New badges for Eastern Iowa Girls Scouts

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois has announced they will now be offering STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and Outdoor merit badges.

The new Girl Scout programming builds girls' skills and encourages their interest in STEM and environmental conservation from an early age, increasing their confidence in these areas -- in an all-girl environment where they feel comfortable trying new things, taking appropriate risks, and learning from failure.

A survey showed that Girl Scouts are almost twice as likely as non–Girl Scouts to participate in STEM (60 percent versus 35 percent) and outdoor activities (76 percent versus 43 percent).