Jeff Yapp on the State of Girl Scouting in Indianapolis

Girl Scouting is alive and well in the Indianapolis area. Nearly 29,000 girls in Central Indiana are involved in Scouting. 12,000 adult volunteers work to guide girls on their journey. Dedicated supporters of the Girl Scout movement like Jeff Yapp provide important resources and financial support to further the organization’s aims.

Girl Scouting starts with kindergarten-age Daisies and goes all the way through eleventh and twelfth-grade Ambassadors. Along the way, the program teaches girls in the Indianapolis area how to lead, take risks, and explore the world. While many people may believe that Girl Scouting is focused on earning badges and selling cookies, there is much more to the program. Girl Scouting is an important force for good in the local community.

Through the activities of the Girl Scout program, girls are encouraged to follow their curiosity. The program is structured around three principles: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. From the young ages of five or six, Girl Scouts are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of activities, which foster academic and social growth. Leadership is another major feature of the Girl Scout program. Girls are taught to make their own decisions and to be confident when dealing with others.

Another exciting feature of the Girl Scout program in the Indianapolis area is career exploration. Recently, the Girl Scouts introduced a wide variety of new badges and journeys in the STEM category. Engineering, computers science, space science, robotics, and mechanical engineering are only a few of the new badges, which encourage girls to study in STEM fields.

The capstones of the Girl Scout program are the three major awards: The Bronze Award is for Junior Girl Scouts in grades 4 and 5; The Silver Award is for Cadettes in grades 6, 7, and 8; The Gold Award, Girl Scouting’s highest honor, is for Seniors and Ambassadors in grades 9 through 12.

Like the Eagle award in Boy Scouts, the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award recognizes strong leadership. Established in 1916, the Gold Award is a major accomplishment. Girls plan a Take Action project that makes a lasting difference in their community and which can continue from year to year. The project can take years to plan and represents an incredible amount of work on the girl’s part.

Solid community backing, such as that given by Jeff Yapp and other adult contributors, is necessary to help Girl Scouts succeed with their Gold Awards. In order to plan their Take Action projects, girls often meet with various community leaders to determine their needs and to share ideas.

Girls who complete the Gold Award have an advantage in college applications. The focus and drive required to finish the Gold Award will serve girls well as they go through life. The importance of the Gold Award is recognized not only by colleges and employers but also by the United States military. Girls who have received the Gold Award are eligible to enter the service one rank higher than their peers.

These examples of successful Girl Scout Gold Award projects represent a broad sample of the topics and skills needed to complete them. One girl from California completed a project that helped farmers conserve water through new moisture sensors that she designed herself. Another girl from New York concentrated on the plight of bees, encouraging the community to understand and appreciate the impact of these insects. She was able to convince New York State lawmakers to pass legislation that protects bees.

The Gold Award presents a unique opportunity for high school girls from Central Indiana to distinguish themselves in the world. Together with the entire Girl Scout program, girls have the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the world around them. Community supporters like Jeff Yapp are instrumental in the program’s success.