Girl Scouts STEM Mobile

The State of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s 2021-2015 STEM Education Plan states, “By 2029, our economy will have more than 52,000 new job openings in STEM-related fields…91 percent will be in high demand occupations, 96 percent will be in high wage occupations, and 89 percent will be in high wage, high demand occupations.” However, resources to adequately prepare youth are severely lacking. In their report on Oregon, the Education Commission of the States found that Oregon loses students at every step of the STEM pipeline, few eighth graders have teachers with undergraduate majors in the subject, and the majority of 1st-4th graders only spend 1-2.9 hours a week on science. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission also reported that significantly more female students (57%) complete community college degrees and credentials than male students (43%) – however, only 26% of these STEM degrees and credentials are earned by female students. In contrast, Oregon’s overall population is 50.1% female.

Students in rural areas face educational inequities, too. In a post from the student-led Oregon Student Voice, rural students identified teacher qualifications and lack of resources to rural-urban disparities in Oregon STEM education. Property-based funding of schools, high upfront cost of STEM materials, and availability of internships outside of the Portland metro area were elements of concern (even virtual internships included barriers to participation like funding for materials). Furthermore, rural girls and students of color experienced sexism, racism, and a lack of role models and diverse STEM curriculum.

Girl Scouts of Oregon & Southwest Washington seeks to address these challenges, although parallel challenges exist. In FY22 our council served 15,428 members (8,728 girls and 6,700 adults) throughout approximately 90,000 square miles across the State of Oregon and three counties in Southwest Washington. 

We recognize barriers to accessing our programming, and have been committed to removing them. Our Community Pathways programs (Latina Engagement, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, and Juliette/Individually Registered Members) are an important component, and in partnership with various communities, support 1,072 girls from families who are migrant, bilingual, bi-cultural, lower-income, impacted by the justice system, or participate outside of a troop. We are consistently seeking ways to refine our programming (STEM and otherwise) to better align with their identities and experiences, and build confidence and community. We also know we can better serve our 2,452 members (1,344 girls and 1,108 adults) who live in rural communities, who have asked for more council-provided STEM programming. This includes the entire coastal region, southern and central Oregon, and eastern Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Finally, adult volunteers do not feel adequately knowledgeable in supporting STEM activities. We have heard feedback that STEM can be intimidating to guide, and as a result, girls don’t get to engage in STEM activities. With the region’s consistent leadership in ethical and responsible STEM innovation, and tech powerhouses like Tektronix and InFocus, Oregon and Southwest Washington offers unique opportunities that can be better leveraged to improve outcomes for all.

Our goal is to serve all girls who want to participate in Girl Scout STEM programming, regardless of background, ability, race, or geographic location. The STEM Mobile is comprised of a customized, dedicated van that creates a portable classroom and makerspace, introducing real-world, hands-on learning experiences through the established Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) STEM badge and journey (badge series) curriculum for girls and adult volunteers throughout Oregon & Southwest Washington. 

The STEM Mobile will be out in communities multiple times a week, working with a variety of Girl Scout troops, larger area service units (regional volunteer support groups), adult volunteers, and community organizations, especially in under-resourced and rural communities. With state-of-the-art-technology and dedicated Girl Scout staff on board, our mobile center brings STEM programming to girls right in their community. While engaging with the mobile center, girls can: work in tinkering labs to solve engineering challenges, code and run robots through mazes, learn about binary numbers and code their own emoji, build a wind-powered coaster car, complete a water cycle experiment, and much more.

GSUSA works with top organizations in fields that interest today’s girls. Combined with Girl Scouts’ expertise in girl leadership, these organizations and specialists consult on content to provide the most cutting-edge programming available. Content collaborators include codeSpark, the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center (NICERC), SciStarter, NASA, the National Parks Service, and Vidcode. In true girl-led fashion, girls also tested the new offerings.

