Encuentro de Chicas Latinas de las Girl Scouts introduced over 150 Latina girls to Girl Scouting. This year the conference was held June 29 & 30 on the campus of George Mason University. Girls ages 11-17 were selected to attend by their schools based on their demonstrated leadership skills. During the two day conference, which included an overnight stay in the campus dorms, the girls participated in interactive demonstrations and leadership workshops presented by accomplished Latino professionals.
“Our goal is to inspire all girls to recognize their abilities and become leaders in their schools and communities,” said the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital Acting Executive Director Lidia Soto-Harmon. “We purposefully selected a college setting in order to instill in these girls a desire for academic success.”
Keynote speaker Linda Madrid reinforced the importance of a college education. The workshops focused on leadership skills, pride in cultural heritage and healthy behaviors and body images. The conference also included discussions on college admissions and scholarship opportunities and the girls had the chance to have fun learning yoga, Zumba and Flamenco dancing. Photos from the event:
