The American Heritage Girls (AHG) is a Christian-based Scouting-like organization for Americans. The organization has more than 52,000 members (2020) with troops or individuals ("trailblazers") in all 50 states of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and for American expatriates in fifteen other countries. "All biological girls of any color, race, national origin and socioeconomic status who agree to live according to the standards of the AHG Oath and the AHG Creed" are eligible for membership while adult leaders must subscribe to a Christian statement of faith.

History

The American Heritage Girls was founded in 1995 by Patti Garibay and other parents from West Chester, Ohio to form a Christian alternative to the Girl Scouts of the USA after the Girl Scouts allowed individual Scouts and Scouters to use wording appropriate to their own beliefs for the word "God" in the promise and supposedly banned prayer at meetings. The organization started with 100 girls. In June 2009, the AHG formed a partnership with the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

(BSA). The Memorandum of Mutual Support recognized the common values and goals of both organizations and formally established a relationship, as AHG had been working with the BSA on projects and utilized BSA camps especially with the BSA mixed-sex

Venturing Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 (or 13 and graduated the eighth grade) through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Explorin ...

membership division. In May 2013, the AHG dissolved its relationship with the BSA in reaction to the BSA's new policy on gay youth, which removed the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation. Also that month, American Heritage Girls joined the Faith Based Boys Coalition. The Faith Based Boys joined with other groups to form an alternative Boy Scout program. A leadership meeting was held in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on June 29, 2013, to discuss forming a new boys group.Wiggins, Kimberly. July 16, 2013
Orlando group creates faith-based alternative to Boy Scouts

MyFoxOrlando.com
(WOFL-FOX35). The AHG cofounder Patti Garibay was invited to the Kentucky meeting as an advisor. It was revealed in September that American Heritage Girls would be partnering with

Trail Life USA Trail Life USA (TLUSA or commonly Trail Life) is a faith-based non-aligned Scouting organization providing youth mentorship and character development to more than 40,000 boys in the United States. The organization was founded in 2013 in respon ...

, the new boys' Scouting groupLohr, Kathy. (September 09, 2013
Trail Life USA, The 'Other' Boy Scouts Of America
National Public Radio. which was modeled on AHG.

Program

The American Heritage Girls program is divided into several levels based primarily on age. Girls participate in troop activities and work toward earning 80 badges, learn leadership skills, social and spiritual development: * Pathfinder— 5–6 years old: The Pathfinder Level is intended to give a girl a chance to try out the AHG Program and learn more about it. A Pathfinder girl earns necklace beads for attendance, participation and Bible verse memorization while learning the four parts of the AHG Oath. She may earn the

Fanny Crosby Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns ...

Award upon completion of this Level. * Tenderheart— 6–9 years old: A Tenderheart earns Badges and Sports Pins in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities or special events. She may earn the Sacagawea Award for achieving the highest level of skill and service at this Level. Blue Service Stars are awarded for every 5 hours of community service. * Explorer— 9–12 years old: An Explorer earns Badges and Sports Pins in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities or special events. She may earn the

Ida Scudder Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder (December 9, 1870 – May 24, 1960) was a third-generation American medical missionary in India. She dedicated her life to the plight of Indian women and the fight against bubonic plague, cholera and leprosy. In 1918, sh ...

