Adventure comes in many forms for Girl Scouts. Sometimes it’s hiking a trail, sometimes it’s riding a wave. For troop leader Jen Betts of Service Unit 331, it’s both. Off the water, she’s a dedicated leader. On the water, she’s the 2024 Women’s Pro Bodyboarding National Champion. And this summer, she brought those worlds together during a Girl Scout recruitment event at the Flow Tour in the Poconos.

Jen’s story demonstrates how leaders can turn their passions into powerful opportunities for Girl Scouts. Check out these takeaways from her unique recruiting experience.

Bring Your Whole Self to Girl Scouts

Jen is a clinical pediatric psychologist, a mom, a troop leader of Cadettes and Seniors, and a nationally ranked athlete. Instead of keeping her interests separate, she blends them into her leadership. Her passion for flowboarding became a platform to show girls, and the wider community, that Girl Scouts is about more than cookies and crafts.

Use Hobbies to Inspire Girls to Try Something New

Flowboarding, a sport that combines surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding on a manmade wave, isn’t something many girls in Pennsylvania have seen before. By introducing her troop and the public to the sport, Jen gave girls the chance to discover something entirely new.

“It’s been my goal from day one to get more girls involved in this sport,” Jen said.

Learn to swerve and pivot

Despite Jen’s passion for flowboarding and the enthusiasm of her troop to practice the sport privately, when it came to flowboarding in public, the middle schoolers hesitated. “They felt self-conscious about doing it in front of other people,” she said. Still, Jen didn’t let that stop her from continuing the recruitment event, providing opportunities beyond hitting the water for her Girl Scouts to get involved. The experience showed them that courage isn’t about being perfect, but instead, it’s about trying your best and being true to yourself.

Make Girl Scouts Visible in Unexpected Places

At the Camelbeach Flow Tour, Jen set up a big green Girl Scout tent right by the wave. Girls made bracelets, community members learned about local troops, and curious spectators stopped by to see what Girl Scouts is really about. The event sent a powerful message: Girl Scouts belong anywhere girls are brave enough to show up.

Model Courage and Confidence

When Jen first saw a flowboarding competition in 2019, only one woman was competing. Inspired by the Girl Scout values of courage and confidence, she thought, “I could do this.” She learned by watching YouTube videos, entered competitions, and eventually became a national champion. Her journey shows girls that you don’t need to be perfect to start. You just need to be willing to try.

Build Relationships That Keep Girls Coming Back

Jen has led her troop for nine years, moving with the girls as they grew from Daisies to Seniors. What keeps them returning? The relationships. Just as flowboarding takes practice and community, Girl Scouts thrives when leaders invest in girls’ growth and make space for authentic connections. With her background in psychology, Jen knows what she’s talking about. “Girl need positive influences in their lives,” she said. “They want to build positive relationships, and they will keep coming back to your troop for those positive relationships with their leaders and with the other girls in their troop.”

Final Splash

Jen’s message to potential volunteers is simple: There’s room for Girl Scouts in even the busiest lives.

“If you love it, and you want to do it, and you want to see girls succeed in Girl Scouts, do it!” she said. “You can make Girl Scouts work for your life and your schedule. You can fit it into part of your routine, and it can be life changing.”