The Girl Scouts have found their way to the digital age -- probably using a compass they made from a cork, a needle, a magnet, and a bowl of water. (That's 12 years of Girl Scouting and countless badges, right there.)
The days of door-to-door cookie sales are pretty much behind us in this, the era of pearl-clutching helicopter parenting. Now, the intrepid young entrepreneurs can mostly be found sitting at tables outside of grocery stores, gyms (if they're smart), and marijuana dispensaries (if they're really, really smart) under constant parental supervision.
But thanks to that smartphone burning up your pocket, the Girl Scouts have found a new way to find you with their diet-ruiningly delicious cookies wherever you are.
Yes, there is -- as they say -- an app for that.
"For almost a century, the Girl Scout Cookie Program has been teaching girls to be leaders in the world of business and finance, and we intend to ensure that legacy continues in the digital age," said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of GSUSA in a press release. "Digital Cookie is a game-changer for Girl Scouts, and a quantum leap forward in the evolution of the cookie program, coupling traditional sales activities with an online sales experience that teaches skills like online marketing and ecommerce, all in a digital space that puts an emphasis on learning, fun, and safety. If you buy Girl Scout Cookies online this year, you could be helping to prepare the next female leader of a global tech giant who changes our world forever. Join us in making Girl Scout history this cookie season!"
Sure, to you, Samoas, Thin Mints, and Do-Se-Dos are just delicious indulgences that show up just in time to help you ditch those annoying New Year's resolutions you never really wanted to stick to but had to because you posted them all over Facebook. "Girl Scout cookies only come once a year! They're special! This totally doesn't count as breaking my diet!"
For the Scouts themselves, however, the cookie sales are vital. They raise the majority of the funds the troops need to function. They pay not only for camping trips and craft supplies but also for the gas that takes them to their community service at under-priveleged day-care centers, retirement homes, soup kitchens, animal shelters, and nature cleanups -- all of which is how these girls and young women spend the vast majority of their time. (Seriously, 12 years of Girl Scouting. Real talk.)
But it's not just about the money -- or the badge -- or the extra badge that boasts how many extra boxes you sold.
Marking the first national digital platform in the history of the iconic cookie program, this revolutionary enhancement adds a digital layer that expands and strengthens the ways girls learn the essential 5 Skills of goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. The future of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Digital Cookie will introduce vital 21st-century lessons about online marketing, app usage, and ecommerce to more than 1 million excited Girl Scouts who will be in the driver's seat of their own digital cookie businesses.
Still you have to be invited by a Girl Scout to use the app or the online platform, and all sales and contacts will be approved by the Scout's adult, both of whom take an "internet safety pledge."
The app is available for both iPhones and the Androids. Or you can get a digital invitation from a Girl Scout via email to place your order online.
Girl Scout Cookie season 2015 starts January 22. Visit girlscoutcookies.org.
You can contact Rebecca McBane, Arts & Culture Editor/Food Blog Editor/12-Year Girl Scout Veteran at [email protected].
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