When people think of Girl Scouts, many associate the organization with cookies. While the group does, in fact, host a cookie sale annually, there is a much deeper initiative behind what Girl Scouts is about: instilling girls with courage, confidence and character.

Fourteen troops across Beaufort County nurture local girls from kindergarten age to seniors in high school, providing a means for them to build social skills, learn life skills and give back to their communities through service projects, according to Kimberly Boyd, leader of Troop 1016 of Chocowinity and media coordinator for the county’s Girl Scout troops. The organization also gives girls of all ages an opportunity to make friends, giving them a network of support.

“(Girl Scouts) is very important,” Boyd said. “We teach them to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful. It’s very important to build that bond with one another. It’s like a sisterhood. We’re like family. We encourage the girls to say positive things to lift each other up. Girls come in from different home lives and situations, and they come in and relax and open up.”

Boyd said the girls of each troop aren’t always confined to their respective troop. Throughout the year, leaders provide settings in which Girl Scouts across the county get together and participate in activities. In April, all Girl Scouts in the county will host carwashes on the same day, an activity coordinated among all the troops in the community. The girls also come together each fall and spring to go camping and work on earning various badges, Boyd said.

The badge system provides a way to earn a level of comprehension and skillset in a specific area. For example, financial badges are earned when a Girl Scout has an understanding of money management and other skills regarding money, Boyd said. As they get older, they put that understanding into action; the money raised to fund their activities is carefully spent, as they take more of a leadership role in how it’s managed.

Several Girl Scouts recently earned a pet badge after touring the Beaufort County Animal Shelter, where they volunteered by collecting donations for the shelter and gained an understanding of how the shelter works and the need it meets in the community, according to Boyd.

“Badges are earned through various activities that helps them build their confidence and teaches them things about that particular area,” Boyd said. “It teaches responsibility and builds up their character.”

Those involved with Girl Scouts also learn valuable skills through simple activities such as meetings. As they get older, the leaders and supporting adults give more responsibility to the girls by allowing them to set up and host their own meetings, giving them valuable organizational and leadership skills that will help them throughout life, Boyd said.

Boyd said, essentially, the organization aims to give girls confidence, character and courage that make the world a better place.