By Joan Harrold, Girl Scouts of Colorado

One in five victims of violent crime is between the ages of 12 and 17. Teen girls make up a large proportion of these victims. Through a powerful weekend event held in conjunction with the American Bar Association, nearly 50 Girl Scouts, ages 11 to 17, learned how they could "take charge" of their safety by getting accurate information and learning about and practicing techniques of protecting themselves from the bad things that can happen to anyone.

During this retreat weekend Feb. 2-3 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westminster, Girl Scouts worked side-by-side with lawyers and other legal professionals to learn more about the law and debate real cases, such as whether a school principal or the police have the right to search a purse or school locker. The girls also discussed violence prevention and bullying, defined teen dating relationships, identified dating violence and learned personal safety tips.

"I feel like, after this weekend, I really know a lot more about staying safe and staying away from danger," said Girl Scout Paulina Gonzales, 11, of Highlands Ranch, Troop 193. "I also learned about the problems a lot of kids face and how I could handle them if it happened to me."

After a full weekend of learning, practicing and having fun, the Girl Scouts participated in the highlight of the event - a mock trial. Girls took on roles as witnesses, defendants, plaintiffs, bailiffs, attorneys, jury members and even as the judge. They learned legal procedure, standard objections and courtroom etiquette.

"The mock trial was probably my favorite part of this weekend," Paulina said. "We even had to dress up in proper court attire. I wore a suit!"

Troop mate Chloe Elder, 11, of Highlands Ranch agreed, "The mock trial was the best because we were on the jury and got to make the big decisions - it was kind of hard to decide," she said. "We learned that pretty much everyone in the courtroom is important."

Girl Scouts of the USA is currently partnering with the American Bar Association on "Take Charge! Violence Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Law," a national pilot program designed to introduce these concepts to teen girls. Girl Scouts of Colorado was one of 10 councils from across the United States chosen to participate in this program. This event was the first introduction to the law for many of the Girl Scouts in attendance.

"I never really knew anything about the law before this, and now I've met a real judge and know how the court works and handles problems," Chloe said.

Although there was a lot to learn during the weekend, there was the fun of sleeping overnight with friends, staying up late giggling, and swimming in the hotel pool.