Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois and East St. Louis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Partnering to Provide STEM Opportunities to Underserved Girls

The East St. Louis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. (J&J) is partnering with Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) to offer underserved girls an opportunity to participate in summer enrichment programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). A grant of $3,000 from Jack and Jill of America Foundation will enable girls from East St. Louis to attend GSSI's STEM Day Camps in July.

Photo ID: (From L to R) Michele Henry-McGee, J&J Chapter President, Carolyn Brooks (GSSI), Dr. Lillian Parks (J&J), Villie M. Appoo, GSSI CEO, Lauren A. Parks (J&J), D’Jamildo Graham (J&J), Angie Suhre (GSSI) 

About Jack and Jill of America

Jack and Jill of America is a membership organization of mothers with children ages 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.

About Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois

The mission of Girl Scouting states: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts is the world's pre-eminent organization dedicated solely to girls - all girls - where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world. In partnership with committed adults, girls develop qualities that will serve them all their lives - like strong values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth.

GSSI Receives Challenge and Change Grant from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois received another grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with Girl Scouts of the USA, to implement Challenge and Change projects in three Southern Illinois communities.  The three communities where girls will plan and implement a project are Pontoon Beach, Roxana and Anna.  

Challenge and Change: Challenge Yourself, Change the World strengthens rural communities. Girls become change-makers through such programs as they envision and start long-term community service projects in their very own communities. Girls begin with an initial day long training where they learn leadership, problem solving and entrepreneurial skills through a comprehensive curriculum. Led by trained facilitators, the girls discover what effective leadership looks like, connect with local experts and take action by digging into issues affecting their communities. After the training, girls recruit a community action team, including an adult who serves as their community champion, to turn their good idea into a sustainable, long-term project.

Pontoon Beach- Girls in SU 102 are excited to work with leaders to create a community park or garden in the Pontoon Beach area.  They have met with the mayor and have secured a plot of land and are meeting with community members to determine needs and resources.

Roxana- Girls in SU 101 are creating a Heritage Garden in Roxana which will highlight different plants and natural features of So IL.  They will be partnering with the Parks and Recreation to offer learning experiences for schools to bring students as well as encouraging participation from community members of all ages. 

Anna- Homework Pals is a continued project which offers a tutoring program to Elementary students in Anna IL.  This past school year, the tutoring program has moved locations from the local library to the Elementary school which now houses a new library funded by this grant.  Starting in July, a summer reading program is being implemented so that students can continue their learning throughout the summer as well.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Receives $72,000 Imagine Your STEM Future Grant from Girl Scouts of the USA and AT&T

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) has received a $72,000 grant from Girl Scouts of the USA and AT&T to advance Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) for 200 girls in 10th-12th grades in the Collinsville School District. The grant is part of a partnership between GSUSA and AT&T through a program called Imagine Your STEM Future.

Imagine girls in careers that foster creativity, action, a good income, and opportunities to change the world for the better. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills can get girls there! As a long-time supporter of Girl Scouts, AT&T’s Imagine Your STEM Future is a four-part series designed to increase girls’ interest in STEM careers and inspire them to become leaders through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

“We are thrilled to receive this Imagine Your STEM Future grant from GSUSA and AT&T,” said Micah Bolandis, Director of Mission Delivery. “Today’s girls need programming that will introduce them to a variety of career options in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. GSSI has an extensive STEM program that allows girls to participate in a variety of STEM initiatives like programming robots, building bridges, candy chemistry and STEM Explosion Day Camp. In fact, more than 1,728 girls participated in a STEM program in the past year,” Bolandis added.

Through the Imagine Your STEM Future grant, Girl Scouts and AT&T have united to advance underserved high school girls in science and engineering. As minority students and women are gravitating away from science and engineering toward other professions, and employment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields are increasing at a faster pace than in non-STEM fields, educational experts say the U.S. must increase proficiency and interest in these areas to compete in the global economy. Today, Girl Scouts of the USA and AT&T are addressing this issue with a $1 million AT&T Aspire contribution to spark interest in STEM in underserved high school girls across the country.

Experts say the country's need for a world-leading STEM workforce will continue to grow. Recent research from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce predicts 2.8 million STEM job openings as of 2018, including 1.2 million net new jobs and an additional 1.6 million replacement openings.

“Girl Scouts has a long history of encouraging girls to participate in STEM. The first STEM badges – the electrician badge and the flyer badge – were introduced in 1913. GSSI’s goal is to build and reinforce girls’ interest in STEM, to support their continued involvement as they reach critical decision-making points and to achieve parity in these fields,” Bolandis said.