The Girl Scouts was founded as an organization for ALL girls that celebrates diversity and  stands for respect, equality, inclusion, and justice. Members of the Girls Scouts of Northern New Jersey (GSNNJ)  have recently taken action to spread the message of diversity, equity and inclusion within their communities by highlighting the history and culture of African Americans throughout Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March.

R&J’s consumer marketing team was able to showcase two inspiring projects conducted by participants in the GSNNJ Media Girls program that helped raise the voices of black women in their communities and celebrate the achievements of black Girls Scouts throughout history: 

Girl Scout Senior Libby (age 14) and Girl Scout Cadette Charlotte (age 12) from Madison, N.J. built the Little Diverse Library in their hometown as part of their Silver Award project and stocked it with books written by and about people of color. So far, they’ve collected over 200 books that have been made available to area residents for free, and they have continued to update the library to ensure everyone has access to inspiring stories that emphasize representation. 

Kathryn, a Girl Scout Ambassador from Morristown, N.J. (age 17), has spent the last few months researching and highlighting the influential Black leaders and historical changes made in the Girl Scout Movement to shine a light on the impact the Black community has had on the organization and how Girl Scouts have been on the forefront of integration in the U.S. Her weekly Instagram series, titled Black Excellence in Girl Scouts, showcases the trailblazers and key facts in Girl Scouts history. 

Through a comprehensive media outreach strategy, R&J was able to help amplify Libby & Charlotte’s and Kathryn’s meaningful work by securing the girls interviews with two of the top TV stations serving the North Jersey community. The girls were able to tell a wider audience about projects and their experience as Girl Scouts during on-air interviews with NJ Spotlight News and NBC New York.

Check out the features below: