By Rachel Aubrey | [email protected]

The Girl Scouts of America has been present in Utah for more than 100 years. Newly formed Troop 583, based in South Jordan, is now a part of that tradition and legacy of empowering young girls to become leaders and responsible citizens through a limitless number of activities. The newest troop is for the “daisy” age range, girls in pre-K, kindergarten and those entering first grade in the fall of 2021. 

Troop leader and South Jordan resident Jennifer Bingman grew up in the Girl Scout program, learning so many worthwhile qualities as young girl that she continues to exemplify into adulthood and in her career as a master electrician. 

“I learned a lot from the people I was meeting doing all these different projects,” Bingman said.

In an effort to remain COVID-compliant, the troop will hold its meetings at North Park, north of the equestrian center in South Jordan. Bingman said she is excited to have a solid team of co-leaders to work with, all themselves with different backgrounds and circumstances. As is standard when working closely with children, each leader is put through a criminal background check. Some of the co-leaders have daughters in the troop, some just want to give back.

“I’ve always enjoyed helping people,” co-leader Ashley Fabert said. Although unable to go through the Girl Scout program herself as a young girl, Fabert said that it’s nice to see girls of different backgrounds being able to learn together.

“We’re going to teach the girls a lot of things,” Fabert said.

In Girl Scouts, there is no limit to the types of activities the girls can participate in whether that be outdoor activities such as canoeing, rock wall climbing and archery, or indoor activities such as a letter writing campaign, learning to code, sewing blankets and more. While the daisy age group is not able to participate in overnight camping the way the older girls are, there are plenty of options to keep them busy from planting a garden to putting on a skit. For each skill or concept that the daisy becomes fluent in, a badge or petal is given to wear on their tunics.

According to the daisy landing page of the GSU website, the Girl Scouts is a place where kindergarteners and first graders can learn social skills, be given stability in an ever-changing world and be built up both in and out of the classroom.

“The Girl Scouts gave me a place to fit in,” Bingman said. 

For mom Sandra Johnson, the notion of enhanced social ability is what inspired her to get daughter Adilyn, 5, involved in the Girl Scout program. Johnson saw the new troop being advertised on social media and recognized the potential for building friendships and self-esteem.

“I thought that maybe if we had some kind of group that we could gather with it might help her build a little confidence,” Johnson said.

Girls Scouts is girl-led and therefore allows girls, even as young as 5 and 6 years of age, to have a voice in the types of skills and activities they want to participate in. It is within the Girl Scout program that girls learn how to be, according to the Girl Scout law, “… honest, fair, considerate and caring, courageous and strong …”

“We are a lot more than selling cookies,” Vice President of Marketing and Communications Callie Birdsall Chambers said. “The girls learn interpersonal skills and self-empowerment.”

For more information on how to be involved as a volunteer or to find a troop meeting in your area, visit https://www.gsutah.org/