Volunteers in Girl Scouting THE UNITED STATES is at war. The lives of its citizens, its freedom, and its very way of life are threatened and are being attacked. Any effort to preserve these is defense. The Girl Scout organization is grateful that this crisis finds it with defense forces, not merely under way, but full blown. For thirty years now, Girl Scouting has been training girls to be citizens in a democracy and all that that implies. Now it finds itself in the enviable position of being able to offer our threatened nation a going-concern with significant assets that can be used in the nation’s program for victory. The assests of Girl Scouting at this time are many: first, it is based upon a code of ethics that emphasizes service to others; second, it includes in its program many activities that can be used to bolster every aspect of the defense program during this war period; third, it has a method-the democratic method-that insures the highest type of cooperative endeavor on the part of groups of children and adults; fourth, it has hundreds of thousands of girls trained in attitudes, skills, and methods of organization that can be put to use in a war situation; fifth, it has thousands of adult women and men who are similarly trained, and in many communities, are organized into administrative councils and committees; sixth, it has physical resources in its local offices and camp sites; and, last, it has a national organization that coordinates the work of all local groups into an efficient movement for service to the communities of the nation. The mobilization of these Girl Scout resources for defense is imperative. But mobilization implies the wisdom and untiring efforts of adult volunteers. Even in peace-time, wherever one finds Girl Scouting one finds adults. In this crisis, hundreds more are needed if each community will raise the many bulwarks Girl Scouting is already prepared to build for defense. To seek volunteers is nothing new in Girl Scouting. It has always believed in the volunteer. In fact, 99 per cent of all its adult workers are volunteers. The new demands of the emergency to serve children and to guide them in the service to their communities has increased the need for volunteer leaders, council, and committee members, and makes it the loyal duty of each person now in Girl Scouting to remain at her post. To neglect children in the emergency is a sacrifice not to be tolerated. They are part of the emergency and must be served, lest the other sacrifices we make to the war become a sham and a futility in the years ahead. 1