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The Tongass Alaska Girl Scouts engage in a variety of activities - such as selling their annual Girl Scout cookies - but the secret to their proactive success is thinking outside the box.

As part of their annual Thinking Day celebration, on Feb. 23, Southeast Girl Scouts - from Ketchikan, Sitka, Petersburg, Thorne Bay, Gustavus, Haines and Craig - explored issues surrounding water and how water affects their lives and the lives of girls around the world.

According to Tongass Alaska Girl Scout Council CEO Julia Erickson, Girl Scouts participate in activities that include a deeper look into their own strengths and effect on the world.

"Every Girl Scout makes a commitment to become the best that she can be, to think of others as well as herself and to realize that her actions have an impact on her family and community," Erickson said. "Girl Scouts are today's leaders, showing the way in healthy living, environmental awareness and respect for self and others."

This year's Thinking Day, which was held at the U.S. Forest Service Office and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, featured a live video conference through the Forest Service, in which Girl Scouts from Sitka and Ketchikan presented their research on local watersheds.

At one point, Girls Scouts talked with representatives from Dakar, Senegal, about the lack of running water for its population of 4 million.

According to Erickson, Chapel by the Lake is sponsoring a water well restoration project in Senegal. There will be a follow-up meeting about this project in May.

The council also received a grant, Linking Girls to the Land, from the U.S. Forest Service which will expand Thinking Day into a yearlong exploration of water and its significance around the world.

So what's over the horizon for these budding activists?

"We're looking at cleanup on the beach," Erickson said. "There's also talk about work on creeks, streams and banks, which will help improve the quality of the water for the fish and other animals."

In this world of difficult choices, peer pressure and other problems, Girl Scouts is needed more than before, Erickson added.

According to Erickson, there will be a national teleconference on March 27 regarding the latest study, "Change It Up! What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership," by the Girl Scout Research Institute. National Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Kathy Cloninger also will take part.

This annual study takes an intense look at the lives of more than 4,000 girls across the country. The research will include a brief introduction the new Girl Scout program and leadership materials, which will be used beginning this fall.

"The quality of this research really demonstrates the Girl Scout commitment to be the world's premiere leadership experience for girls," Erickson said. "This research really needs to be heard, as it addresses the lives of girls today. ... (It will) demonstrate that Girl Scouts are changing to continue to be the premiere leadership experience for girls."

For more information about Girl Scouts, contact the Tongass Alaska Girl Scout Council at 586-1710.

• Contact Neighbors editor Kim Andree at 523-2272 or kimberly.andree@juneauempire.com