Girl Scouts Receive Funding For

Its Anti-Bullying Program

The Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut has received a generous donation from the Fairfield County Community Foundation Fund for Women and Girls to further the Council’s Girlz Rule program.

The interactive program, facilitated by trained adults, teaches girls to identify and combat personal and group bullying and female aggressive behaviors such as ostracism, talking behind someone’s back, spreading rumors, name calling, and put-downs. The program builds self-esteem and confidence, respect for self and others, independence and cooperation, communication, decision-making abilities, and leadership and social skills. The donation will help bring the successful Girlz Rule program, which has been endorsed by teachers and students alike, to more girls.

One out of every five girls ages 5 to 17 is a Girl Scout in the council’s 15-town area of Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

In the school setting, Girlz Rule reaches all students in participating gym classes. The after-school program, whether at school or at a local community center, reaches another segment of the girl population.

The recruitment and training of adults to teach the program means that the program’s principles, team-building exercises and anti-bullying measures can be spread more broadly. Where the program has taken place, it has improved the school and home atmosphere for all involved, fostered cooperation and new friendships, and brought a most positive vitality and cooperative spirit to the participants.

Girlz Rule is one of a planned suite of staged program components that help girls to develop strong values, appreciation for diverse backgrounds and opinions, and the skill and confidence to recognize aggressive behaviors and deal with them in a positive response. The Fairfield County Community Foundation grant will allow the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut extend the council’s programs to more girls in the region.

 The Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF) is a growing community foundation with assets of over $50 million in 199 different donor funds established by individuals, organizations, families, and corporations to serve Fairfield County now and in the future. Through the Community Foundation, donors support programs operated by not-for-profit organizations in community and economic development, children and youth, women and girls, health and human services, the environment, arts and culture, and nonprofit organizational effectiveness.

In the past year, according to Fairfield County Community Foundation Board Chair Wilmot Harris, the Community Foundation awarded grants to nonprofit organizations totaling more than $7 million.