The Girl Scouts of Wisconsin released their 2025 Wisconsin State of the Girl Report. (Photo/GSWISE)
By Karen Stokes
Girl Scouts have evolved more than ever before. As girls’ needs today have changed, the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Wisconsin are doing their part to address them.
This year, the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin released their 2025 Wisconsin Girl Report. The report focuses on data within four key dimensions of wellness critical to holistic development: physical health, academic performance, emotional wellness, and social well-being. This report also highlights how youth-serving organizations, including Girl Scouts, are addressing the needs of today’s girls.
Ana Simpson is CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) (Photo/GSWISE)
“The 2025 Wisconsin Girl Report was created through collaboration among Wisconsin’s four independent Girl Scout councils,” said Ana Simpson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeastern Wisconsin. “After seeing the impact of similar reports in other states, we recognized the importance of using data to tell the story of why organizations like Girl Scouts are so important in a girl’s life now more than ever.”
The Girl Scouts of Wisconsin serve over 30,000 girls in grades K5-12 in nearly every county of Wisconsin.
“I often say that Girl Scouts are more than camping, crafts, and cookies. I want to make people aware of the leadership development opportunities,” Simpson said.
One of those opportunities happened this past March when four girls from this area, two from Milwaukee County and two from Waukesha County, were among 16 girls nationwide selected to serve as advisors at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
The girls spent the entire school year preparing for this experience, learning advocacy skills and how to share their stories as young women representing the United States.
Meeting global leaders and peers was a life-changing experience for the girls. It opened their eyes to both their differences and their shared challenges.
“Those are stories you don’t think about when you think of Girl Scouts,” Simpson said.
The report states that 97% of Wisconsin Girl Scouts feel safe in Girl Scouts, 92% feel like they belong, and 75% of Girl Scouts say their troop leader helps them think about their future.
“Inclusion is at the core of everything we do,” Simpson said.
There were also some troubling statistics in the report.
According to the report, 50 percent of high school girls meet a clinical definition of depression, and many have difficulty accessing mental health treatment. One in four middle school girls feels unsupported by adults at school in stopping bullying behavior, including cyberbullying.
“We provide training and programming concerning mental wellness,” Simpson explained. “The programming we provide is for the girls, and it starts from a young age with topics that are appropriate to the age level. It addresses body image, depression, loneliness, and mental health. We know, as the report states, that troop leaders for Girl Scouts are one of the most trusted adults in a Girl Scout’s life.”
The Wisconsin Girl Report also features recommendations for parents, youth-serving organizations, school administration and teachers, funders, and policymakers, including concrete suggestions on promoting healthy relationships, closing the STEM gap, supporting mental health conditions, and mentoring girls.
“For us,” Simpson continued, “it’s reiterating how important an organization like ours really is. It’s about building on our long history and also making sure that we continue to embrace what today’s world looks like and ensure we’re having courageous conversations about certain topics, understanding the world we live in, and changing the outcomes for our girls throughout Wisconsin.”