Guest Author - Diana Laulainen-Schein

Each piece of Girl Scout insignia is designed to represent ideals and values of the organization. The two central pins, the Girl Scout USA pin and the World Trefoil pin, are no exception.

Girl Scout Pin

The Brownie pin, the traditional Girl Scout pin, and the new contemporary pin are worn to indicate membership in the Girl Scouting movement in the USA. All three in the shape of a trefoil, and the center of the round WAGGGS pin features a trefoil as well. The three “leaves” of the trefoil represent the three parts of the Girls Scout Promise. You can see three blocks on the corner of the international Girl Scout flag, representing the same three parts of the Promise, just as the Girl Scout sign, three fingers held straight with the pinkie and thumb tucked into your palm also represents this central core of Girl Scouting and Girl Guides.

The traditional pin features an American eagle and shield, both of which are also a part of the great seal of the United States of America. The eagle is used to represent power and strength, and the shield is there to represent protection. The Great Shield of the United States rests only on the eagle to represent our self-sufficiency as a country. In Girl Scouts, young women learn to become self-reliant citizens of the United States.

In the right talon of the eagle is an olive branch and in the left is a bundle of arrows. Although the eagle is looking at the olive branch as an indication of our nation’s preference for peace, the arrows indicate our readiness to fight for our ideals. Girl Scouts in the USA, likewise, are peace-loving but are willing to fight for what their beliefs. That Scouting is a peace-loving organization is also emphasized by a white block on the lower right-hand corner of their WAGGGS flay. The readiness of the country to defend its ideals mirrors to Scout motto of “Be Prepared.”

The seal of the United States contains a scroll on which is printed “E Pluribus Unum” meaning, "one from many." The many states make up the nation. The many girls make up troops and the troops make up neighborhoods. Neighborhoods make up Councils, which in turn make up the American Girl Scouts. From the single girl to the national movement, the many (three million) make one.

The contemporary pin retains the trefoil shape of the traditional pin but in the place of the eagle and shield are the silhouettes of three girls. Girl Scouting is a dynamic and changing organization and the new pin presents “the new face(s)” of Girl Scouting.

The new trefoil design features open edges to indicate the organizations openness to change. The organization is strengthened by the flexibility to accept and embrace change.

The three faces on the contemporary pin are looking right, toward the future. The young women of the Scouting movement are our future.

The three faces represent the movement’s commitment to pluralism and diversity. Girl Scouts embrace all girls as members regardless of racial, cultural, or socio-economic status.

World Trefoil Pin

The World trefoil pin is worn to indicate membership in the Girl Scout and Girl Guide organization of the world.

The blue background stands for the sky and the gold stands for the sun. Around the world, we all share the same sky and the same sun.

The trefoil shape, as in the USA Girl Scout pin, represents the parts of the promise. All Girl Scouts and Guides around the world have a promise that is unique to their country but that features three central parts.

The two stars represent the promise and law. As with the promise, each country has its own version of the Girl Scout/Guide law.

The base of the trefoil is in the shape of a flame, representing our love for humanity and the flame that burns in every Girl Scout/Guide’s heart.

The line in the center is a compass needle pointing us in the right direction, guiding us and the outer circle of the pin represents the association of all Scouts and Guides throughout the world.

Both pins are always worn on the left side over the heart.