Girl Scout troop leader wants to bring special needs troop to Shelby
Monica Swords has been involved in the Girl Scout organization for several years. Her oldest daughter started Girl Scouts five years ago and she became a troop leader at that time. Swords mentioned that Girl Scouts has really made a positive impact on her oldest daughter saying, “I’ve watched my older girl go from a super shy little five-year-old to being on stage in a musical at the theater.” She loves that she is able to be so involved with her oldest’s troop and see the growth happening in real time.
“It’s an amazing organization, just the leadership skills that they teach girls. Like I said, I watched my older daughter go from a shy little girl who wouldn’t talk to anybody to one of the biggest leaders in our group. It’s just teaching those girls how to be leaders and that’s something we need, more women in leadership roles. We need women who process things a little differently to be in leadership roles,” Swords said.
Swords has two children on the autism spectrum who have wanted to be included in both Boy and Girl Scouts. She mentioned that her son’s time with the Boy Scouts was not ideal. She said scout leaders would push him to the side and not make a real effort to include him in the activities in a way that would make him comfortable.
Her youngest daughter, now five-years-old, has expressed interest in becoming a Girl Scout since she was about threeyears-old. “She has seen her older sister earn all the badges, get her vest all filled up,” said Swords. She said they started right away in immersing her in the Girl Scout culture and signed her up to be a scout when she started Kindergarten.
Her youngest daughter is currently involved in a local Girl Scout troop but Swords says it is just too much for her. She says that sometimes being in a large group of other children and their parents can be an overwhelming experience for some. “I’m just trying to make sure that those girls who want to be involved but can’t because of their needs, are able to be involved,” said Swords.
She made a post on one of the Shelby community Facebook pages about this troop to get an idea of how much interest there would be in forming one. Swords said she is overwhelmed but in a positive way with the response she got from the community. She got responses from future teachers and older Girl Scouts who want to be involved.
She also got a great response from parents of girls with special needs. “It’s something they have wanted to get their girls involved with but it’s just overwhelming for their girls. They can’t be in a big, huge meeting space, a typical meeting space and be able to concentrate,” said Swords. “When you’re a special needs parent, you feel so alone and so isolated from the world and then you see all this feedback from the community and it’s a really good feeling,” she said.
The inclusive/special needs Girl Scout troop that Swords is starting will be held in smaller meeting spaces with less distractions. Dim lighting is also a must because it can be a trigger for children on the autism spectrum. She also mentioned that they are looking to keep the troops relatively small but they can break off into different age groups as need be.
“I would not only like to focus on the Girl Scout stuff but focus on the social aspect as well. They need that practice with their social skills. It would be tying in the social skills with the Girl Scout badges,” said Swords. Modifying the programs to fit the needs of the girls will not be an issue as the Girl Scout organization is flexible to keep things inclusive.
Swords mentioned that she appreciates the awareness of people on the autism spectrum. She said that it is important to understand that there are some people who process things a little differently and need extra help navigating this world.
If you or someone you know has a little girl who would benefit from being in a more inclusive, special needs Girl Scout troop, message Monica Swords on Facebook or call the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland office and inquire about the troop. So far, Swords has had a couple interested families but she needs more in order to officially form the troop.
“I got plans for these girls,” said Swords. “They’re gonna learn those social skills, they’re gonna get out there and show the community that just because they’re different, doesn’t make them less.”