Today, Girl Scouts of the USA launched ToGetHerThere, the largest advocacy and fundraising cause dedicated to girls’ leadership in the nation’s history.

The launch of ToGetHerThere follows the release of a new study that found that while girls are generally optimistic about their futures, they still see barriers in today’s society that block them from achieving their leadership potential. The study, based on a telephone survey of 1,000 girls aged 8-17, found that close to three in five girls think that women can succeed in business, but are rarely put in a senior leadership roles. More than one-third of girls say they would not feel comfortable trying to be a leader, while almost 40 percent are not sure if they are cut out to be a leader. Read more about the study in an article from the Washington Post.

ToGetHerThere officially kicked off this morning with panel discussion at the TimesCenter featuring female leaders across a number of industries. The panel included GSUSA National President Connie Lindsay, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, Marie Claire Editor in Chief Joanna Coles, NBC “Today” Correspondent Jean Chatzky, President and CEO of Women & Co. Linda Descano, and Deputy Managing Partner at Deloitte LLP Kristen Sanchez and was moderated by ABC correspondent Deborah Roberts. Watch a video of the broadcast here.

Tomorrow, February 1, Girl Scouts will host an event on Capitol Hill to ask Congressional leaders to join them in supporting efforts to foster leadership in all girls. Girl Scouts from central Maryland will be attending the event. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates from the event throughout the day.

Visit the ToGetHerThere website to learn more about the cause and how you can get involved.