The Girl Scouts just held another fancy summit to talk about “investing in young women.” Meredith Maskara, their Chief Development Officer, spoke at the 2025 Forbes Power Women’s Summit about mentoring girls. But many parents are asking the real question: what values are they actually teaching our daughters?
Maskara comes from a Girl Scout family and has five daughters in the program herself. She rose through the ranks from Girl Scouts of Greater New York to the national level. While her personal story sounds nice, parents need to look at what the organization has become under modern leadership.
The Girl Scouts used to focus on building character, teaching life skills, and preparing girls to be strong women. Now they seem more interested in pushing progressive politics than selling cookies. Many conservative families have watched this once-great organization drift away from traditional American values.
Maskara talks about “unapologetically driving philanthropic support for women and girls.” But where does all that donation money really go? Too often these days, it funds diversity consultants and social justice programs instead of actual camping and leadership skills that built generations of strong American women.
The organization created something called “Troop 6000” for girls in homeless shelters in New York City. While helping disadvantaged kids sounds good, critics wonder if this is just another way to expand government dependency instead of teaching self-reliance and personal responsibility.
At these elite Forbes summits, wealthy executives pat themselves on the back for their good intentions. Meanwhile, working-class parents struggle to find youth programs that actually reflect their family values. The Girl Scouts leadership seems more interested in impressing coastal elites than serving regular Americans.
Our daughters deserve better than corporate buzzwords about “tomorrow’s power women.” They need programs that teach them to be proud Americans who respect their families, communities, and country. They need to learn that real strength comes from character, not from checking diversity boxes.
Parents who want their girls to learn genuine leadership should look for alternatives. There are many other youth organizations that focus on actual skills and traditional values instead of trendy political messaging. American families deserve choices that align with their beliefs.
