Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Girl Scouts of Central Indiana embraces an inclusive culture. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across all identities. We are committed to continual learning and to a culture of safety and wellbeing in which individuality is celebrated and everyone is valued and respected. Everyone is welcome to bring their authentic selves into our space.
Our ongoing commitment as an organization:
Girl Scouts Active Partnerships in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Communities in Support of Organizational Development
Gold Member and Workforce Pilot Participant. BEI is a joint effort of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and the Indy Chamber, in collaboration with the Indianapolis Urban League, to grow a more inclusive business climate and build greater equity and economic opportunity for the Indy Region’s Black residents and people of color.
Member. Forum for leaders, advocates and supporters of organizational diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Partner. IYG creates safer spaces to foster community and provides programming that empowers LGBTQ+ youth and magnifies their voices. Council worked with IYG to develop an inclusiveness statement that informs our work and then trained all staff in maintaining an inclusive environment for staff and girls.
Girl Scouts of the USA collaborates on nationwide DEI strategies.
Girl Scouts of the USA has received a $15 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support diverse membership growth within six Girl Scout councils serving Indiana girls. The funding will further the vision that every girl in Indiana will have the opportunity to live her best life physically, academically, emotionally, and socially through engagement in Girl Scouts.
Organizational Strategic Priorities to Support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Development
The Council Human Resources team engaged an outside consultant to
review hiring practices and ways in which we develop and maintain an
inclusive culture. The team received a list of recommendations and has
been working to make improvements.
The Council has taken steps to enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities at our camps and on our website.
The Council is interested in enabling all staff to grow personally and professionally. The Council has engaged ML Talent Strategies to define and establish an intentional culture of personal and professional development to enable future growth for all staff.
TrueU is just one of the resources Council provides for personal and professional development, leadership development and DEI training for all staff
Girl Scouts has partnered to publish an annual Girl Report that features data across social, emotional, academic and physical metrics showcasing across race and other factors what opportunities, successes and challenges Indiana girls are facing, along with a platform that seeks to identify ways in which, statewide, we can collectively lift up the needs of girls so they may live their best lives. 2023 Report can be downloaded HERE.
Girl Scouts stands up for an inclusive culture and pledges to work for a just society for all.
At Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, we build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. In this moment of transformation in our nation, we commit to taking action to support all people who live their lives culturally as girls, and their families and communities. We want to reiterate to all girls, volunteers, alums, supporters, families, and staff that we do not tolerate oppression, and we invite everyone to come along side us on our journey.
We commit to doing all we can, using our collective power, to help create the change in our communities that is long overdue. We will do our part to learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion, to implement standards for inclusivity, and to lead others by example to create safer places in our spaces for all people. We recognize that this is far from easy or fast work, but we are Girl Scouts—we believe in sisterhood, justice, and fairness—so we are in it for the long haul. We take action when we see a need and we live by the Girl Scout Law, which demands we seek inclusivity for everyone.
We teach girls to lead by example, and to that end, we are committed to doing the difficult work to become a model DEI organization. We are making an initial financial investment to partner with experts in the areas of race, inclusion, and equity, with a focus on girls and women.
We know that DEI work is a journey, not a destination. We will hit roadblocks, get off course, and may even have to pause sometimes. We are all imperfect, so extend grace to us, yourself, and others as you embark on this DEI journey with us.
A message from Girl Scouts of the USA:
At the 56th National Council Session in July 2023, delegates representing Girl Scout councils from across the country voted to pass a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Racial Justice (DEIRJ) language proposal that will insert the word “anti-racist” into the Preamble of the Girl Scout Constitution, codifying our guiding principle to be an inclusive, anti-racist organization where all members feel welcome, respected, and empowered.
As we strive to develop girls of courage, confidence, and character, who will make the world a better place, our success will be determined by our ability to create pathways of inclusion and belonging across Girl Scouts. We commend our delegates for passing this constitutional amendment that strengthens our mission and builds upon our 2020 anti-racism pledge to infuse DEIRJ values at all levels of our organization. Our DEIRJ values are the building blocks of our Movement and foundational to the Girl Scout Law that calls us to be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Using Education to Fight Racism
Meet Ana and read about her Gold Award project, Using Education to Fight Racism.
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