Girl Scouts of Southern
Illinois (GSSI) has received a $25,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund to support
Girl Scout STEM Robotics Leadership in Jersey, Macoupin, Madison and St. Clair
counties. Robotics are a key component
of GSSI’s commitment to giving girls opportunities and guidance in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM). By
participating in three different robotics leagues at three different age
levels, GSSI aims to engage more girls across southern Illinois in STEM, so
that they can explore valuable career options, build critical thinking and
technical skills and sustain a lifelong interest in topics that many girls drift
away from by middle school.
“Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is
very grateful to be able to provide even more girls an opportunity to participate
in STEM programs and compete on a robotics team through support from the
Monsanto Fund,” said Mary Buchanan, GSSI Robotics Manager. “Engaging
girls in STEM in fun, creative ways helps keep their interest in these valuable
career fields, as well as develop their confidence, teamwork and problem
solving abilities.”
This grant is part
of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund focused on strengthening the Greater
St. Louis community, where Monsanto Fund and Monsanto Company are headquartered.
The grant will help fund GSSI’s robotics
season which starts this fall with FIRST®
LEGO® League (FLL®). In this global
robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds, participants build and program a robot
using LEGO components. Teams also conduct a research project and explore FLL
Core Values such as active participation, teamwork and gracious
professionalism. After months of
practice and preparation, teams begin competing at regional tournaments, with
the highest scoring teams proceeding to a global tournament.
The grant
money will also be used to support several Junior FIRST Lego League (JrFLL®) teams and Botball® teams, which belong
to a league that challenges middle and high school students to build two
autonomous robots then program them using C, C++ or Java. The robots perform a
series of preprogrammed tasks in direct competition with another team at the
same table. Botball teams will compete
at regional tournaments in the spring, with top scoring teams advancing to
global competition. In 2013, GSSI had the only all Girl Scout Botball teams in
the world.
The grant will also allow
GSSI to purchase additional equipment to facilitate the robotics program,
including robot kits and tablets.
Financial assistance for girls who cannot afford the $15 registration
fee to join Girl Scouts will also be provided.
GSSI’s STEM program
continues to be a progressive and forward-thinking initiative that has grown
exponentially in recent years. In 2009,
GSSI had just one robotics team. In
2015, they fielded 30 teams. GSSI has
dedicated staff and volunteers who develop the STEM program through research,
collaborator cultivation, training and hands-on experience. GSSI strives to
offer diverse and high-quality STEM programming, such as simple circuit wiring,
programming robots, exploring forensics and more. To ensure that all girls have the chance to
take advantage of these future-building opportunities, GSSI has integrated STEM
activities into its outreach programs – which bring Girl Scouting to girls in
underserved populations, such as low income neighborhoods, housing projects,
rural communities and even detention centers.
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is a
high-capacity Girl Scout council serving nearly 14,000 girls and almost 5,000
adult volunteers in 40 ½ counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50
million girls and women since its founding in 1912. Today, Girl Scouts of the
U.S.A. is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world. Its sole focus is to meet the needs of all
girls (ages 5-17) from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping
and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity,
good citizenship, leadership and teamwork.
Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship
and power of girls together.
FIRST® and
FLL® are registered trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration
and Recognition of Science and Technology. Jr.FLL® and LEGO® are registered
trademarks of the LEGO Group. BotBall® is a registered trademark of Kiss
Institute for Practical Robotics. Girl Scouts
of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit organization supported by various
United Ways throughout the region. Girl
Scouts is a Proud Partner of United Way. For more information, contact Jay Strobel,
GSSI Chief Communications Officer at 618.692.0692.
About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.