Badges and journeys combine STEM, critical thinking, and positive community impact. For example, in the Think Like a Citizen Scientist journey, girls actively practice observation techniques; collect data; share their findings with real-world scientists through an online network; and use their newly honed skills to take action on a community issue of their choosing. This gets girls connected with working scientists and helps them understand that anyone can contribute to scientific studies. Our 18 Coding for Good badges not only teaches girls the basics of coding, but also details how every stage of the coding process provides girls with opportunities to use their skills for good. Girls learn about algorithms through age-appropriate, creative activities, such as coding positive memes to spread a message about a cause they care about, designing a digital game to educate people about an issue, and developing an app to promote healthy habits. Every Coding for Good badge includes a plugged-in and unplugged version, so that all girls can learn the foundations of coding, regardless of their access to technology. The Girl Scout Research Institute “Decoding the Digital Girl” study in 2019 found that girls are more likely than boys to connect to social issues and causes through tech and create something new, and these opportunities offer practical, fun, real-life experience.

It is also important to note that the STEM Mobile is part of our overall STEM strategy, along with increased council-led STEM training for adults, existing council-led STEM events and activities, GSUSA STEM resources, and partner-led STEM events throughout our council.

Our solution serves girls and non-binary youth in Kindergarten-12th grade in Oregon and Southwest Washington, their families, and their communities. GSUSA has also pledged to add 2.5 million girls to the STEM pipeline by 2025 to meet the needs of the coming decade–a million STEM workers. However, this solution ensures something even more important–that girls feel confident and empowered in engaging in STEM as they step into their role as STEM leaders.

We understand our members’ needs and engage them in developing solutions by asking them, and centering their needs and experiences in developing solutions! In all of our programming, Girl Scouts is unique in our focus on girl-led, community-driven activities, and civic engagement. The most unique aspect is the girl-led programming, which means Girl Scouts from kindergarten through 12th grade are not only participating in the leadership process, they’re learning and implementing leadership practices themselves.

Innovating means meeting the girls and their families where they are at, and letting them take the lead. Girls decide what STEM projects are the most important to them, and make them happen. For example, one of our Gold Award Girl Scouts recognized there were few opportunities for middle and high school girls to engage in STEM activities. For her Gold Award project (the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, entailing a minimum of 80 project volunteer hours and ensured project sustainability), she planned, coordinated, and ran a “Girls Get IT” day camp for about 30 7th-12th grade girls. The camp, which was five half-days, provided STEM activities that showed girls they can have fun doing engineering and technology, and provide an opportunity to meet technology professionals. At the end of camp, as participants reflected on their takeaways, one shared “I realized I’m good at math.”

This confidence in STEM will pay–literally. With gender pay gaps in STEM fields (BestColleges reports a 40% gender pay gap in STEM), increasing diversity in STEM fields is critical. Research from the Women's Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University - Lilly Family School of Philanthropy also found that women are more likely to engage in philanthropy than men, and donate a higher proportion of dollars than men. This increased economic capital and its use for social good offers a significant potential to improve equitable outcomes in all of our communities.

The STEM Mobile, while supporting all of our members, will be especially impactful in supporting our 2,452 members living in rural communities, who have specifically asked for more council-led STEM events that are local to them. Our 4 Service Centers, 3 Outdoor Program Centers, and 3 Indoor Program Centers are all located on the western side of Oregon, and the majority are located near higher population communities. This solution will help us bridge that gap in access, and support adult volunteers in feeling more comfortable in engaging with the wealth of STEM curriculum GSUSA has to offer; in 2017-2021 alone, GSUSA launched over 100 new STEM programs, and Girl Scouts earned over 3.5 million STEM badges.

We have found it effective and essential to hire staff members who are part of the communities we collaborate with. This includes STEM program and Volunteer Membership Services staff who have experience and/or are currently living in Southern Oregon, Coastal Oregon, and mid-Willamette Valley Oregon.

