Girl Scouts of the USA Announces the Release of the Latest Girl Scout Leadership Journey

NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Girl Scouts of the USA and Dove®, the leading personal care brand, partner to deliver Girl Scout leadership and self-esteem programming to millions of girls nationwide and abroad with the release of the latest Girl Scout leadership journey It's Your Story—Tell It!  It's Your Story—Tell It! uses a storytelling theme in a fun and relevant way for girls to better understand themselves and their potential.  "Through girls hearing stories, sharing their stories, trying out new roles and creating their own stories, they gain confidence and see that they can make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others," says Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Ph.D. Developmental Psychologist at Girl Scouts of the USA.  Building a strong sense of self is an underlying goal of the series, which was made possible in part by a generous grant from Dove.

The collection of six age appropriate publications or "leadership journeys" have been developed for girls grades K-12 and is accompanied by corresponding adult guides. These resources center on a different theme at each Girl Scout grade-level and encourage girls to take the lead in planning their leadership activities and projects.

The Journeys are central to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Each level of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience takes girls on a journey - a voyage to someplace new, with adventures and discoveries along the way. These adventures strengthen a girl's ability to discover herself and her values, connect with others locally and globally and take action to make the world a better place.

"Girl Scouts of the USA believes that girls develop confidence and self-esteem through taking action," said Kathy Cloninger, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA. "With this new journey, we saw an excellent opportunity to equip girls with the tools necessary in developing courage, confidence and character – three keys to leadership."

In fact, a national survey of girls' use of social media released by Girl Scouts of the USA (Who's That Girl: Self Image in the 21st Century, 2010) finds that girls with low self-esteem are more likely to be susceptible to negative experiences on social networking sites than are girls with high self-esteem. They are also more likely to fall victim to hurtful behavior online and to engage in risky behavior. Building self-esteem does not happen overnight, but research shows that one way to accomplish this is through the development of leadership skills and competencies.  Our national leadership journey program equips girls with these skills now and throughout their lives.

Moreover, increased self-esteem is a natural outcome of It's Your Story—Tell It! because, through storytelling and creative expression, girls gain a better understanding of themselves, learn how to reach their full potential and develop the confidence to become leaders in their own lives and in the world.

"The Dove® brand is proud to support the efforts of Girl Scouts of the USA on this creative and powerful programming, which will help girls to reach their full potential," said Rob Candelino, Marketing Director, Dove® U.S., Unilever.  "The purpose of the It's Your Story - Tell It! leadership journey is aligned with the Dove® Movement for Self-Esteem, which invites all women to join us in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety."

The Girl Scouts' partnership with Dove® began in 2002, with the creation of "uniquely ME!" a program designed to foster self-confidence among girls. Dove® continues its support of the Girl Scouts through the It's Your Story – Tell It! leadership journey series. The Girl Scouts of the USA official online shop offers a full assortment of uniforms, program materials, awards, patches and accessories! Each purchase helps support Girl Scouts across the country and around the world. For more information, please visit www.girlscoutshop.com

About Girl Scouts

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with 3.4 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girl Scouts of the USA also serves American girls and their classmates attending American or international schools overseas in 90 countries. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate to Girl Scouts, call (800) GSUSA 4 U (800-478-7248) or visit www.girlscouts.org. For more information on It's Your Story - Tell It! visit www.girlscouts.org/itsyourstory/

About Dove®

Dove®, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove® product AC Nielsen (2010), which includes beauty bars, body washes, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove® Men+Care™ is the newest range of products from Dove®, developed specially for men. Dove® is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores. Dove® is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential by caring for themselves and each other. The Dove® Movement for Self-Esteem invites all women to join the brand in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. For more information visit www.dove.com, www.dovemovement.com or www.facebook.com/dove

About Unilever North America

Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Each day, around the world, we serve over two billion consumers. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove® personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA