Girl Scouts of the USA are launching 24 opportunities “designed to help Kentucky [scouts] practice ambitious leadership in the crucial areas of automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship, and civics.”
The press release notes many of these career paths “are male-dominated” and these badges are an attempt to expose young girls to the opportunities in those fields for them.
“In a year of unprecedented global change, our country’s need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater,” the Girl Scouts press release says.
The new Girl Scout badge opportunities include:
- Entrepreneurship (grades K–12). Girls develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they build their own business plan and think about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing, and competition. Funded by Susan Bulkeley Butler and designed in collaboration with VentureLab.
- STEM Career Exploration (grades 2–8). Girls explore their career interests in computer science, nature/environmental science, engineering, design, health, and agriculture. Funded by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
- Automotive Engineering (grades K–5). Girls learn about designing, engineering, and manufacturing vehicles, as well as the future of mobility. Funded by General Motors.
- Civics (grades K–12). Girls gain an in-depth understanding of how local, state, and federal government works, preparing them to be voters, activists, and even political leaders. Funded by the Citi Foundation.
“Offering Kentucky Girl Scouts the opportunity to engage in new skill development and ambitious leadership opportunities enables the next generation of female change-makers here in Kentucky,” said GSKWR CEO Susan Douglas in the announcement.
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“From automotive engineering to STEM career exploration, we believe that providing our girls with these valuable experiences opens the door to a future of bold, informed, and compassionate leadership,” she said.
Girl Scouts has made free self-guided activities from select new and existing programming available digitally to the public through Girl Scouts at Home and Kentucky Girl Scouts at Home, keeping families engaged and connected to their communities.
Girls can further engage through online videos, activities, or special live virtual events. In addition, beginning this summer, all councils will also have the opportunity to host their own Girl Scout Cyber Challenge, enabling middle and high school girls to learn cybersecurity skills.
This story premiered on our sister site, Commercial Integrator.
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