This generation of girls is pretty extraordinary. They are passionate, hopeful, independent, and risk-taking. They envision a future where they are completely in control of their financial decision making. They desire to break down barriers to economic success. They are curious, confident, and innovative.

Now, imagine if all these girls had the same access to resources designed to strengthen their skills, and all the encouragement necessary to push them forward!

This year, the Girl Scout Research Institute conducted a national survey of over 1,000 girls to get a closer look at girls’ outlook on entrepreneurship and financial literacy, and the results are beyond exciting! Read on to learn how girls are ready to take over the world–– and how Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI) provides the resources to help make that happen.

This is a Girl’s Generation

Great news: today’s girls are already thinking like entrepreneurs! According to the 2019 Report by the Girl Scout Research Institute, six in ten girls reported they are confident in their abilities, socially conscious problem-solvers, curious learners, innovative and flexible thinkers, challenge seekers and risk-takers, and collaborative team members.

Many of the girls had already engaged in entrepreneurship, whether by creating a new product or service, starting their own business, and organizing fundraisers for good causes!

Still, girls see barriers to success. Girls reported feeling they would have to work harder to succeed in entrepreneurial roles than men, and while they believe the genders are equally capable of success, many girls believe men are more likely to achieve in this career path.

We know this for sure: girls have what it takes to be the world’s next change-makers and money-makers. To help pave the way, Girl Scouts is dedicated to providing the experiences needed to sharpen their skills!

What is the Girl Scout Difference?

Supportive career guidance and mentorship. Access to community resources. Chances to earn the highest awards for passion projects. A wide range of financial and entrepreneurial programming. The Girl Scout Cookie program. These are just some of the ways just GCNWI provides girls the opportunities to succeed in the workplace!

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, one that prioritizes five essential skills for developing financial literacy: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

The difference is clear! Research shows Girl Scouts are more likely than other girls to have an entrepreneurial mindset and to be interested in becoming an entrepreneur. Girl Scouts particularly shine when it comes to community problem solving, innovation, and the use of social capital!

CEO Spotlight: Carolyn Leonard

Carolyn Leonard, CEO and co-founder of DyMynd (Dynamic Minds in Action), is one of Chicago’s leading voices in the movement for women’s financial empowerment. She has long been a pioneer in her field, famously the first woman to trade her own money in the pits of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange in 1976!

Along with being a Camp CEO 2019 Mentor, she is at the forefront of a financial innovation firm focused on uplifting women. As Carolyn says, “Financial literacy skills and an entrepreneurial mindset are exceedingly important for young women throughout their lives.” The more information a woman has, the more comfortable she will be taking charge, and “her community and her family will thrive” as a result.

The most important thing a young woman can do to jump-start financial success? Start making small investments, because “the younger you start, the more your adult self will gain.” Carolyn advises that an investment in a college education is especially important because “this is an investment in the self.”

Girls Just Wanna Have Funds!

Carolyn Leonard is just one of the many inspirational high-level professionals who joined GCNWI Girl Scouts to provide valuable mentorship and leadership experiences that last a lifetime at Camp CEO 2019. Thanks to these mentors, 40 teens from across the council dug deep into their own girl power and potential for success!

Just a glance at these girl’s responses to what their favorite leadership qualities they possess reveals an incredible amount of possibility for the new decade. These girls see themselves as good listeners, problem-solvers, communicators. They are loyal, empathetic, and deeply caring. They are confident, focused, patient, and determined. They “keep it real.”

One girl responded, “I have the commitment and compassion for what I’m doing, and the ambition and creativity to get it done.”

These are just some of our community’s and our country’s future teachers, writers, animators, chefs, business owners, computer programmers, marketing executives, artists, world travelers, and entrepreneurs. Pretty impressive, right?

Time to blaze some trails!

Girls can have it all–– and we are committed to helping make that happen.

Girl Scouts is the premier non-profit organization committed to the empowerment of girls. With the Girl Scouts, girls develop the attitudes, skills, and behaviors they need to succeed, giving them the courage to fail, the tools to create an independent future, and the power to do good in the world.

Thank you to Carolyn Leonard for her inspiring advice, and to the Girl Scout Research Institute for their hard work!

Read the full report by the Girl Scout Research Institute here.

Check out GCNWI’s financial literacy and entrepreneurship programming on our website!