Local volunteers are essential for successful programming. Our council’s geographic area is apportioned into 38 volunteer-led geographic areas called service units. Each service unit has a team of local volunteers who help guide and support local activities. These teams support and guide local volunteers, communicate information with troops, implement local events, recruit and retain girl and adult members, and promote the mission of Girl Scouts within their community. They add value and strength to support the entire service unit, and ensure delivery of the Girl Scout experience at a local level. Under the leadership of Georgia Maull-Keyser, GSOSW Director of Volunteer Membership Services, a team of 11 Specialists directly support service units and troops.

Oregon is comprised of nine regions with diversity in geography and populations. The Willamette Valley is Oregon’s most densely populated region and the location of its largest cities include Portland, Eugene, and Salem. The Oregon Coast stretches for nearly 300 miles, backed by the mountains of the Coast Range with a rugged shoreline that is dotted with small towns. The Columbia Gorge, a national scenic area, features natural diversity and small towns. The rustic Cascade Range stretches from the Columbia River in the north to California in the south,  naturally dividing eastern and western Oregon. Southern Oregon, lying midway between San Francisco and Portland, is a landscape of mountains and valleys with a rural feel, small-town spirit, and tight-knit communities. Central Oregon spans the eastern foothills of the Cascade mountains and the western edge of the Great Basin’s high desert, and contains small and mid-sized towns. Eastern Oregon is large, sparsely populated, and primarily high desert interspersed with small mountain ranges.

GSOSW’s Chief Operating Officer, Paige Walker, directly engages with volunteer members annually through a series of Town Hall meetings held at GSOSW Service Centers, community venues, and virtually. Additionally, the Volunteer Membership Specialists hold a monthly Virtual Volunteer Meeting to share information directly with all volunteer members and engage in a question & answer session.

Collaboration between GSOSW staff and volunteer members in the communities is essential in coordinating the schedule of the STEM Mobile and the specific badge programming that the girls are most interested in experiencing.

We have also built community connections and partnerships throughout our region in support of our STEM programming, including: Oregon State Parks, Microsoft, Society of Women Engineers, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, Tillamook Creamery, Wildlife Safari, Oregon State University, Bugs R Us, Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative, Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, Mount Pisgah Arboretum, Salmon Watch, Chintimini Wildlife Center, Hoyt Arboretum, and more. In this list, two are located on the Oregon Coast, two in Southern Oregon, one in Central Oregon, and four in the Mid-Willamette Valley.

In FY22 our council served 15,428 members (8,728 girls and 6,700 adults), which includes:

• 1,072 girls in our Community Pathways programs (Latina Engagement, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, and Juliette/Individually Registered Members). In collaboration with local community partners, these programs supported families who are migrant, bilingual, bi-cultural, lower-income, impacted by the justice system, or participate outside of a troop.

• 2,452 members (1,344 girls and 1,108 adults) who live in rural communities; these community members have specifically requested more council-led STEM programming in their local areas.

Some council-wide engagement in STEM activities includes:

• STEM Day attendees: 325 in 2021, 450 in 2022, and 1,000 anticipated in 2023. STEM Day is located in the Salem area, with a majority of participants coming from the Portland metro and Eugene areas.

• Badges earned in FY22: 29,647 badges and journeys were earned by Girl Scouts at our council. 13% (3,864) were STEM-related. With additional resources, our goal is to see that number increase.

GSOSW is applying for this challenge and the opportunity to work with Solve and Tiger Global Impact Ventures to strengthen relationships within our urban, rural, and frontier communities and deliver impactful hands-on STEM programming for girls that results in an education to career pipeline. With more than 7,700 girl members and 4,400 adult members, our council is connected to girls and women across Oregon & Southwest Washington. 

The process of launching the STEM Mobile includes thoughtful analysis of the diverse communities our council serves and the development of a strategy to present STEM programming in a meaningful, relevant, and inspiring manner that brings value to these communities. The resources available through Solve and Tiger Global Impact Ventures help us reach beyond where we’re already at.

We’ve seen great results with the girls that are drawn to STEM already, but to have greater impact, we have to scale up our efforts and take our curriculum to communities that can't or won't come to us. We have the curriculum, and existing excited members, but our access to the resources and tools needed to run successful programs are lacking, and we're ready to expand.

