It’s Time to Change the Girl Scouts Promise and Law, Troop 20923 Says
To Girls Scouts Troop 20923 in Northern New Jersey, the two words “I will” serve as a declaration, an intention, and a goal to make change and inspire confidence. It represents a nationwide community of young people who are courageous, strong, and committed to being their best selves. That’s why, for the past five years, these troopmates and their leaders have led a grassroots movement to change the wording in the Girl Scouts Promise and Law from “I will try” to “I will.”
It all started when the troop was in the fourth grade. Troop leader Jaime Barnes attended a women’s leadership conference and, via a presentation by psychologist Dr. Cindy Wahler, was made aware of a subtle, but significant, distinction between the Boy Scouts Law and the Girl Scouts Law. While the Boy Scouts Law states, “A Scout is…”, the Girl Scouts’ reads, “I will do my best to be…”
Barnes and her co-troop leader, Cate D’Orazio, organized a compare-and-contrast exercise for Troop 20923, asking them to point out the differences betweens the two promises. The troop instantly recognized the difference and had a simple revision: “They immediately crossed out the word ‘try’ and ‘do my best to,’” Barnes recalls, which edited the statement to read: I will be. “These are small changes, but when you say it both ways, you feel the change in power.”
From there, Troop 20923’s #IWILL mission was born. Through Dr. Wahler’s teachings, the troop researched and learned that between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence levels drop by 30 percent (per a 2018 study conducted by The Confidence Code for Girls and Ypulse). Noticing this behavior in their own classrooms and among their peers, the troop launched a letter-writing campaign, organized a Change.org petition, and presented to the South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey town councils to prove that words matter and that changing the wording of the Girl Scouts Promise and Law will better instill confidence in its members nationwide. “Why do boys get to do, while girls only get to try?,” Troop 20923 asked when #IWILL was first set in motion.
Next, they created a video, in which each member shared what changing the wording to “I will” would mean to them. It was sent to the national governing body, the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). The troop learned that in order to make a change like this, it’d have to be presented at the Girl Scouts tri-annual convention — an opportunity that required the support of 30+ local Girl Scouts councils across the country. Troop 20923 went beyond that number, and presented #IWILL to over 600 Girl Scouts delegates at the next national convention.
However, GSUSA decided not to proceed with the #IWILL proposal. It was 2020, COVID-19 had forced lockdowns across the world, and the delegates argued it was not the right time to change the GS Promise and Law.
That didn’t deter Troop 20923.
Three years later, the troop (who just finished their freshman year of high school) is preparing to present #IWILL once again, at the 2023 National Girl Scouts Convention on July 19. Understanding the way in which the world has changed since 2020, Troop 20923 has pivoted their messaging to recognize the mental health crisis impacting young people nationwide.
#IWILL gives Girl Scouts the chance to say, with confidence and assurance, that they embody the values of courage, kindness, and helpfulness and can persevere through hardships. In a new video made for the 2023 National Convention, Troop 20923 asserts: “Girls need to know that they can do great things, that they will do great things… And every time we see the chaos of our world on the news, we need to believe that we can make the world a better place.”
“Because girls do have the power to be courageous and strong and responsible for what they say and do,” Troop 20923 continues. “Everyone does.”
The Girl Scouts Promise and Law have not been updated since 1996. The world looks very different now, and to better reflect and motivate young people today, there needs to be a change, Troop 20923 maintains. As Troop Member Tabby says: “Words matter. Girl Scouts has such an opportunity to teach one million girls to express themselves with confidence and realize all they are capable of.”
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