Girl Scout Aims to Promote Women Empowerment
Submitted by Liv Meier
As the saying goes, when women support each other, incredible things happen. At Union County Magnet High School, girls have a new, weekly opportunity to reaffirm their power, thanks to Gold Award Girl Scout Sarah Kossor.
In an effort to create a safe and supportive environment for girls to gain confidence and knowledge at her high school, Sarah, a resident of Kenilworth and now a Magnet High School alumna, formed a Women in Leadership and Service club during her senior year.
As part of her Gold Award project plan, Sarah and her team worked with school administrators to create the club, recruited new members, and then conducted weekly meetings that involved guest speakers, discussions on global women’s issues such as education, and the creation of informational posters to display around the school.
“Knowing the importance of supportive friendships, I wanted to create this environment for girls to have the chance to come together and raise each other up whenever they needed it,” said Sarah.
Despite being an outgoing senior last year, Sarah’s vision, and the new club will remain sustainable beyond her involvement through commitments from younger club members and the club’s advisor.
Sarah, who has been a part of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) Troop 40128 for 13 years, said being a Girl Scout has taught her the value of selflessness and that anyone is capable of making the world a better place.
“Being a part of a Girl Scout troop has also taught me the power that girls have when we come together; because when we do, we always make a positive change,” she added.
The Women in Leadership and Service club is currently hosting virtual meetings to support girls within the school during the global health crisis.
“It is so wonderful to see our Gold Award Girl Scout using this project as a way to support other girls within her community,” said GSHNJ CEO Natasha Hemmings. “GSHNJ is an organization based on women supporting women and Sarah’s project is a perfect example of that.”