Beyond geographical impact, this opportunity also represents important opportunities for us to connect with a broader network of community members who are working to advance STEM initiatives for girls, including outside of Girl Scouts and in professional and real-life applications. MIT and Tiger Global Impact Ventures would be well-recognized and well-connected partners for our council, and will help us to shift current perceptions of Girl Scouts as being focused solely on cookies and crafts. Overall this allows us to better maximize community potential and better serve more girls as we build our STEM pipeline for the future–and now.

CEO Shannon Evers brings extensive knowledge of Girl Scouting and community collaboration, through her experience as CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma for nine years, and eight years of fundraising for Girl Scouts in Western Washington and Portland prior to that. Shannon held six town hall meetings across our region when she arrived in January 2022, and holds them annually to share out news from the council and to gain perspective on local volunteer needs and ideas. Paige Walker, our COO, has also attended these town hall meetings. Both also attend monthly Virtual Volunteer Meetings where volunteers receive updates, and ask questions about all of our programs in real time. All five members of our executive team are women.

Our Team Leads also work closely with staff who are implementing the projects. Throughout our organization, we hire staff throughout our region, from geographic areas where our programming is based, whose intersectional identities and experiences (i.e. race, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, etc.) are reflective of participants’ identities and experiences. This is an essential element in community building, relationship-building, and development of community resources.

Our adult volunteer members are also located throughout our region. They are essential in providing perspectives on local needs and building relationships as members of their communities. Our volunteers, in tandem with the girls they support, represent some of the highest levels of diversity across the organization. A wide spectrum of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender diversity, religion, rural/urban/suburban, physical and mental ability, and other elements of equity are represented. As troop leaders, troop helpers, and other adult volunteers tend to be members within a girls’ community, they can best understand the needs and landscape unique to their home community.

This solution catalyzes the potential of multi-generational STEM learning, and parallel learning opportunities for both youth and adults. This is built into the overall Girl Scout framework as our council supports adults in learning how to let the girls take the lead. Young people develop their values from their peers and the adults around them. By building curiosity, tenacity (feeling safe to fail…it’s part of the scientific process!), and confidence for girls AND adults, the potential for our youngest generations to dream even bigger–and for the adults in their lives to support them in meaningful ways, expands the opportunity for innovation.

Our program also provides girls access to STEM activities BEFORE they start to develop a STEM identity. Meaning, by third grade, girls have already started to decide if STEM is for them or if they are good at it. By reaching them early, we give them confidence when they need it most, and that inspires them to stay with it.

This solution offers significant logistical improvements by delivering STEM programming with rural and underserved communities that have limited offerings (if any) for after school enrichment programming. This includes the flexibility for the STEM Bus to remain in the community for a day, week, or longer. It also offers opportunities to adapt programming to meet the specific needs of a community, or help girls in a community pursue specific areas of STEM interest.

This increases community connections and resource-sharing, too. There is a potential to offer STEM Mobile open office hours or activities that any community member can access (not just Girl Scout members), and opportunities for local STEM professionals and/or businesses to share their knowledge. We have offered several panels, events, and videos for girls to meet STEM professionals in their communities, and the STEM Mobile offers another channel for that.

We also know we must provide tools for volunteers to make it easy to deliver curriculum. Then volunteers don’t have to be the experts because the van roles up with EVERYTHING. Right now, they avoid even showing the girls STEM badges as program options because they don’t feel comfortable delivering the content, shopping for the supplies, knowing the answers, etc. The van will help eliminate all of those barriers. This provides an important first step in supporting volunteer leaders in developing comfort with the STEM programming so more youth can experience it. All of our STEM activities and trainings include experiential, hands-on components. We absolutely agree with the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) that the most effective way to learn is by doing, leading to three significant outcomes of 1) retention and active learning, 2) agency, and 3) cultivating a growth mindset.

We have a range of STEM-related goals at our council. Additionally, GSUSA has an ambitious goal of getting 2.5 million girls into the STEM workforce pipeline by 2025.

