Senator Hassan Meets with Girl Scouts in Nashua

NASHUA, NH – Civic awareness and engagement is at an all-time high and has always been something Girl Scouts are passionate about, so three troops in grades 3-8 welcomed U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan on her visit to their meeting Monday, Jan. 9, at the Nashua Public Library.

Hassan spoke to the group about how she does her job, and what her life is like, and answered questions from the Girl Scouts about dealing with negative ads, how to run a campaign, and the traits necessary to be a successful female in a leadership role.

Hassan noted how she focuses on her goals in order to shrug off negative ads and comments about her. She also discussed how self-awareness is a positive trait for women to have in politics.

“Know what you’re good at,” she told the group of rapt listeners. “For the girls in this room: When your friends tell you what you’re good at, believe them!”

She encouraged the girls to speak up when they need help, accept constructive criticism, stand up for themselves, to listen well, and read a lot. She ended her talk with the advice to take care of themselves and look out for their friends, especially if they are feeling anxious or sad.

It was late last summer in the heat of the mid-term campaigns when Stacey Pominville, co-leader of Troop 51595 in Nashua with Jamie Teague, became interested in showing her Girl Scouts what it takes to be a politician on the campaign trail.

“A few of the moms were posting their daughters’ responses to some of the campaign ads, which triggered the thought on my end about how great it would be to meet Sen. Hassan and let her describe how she feels about the campaign trail and how she handles it personally,” Pominville said, noting that her Brownies and Juniors were just beginning work on their Democracy badges.  

One group of Girl Scout Cadettes from Troop 10923 found Hassan’s talk inspiring.

“I think she reached out to a lot of the girls,” said Cadette Ellie. “I think she was right about New Hampshire being a much more open community when it comes to females in politics.”

They expressed interest in addressing mental illness through community action, as well as getting more support in school.

“It was amazing,” said Cadette Marissa of Troop 10250.

A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study tells us that girls especially care about creating a society that truly offers equal opportunity for all.

• Nearly 6 in 10 girls say they’re interested in being a future leader through advocacy, public service, or a career as an elected official.
• 82% want to make a positive impact on society through their future work.
• Girls who want to lead in advocacy say they care most about the environment and human rights issues/causes (e.g., girl’s and women’s issues, LGBTQ+ and racial equity, disability rights, poverty).

Girl Scouting offers a path for girls to become engaged in civics and fulfill its mission to create young women of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

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