Girl Scouts learn important lessons for modern life

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The Girl Scouts have a rich history. But more than a hundred years after its founding, the organization is fast moving into the future.

The girls still sell cookies, learn how to tie knots, and go camping, but these days they also build robotics, learn to code and create digital designs.

The Girl Scouts of Greater New York count nearly 30,000 girls ages 5 to 17 among the ranks. CEO Barbara Murphy-Warrington has made science, technology, engineering and math -- or stem --a major focus of their programming, explains Sarah Pooley, the manager of youth leadership and volunteer support.

The cookies are still a hallmark of the Girl Scouts. But now they're also sold online and via an app as part of the digital cookie project, helping the girls learn modern marketing skills.

While their activities have evolved to the changing times, the Girl Scouts' core principles have largely stayed the same.

The organization's says 1 in 2 women in the U.S. are Girl Scout alumnae. Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift and the Williams sisters all have their badges.

Even when many of the girls finish their official time with the Girl Scouts many of them continue to maintain a relationship with the organization whether that means volunteering later in life or just carrying on the principles they've learned here.