STEM Mobile goals: 

1. Connect with communities throughout our council on what kind of STEM programming they’re interested in, and how often they would like the STEM Mobile to be in their area (October-December).

2. Hire and train a full-time staff person to develop, deliver, and facilitate programming and scheduling with various communities, starting in October.

3. Develop curriculum based on member feedback from October-March.

4. Research, purchase, and outfit/retrofit vehicle, and purchase STEM supplies by January.

5. Launch STEM Mobile programming in April. For the first six-month period, engage Southern, Central, Eastern, and Coastal Oregon areas and other rural communities in programming through five weekends with approximately four workshops each for a range of grade levels. Serve 10% of rural-area girls. Additionally, provide STEM Mobile programming for urban and suburban areas.

Our council-specific STEM goals for FY24 include:

1. Provide 36 engaging STEM opportunities for Girl Scouts across Oregon and Southwest Washington focused on girl-primary audiences and community engagement. Support the Astronomy Club and new STEM Club.

2. Develop a baseline number of girls who complete the new year-long STEAM Challenge patch program with monthly activities that must be completed. 48 girls completed our previous month-long STEM challenge in FY21, and 31 girls completed the month-long STEM challenge in FY22. Refine STEAM Challenge based on girl feedback.

3. Increase opportunities for Girl Scouts and communities with higher barriers to access STEM and Girl Scout programming through Community Troops member participation in STEM Day and/or Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) Family Science Night, and provision of STEM activities for 680 Girl Scouts who participate in Community Pathways summer programs.

Over the next five years our council-specific STEM goals include:

1. Develop delivery method/system to provide STEM opportunities for more girls, with a focus on the members outside of the Portland metro area.

2. Build and deliver adult volunteer STEM training opportunities once or twice a year, and implement volunteer feedback to refine STEM training opportunities (i.e. longer/shorter trainings, more/less frequent trainings, location of trainings, etc.).

3. Hire and onboard an additional staff member to deliver STEM Mobile content; develop STEM Mobile-specific curriculum and activities; refine STEM Mobile curriculum, activities, and usage based on member feedback.

We are measuring progress through several channels:

STEM Mobile metrics: 

1. Connected with communities (particularly Southern, Central, Eastern, and Coastal Oregon areas and other rural communities) on what kind of STEM programming they’re interested in, and how often they would like the STEM Mobile to be in their area by December.

2. Hired and trained a full-time STEM Mobile staff person, who has developed curriculum, delivered and facilitated programming, and built relationships with various communities, from October onward.

3. Completed and tested curriculum for the STEM Mobile, developed based on member feedback, by March. This includes curriculum for K-12 grade levels that can be provided without any additional materials.

4. Researched, purchased, and outfitted/retrofitted a vehicle, and purchased supplies for activities by December.

5. Launched STEM Mobile programming by April. The first six-month period entails plans for the STEM Mobile to spend 2 days (i.e. 5 weekends) in Southern, Central, Eastern, and Coastal Oregon areas and other rural communities. Schedules may shift based on member feedback and scheduling capacities. We anticipate running approximately four workshops each programming weekend for a range of grade levels, and serving 10% of rural area girls throughout our council. We also anticipate the STEM Mobile engaging in programming in urban and suburban areas during this time period.

Council-specific STEM metrics for FY24 include:

1. Engagement and interest in STEM opportunities: 

   1. Number of attendees and community partners at STEM Day, OMSI Family Science Night, and STEM events and activities throughout the year.

   2. Number of participants in STEAM challenge.

   3. Number of community partners during STEM Month.

   4. Participant demographics.

   5. Community partner demographics.

   6. Evaluations from girls and caregivers around STEM programming.

2. Develop a baseline for the new year-long STEAM Challenge:

   1. Number of STEAM Challenge patches obtained through the store. Girl Scouts must complete monthly activities to earn their STEAM Challenge patch; earning it is based on the honor system like our other patches and badges.

