How Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Helps the Global Economy
An Op Ed article by Emily Stanley BS MS
Program Manager, New Initiatives Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois
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| GSSI's Imagine Your STEM Future Program in East St. Louis |
When I was 12, all I wanted to do was be old enough to
volunteer at the Belleville Area Humane Society. I think about half the girls in my junior
high were the same – we all wanted to help people and make cute puppies and
kittens better. Today's 12 year old has
the same goals for her future – to help.
I see it all the time in my job – girls who want to make a
difference in the world and affect real change.
I am fortunate to have a career where I get to be around these girls who
are tomorrow's leaders and encourage them.
The girls I work with are part of the Girl Scout movement, specifically
the STEM initiative. Girl Scouts of Southern
Illinois has approximately 13,000 girl members who are out to change the world for the
better. My job is to help them have
positive experiences that help shape their future goals and contribute to the
future of the United States in the Global Economy.
Here's why it's important to reach all youth, but
particularly young women interested in STEM careers.
The US News/Raytheon STEM index in 2014
showed that STEM employment has increased more than 30 percent from 2013 to
2014. This isn't just the PhDs and
researchers. These are jobs that require
analytical reasoning and problem solving.
A
USA Today special report also noted that more than 2.5 million well-paying
skilled labor jobs will be created over the next several years. In the St. Louis area, a 12.4% increase in
STEM jobs is projected compared to a 9.2% increase in non-STEM jobs, according to
the
St Louis STEM Workforce 2014 report published by St. Louis Community
College.
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| GSSI Girl Scouts participating in FIRST LEGO League Robotics |
With this growth, we will need a skilled and motivated
workforce. That's where Girl Scouts
of Southern Illinois helps. In 2009, we
started to look for funding specifically for our Robotics and STEM programs. We received a grant from Motorola Foundation
and fielded one First Lego League robotics team from a small town in rural
Illinois. These girls learned basic
computer programming and engineering, but what they learned more importantly
was perseverance, team work and problem solving. From that one robotics team in 2009, we have
grown the program to include 10 First Lego League robotics teams, 12 First Lego
League Junior teams and one First Tech Challenge team. Working on small, all
girl teams, girls take on more active leadership positions. They try programming and engineering. They step outside their comfort zones when
speaking publicly.
Over 100 Girl Scouts in southern Illinois also participated
in a Made by Me camp this past summer, where, in addition to the normal fun
outdoor activities like archery, hiking and campfires, girls voted on which
Maker projects to try at camp. The Maker
Movement refers to the current wave of tech inspired DIY projects. Our girls chose a wired light picture, a
custom routed phone charging station, solar powered derby cars and battery
powered flashlights created from Altoid mint tins. Girl Scouts participation and sponsorship of
Maker events is particularly important – the MakeHers study by Intel found that
participation in Maker and STEM activities can help girls develop skills and
improve their earning potential. The
study states, "As a result, the STEM talent pool expands, fueling
competition and innovation and ultimately strengthening the global
economy."
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| GSSI Family STEM Night |
What ultimately brings success to any program is
volunteers. In 2016, you will see girls
learning origami and then wiring their creations with light and movement. You will see girls learn leadership skills
while working on their best slime recipe.
This summer, we will bring another great week of STEM camp – this time
the Science of Superheros – and we need
volunteer help! Come for a half day, a couple hours or all
week and share your skills to encourage a young woman in STEM! Bring your girl and watch her grow in this
exciting environment and beautiful outdoor setting.
We have had a lot of success in the past 6 years and we still
have much to do. In order to continue to
meet the demands of girls in our area for high quality and exciting STEM
programs, we will need mentors, volunteers and donations. So when you see that young entrepreneur
asking you to
buy Girl Scout Cookies, know that you are not just supporting
her and her troop but also contributing to the future global competitiveness of
the United States!
