Read the inspiring true story of New York City’s Troop 6000—the first Girl Scout troop founded for and by girls living within the shelter system—and the amazing, nationwide response that it sparked, as told by New York Times investigative reporter Nikita Stewart.
Troop 6000: The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World by Nikita Stewart | Paperback | 288 pages | 5" x 8" | Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House, March 2021
In search of community, one mother’s determination changed the lives of girls and women across New York City. Giselle Burgess was a young mother of five trying to provide for her family. Though she had a full-time job, the demands of ever-increasing rent and mounting bills forced her to fall behind, and eviction soon followed.
Giselle and her children were thrown into New York City’s overburdened shelter system, which housed nearly 60,000 people each day. Giselle knew that her daughters and the other girls living at the shelter needed to be a part of something where they didn’t feel the shame or stigma of being homeless, and could develop skills and a community they could be proud of.
Giselle had worked for the Girl Scouts and had the idea to establish a troop in the shelter. With the support of a group of dedicated parents, advocates, and remarkable girls, Troop 6000 was born.
Since then, girls across all five boroughs of New York City have come together as members of Troop 6000 to do what all Girl Scouts do — build their network, be carefree, and gain confidence in new situations.
