“This is the first major update (of badges) at every level since 1987,” says Alisha Niehaus of Girl Scouts of the USA. “We kept some favorites, but added new ones that will help girls build the leadership skills they’ll need for success in the 21st century.”
Gone is 1987’s Fashion, Fitness and Makeup badge; in its place, a Science of Style badge has girls explore use of nanotechnology in fabrics and the chemistry of sunscreens.
Other new badges are on financial literacy, public policy and website design. And to help girls master skills needed to tough it out in a sometimes crazy world, there’s the Science of Happiness badge. Developed in conjunction with “positive psychology” researcher Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, it helps “teach girls how to find happiness in their own lives,” says Niehaus.
by donnamartinez
