Girl Scouts Receives Americorps Grant
Read The News Tribune story about the grant!
Girl Scouts of Western Washington was recently selected by the Washington Commission for National & Community Service to host a 20-member AmeriCorps team based in Pierce County. This three-year grant will allow Girl Scouts of Western Washington to extend outreach programs to girls in communities previously unreachable due to funding limitations.
Watch the announcement of AmeriCorps' and Girl Scouts' partnership:
Newly selected AmeriCorps staff share why they want to serve their community:
The AmeriCorps grant funding will help build our capacity to bring specialized curriculum to girls who need it most and address a critical community need. The grant will help with many things, including the expansion of the Girl Scouts Fostering a Future from twice a month to weekly, improve the girl-to-staff ratio for Girl Scouts Beyond Bars and begin a pilot program with girls referred to Pierce County Juvenile Court.
“AmeriCorps will put us five years ahead of schedule increasing services to at-risk Pierce County girls,” said Anne Rhyner, vice president of outreach initiatives for Girl Scouts of Western Washington.
AmeriCorps team members will work directly with girls to deliver programs and provide mentoring support. They will be trained to help girls develop the social skills, leadership and self esteem needed to succeed in school. This can include a wide range of curriculum such as anger management, conflict resolution, appreciation of diversity, skills and strategies to deal with bullying, substance abuse prevention, pregnancy prevention, internet safety, financial literacy and career exploration. Team members will also learn about cultural diversity and will learn about Girl Scout resources, curriculum and materials that are available for girls who do not speak English.
The program will serve a minimum of 900 girls with participants recruited from partner schools and registered as members of Girl Scouts. Program activities will include site-based programming as well as field trips. Girls will also have the opportunity to go to Girl Scout camp and participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program with the support of the AmeriCorps member.
For information about applying to be an AmeriCorps team member with Girl Scouts of Western Washington, please visit www.GirlScoutsWW.org/aboutus/jobs.
About Girl Scouts of Western Washington
At Girl Scouts we know that given the opportunity, every girl can become a leader with the courage to act on her values, develop the ability to make clear decisions, and acquire the self-confidence to make a difference in the world around her. Girl Scouts helps girls grow courageous and strong through girl-driven programs, reflecting the ever-changing needs and interests of girls.
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Girl Scouts of Western Washington currently serves more than 26,000 girls in partnership with nearly 12,500 volunteers throughout 17 counties in Western Washington. In addition to our headquarters, we operate program and regional offices in DuPont, Bellevue, Marysville, Bremerton, Longview, and Renton, as well as six camp properties located in Longview, Hoquiam, Belfair, Carnation and Lilliwaup on the Hood Canal.