3. Increased access to STEM:

   1. Number of Community Pathways participants in STEM events/activities.

   2. Participant demographics.

   3. Availability/distribution of STEM programming for underserved communities.

   4. Availability/distribution of financial assistance in accessing STEM events.

Council-specific STEM metrics over the next five years include:

1. Development of a system to provide STEM for more girls outside the Portland metro: 

   1. Refinement/growth of our system to provide STEM opportunities for more girls, with a focus on the members outside of the Portland metro.

   2. Evaluations from girls and caregivers around STEM programming.

   3. Completion of STEM badges, with an increase from 13% to 20% STEM badges earned.

2. Adult STEM training opportunities:

   1. Number of adult trainings offered and attendance.

   2. Participant/prospect demographics.

   3. Evaluations from volunteers who attend adult trainings.

   4. Refining adult trainings in following years based on volunteer feedback.

3. STEM Mobile curriculum and activities we will measure:

   1. Hire and onboard a STEM Mobile staff member.

   2. Develop STEM Mobile curriculum and activities.

   3. Refine STEM Mobile curriculum, activities, and usage based on member feedback.

Our girl-led, gender-specific, hands-on STEM programming gets positive results. The Girl Scout Research Institute recently conducted STEM impact studies in 2022, 2019, and 2017. In 2022 they found that 67% of Girl Scouts participate in STEM activities, and that doing even one STEM activity increased interest, confidence, competence, and value placed on STEM. Most markedly, among middle and high schoolers, interest in STEM remained significantly higher for those who participated in STEM activities in comparison to those that did not. This includes increased interest in taking STEM classes in college (75% vs. 50%), pursuing a career in STEM (63% vs. 43%), and even how much they value STEM (57% vs. 35%). At the elementary school level the value placed on STEM is nearly comparable (65% vs. 60%), showing the importance of continued engagement in Girl Scout STEM activities. These impacts are further highlighted when looking at the 2017 study, which shows that 60% of Girl Scouts participated in STEM activities in comparison to 35% of their non-Girl Scout peers.

In our council, we know girls and community partners are enthusiastic about STEM, and interested in more. STEM Day (held outside of the Portland metro area), one of our largest annual STEM events, increased from 384 to 433 attendees from FY22 to FY23, and we expect at least 1,000 attendees in FY24. In fact, we sold out in FY23, and are using a larger venue in FY24! We also doubled the number of STEM Day partners from 15 to 30, and expect 50 partners this year. Girls also take the initiative to lead their own STEM projects, such as our council’s Astronomy Club, which is over five years old, and our new STEM Club.

In terms of implementing a STEM Mobile to increase access to STEM, we know this solution has worked well for other entities such as the Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines. PLOS Biology conducted a study in 2017 on the impact of mobile STEM laboratories and found that many schools lack access to equipment, resources, and trained personnel, and that mobile labs can help to fill the gaps and increase equity and access for all students. We also know this solution will be effective as it is aligned with member feedback for more council-provided STEM programming outside of the Portland metro region, and our experiences in accessing different parts of the region and providing direct support for our members.

Our Girl Scouts use their STEM skills to improve the world around them, and we want this to be possible for many more girls. The long-term results are impressive: after graduating from high school, our Girl Scouts have embarked on a marine biology research project, become a software engineer (that’s the Gold Award Girl Scout who ran the “Girls get IT” day camp), become an analyst for a state entity (that’s one of our Astronomy Club co-founders), and even work for our own council to make STEM experiences accessible for more girls.

Our solution is not tech-based.

Full-time staff: 3

Part-time staff: 0

Contractors: 0

The idea for a STEM Mobile at our council has been developed since 2019, although we have not had the resources to develop it. However, we are well-positioned; we were ranked in the top 33% for STEM readiness in the 2019 GSUSA all-council assessment (based on current capacity and local partner engagement and resources). We scored especially high in ‘areas of sustainable volunteer and program delivery models that drive growth,’ and ‘board engagement in governance and resource development’ which will sustainably support this project. Since 2020, we strive to enhance our virtual, remote, and hybrid programming options.

