnect : Caregivers don't relate outdoor activities at all.
Cookie Program Concerns: Cookies are too gendered and perceived as unsafe and too much work.
Logistical Challenges: Inability to find a troop, arrange transportation, or pay fees.
Volunteer Pressure: Challenges with the pressure of a volunteer-run program.

What Families Want for Their Girls

Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem: Foster confidence and self-esteem.
Authentic Identities: Help them discover their authentic identities.
Value: Let them know their value.
Life Skills: Develop life skills for thriving.
New Experiences: Instill a desire to try new things.
Kindness and Compassion: Teach kindness and compassion.
Limit Device Time: Keep them off devices.
Joy and Independence: Spark joy and foster independence.

Missing Connection

Lack of Relevance: Extreme lack of relevance and visibility.
Lack of Clarity: Lack of clarity on the organization's deliverables.
Lack of Availability: Lack of accessible entry points.
Soft Valuation: No clear and distinct ROI.
Lack of Generational Heritage: As spoken previously.
Danger of Home Based: Extreme danger of anything that's home-based today.

Task Ahead

Elevate Relevance: Elevate Girl Scouts into a place of relevance, consideration, and trial.
Show, Don't Tell: Show families, friends, volunteers, and donors what Girl Scouts does.
Connect to Issues: Connect Girl Scouts to compelling and important issues for today's families.
Adaptive Offerings: Get creative and adaptive with how we connect our offerings with our audiences.
Simplicity and Accessibility: Make it simple, accessible, and personal.