NEW BADGE CATEGORIES PREPARE KENTUCKY GIRL SCOUTS TO BE AMBITIOUS AND DECISIVE LEADERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road Offering Badges in Automotive Engineering, STEM Career Exploration, Entrepreneurship and Civics
LEXINGTON, Ky. – July 21, 2020– Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road (GSKWR) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) are launching 24 new opportunities designed to help Kentucky girls practice ambitious leadership in the crucial areas of automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship, and civics, many of which are male-dominated. In a year of unprecedented global change, our country's need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater.
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. Three in four of today's girls are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but more than half also say they need more support in this area. 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. The IF/THEN® Collection, a free, downloadable digital asset library of real-life women in STEM, is an integral component of the badges. The dearth of women in STEM fields is well documented, but data shows that girls are more interested in a STEM career when they learn how they can use it to help people, demonstrating the value of Girl Scouts’ unique approach. 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. Only 13% of engineers are women, underscoring the need for these badges which will introduce more girls to the field. 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. Just 24% of eighth-graders are proficient in civics, and only two in five American adults can name the three branches of U.S. government, highlighting the need for these badges. 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. “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.”
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 with the badges and topics 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 sponsored by Raytheon Technologies, enabling middle and high school girls to learn crucial cybersecurity skills as they compete in challenges such as running traceroutes and identifying phishing schemes.
To join, volunteer or learn more about Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road, visit https://www.gskentucky.org/join.
About Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road
Recognized as the premier leadership opportunity for female ambition in Kentucky, Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road (GSKWR) serves over 8,000 girls and young women in 66 Kentucky counties and 1 Ohio county. With opportunities around the world, GSKWR advocates creativity and free choice, encouraging girls and young women to explore their passions and cultivate change through a focus on life skills, STEM, entrepreneurship and outdoor experiences. Through corporate partnerships in the State of Kentucky, GSKWR is creating a critical career pipeline of intelligent women leaders. To learn more about how Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road is creating experiential and leadership opportunities for growth, please visit www.gskentucky.org.
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