New Hope Volunteer Works to Inspire Young Girl Scouts of Color
New Hope resident Paulette Bonneur is a founder of a mentored troop in Girl Scouts, which provides girls of color the opportunity to be a part of a Girl Scout troop led by a leader of color.
“Honestly, I just wanted free cookies a couple years ago and it turned into me a leading a troop with some of my good girlfriends. We are all Minnesota State Mankato graduates and so I grabbed some friends I knew from college and said hey let’s do this,” said Bonneur. “It’s a BIPOC mentored troop for girls who specifically identify as households of color, so girls of color, and from diverse backgrounds. The leaders are also leaders who are women of color. So within Girl Scouts, there’s a lot of work to do in terms of diversity, and so if we want to see the change, we have to be the change.”
Girl Scouts in Troop 18793 prepare for an upcoming mini conference at North Hennepin Community College.
The troop started a year ago. It’s currently organizing a December conference to inspire young female leaders ages 5-9.
“At first we were looking around to see something that we can take our girls to and we weren’t finding what we’re looking for. So we thought, why don’t we create something on our own and not just for our girls but other girls,” said Bonneur.
The troop is still organizing details, but the event will be at North Hennepin Community College on Dec. 17. It’s open to all girls, whether or not they are in Girl Scouts. There will be breakout sessions to learn about careers, free food, and even a DJ. Learn more here.
“It is amazing when we see these girls of color so confident and they literally are just the epitome of everything I wish I had when I was their age,” said Bonneur. “They are so curious, curious about life, careers and so many other things.”
See also: School Spotlight: Providence Academy Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award
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