America Makes, Girl Scouts to Create Additive Manufacturing Patch

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – America Makes has partnered with Girl Scouts of North East Ohio to promote additive manufacturing to the organization’s 25,000 members.

The two organizations will create a playbook for best practices on integrating additive manufacturing into Girl Scouts programming, which will be incorporated into awarding the Girl Scouts’ first ever patch in the field: the America Makes Additive MFG Patch. The patch will be based on industry-recognized credentials and will focus on design, manufacturing and post-production.

“The Girl Scouts are dedicated to building skills and interests in STEM fields that unfortunately reflect great gender disparity,” said Josh Cramer, America Makes’ education and workforce director, in a statement. “Within the AM industry for example, less than 15% of professionals are women. Girl Scout programming is specifically designed to reverse this trend and promote STEM, ensuring K-12 girls are empowered to pursue STEM-related fields and compete successfully for these positions.”

Eventually, America Makes said in an announcement Friday, the program would be launched nationally for all 2.5 million Girl Scouts.

“Girl Scouts is more than cookies, crafts and camping,” said Girl Scouts of North East Ohio CEO Jane Christyson. “Our program is the largest leadership opportunity for girls and now with more than a 100 new STEM badges, we are showing our girls new possibilities in fields like AM. By encouraging girls to explore concepts in this fast-growing field, we are creating a female talent pipeline.”

The national Girl Scouts organization has been working on an initiative to reduce the gender gap in STEM fields. In the regional council, the goal is engage 37,000 scouts by 2025. Last year alone, more than 14,000 Girl Scouts in northeastern Ohio earned at least one STEM badge.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.