Building women of integrity, one girl at a time
by: Lucretia Goddard - Oct 16, 2007 - comment
As fall rolls around, girls across the country are trying on their uniforms and getting ready for a new season of scouting. Whether they’re learning how to grow a garden or use a computer or complete a service project, scouting continues to teach girls important life skills while allowing them to meet friends and have fun. Girls now have another choice in scouting organizations with the founding of American Heritage Girls in 1995.
The American Heritage Girls (AHG) is a scouting organization that provides a Christian alternative to secular scouting programs. While they offer similar merit badge programs, service projects, girl leadership opportunities and outdoor activities, unlike the Girl Scouts of America organization, they consistently reinforce Judeo-Christian values and even encourage prayer.
The AHG program was created by a group of mothers who were previously involved with the Girl Scouts of America. As they watched that organization become increasingly more supportive of liberal causes and ideas, straying further from the moral stances they valued, the women determined traditional scouting programs were no longer acceptable for their daughters. Their “kitchen table ideas” resulted in the creation of a more wholesome club, the American Heritage Girls.
The organization was launched in the West Chester, Ohio, area with about 10 troops and approximately 100 members. But what started as a local, small-town club quickly spread across the country. Today there are troops in 33 states with over 6,000 members, making it the fastest-growing scouting club in the country.
Co-founder and executive director Patti Garibay attributes the growth and success to God. “We never thought it would turn into this,” Garibay said, “but God sent resources.”
And for the last twelve years, God has remained the focus of the organization, which is quite evident as you listen to the girls recite their pledge: “I promise to love God, cherish my family, honor my country, and serve in my community.”
To maintain this focus, all troop leaders are required to sign a statement of faith and agree to adhere to the values and ideals of the AHG.
A troop may be chartered by a church, a private school or a non-profit organization, all of which are required to agree to the AHG statement of faith. The chartering group then has the freedom to shape the troop and use it to further its ministry.
While the leadership is required to possess Christian values, girls do not have to be Christians to join a troop. Instead, girls of all spiritual backgrounds are encouraged to participate. Over the years, Garibay has found the American Heritage Girls to be a great way to minister to the lost, noting that many girls have come to faith in Jesus Christ through their involvement in the unique scouting program.
Aside from the Christian core, the American Heritage Girls is quite similar to secular scouting organizations. The program offers five age levels for troops: Pathfinder (ages 5-6), Tenderfoot (ages 6-9), Explorer (ages 9-12), Pioneer (ages 12-14) and Patriot (ages 14-18). Within these levels, girls work toward earning merit badges for areas of interest and activities including home care and repair, world heritage, aviation, horsemanship, snowboarding and Bible basics.
Each troop also is required to complete three service projects a year, each of which “enables girls to learn about the people in their community, the needs of their community, and what they can do to improve their community.”
In offering this God-centered alternative, the American Heritage Girls organization is committed to “building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.”
“It’s time that women with a strong moral compass and high self-respect serve as role models for today’s girls, interrupting their lives in a counter-culture fashion. It is time that we quit shaking our heads in disbelief, hiding our children under our skirts and take action!” said Garibay in a press statement.
“I am greatly impressed with the ministry of American Heritage Girls,” noted Barrett Duke, ERLC vice president for public policy and research. “It is encouraging to know that parents have a high quality, deeply spiritual option for their daughters. Spiritual growth and service, character development, positive role models and friendships, and community involvement are all necessary parts of a young person’s preparation for responsible adulthood. American Heritage Girls provides all this and more for young girls. The ministry is a great partner with parents in helping their daughters become all that God desires for them.”
For more information about the American Heritage Girls and how your family can become involved, visit http://www.ahgonline.org.
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