(previously Lewis and Clark) Award for achieving the highest level of skill and service at this Level. Red Service Stars are awarded for every 10 hours of community service. Explorers are allowed to participate in overnight camping events * Pioneer— 12–14 years old: A Pioneer continues to earn Badges, Sports Pins, Service Stars and activity patches. She may earn the Harriet Tubman Award for achieving the highest level of skill and service at this Level. Silver Service Stars are awarded for every 15 hours of community service. A Pioneer is also eligible for the roles of Camp or Event Aide. The Pioneer Level is where girls really begin to show leadership skills by assisting their leaders with planning, organizing and staffing special events for AHG in the community or within their Troop. * Patriot— 14–18 years old: Patriot is the highest Program Level in AHG. A Patriot still earns Badges, Sports Pins, Service Stars and activity patches. She may earn the Abigail Adams Award (previously the Dolly Madison award) for achieving the highest level of skill and service at this Level. Gold Service Stars are awarded for every 20 hours of community service. Patriot girls plan and carry out activities with Unit Leaders who function as “facilitators”, allowing girls to make decisions on a regular basis. Girls proceed through various ranks as they get older, each year girls moving to an older unit will bridge over to the new unit. Members can earn a religious award, such as the PRAY award or the REAL religious award. Troops must do 3 community service projects per year. The first award girls earn after joining AHG is their joining award, which gives them the opportunity to learn about flag etiquette, AHG history, the buddy system, and uniforms. Pathfinder's uniforms consist of a pathfinder shirt, pathfinder necklace, closed toe shoes, and navy slacks or a skirt. Tenderhearts wear white polos, closed toe shoes, a navy neckerchief, a red vest, and navy shorts or a skirt. Explorer uniforms are a white polo, closed toe shoes, a red neckerchief, a navy vest, and khaki slacks or a skirt. Pioneers wear a white polo, a navy sash, closed toe shoes, and a khaki/navy/or black skirt or slacks. Patriots wear the same uniform as Pioneers, except for a red polo. The American Heritage Girl program emphasizes life skill enhancement, developing teamwork & building confidence, social development, girl leadership, character development, and spiritual development. AHG ascribes to progressive programing, where everything a girl does will be appropriate for her age and ability. As a girl moves through the program, requirements for badges and other achievements will become more challenging. American Heritage Girls have the opportunity to earn badges from 6 frontiers: *Heritage Frontier - includes badges such as Citizenship and Government, Native American, and Caring For My Environment *Family Living Frontier - includes badges such as Cooking, Home Care & Repair, Auto Care and Safety, and Money Management *Arts Frontier - includes badges such as Cinematography, Creative Writing, Music Performance, and Theater *Outdoor Skills Frontier - includes badges such as Archery, Canoeing, Cycling, Fishing, Golf, Horsemanship, and Snow Skiing & Snowboarding *Personal Well-Being Frontier - includes badges such as Book Adventurer, Emergency Preparedness, Physical Fitness, Sign Language, and Travel *Science and Technology Frontier - includes badges such as Aviation, Geology, Internet Adventure, Space Exploration, and Zoology Pathfinders earn necklace beads for attendance, memorizing verses, and participation instead of badges. In addition to badges, girls are encouraged to earn level awards, sports pins, service stars, and patches. In the last year a girl is in each level (3rd grade, 6th grade, 8th grade, etc.), they have the opportunity to work towards a level award. Pathfinders earn the Fanny Crosby Award, Tenderhearts earn the Sacagawea Award, Explorers earn the Ida Scudder Award (formerly Lewis and Clark),Pioneers earn the Harriet Tubman Award, and Patriots earn the Dolly Madison award. Level awards typically include earning one badge from each frontier, earning a service star every year, attending and planning special events, and a board of review. Sports pins include sports such as bowling, gymnastics, martial arts, skating, tennis, and volleyball. Service stars award girls for serving in their community. Tenderhearts earn blue stars for every five hours of service, Explorers earn red service stars for every ten hours of service, Pioneers earn silver service stars for every 15 hours of service, and Patriots earn gold service stars for every 20 hours of service. AHG awards patches for troop activities, such as mother/daughter event, clean up day, pen pal, summer fun, fundraising top seller, respect life, food drive, father/daughter events, and camping patches. As a Patriot, they are given the chance to work toward earning the Stars and Stripes Award, the highest honor achievable in the program. It requires earning a minimum of 16 badges, earning the

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...

Level Award (formerly Dolly Madison), performing a service project with a minimum of 100 hours of service that demonstrates leadership, leadership development, writing a life ambition/spiritual walk essay, earning a religious recognition, completing a mini-resume, and asking for and receiving reference letters. Girls must have earned the Abigail Adams Award, which you can earn at 15, and be more than 6 months away from 18 before completing the requirements and completing a board of review.

References

External links

*
Official Patti Garibay Website

Godly Girl Group
by Candi Cushman, January 2006, Focus on the Family.
FIRST-PERSON: Not Your Mom's Girl Scouts
by Penna Dexter, ''Baptist Press'', April 26, 2007. {{Scouting in the United States Christian organizations based in the United States Christian non-aligned Scouting organizations Christian organizations established in 1995 Women's organizations based in the United States Scouting in the United States

History

Program

See also

References

External links