BADGES, ACTIVITY FAIRS AND DESTINATIONS - FORMING LINKS BETWEEN GIRL SCOUTS AND AWG

The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) outreach to the Girl Scouts fulfills an integral portion of the organization's mission to introduce and encourage girls of all ages to study Earth Sciences. On the national level, AWG has a liaison to the Girl Scouts of the United States who attends Girl Scout National Conventions, provides a contact point for interest councils and troops, and works on developing online resources to provide age-appropriate Earth Science activities. AWG has also co-sponsored a Wider Opportunity (now called Destinations), a two-week trip for high school age girls to learn about geology while visiting Nebraska. On a more local level, AWG has formed links with individual councils for the organization's members to participate in career and activity fairs, as well as badge workshops. The Girl Scouts have developed over 15 try-its (grades 1-3), badges (grades 4-6), and interest patches (grades 7-12) that are related to the Earth Sciences, but often are challenging for an individual leader to tackle on her own. Links between individual AWG members and local troops provide an invaluable service to assure that the girls are given the opportunity to explore a wide-range of sciences. The bond between AWG and the Girl Scouts is a vital partnership to introduce the Earth Sciences to a new generation of girls.