Girl Scouts
of the USA (GSUSA) unveiled today Imagine Your STEM Future, a national activity
series designed to engage high school girls in and inspire them toward careers
in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The
activity series, which consists of four flexible units that pique girls'
interest in STEM careers and helps them begin to match their interests and
skills with jobs in those high-demand sectors, will be available for schools or
other hosting sites to have in place this fall, when girls return to
school.
"Two
things are clear: STEM is part of the future of the U.S. economy, and so are
girls," says Anna Maria Chávez, chief executive officer of GSUSA.
"Girls are half the talent, skill and innovation that will be the future
workforce of this nation. We need to do whatever it takes to engage more girls
in STEM, to help them realize a place in tomorrow's economy. That's what Imagine Your STEM Future is
about."
"We've
created a nationally scalable program to help girls at the pivotal point of
high school. With 100 years of girls'
leadership expertise behind us, we're ready to bring that to bear on getting
girls where they need to for a successful future. Engaging girls in STEM is critical for all of
us and the future of the U.S. economy."
Activities
vary in complexity to make the program interesting for a broad range of girls
grades 9-12. Because the program aligns with national education curriculum
standards, it can be used by schools to complement curriculum, as an
after-school series, in spring break camps, or at other venues. Throughout the
program, teens develop a STEM self-concept where they realize they have
explored and learned about STEM subjects, but only after they've had the fun.
Imagine
Your STEM Future has already been piloted with more than 6,000 underserved
teenage girls across the United States, with positive results. In
post-evaluation research done by the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls said
that the program increased their interest in STEM, led them to become more
informed about STEM careers, helped them realize how important it is to take
math and science in school, strengthened their critical thinking and problem
solving abilities, and increased their confidence in their STEM skills.
The
Girl Scout program comes amid increasing national attention on STEM and girls.
A 2012 study by the Girl Scouts Research Institute titled Generation STEM: What
Girls Say about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math found that 74 percent
of girls surveyed are interested in STEM though only a small percent say it's
their first choice as a career. Yet
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM careers are growing at five
times the rate of other occupations, with nine of the 10 fastest-growing occupations
needing significant scientific or math training by year 2018.