Girl Scout Realignment Information

As you may have already heard, on August 27, 2006, the National Board of Directors approved the jurisdictional realignment of Girl Scout councils.  The Board voted to endorse a plan to realign 312 councils into 109 high-performance, community-based councils.  This action by the National Board supports one of the primary goals of the Core Business Strategy.  The new structure will make the most effective use of resources to better serve the local community and create more opportunities in Girl Scouting for even more girls.  As part of this national realignment, the Girl Scouts of Conifer Council will join with the Girl Scouts of Crowley's Ridge - Jonesboro, AR; Girl Scout Council of Mount Magazine Area - Fort Smith, AR; Girl Scouts of NOARK Council - Fayetteville, AR; and the Girl Scouts of Ouachita Council, North Little Rock, AR to form one high-performing Girl Scout council serving 18,223 girls and 5,837 adults for a total membership of 24,060 Girl Scouts in the Arkansas councils.  This process will begin in October, 2007 and should be completed in twelve to fifteen months.  Decisions for the new council will be made by a Council Realignment Committee.  This committee will consist of each council's CEO, Board Chair and one other board member.  As the Council Realignment Committee (CRC) meets and decisions are made they will be posted on all five realigning council's websites.  If you have questions, concerns or comments that you would like presented to the CRC please fill out the "Council for the Future" section.

One of the most important messages we want to convey is that the process of change will not cause a discontinuation or reduction of services to girls.

     Frequently Asked Questions

               1.  Why are the Girl Scouts realigning   
               councils?           
          
       GSUSA is reorganizing councils to create the infrastructure  
       necessary to prepare for the future of the Movement.  This 
       realignment will result in the optimal impact on leadership 
       development for the largest number of girls and 
       significantly increase the number of volunteers participating 
       in Girl Scouting.  We will be making two key changes over 
       the next few years:  First, we are revitalizing the Girl Scout 
       program age levels, redefining what leadership means for  
       girls, and updating some activity options.  Second, we are 
       offering more impactful experiences and flexible time
       commitment options for volunteers.  We are making these 
       changes nationwide to ensure that Girl Scouting is a full 
       and consistent experience.
                 
               2.  Why have the Girl Scouts decided to change 
               now?   

       Girl Scouts of the USA has recently adopted a business 
       strategy to build more strength throughout the Girl Scout 
       Movement.  As part of this initiative, councils throughout the 
       country are realigning their boundaries to make the most
       effective use of our resources and to offer even more 
       program opportunities to even more girls.  Here in Conifer 
       Council we will be combining our strengths with our 
       neighbors in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas to form a new 
       high-performance Girl Scout council.  In this realignment we
       will offer some of the same programs girls have always 
       enjoyed, and add even more exciting and rewarding  
       opportunities.

               3.  What can girls and their parents expect as a 
               result of the changes?

       Girls have asked for unique experiences that reflect their 
       current needs and interests.  Parents can expect Girl 
       Scouting to utilize a new approach that is girl-led and girl-
       driven.  This approach will offer girls a unique leadership 
       development opportunity that will provide skills they need 
       for a lifetime of personal and civic achievement.  Girls can 
       expect new and exciting activities at each new age level.

               4.  Which of the councils coming together is in
               the best shape now, and which is in the worst 
               shape?  Which council benefits the most from the 
               new structure?

       All of the councils that are joining together here have key 
       strengths that our new council will rely on, and challenges, 
       like all organizations, which can result in new opportunities 
       and improvements for councils.  Some of us currently have 
       perhaps more state-of-the-art properties for girls, some of 
       us have perhaps more reach in underserved populations, 
       some of us have perhaps more donors.  The Girl Scouts of 
       Conifer Council are realigning to offer premium services to 
       all girls in our area.

               5.  How is the new council name going to be 
               decided?
       
       Our national office has given us three common sense 
       guidelines that our planning team will consider.  They are 
       that we:

       1.  Start with the name Girl Scouts, for easy identification
       2.  Include a regional reference, for easy identification
       3.  Utilize a name that is new to the realigning offices, for a 
       fresh start