Inclusive Girl Scout troop grows in Tampa Bay

The Family Center on Deafness and the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida have launched a unique initiative to establish the first Girl Scout troop for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls in the Tampa Bay area, and one of only a few in the country.

This distinctive troop aims to provide an inclusive environment where girls from the Family Center on Deafness can experience the full benefits of scouting while fostering a sense of community and empowerment. 

The initiative began in 2020 when Anthony Verdeja, Executive Director of the Family Center on Deafness, said they recognized a need for a specialized troop. The Family Center on Deafness (FCD) was already offering various programs, but there was a specific demand for activities tailored to young ladies who are deaf or hard of hearing. Conversations with the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida revealed an opportunity for collaboration, leading to the creation of a troop that would operate using American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English, incorporating the cultural norms of the deaf community

Verdeja said over the past few years, his team and those with the Girl Scouts organization have continued working to adapt the Girl Scouting curriculum to be accessible to their troop’s needs and abilities.

“We’re not necessarily changing the experiences or the content, but ensuring access and understanding, which then can lead to the application of the skills that we’re teaching the other young ladies,” Verdeja said. “So something as simple as just the pledge: What is the Girl Scout motto? How do we set that up so that it is conceptually accurate within ASL but also allows us to maintain that connection with the greater [Girls Scouts organization].”

The troop has received support from various organizations, including the Juvenile Welfare Board, which provided funding to ensure its success. Mary Pat King, CEO of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, highlighted the importance of community-based troops.

“Every girl deserves a Girl Scout experience, and that is what we deliver through this program,” King said. “The courage, the confidence and the character that we build in Girl Scouting is really essential for the future workforce, for the future families and for future communities as a whole. The Family Center on Deafness really creates this community experience, so we enhance that by focusing in on the girls and making sure they know that they can do anything, and Girl Scouting is an avenue to help them to do that.”

One of the Girl Scout troop’s favorite activities last year was a trip to Astro Skate in Tampa.

Dana Antis, a Girl Scout Program Coordinator and the troop leader at the Family Center for Deafness, said the troop currently has eight registered members, with plans to grow to 10-15 girls. Dana emphasized the importance of creating an interactive curriculum that engages the girls, allowing them to participate fully in their scouting experience. She said activities align closely with those of traditional Girl Scout troops but are adapted to be more visual and hands-on, catering to the girls’ learning styles. 

“This troop is incredible because it shows how much these girls can do,” Antis said. “One of the badges they did was for STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics], and they did an automotive design badge. They drew a car, sculpted it out of clay and learned about everything that it takes for people to come together to make a vehicle and design a vehicle. They specifically enjoyed the part where they got to work with the clay because it was hands-on.”

Antis also noted this troop has an especially strong sense of community and support, which took center stage while the troop was selling boxes of Girl Scout cookies. The annual fundraising effort supports local troops and builds entrepreneurial skills by tasking girls with selling boxes of Girl Scouts-branded cookies.

“They sold 181 boxes within two hours, and I actually had to send my supervisor back to the council to pick up more cookies an hour into the booth because we needed more cookies,” Antis said. “They are such a great community, the people that participate with and work at FCD,  everybody showed up. Everybody wanted to buy cookies. Everybody wanted to be there. It was amazing.”

Verdeja said reception to the new troop has been overwhelmingly positive, as both the girls and their families are thrilled to have an inclusive space where they can interact and grow. The group has also participated in various Girl Scout events, such as Girl Scout Fest and summer camps, further integrating them into the broader Girl Scout community.

“Their excitement and energy has kind of spread throughout the various troops to where other troops are now interested in learning more about deaf culture and American Sign Language,” Verdeja said. “So I think what that does is expose and educate the greater Girl Scout community. Access is so important, and the fact that access is happening not only at the troop level but at some of the bigger jamborees and other events gives the deaf and hard-of-hearing community belonging and connection.”

“We were able to hire an ASL interpreter to be there at camp, and what we heard from our Girl Scouts and families who participated is that they felt welcomed, encouraged and like they were fully able to participate,” King said. “Also, our campers and our counselors really understood a new angle of inclusion. They really aimed to be supportive and encouraging, as well as deepening their understanding of ASL and the deaf community. I feel like that’s a win for everyone involved.”

The success of the Tampa Bay troop has set a precedent for similar initiatives across the country. While there are currently few troops specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls, the hope is that this model can be replicated to provide more inclusive opportunities nationwide.

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