MORGANTOWN — Today, female empowerment is taking the world by storm. With women working C-level roles at Fortune 500 companies, running for President and breaking glass ceilings, new doors are opening.
The character building, all-girl organization, the Girl Scouts, is embracing this female movement by introducing new badges to encourage involvement and positive change in key 21st century issues.
The Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council and Girl Scouts of the USA revealed earlier this month 30 new badges available exclusively for girls ages 5 to 18 to earn. The badges enhance the Girl Scout experience by allowing girls to learn about society’s most pressing needs, as well as acquire skills to set them up for future success.
Some of the badges focus on topics like cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science and space exploration.
Research shows that girls who participate in Girl Scouts are more than twice as likely to demonstrate community problem-solving skills than girls who do not participate.
Girls in grades kindergarten to fifth grade can earn badges in environmental stewardship, cybersecurity, space science and mechanical engineering. The environmental stewardship badge allows girls to learn how to respect nature and ways to protect the outdoors, and is funded by the Elliot Wildlife Values Project.
The cybersecurity badge teaches girls age-appropriate, online safety and privacy, how the internet works and ways to investigate cybercrime. It’s funded by Palo Alto Networks.
The space science badge walks girls through the life of a NASA scientist, teaching them about space and astronomical investigations. It’s funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and led by the SETI Institute.
The mechanical engineering badge is for Girl Scout Juniors, grades 4 and 5, teaching them how to design paddleboats, cranes and balloon-powered cars, in addition to information on buoyancy, kinetic and potential energy, jet prolusion and machines.
New programming for girls in grades six through 12 includes environmental stewardship badges focusing on environmental advocacy and badges focusing on teaching robotics.
The College Knowledge badge for Girl Scouts in grades 11 and 12 is solely focused on college exploration, including lessons on admission processes and financial aid.
The two Girl Scout Leadership Journeys, Think Like a Programmer and Think Like an Engineer, allow girls to attain hands-on experience and introduces ways to showcase their skills by taking action in their communities.
Beth Casey, the CEO of Black Diamond Council in Charleston, believes the new badges fill a leadership gap, especially in STEM fields.
“We really know how they learn and lead — we are a place where they have opportunities to try, fail, try again and look at other ways to approach problems,” Casey said. “These programs will boost girls’ knowledge and confidence in these particular areas.”
Morgantown has several girls who earned their Gold Awards this past year, the highest award to be earned in Girl Scouting.
Shannon Werntz, a Morgantown Girl Scout, completed her Gold Award project with a STEM focus. Werntz implemented robotic curriculum at Suncrest Elementary School through an after school program. She wishes the badges existed when she was growing up in Girl Scouts, but thinks they will make a positive impact on Scouts today.
“These new badges and journeys are an awesome opportunity for girls progressing through Scouts to get direct access to exciting areas in STEM,” Werntz said. “Their creation is a vital step in forming the next generation of girls who are confident and involved in STEM areas within our advancing world.”
Carrie Smith-Bell is a leader of a Daisy Troop and a multi-level troop that includes Brownies to Cadettes within Morgantown. She believes the introduction of STEM to Girl Scouts will bring a new dynamic of leadership to her troops, similar to when she coached the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council-funded First Lego League teams.
“My hope is that more Girl Scouts will become more interested in STEM fields and that ultimately more will pursue education and careers in these areas,” Smith-Bell said. “I hope more girls and young women in Morgantown become more interested in where STEM can take them including to places outside of the Mountain State.”
- To learn more, join or volunteer with Girl Scouts: http://www.bdgsc.org/join.