Our approach to incorporating DEI into our work is multi-faceted:

We work to increase board diversity, and have provided DEI training for our board this year, which we have not done in years. Out of 19 board members, 7% are Hispanic/Latino, and 7% are Black/African American, 90% are women, and 52% live in geographical areas outside of the Portland metro.

We work to increase staff diversity, with a focus on retention. Out of our (approximately) 80 regular year-round staff members, over 10% identify as people of color, over 10% identify as Hispanic/Latino, and around 90% identify as women. There is intersectionality in those numbers, as one of the five executive leadership team members is a woman of color, and the Equity Team is comprised of staff from different structural levels and departments of the organization. 12 regular year-round staff members in five departments are earning Spanish Language premiums, an increase from 4 staff members in 2 departments in 2019. Staff also live throughout our council area, and are part of the communities we work with. We are also focused on staff retention, and engaged in a pay study with GSUSA in 2021 encompassing all job roles and types. We increased pay rates and an updated transparent pay scale in October 2021 and October 2022, with an overall goal to increase all employees up to market-value rates within three years.

Our volunteers, in tandem with the girls they support, represent a wide spectrum of different races, religions, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, immigration statuses, sexual orientations, abilities, gender identities, geographic locations, and other identities impacted by other forms of bias and oppression. Girl Scouts offers valuable training for volunteers, including first aid and safety, how to successfully let girls lead (and how things change as girls get older and can take on increased responsibility), outdoor skills, financial literacy, and more. Our volunteers also use these trainings in their professional lives, and to give back to their communities outside of Girl Scouts.

As an organization, we understand that DEI strategy and measures require consistent, ongoing efforts–and also that these are integral to providing strong programming and increasing the capabilities of our organization.

Council 3 DEI goals:

1. Increase the inclusion, membership, and participation of people from communities of color.

2. Improve experiences of members and staff, especially people from underserved communities.

3. Manage resources effectively to advance access to programs and mission delivery.

We continue to better integrate and operationalize DEI throughout all aspects of our council and continue to progress in this work. Since developing our three council DEI goals in spring 2022, all staff developed 14 team-based DEI plans over the summer to better integrate DEI work into short- mid- and long-term work, and provide clearer pathways to implementation. These plans are managed by leadership with quarterly report-outs. We are also providing DEI staff training, are focusing on increasing diversity and providing training at the board level, and participate in a nation-wide Girl Scouts DEI staff cohort.

As we shift paradigms across generations, cultures, and existing systems rooted in inequity, girls—especially girls from underserved communities—need to experience meaningful empowerment consistently from an early age. In all that we do, girls and their communities are the heart of our programming. We actively affirm, empower, and center girl and community data and leadership in real time. All curriculum and activities are designed so girls must collaborate to make age-progressive decisions, and caregivers are guided in letting girls learn and lead. As girls progress mentorships organically develop, building community-specific leadership pipelines, leading to improvements in academic, social, and emotional outcomes.

As girls progress through Girl Scout programming, we hope they will participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. In this, the largest financial literacy program in the world for girls, girls learn five life skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. As they’re selling cookies and learning these skills, they are also becoming self-sustaining through the money they earn. The girls themselves direct where their earnings go, and many troops choose to pay membership dues and cover other expenses for girls whose families cannot afford them. The Cookie Program also helps the program become self-sustaining, as the revenue generated for the council goes right back into girl programming. The ability for the program to pay for itself through cookie revenue is unique to Girl Scouts.

While many think of Girl Scouts as “just” cookies and crafts, girls and their families continue to enthusiastically participate because they experience tangible values of girl and adult leadership development, community building, and affirmation. STEM in infused into our every day lives, certainly through selling cookies (like troops that develop multi-year budgets and sales plans to travel nationally or even internationally) and crafts (like building edible cells or sketching out an engineered rollercoaster), and our programming ties learning and fun while growing girls’ curiosity, empathy, and resilience. These are the kinds of STEM leaders we need for tomorrow—and we already have them here today.

