Some of my fondest memories from childhood center around my days as a Girl Scout.

More to the point, some of my greatest life lessons came not from a classroom, but from camp.

And those lessons came not from textbooks and reel-to-reel projectors, but powerful female role models. Women who taught me how to pitch a tent, ride a horse, steer a canoe, basic first aid and much, much more.

Courage. Confidence. Character.

These are lessons I’ve passed on to countless young girls (and even some boys) over the years — from hikes up mountains to camping trips off the grid to everyday life. Be independent. Be proud. Be someone others look up to.

More than 100 years ago, during the height of the Progressive Era when women weren’t even allowed to vote, Juliette Gordon Low sparked what would soon become a worldwide movement in her hometown of Savannah, Ga. What started with just 18 girls and an instructor eager to teach them about the great outdoors grew into a global movement that is 2.6 million Girl Scouts strong and counting.

Like most youth development organizations out there, Girl Scouts recognized the changing world in which we live and evolved its programs to meet today’s hyper-connected generation on their own terms.

Today, it’s not just about canoeing and camping. Nowadays, Girl Scouts build robots, roller coasters and race cars; program computers; and develop websites and video games.

Girls like 17-year-old Anna Rickman now even have the opportunity to pursue badges and awards independently of a troop. They can design their own path through Girl Scouts — just one more way this organization continues empowering girls to grow up to be independent women.

But it’s not about what they’re learning. It’s about who they’re learning it from. Girl Scout programs are led by women who help future female leaders develop a strong sense of self; seek challenges and learn from setbacks; display positive values; form and maintain healthy relationships; and identify and solve problems in the community.

I hardly think I’m the only middle-aged woman and former Girl Scout to recognize just how much of who I am today is tied to those long-lost days learning to swim at summer camp or those Saturday afternoons spent picking up trash on the side of the road as part of a troop community service project. And, of course, who could ever forget the cookies?