Publication Date

2020

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Valde, Kathleen S.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

There has been a recent move in the United States for individuals and organizations toactively empower girls and women, provide them with equal opportunities, and help them build confidence. One organization that has been pursuing these goals is Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), and Girl Scout camp is a specific setting in which the organization communicates empowerment, leadership, and inclusion to its members. This study utilized a feminist lens to explore message alignment within GSUSA, focusing on Girl Scout campers and Girl Scout camp staff as two important stakeholders who receive messaging from the organization. The researcher evaluated the alignment between messages communicated to campers and messages communicated to camp staff members. Additionally, the researcher evaluated the alignment between messages communicated to both stakeholders and the feminist values present within GSUSA messaging. This study used semi-structured interviews with previous and current Girl Scout camp staff members to collect data, and a thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts for data analysis. The researcher identified empowerment, leadership, and inclusivity as themes communicated by GSUSA and communicated to both campers and camp staff members; however, the specific messages communicated about the three themes did not align among all stakeholders.

Extent

130 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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