I hope people realize that Girl Scouts of America has been inclusive since they were founded in 1912. Along with the radical idea that girls should be active, empowered leaders, GS has always been open with regards to race, disability, socioeconomics, etc. African American girls were part of the third troop ever formed, and the first all black troop started in 1917. In 2015, GS returned a donation of $100,000 because the donor stipulated that it could not be used to support transgender girls (who are welcome in GS). The organization’s staff is now 45% POC, and they are currently working on how to better reach out to Hispanic/Latina girls. Last spring, the NYTimes started a series of articles about the expansion of a GS troop for homeless girls into 15 homeless shelters in the city (worth reading about).
I don’t think Girl Scouts is some magic bullet for college admissions, but it is a diverse and empowering organization. Also, they don’t give awards for community service. Community service is expected–if you want to earn an award you have to go beyond that, addressing the root cause of a problem and making sure the change you make is sustainable. All projects aren’t equal of course, but GS is aiming to inspire/reward new, creative thinking and meaningful leadership.