Part of what makes the Girl Scout leadership program so unique is our connection to real-life industry experts who spark girls’ interest in career fields they may not have been exposed to otherwise.
Our STEAM program is no different, as our expert connections provide engaging experiences that allow girls to see themselves leading in spaces that are traditionally dominated by their male counterparts.
GCNWI Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts, both of which begin to explore science and perform energy audits with other girls at their grade level, had an opportunity to put their knowledge to the test with an introduction into the field of engineering with utility and sustainability company, NiSource.
The “Mad Scientist” themed event encouraged girls to dress like scientists and perform at-home science experiments, participate in hands-on engineering activities and featured a career discussion led by women in leadership at NiSource.
Girl Scout participating in hands-on activity with NiSource
“My daughter (and her neighbor friend) enjoyed the activities and especially enjoyed the lava lamp experiment,” one mom spoke about her daughter’s experience.
“My daughter had a blast! Slime and lava lamp were her favorites!” exclaimed another mom.
This “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” event was a part of the Girl Scout “Spark Day” initiative, a career exploration program designed to peak interest in various fields from STEM to distribution to animal care.
NiSource Inc. Serves over 3.5 million customers and operates as one of the largest utility companies in the nation. The company provides natural gas and electric services to its customers and is committed providing sustainable business solutions.
On President’s Day 2019, Girl Scouts from Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana explored careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) with presenting sponsors Deloitte, Molex, and Intren, and at other programs hosted by Groupon and NiSource.
Read on for highlights from each Career Day event which helped inspire and lead girls on greater paths within STEAM.
Girl Scouts Learn Business Chemistry at Deloitte
Deloitte hosted Girl Scouts for an Introduction to Business Chemistry and Women in the Workplace! Girls that participated in the day discussed resiliency, networking and self-promotion and learned about how their own personality types interact best with others through Deloitte’s Business Chemistry program.
Girl Scouts Networked with Women in Electronics STEM Fields
The Connect with STEAM was a Career Day style event coordinated by both our local Girl Scouts organization and the Molex WBC. Molex welcomed a record 40+ girls, 10 parents/troop leaders, and 20 Molex volunteers! The Girl Scouts were split into three groups and rotated through three activities:
An engineering focused build a circuit activity;
A team building/manufacturing focused activity where the girls built and tested paper airplanes;
A coding focused activity where the girls learned the basic concepts of writing and reading code.
They finished the day with a question and answer panel featuring five ladies from Molex with STEM related careers in Accounting, Engineering, IT, Pricing, etc.
One Girl Scout facilitator noted, “The girls were fired up by the keynote speaker, and enjoyed the squishy circuits, the airplane assembly lines, the robot activity, and the inspiring career panel at the end. It was a great opportunity for girls to engage with hands-on activities and many inspiring women.”
Girl Scouts Explore Energy at Intren
Intren’s Girl Scouts Career Day, “Explore Energy with Intren,” inspired Girl Scouts interested in joining the fast-growing energy industry which is currently male-dominated.
Girls built an electrical circuit, got up close and personal with the hefty machinery used to build utilities groundwork, and met and networked with women in the STEM field. The girls had a great time engaging with women in the industry and loved having their eyes open to new possibilities!
Girl Scouts Explore Engineering at Groupon
Groupon hosted “Scout Out Engineering at Groupon.” The girls worked with circuit boards and participated in coding activities, as well as exploring the offices with a scavenger hunt.
One Girl Scout parent told us, “The girls loved the program and loved meeting so many volunteers and [Girl] Scouts from other troops! It was a really special program and we hope that such a program continues to flourish.
“In speaking with the girls on the way home after the event, the girls talked endlessly about being at Groupon, and building circuits (both the frustration of building, the thrill of perseverance and in successfully seeing the light illuminate). They also commented on how great it was the circuit boards like that don’t need to be built anymore and how great new technology is (and clearly why circuit boards like the one they were building aren’t used anymore because of the fickle nature of the connections and board).”
Girl Scouts Introduced to Engineering at NiSource
NiSource hosted another one of their recurring and successful “NIPSCO Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day!” Girl Scouts has an insightful safety demonstration, participated in a Q&A panel with women, and competed in an engineering challenge!
The Girl Scouts were able to learn about the potential for careers in engineering while having fun experiencing new and exciting things about STEM!
Learn more about STEM
Girl Scouts GCNWI hosts a multitude of STEM Career Day Exploration programs on school “off” days (such as President’s Day, Columbus Day, and MLK Day). Keep your eyes peeled for our 2019-2020 programs which will be announced this fall!
