Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan is Supporting Girls Through the Pandemic
With so many parts of our lives on hold, disrupted, or even cancelled, kids need stability, connection, and fun now more than ever. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan staff members have dug into the research to discover how the pandemic has impacted girls.
Girls are facing unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression, and isolation has left them feeling intense loneliness. Social interaction is critical for girls’ development, and girls are really missing their friends. Whether girls have returned to school with in-person or online learning, their opportunities for socializing with their friends have decreased. Girls are also scared about learning loss; many girls describe an added pressure to comprehend the content, on top of the challenges of virtual, hybrid, or socially-distanced education modalities.
Positive and Safe Connections
Helping girls find ways to have positive and safe social connections, as well as engage in activities that are not only fun, but meaningful, are key to helping them thrive through challenging times. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan is here to support girls when they need the belonging, connection, and friendship that girls get in Girl Scouting.
Girl Scouting is powerfully important right now – we offer the experiences that help girls discover new skills, strive for goals, and feel a sense of belonging and togetherness, that allows them to grow their confidence in themselves to face challenges and have fun and decompress while doing so.
In accordance with the state of Michigan & CDC guidelines, troops are providing girls these opportunities through a number of safe and engaging ways. Some troops are meeting in person, either inside or outside, like they used to, but with some social distancing space and other measures for safety. Other troops meet with each other through video conferencing or group calls to work on projects together, work with Leaders in their community to advocate for positive change, and share their backyard camping experiences and a campfire. Some troops use a hybrid of both, where they meet outdoors once per month, and virtually for other meetings.
Girl Scouts gives parents the opportunity to connect girls with safe social experiences & meaningful involvement in their communities at this time, a time when girls need that feeling of togetherness now more than ever.
Learn more: www.gshom.org or https://www.facebook.com/GSHOM
**The Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan is a participant in the STEM Passport. Learn more about attending STEM events to win prizes: www.stempipeline.com/out-of-school-time/stem-passport-2020-202