The Girl Scouts of the USA has over 2.6
million members worldwide just in time for cookie season,
our very own channel and here is on the scene
with them with more and of course those delicious cookies.
What do you need now?
Exactly?
We've been out here at the Girl Scouts talking
about the organization and their cookies all morning long.
But guess what they do so much more including helping young
women who are living in new york's homeless shelter system.
So I want to bring in marathon mascara.
She is the ceo of the Girl Scouts of Word in new york to talk
more about the importance of having a troop for women living in the shelters.
Absolutely!
So our vision in greater new york is to create a
new york city in which every girl feels empowered to lead
in her community, the workplace in the world.
And that word every
that is where we sit,
no matter where you're from, no matter how you identify,
no matter what your current zip code is,
whether you're here for a short period or a long period, if you are in new york city,
you deserve to have equitable leadership opportunities.
So when we started Troops 6000,
that was our intent and it seems like it's just one place, one troop.
But you were telling me earlier that Troop 6000 is how many
different troops were in more than 24 shelters across the city,
24 different shelters.
How many girls does that mean you're helping?
We are serving between women and girls. More than 1000
this year, over the past six ye
we started six years ago, we started in one shelter with seven girls,
We've served more than 2000 women and girls across the city.
And how is it different from some of the other troops that we may be familiar with,
the suburbs for example?
Well the thing is, is what's different, what's the same, right?
The Girl Scout experience,
the whole point of this is to provide the same exact equitable
Girl Scout experience to girls who just have a different living condition.
Um
but we also commit for an entire year and year over year for as
long as the girls are in the shelter and for them three years after,
as they transition
into into their forever homes.
So you follow their journey, we follow their journey, we commit to their journey,
understanding that, you know, we always have their back now,
I know it's only been six years,
but do you have any success stories or stories of
how impactful it's been for some of these young girls,
you know, the impact started immediately.
Um Hearing girls talk About the sense of community,
the sense of belonging uh being able to come
together and collaborate and be with people who are
experiencing the same things they were um it helped
break the stigma and the sense of shame,
one in 10 out of every New
York City public school students is experiencing homelessness
in 10, 1 in 10.
So to be able to connect girl scouting with their experience, um,
really has helped create that sense of belonging.
Uh,
we've had girls who have continued obviously through the program for all six years.
Uh, and last year we had our first gold Award Girl Scout from Troop 6000.
She was in the original troop member and founding member.
We're so proud of her for what she's accomplished. That's great news.
I know a lot of people maybe watching, they want to help.
So besides buying cookies with, Yes, it's a fundraiser. You can do that.
It's delicious fundraiser. How else can we help get back to them? Thank you.
There's so many ways to help. First of all, if you want to volunteer, we love that.
We need that. We need dual language volunteers here in new york city.
Obviously this program is funded by individuals and
foundations in partnership with department of homeless services.
So you can go to Girl Scouts,
N Y C dot org back slash Troop 6000 and
learn all about the different ways you can get involved.
I love that.
So you can get involved and get active right now and you can get cookies,
you can get cookies they're available or you can
just donate money if you're on a diet,
you don't have to eat the cookies.
Just give some money to Girl Scouts. It all helps