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Girl Scouts Attend Convention, Learn To Be Leaders

Scout Leader: These Girls See No Boundaries

POSTED: 6:25 pm MDT August 25, 2008
UPDATED: 5:01 pm MDT August 26, 2008

While most students learn about government in Civics class, a few hundred Girl Scouts have taken time off from school to learn about politics and leadership first-hand.

They’re taking part in the "Building Leaders: Teaching Democracy" event at the Democratic National Convention.

Their first assignment: attending the Unconventional Women seminar hosted by former Ambassador Swanee Hunt.

"This is like history in the making," said Colorado Girl Scout Amira Ababio. "I can't wait to meet all the leaders and hear what they have to say."

"Rather than just learn about it in school," said Girl Scout Leslie Mendoza, "we get to be here and see it for ourselves."

"It's really exciting," added fellow Scout Shelbey Sonderby. "It's something I never thought would happen, but it's something I will always remember being part of."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was one of the speakers at the seminar. She told the scouts that when she was first elected to Congress, few Congressmen asked her opinion about anything. She said she had to work harder.

"That's what you really have to do. You have to know more about every subject than they do," Pelosi said.

Laurie Westley, of Girl Scouts USA, said that girls see leadership differently than adults.

"They focus less on power and control and much more on what leadership is being used for," Westley said. "Unlike previous generations, these girls see no boundaries."

"I have a lot of goals," Ababio said. "To be an entrepreneur, build my own business and hopefully own a Fortune 500 company one day."

"I want to be able to take what I've learned here and just help other girls who may not know that it's OK to take a stand and have your own voice," said Girl Scout Whitney Smith.

Later this week, the Girl Scouts will attend a caucus and will create their own platform. They will learn about voting and the electoral college. And they will attend a candidate boot camp sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

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