To lessen the negative impact on girls whose mothers are incarcerated. The trauma associated with having an incarcerated parent has been well documented: depression, aggression, poor academic performance, truancy, and a greater likelihood than children whose parents are not incarcerated of ending up in prison themselves.

Description:
Girl Scouts is an organization committed to the positive development of all grils, regardless of their circumstances,Girl Scouts, has for the past 13-years, sponsored Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB), a parent-child program that seeks to perserve mutually affirming relationships between incarcerated mothers and their daughters.

History:
What began in 1992 with on Girl Scout council in Maryland now involves more than 40-girl scout councils in the following states or areas: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Your, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. While lessening the impact of parental separation is he primary goal of GSBB, the program also aims to foster the positive personal and social development of girls and their mothers through three core compontnts; mother/daughter troop meetings at the correctional facillity, girl only troop meetings and councilwide activities, and onsite enrichment activities for the incarcerated mothers.

Contact people:

Yan Black, Program Manager, (phone), (email) Nicole Morris, Program Specialist, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (785) 273-3616

Address:

7015 SW 10th Street Topeka , KS 66615 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.GirlScoutsksmo.org

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 6th and Wanamaker,   Walk distance (in minutes): 20-minutes   Nearest Bus Stop: 6th and Wanamaker, 20-minutes minute walk