Girl Scouts announce 23 new STEM-focused badges

Girl Scouts can now earn badges for writing code, building robots and designing race cars.

On Tuesday, Girl Scouts of the United States of America garnered positive PR when it announced new badges and projects promoting science, technology, engineering and math.

The organization shared the news on social media:

BREAKING! Girl Scouts has 23 new badges, giving girls even more opportunities to learn STEM and outdoor skills : https://t.co/6dgv8vjzRt http://pic.twitter.com/dvT4CozpTX

— Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) July 25, 2017

In a blog post, the organization wrote:

Today, GSUSA introduced 23 new badges in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and the outdoors— our largest programming rollout in almost a decade! Girl Scouts will be able to design robots and racecars, go on environmentally conscious camping trips, create algorithms, collect data in the great outdoors, try their hand at engineering, and so much more. And the best part? These new badges are girl-tested and girl-approved!

The new Girl Scout programming builds girls’ skills and encourages their interest in STEM and environmental conservation from an early age—areas girls are not typically encouraged to explore outside Girl Scouting—increasing their confidence in an all-girl, girl-led environment where they feel comfortable to try new things, take appropriate risks, and learn from failure.

GSUSA created select badges with contributions from notable organizations in the STEM and outdoor industries, such as GoldieBlox, WGBH/Design Squad, the Society of Women Engineers, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Code.org, and SciStarter.

CNN Tech reported:

The new experiences are meant to address "the lack of exposure many girls have to STEM," Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo told CNN Tech in an email.

The new STEM badges come a month after the organization added cybersecurity badges. Those badges will be available to girls in kindergarten through 12th grade over the next two years.

A former rocket scientist and entrepreneur, Acevedo—who became Girl Scouts’ chief executive in May—is a proponent of STEM education for younger and minority girls. Before launching a business software company, she worked for NASA in its jet-propulsion lab and for Dell and IBM as an engineer.

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The move plays to Acevedo’s passions, but it’s also a way to increase the organization’s membership, boost its brand image and expose more young women to STEM-centered pursuits.

Fortune reported:

There's a good reason why the organization is putting such an emphasis on STEM and the great outdoors: Girl Scouts of the USA wants to get more girls interested in STEM and environmental conservation from a young age. Women make up only 29% of the science and engineering workforce, according to a report. Just 18% of computer science majors are female.

But considering Girl Scouts of the USA is 1.8 million girls strong, those statistics could change. (Already, Girl Scouts are twice as likely — 60% — to participate in STEM compared to non-Girl Scouts, the organization says).

The official Girl Scouts Twitter account has been retweeting news stories about the announcement, along with responses to the change.

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