Local ‘Encampment’ increases STEM offerings

PALMER — If you thought the primary function of the national or local Girl Scouts organization was to sell cookies, think again.

At the Alaska State Fairgrounds this weekend, about 750 Girl Scouts from various parts of Alaska (south of Fairbanks) gathered for the biannual Encampment event.

Girl Scouts of Alaska Communications Director Carly Horton Stuart said the focus of the event is on “fun, friendship and learning” for fourth- through 12th-grade girls. And while those foci can manifest in a variety of ways — workshop subjects at the event this weekend ranged from dancing and basket-weaving, to karate and astronomy — Stuart said the Girl Scouts have been actively working to expand science knowledge and leadership skills among their Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors.

“There’s been a big push for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math education) nationally with Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., but we’ve really pushed it in Alaska,” Stuart said.

Last year, the Scouts of Alaska opened their Camp Singing Hills facility in Chugiak as “the only fully wired STEM lodge that services girls in Alaska,” Stuart said. A fully functioning flight simulator is among the tools the Scouts have at their disposal at the lodge.

The Alaska organization also had the New Zealand-born Pipehenge structure installed at their Camp Togowoods in Wasilla last summer to increase astronomy education opportunities for local Girl Scouts.

At Encampment this weekend, the Anchorage Museum’s “Star Lab” returned with help from Juneau troop leader Alyson Cooper and Amanda Morgan, the membership services and program specialist for Girl Scouts of Alaska.

“As a team, we’re trying to beef up our astronomy program,” Morgan said. “We want to broaden our knowledge to the leaders so they can take it to the troops.”

Wells Fargo had the same idea. Local representatives from the bank introduced the new financial literacy patch and associated teaching materials to troop leaders at Encampment this weekend, and donated $5,000 to the state Girl Scouts organization. The “hands-on banking” approach associated with the patch is designed to ensure Girl Scouts “become savvy money earners and maven money managers,” according to a Wells Fargo packet.

Judith Crotty, Wells Fargo’s state community development manager said it's all part of the bank’s emphasis on community engagement.

“It’s really important to the Wells Fargo culture of caring,” she said.

Leadership

So Girl Scouts don’t just sell cookies — they gain academic knowledge and learn life skills. But perhaps the most impactful aspect of the organization and its programs is its allowance for leadership.

The theme or thread of the event this year was “Superheroes in the Making,” Stuart said. But the superheroes they’re talking about are less sci-fi and more grounded. It’s the police officers, doctors, research scientists, park managers and other service-oriented people whom the organization hopes its members will be encouraged to become.

But they have to stick with it. Stuart and Morgan said that, once girls exit elementary school, they get a lot more freedom in deciding what activities they want to do.

Kharissa Chasse, soon to be a senior at Mat-Su Career and Technical High School, is now an Ambassador for Girl Scouts, having reached the highest level of Scouting. When she entered middle school, though, she thought about giving up.

“I got that whole ‘oh, you’re still in Girl Scouts? Isn’t that like, for little kids?’” Chasse said, referring to words from some of her classmates.

But an older Scout Chasse knew inspired her to keep going. She was still in it, and was given the responsibility to represent her troop and state at national conferences.

In 2012, Chasse was able to attend such a trip: the Year of the Girl 100-year celebration in Houston, Texas. She met Scouts from all over the U.S., Japan and Germany.

Two years later, she attended another conference in Salt Lake City. In March, she traveled to New York City to discuss the state of women all over the world with United Nations representatives and public figures such as Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Stuart, a research fellow for the Growth, Poverty and Inequality Programme at the Overseas Development Institute.

“I think it definitely gives me a heads-up in the world,” Chasse said.

And in addition to the skills she’s gained through these trips — speaking in front of a big group and how to deal with conflict, for example — she volunteers with a local troop of Daisies, taking them on field trips and preparing to be an official troop leader once she turns 18.

And after four years of Encampment — from being a camper to an emcee — Chasse knows its influence on Girl Scouts.

“I’m definitely very glad Encampment is here,” Chasse said. “It teaches girls that Girl Scouts isn’t just about selling cookies or getting badges — it’s about getting closer with other Girl Scouts and gaining different skills that can help you later on in life.”

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.