ITWF: Girls are IT!

Girl Scouts, Hornets' Nest Council, Charlotte NC

Investigators

Abstract

EIA-0204398 Lambert,Katherine Songer,Tim Institution: Girl Scouts Hornets' Nest Council Title: Girls Are IT! The Girl Scouts, Hornets' Nest Council has been extremely active in the lives of adolescent girls in the Charlotte regional community for over 65 years. In the 21st century, this involves reaching out to widely diverse populations including recent immigrants from Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. The success of these outreach programs depends on understanding the language and culture of the families in these communities and providing activities, support, and education that is deemed appropriate and relevant for all of the girls and adults involved. Girls all over the country are faced with a range of opportunities that were not available to previous generations. Part of the Girl Scout mission is to help "girls gain insight into coping with contemporary moral and social dilemmas." Through a series of Girl-Scout-sponsored series of innovative and engaging programs, girls learn about preventing teen pregnancy, avoiding substance abuse, and understanding the influence of popular culture on creating faulty self-images regarding one's body and mind. With support from ITWF, the Hornets' Nest Council will deliver this content in a new and innovative way - through a custom technology-based simulation entitled, "Making Choices." "Making Choices" will use a variety of technologies including wireless networked laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), printers, scanner and digital cameras to deliver a series of simulation activities (totaling 3-5 hours of instructions). A research evaluation study will assess attitudes of girls and women volunteers who participate in the standard programs versus the technology-based programs.