While the Girl Scout Cookie Program presents an important facet of our revenue, we continue to work on diversifying our sources of financial support. This includes through community foundations, corporations, and civic organizations. In FY23 to date, we have been awarded 11 grants from a variety of foundations, corporations, and civic organizations (a total of $307,303), with eight pending requests (a total of $739,103), and at least 17 proposals (a total of at least $213,749 in requests + in-kind AmeriCorps support) planned through the end of our fiscal year in September. We are also stewarding three three-year grants (a total of $853,500) that will complete a year apart from each other.

We are also continuing to diversify both our partnerships and revenue through contracted partnerships to provide programming with school districts. Although we have partnered with schools as a venue to provide programming since our inception, since March 2020 schools are seeing the value of Girl Scouts programming and the potential for using budgeted funds to provide Girl Scout programming as part of their curriculum offerings. 

In addition, the STEM Mobile will help us bring value to more communities, providing STEM activities with local schools and parks, while also increasing outreach around Girl Scouting benefits. This will support both our membership recruitment and retention efforts, showcasing member support for a more diverse range of communities, and increasing our value for future fundraising and grant proposals. This also provides us a foundation for STEM programming that can be enhanced through specific corporations, organizations, foundations, and individuals to sponsor specific badge activities or STEM experiences, while also connecting youth with our regional STEM companies and professionals in the field.

Our revenue-generating efforts support several significant program areas, including our Community Pathways programs (Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, Latina Engagement, and Juliettes/Individually Registered Members), STEM programs, and DEI work. In the case of our Community Pathways programs, grant funding makes it possible for girls to attend key STEM events throughout the year (STEM Day in the fall & OMSI Family Science Night in the spring), and to engage in STEM throughout the year in their home communities, so they can see that STEM really is everywhere, and anyone can be a scientist.

Recent success with our community foundation, corporation, and civic organization funding for FY23 STEM activities includes: First Tech Community Credit Union ($10,000) and the Epping Family Foundation ($10,000). We have applied for Pricewaterhousecoopers ($25,000), which we were awarded in FY22. Current FY23 Community Pathways funders include: The H.W. and DCH Irwin Foundation ($2,000), the JLR Foundation ($4,000), Girl Scouts of the USA/Hydro Flask ($10,000), the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust ($162,000 over 3 years), the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation ($517,000 over 3 years), and individual donors. We also receive local support from foundations and civic organizations, including United Way of Klamath Basin, Greater Douglas United Way, and United Way of Linn County (in total, representing $9,853 in allocations for FY22). This includes many consistent, long-term community partnerships; First Tech has been supporting our STEM programs every year since 2018, the Eppings nearly every year since 2012, and the United Way of Klamath Basin for over 70 years!

In our contracted partnerships, we are entering our third year of partnering with Portland Public Schools to provide summer programming for 180 underserved students through our Community Pathways programs. In total, this contract equates to $125,000 in funding. These contracts are a win-win, as more students with higher barriers can access this programming, and schools and school districts have the assurance they are working with a qualified, culturally-competent, reliable, and effective organization.

And there is much opportunity for growth through our curriculum-specific efforts! While we have focused primarily on seeking general STEM support, we have experienced success with curriculum-specific funding through various badge programs in our council, primarily with individual donors. And our members are extremely enthusiastic about participating! In 2022, when Girl Scout Week curriculum patches were available to earn at no cost, a whopping 1,305 Girl Scouts earned the patch. And this enthusiasm goes beyond week-long patch curriculum. In 2021, the GSUSA Civic Leadership Challenge patch (a year-long challenge with monthly activities to complete) was available to Girl Scouts at no cost–and was earned by 462 Girl Scouts. Additionally, 884 Girl Scouts earned the Girl Scout Week patch in 2021, and 775 Girl Scouts earned the Run the World patch in 2021. With a new Major Gifts officer now in place on our Fund Development team, we see great potential in developing these community investments.