Simply stated, girls want role models and mentors.

Unless and until our society recognizes cyber bullying for what it is, the suffering of thousands of silent victims will continue.

Sometimes when I speak to groups or I'm interviewed by a journalist, I ask them to imagine their communities without Girl Scouts - to imagine the thousands of food drives and clothing and toy collections that would never take place if not for Girl Scouts.

Cyber bullies can hide behind a mask of anonymity online, and do not need direct physical access to their victims to do unimaginable harm.

What gets posted online is not short term, and is open for easy misinterpretation. Messages and pictures spread faster through the Internet than they ever could by word of mouth.

Girls are twice as likely as boys to avoid leadership roles for fear of being deemed 'bossy' by their peers.

Girls who lead turn in to women who thrive.