I00th Anniversary - Guest Blog: Hernandez

We are happy to feature the executive director of Chrysalis, Terry Hernandez, in our guest blog series.  Thank you, Terry, for everything you do for women and girls in our community and for writing up such a thought-provoking message! 

Let us know if you would like to be our next guest blogger by emailing us your story.

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Terry Hernandez
Executive Director
Chrysalis

(a public
foundation
supporting girls
and women)

This is the world we live in.  Scouting is one of the ways girls learn to navigate through it.

In the 4+ decades since my days as a [Girl Scout] Brownie, the world has changed dramatically.  What we learn and the way we learn it – especially for young girls – may not always be through the preferred teachers.

For example, in today’s world:

American teenagers spend more than 10 hours a day consuming media, most of it filled with content that objectifies women and distorts their bodies.

• 53% of 12 year old girls feel unhappy with their bodies, 78% of 17 year old girls feel unhappy with their bodies, and 65% of women and girls have an eating disorder.
• Rates of depression among girls and women have doubled between 2000 and 2010.
• Girls are learning to see themselves as objects.  The American Psychological Association calls self-objectification a national epidemic: Women and girls who self-objectify are more likely to be depressed, have lower confidence, lower ambition, and lower GPAs. 
• Women respond to advertisers' messages of never being good enough:  American women spend more money on the pursuit of beauty than on their own education.

Is it any wonder?

For me, and for girls today, the most important place to be outside of the family is with other girls and supportive adults.  Research proves it and I concur.  Girl Scouts provides just that.

As I remember the excitement of wearing my uniform to school (beanie and all!), I recall the knowing look I shared with other Girl Scouts as we proudly walked the hallways.  We felt we were part of something larger – part of a trusted group of friends that was doing good.  We were excited about what our adult leaders had planned for our troop meetings (especially the overnight and summer trips to Camp Sacajewea) and about being with a group of girls with whom we shared a strong bond.

Girl Scouting today shares a strong position in enriching girls’ lives in the out-of-school hours, the time when we’re often alone, online, or possibly influenced by other kids and risky behaviors.

Much like the work we do at Chrysalis today, Girl Scouts provides a safe place for girls to be.  Scouting builds strength and resilience that girls need to mitigate the effects of media, peers, gangs, and a society that often presents the wrong image of what a girl or woman should be.  Thank goodness for scouting.
 
 - Terry Hernandez

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