PART

2

SECTION

I

Religious Recognitions Information (RRI) Teams are groups of speakers who make presentations on the religious recognitions programs in order to increase the awareness of these programs at neighborhood/service unit and troop levels. RRI Teams do not provide religious instruction. The purpose of RRI Teams is to provide information - information about ALL the religious recognitions recognized by the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. so that each girl will have the opportunity to earn a recognition of her own faith.
This manual has three objectives:
• to explain why leaders and girls should be informed about the religious recognitions programs;
• to explain how to build RRI Teams;
• to provide the presentation materials and resources for RRI Teams.

Rationale

The Preamble to the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Constitution states that “the motivating force in Girl Scouting is a spiritual one” and that Girl Scouts are
“united by a belief in God.” Girl Scouting recognizes the importance of spiritual development and understands that religious instruction is the responsibility of parents and religious leaders.

 The religious recognitions programs can help provide a spiritual component to the Girl Scout program. Religious recognitions are programs that have been created by the national religious organizations or national religious committees themselves. They help girls to become more active members in their own religious groups, and they encourage spiritual development by providing specific religious instruction. It is important to note that these programs are overseen by and/or taught by religious leaders and administered by religious organizations, not by the Girl Scouts.

Religious recognitions can play a vital role in the overall development of a Girl Scout. Besides providing specific religious instruction, the religious recognitions programs share many of the values that are integral to the Girl Scout program, i.e. service to the community, intergenerational relationships, friendship-making skills, and positive self-esteem. The religious recognitions programs provide opportunities for girls to reinforce and internalize the values they have learned in Girl Scouting and to relate them to their faith.

Research has shown that when children are involved in both a religious organization and a civic youth organization, the number of positive assets increase while their at-risk behaviors decrease. The study Girl Scouts: Who We Are, What We Think found that girls who are active in both Girl Scouting and a religious organization make better moral decisions than girls who participate in only one or the other organization. In this light, promot-

2-3

<< Back  Table of Contents   Next >>