By Olivia Levia

Girl Scout Troop 3459

Badgerland Council, Monroe

MONROE — Girl Scouts offers many important opportunities for girls of all ages, and the United Way of Green County helps make sure girls in our community who want to get a head start in life through Girl Scouting can do so.

For example, girls are taught important life skills that they otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to learn outside of Girl Scouts. These skills include finding self-confidence, marketing a product, running a business, becoming a leader and working on a team. As they get older, other opportunities girls can be a part of include working with Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies as a Program Aide, serving as a voice for the girls on the Youth Leadership Council, and representing Girl Scouts in the public eye as a MediaGIRL — all things I have gotten to experience in recent years.

Being a Girl Scout also offers girls the chance to learn about careers in STEM (or science, technology, engineering, and math). This would include careers like engineering, software development, computer programming, healthcare practitioners and more. Girl Scouts offers several different programs to girls who are interested in these types of careers, and all of them teach girls they can be anything they set their minds to. 

One example of these kind of programs is the Biomedical Engineering Day held earlier this year. Girls heard from women in STEM about what they do and what their job looks like. Next, girls learned about how scientists print skin cells and other body parts with a 3D printer, and finally, worked in teams to see if they can make a replica of a pig femur out of simple materials. 

Another opportunity for girls is CampHERO, which I attended a few years ago. It is a camp that exposes girls to a wide range of careers in public service, like an EMT, police officer or firefighter. At this camp, girls have the opportunity to learn about how to safely break into a burning building, respond to 911 emergency calls, be police officers and so much more. Girls also get to meet and talk to women that are in these types of fields. 

Girl Scouts exposes young girls to these types of careers and helps them to be more independent women when they grow up. United Way’s contribution to Girls Scouts is so important for the girls in the community. The United Way of Green County provides girls in Monroe, New Glarus and surrounding communities with funds that help cover membership costs, so that girls who might have financial barriers can still experience all the awesome opportunities girls can have in Girl Scouts.

— Olivia Levia is a freshman at Monroe High School and is a member of Girl Scout Troop 3459, Badgerland Council, Monroe.