State of Our Council 2026
From the desk of GSSNE CEO, Dana Borrelli-Murray, adapted from GSSNE 2026 Annual Meeting CEO Keynote address:
In two short months, our 6-person national delegation will travel to Washington DC to debate, discuss, and vote on proposals most relevant to our Movement. Of the over 950 national delegates, 30% will be young people. Topics are rich and complicated, and opinions vary greatly- but the magic is how this form of governance- in its truest form- works- and dare I say, our Movement sets an example for our country’s electeds.
We are at a critical point in our Girl Scout Movement, where we are at once trying to keep up with, or fight against, and or embrace the fast-paced changes to the American youth experience. We are staying on our well-established 114-year-old track AND reinforcing it with research and data to back our assumptions and structures.
Previously, I’ve spoken about our organization’s establishment during the progressive era (another great time of civic unrest) and the proliferation of membership and association-based organizations (including Girl Scouts)- which resulted in deep community connections and a stronger democracy. Individuals joined together to rebuild a sense of shared purpose.
Last year, we co-authored the RI Girl Report- taking publicly accessible data to baseline where our girls are today- and to establish priorities. The data was stark- we are sitting in the middle of a youth mental health crisis affecting girls at a higher rate, exacerbated by growing levels of statewide childhood poverty, the 24-hour news and bullying scroll, and trauma.
Shining a spotlight on these needs raises awareness, for sure. But our next step was to do something about it.
So with a group of other girl-serving organizations, and with the generous support of the RI Foundation, we established the first-ever RI Girl Coalition. Together, we are growing and expanding programming that we believe directly counteracts the stark data in the report.
Our part?
Cutting through the trends and doing what we do best:
Authentic peer-to-peer connection
Safe challenges and skill-building
Time outdoors and away from screens
This isn’t just nostalgia—it’s neuroscience. And the world is catching up.
This month, a California jury found that Meta and Google were to blame for fueling the youth mental health crisis. Schools across the country and world are thinking hard about curbing the dopamine rush of social media that creates fictional, quick-hit validation that actually exacerbates loneliness and isolation over time.
Let’s remember that our Movement was designed to create long-lasting friendships and joy. Not domesticated housewives, or compliant-driven autobots seeking validation.
Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, was truly ahead of her time.
Over time, it was natural for our Movement’s branding and messaging to fall into a trope: “Girl boss.” “Cookie boss.” “Girl power.” “Future leader.” And in many ways, this language still matters. In 2025, women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies broke the 10% barrier for the first time. Wonderful? Cause for celebration? We’re still talking about only 11%, and a quarter of those CEOs were brand new to their leadership roles. So yes, empowerment language still has a place.
But it also raises an important question, especially as we balance this with rising stress, anxiety, and depression in our girls. Is it starting to feel like… a lot?
To lead in a specific way.
To show up in a specific way.
To fix our problems.
To be everything.
Because when we look at where girls are right now, the picture is more complicated.
It’s time to refocus - because every girl deserves the chance to discover her true identity and talents. She should and can lead her own way- any path she follows is hers to create.
To find what’s within. Because we believe every girl already has the power inside her- and Girl Scouts helps her believe in it and awaken it.
To me, this subtle shift in language feels like the pressure valve being released. Think about shifting from pouring a specific way of being, a certain type of leader, into what Girl Scouts really is: where all roads are good, and our job is just to keep opportunities open, and stay the course in terms of positive relationship-building.
We have an opportunity to campaign together, rewrite our narrative, and position Girl Scouts in the most authentic light possible.
But this isn’t just about talking points and resonant slogans. To do this work, we need the right tools and resources. This means investments in our staff, volunteers, properties, and girls.
This vision requires ongoing simplification of the volunteer experience. This means cleaner systems and better communication. This also means support, from ‘just in time’ online training and materials to our in-person Girl Scout University, and so much more. This year’s training portfolio even includes FREE mental health first aid training provided by our partners at Beacon Mutual Insurance.
This vision requires top-notch properties where we can build fires and friendships, sleep under the stars, and dream big- like our exciting work to reenvision Camp Rocky Farm- a full site renovation that expands capacity, programming, and partnership opportunities.
This vision requires an expert Council staff team able to lead with heart and mission. And thankfully, we’ve got it. For the past two years, our Council staff retention has been over 95%, an all-time high. Our job at Council is to create the nest for your service and our Girl Scouts joy.
For our Girl Scouts, this vision requires a revolutionized engagement strategy, centered on her power within- with expanded offerings, opportunities, and incentives to keep our current Girl Scouts engaged while driving interest and membership with those meeting us for the first time. At all levels.
This year, we’ve jumped into state politics, elbowing our way to the legislative table and ensuring our electeds know that Girl Scouts matter. We are so proud to have companion bills sponsored by Senator Tikoian and Representative Spears that, if they pass, will guarantee automatic admission to RI public colleges and universities for our Gold Award Girl Scouts. We all know that our Gold Awards are among the most motivated, community-focused, and academically prepared students graduating from high school. This bill codifies into law a commitment our state can and should make to incentivizing our best and brightest to stay local.
We also have a once-in-a-generation opportunity in this session’s greener Green Bond, with a proposed $2.5M set aside for Camp Rocky Farm’s expansion and addition of a Mariner Cabin and Program Center. Our proposal speaks to our role as environmental stewards, protecting open space while ensuring it remains active, accessible, and impactful for the next generation. It also connects our work directly to the blue economy and our community’s deep historic connection to the ocean.
This vision requires a fund development strategy that is more diversified than our current business model. We are growing our culture of philanthropy and expanding our revenue-generating opportunities so the resources required for our Girl Scouts do not continue to fall so squarely on our collective cookie-backed shoulders. We are thinking creatively about rentals, field trips, retreats, programming, and other opportunities to monetize our expertise outside of the Movement- while also reengaging our alumni and the business community.
Philanthropy is not new to Girl Scouts, but the gap we need to close each year between the product program and our growing expenses continues to widen. We can blame it on aging infrastructure, or old pine trees that fall in the breeze, or the Ozempic effect, or cocoa tariffs. It all adds up.
I want to mark our role in this year’s 250th birthday of our great country. We’ve been leaning in hard to our civic and patriotic designation- from badge and patch earning programs across the state to partnerships with the Secretary of State’s Office. We even have a float in the Bristol 4th of July Parade.
As our Movement started less than 50 years after the end of the Civil War, we’ve borne witness to many shifts in our national and local political landscape. And every step, we’ve played a part in this history- from our deep and resonant belief in girls and women, to disability access, to troop integration well before our country’s civil rights laws, to LGBTQ rights, we’ve always stood for inclusion and belonging. We are sisters to every Girl Scout. And together, we will design for another 114 years on the same principles. Courage. Confidence. Character. Make the world a better place.
