Called the Hispanic Initiative, the program aims to attract Hispanic girls, who might not know about the Girl Scouts, as well as their Spanish-speaking parents, who might be apprehensive about getting involved in an activity with only English-speaking parents.

"We’re going to program the same programs we would offer for any little girl," said Veronica Burgos, program manager for Hispanic initiatives for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia. "It’s just sort of leveling the playing field for the Hispanic girls that can’t afford to be in Girl Scouts, as well as volunteers that are Spanish speaking ... to be able to use their interest in doing something in Spanish, because they have a language barrier in English."

Often, Burgos said, because parents aren’t familiar with a program and all the information about it is in English, they aren’t as willing to let their children join. But by going into the schools and talking directly to parents during recruitment sessions, Burgos said this initiative can help erase that barrier.

Plus, she said, it is one more way girls can learn to be leaders.

"It’s a very good program because it teaches leadership to our Hispanic girls," she said. "We want to reach out to our Hispanic girls. We haven’t been able to do so because we haven’t had a comprehensive Spanish program and we do now."

One troop has already formed in Gainesville, and although it only has about 10 girls, troop leader Carmen Smith said the response from parents has been very positive.

"A lot of times I don’t think (parents) feel comfortable," she said. "In the past few years we haven’t had a lot of Hispanic girls join Girl Scouts because we haven’t had anyone who communicates with the families."

And while Smith isn’t bilingual, Burgos has been helping foster communication with the parents and teach them about leadership roles, too.

"The kids of course are (bilingual), but so many of the parents are not," she said. "Veronica’s there to kind of help me coordinate that interpretation there as well. It’s been very positive this year."

Smith said as the parents have gotten more involved, they learn about being a troop leader and, eventually, she hopes to turn over the reins of the troop to a Spanish-speaking or bilingual parent.

Sandra Flores of Gainesville, mother of Cinthia Deluna, 11, is one such mother who has attended all the meetings and said she has enjoyed making projects with her daughter.

"It’s pretty good because they get to participate and learn and know some stuff from one another," she said. "Even though they’re in the same school, they get to know more of one another."

The meetings are also a chance for the parents to learn about upcoming activities for the troop, and this is where speaking Spanish is key, Smith said. For Flores, who found out about Girl Scouts through her daughter’s school, there’s not so much of a language barrier because she is bilingual. But other parents might feel left out.

Which is why the Hispanic Initiative is focusing not only on recruiting girls, but also involving the parents to take leadership roles, too, Burgos said.

"A lot of people who don’t know much about the program, they’re not very willing to be leaders," she said. "So we’re trying to go through the community and create the troops and mentors, with a bilingual parent, teaching them to be leaders."

For Smith’s group of Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts, being involved in the program’s Hispanic Initiative simply means doing things any Girl Scout would do; for example, selling cookies outside Ace Hardware in Oakwood on a chilly Saturday. But even these activities, Smith said, are exposing the girls to something they wouldn’t normally get outside the group.

And on top of that, Burgos said, the program is teaching these girls to be leaders, too.

"It’s a great opportunity for the girls and also for bilingual adults who want to grow as leaders. We promote not only the leadership of girls but also in adults," she said, adding that parents fill a crucial role, too.

"We can’t expect them to be leaders if the people who are in charge of troops are not leaders themselves."