Girl scouts debut Alaska Resources patches

By Kati Capozzi

It’s been a long-standing idea that has finally turned into a reality: Alaska Resource Education (ARE) has partnered with the Girl Scouts of Alaska to create a natural resource curriculum and patch series to help educate young women about industry in Alaska.

The idea for the patches originated through ARE’s long-time participation in Girl Scouts of Alaska’s annual ‘Women of Science & Technology’ event. These events, held in different locations throughout Southcentral Alaska, engages Girl Scouts with women leaders from science and industry sectors throughout the state.

ARE staff, board members, and local Girl Scout administrators saw the opportunity to expand on the Girl Scouts’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focus and utilize ARE’s rich curriculum on natural resources to develop the new patch series.

The ARE team has worked over the last year to adapt their curriculum for a patch series that combines independent research on energy, minerals, and forestry resources with fun, hands-on activities such as “Finding Oil in a Cupcake,” “Mine a Cookie,” and “Every Tree for Itself” to teach girls about the role of natural resources in their daily lives and the importance the industries have on Alaska’s economy.

“ARE is excited to ignite, inspire, and educate Girl Scouts around the state about Alaska’s resources through this new and exciting partnership,” said Michelle Brunner, Executive Director of ARE.

The Energy patch launch party took place at the BP Energy Center in March with the Minerals patch launch set to take place in Bethel this fall, followed by the Forestry patch launch in Juneau.

The patches are available to Girl Scouts at all levels in the Girl Scouts of Alaska Council region (Southern Alaska), with the Farthest North Council expected to bring on the patches by the end of 2014. To learn more, visit akresource.org.

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