Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana’s Girl Experience Teams bring you #GIRLFest 2021!
This virtual event on Saturday, Mar. 13, will highlight subject-area pathways, with each pathway featuring one hour of programming with multiple fun, girl-led, and interactive sessions, as well as multiple “Mindful Minute” commercial breaks – a chance to close your eyes, breathe, and relax!
Learn more about the world around you – whether that’s through science, other cultures, civic engagement, or spending time in nature – while also celebrating how great it is to be a girl and a Girl Scout!
Younger Girl Scouts (Daisies through Juniors) and older Girl Scouts (Cadettes through Ambassadors) will have the opportunity to dive into several different activities, including a brainstorming and informative session on Take Action projects, a celebration of Girl Scout Birthday (Mar. 12), and much more. Explore the world, the outdoors, the voting process: whatever strikes your fancy!
Maybe you’ve heard about #GIRLFest, but you aren’t sure what the day will look like. During the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to explore up to 12 different sessions within 4 different tracks, depending on your interests! Each session will be 15 minutes long, with a Mindful Minute commercial break in between. Girls can participate in just a few of the sessions or all 12!
Here is what each track will look like:
Younger Girls
| Activity | Time | Description |
| STEAM | 1-2 p.m. | This includes an interview with an astronaut, live animals with the Indiana Dunes State Park, and making a sugar scrub. |
| Cultural Awareness | 2:15-3:15 p.m. | This track includes how to travel as a Girl Scout, a ballet session with a member of the Joffrey Ballet, and a Global Girl Scouting session focused on Ecuador. |
| Active Citizenship | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | In this track, you will learn about taking action, the women’s right to vote, and celebrate the Girl Scout birthday! |
| Outdoor Exploration | 3:45-4:45 p.m. | Girls will learn about prepping for an adventure, outdoor survival and shelter building, and patterns in nature. |
Older Girls
| Activity | Time | Description |
| Outdoor Exploration | 1-2 p.m. | Girls will learn about prepping for an adventure, outdoor survival and shelter building, and patterns in nature. |
| STEAM | 2:15-3:15 p.m. | In this track, girls can talk to a female astronaut, create green memes, and make an edible face mask. |
| Cultural Awareness | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | These sessions will include Global Girl Scouting: India, ballet with the Joffrey Ballet, and How to Travel as a Girl Scout. |
| Active Citizenship | 4:45-5:45 | Girls will learn about transit around the world, take action projects, and celebrate the Girl Scout birthday. |
We are so excited to introduce our program partners, who are excited to provide awesome experiences for #GIRLFest participants!
The Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet will be leading a ballet lesson in both the younger and older girl #GIRLFest Cultural Awareness pathway. Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses an inclusive perspective on dance through its Company Artists, extensive repertoire, Academy, and Community Engagement programs. Considered one of the premier companies performing today, the Joffrey plays a vital role in the dance community as the largest dance company and dance education provider in Chicago and the greater Midwest region.
Indiana Dunes State Park
The Indiana Dunes State Park will join us with some live animals native to the dunes! Indiana Dunes is in Porter County, and includes more than three miles of beautiful beach along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. In the early 1900s scientists, recreationists and nature enthusiasts, recognizing the value and potential of the Indiana dunes area, fought to have the region preserved. As a result, in 1925, the state park was established.
AstraFemina and Beth Moses
Beth Moses is an American astronaut, aerospace engineer, and Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic, a public spaceflight corporation which is developing suborbital space tourism. Ms. Moses leads Virgin Galactic’s cabin testing and will train all SpaceShipTwo cabin astronauts. She will join us for #GIRLFest with a panel discussion involving the girls.
Remember, we will take time for a mindful minute between each session! This day will be jampacked with opportunities and ways to learn about the world around you. Join us!
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