Microsoft Partners with Girl Scouts on STEM Badges
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 14, 2019
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15
Microsoft is partnering with the Girls Scouts of USA to offer free STEM badge workshops at its retail stores.
“Girl Scouts of the USA and all Microsoft Stores in the U.S. are now launching free Microsoft Store badge workshops for Girl Scouts troops across the country,” Microsoft’s Vanessa Ho writes. “The partnership aims to give girls vital digital skills and foster leadership qualities to help close the gender gap in STEM fields.”
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The partnership comes in the wake of a Microsoft study that found that girls lose interest in STEM— science, technology, engineering, and math—as they get older despite the high priority that is given to this curriculum in schools. This is especially true in technology and engineering, Microsoft says. And the reasons are many: They include peer pressure, the lack of good role models, the lack of support from parents as well as teachers, and a general misperception of what STEM careers look like in the real world.
The goal of Microsoft’s partnership with the Girls Scouts of USA is to connect with its 1.7 million members locally, expand the community, and expand their horizons through workshops that will help them earn five STEM badges in computer expertise, digital photography, movie-making, and robotics (there are two badges for that latter category).
“The ability to activate those troops with amazing hands-on technology and help all demographic and economic groups with digital skills really makes this partnership special,” Microsoft’s Sandra Andrews says.
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Conversation 15 comments
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#480505">In reply to ajgisler:</a></em></blockquote><p>Agreed. </p><p><br></p><p>Also why is there still a Girl Scouts at all, as I thought that girls can join the Boy Scouts now? Nothing is sacred anymore. Everyone is a victim and we must tear down everything bad….or…..good.</p><p><br></p><p>#ifyoudontlikeitgoontheinternetandcomplain</p>
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Thom77
<blockquote><em><a href="#480505">In reply to ajgisler:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>because of weaponized identity politics where people lose their jobs now for stating facts or standing up to toxic feminism or are guilty until proven innocent when allegations are made. </p><p><br></p><p>By the way, I know this isn't true, but I would swear the local college here that is at least in the top 2 of the state is 75% women. </p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#480505">In reply to ajgisler:</a></em></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">SJW's are out in force. Bring your "woke" friends and down vote factual comments!!!!! Cancel culture is here and now!</span></p>
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pargon
Premium Member<p>Further destruction of the nuclear family and family values by pushing careers on our young women. Microsoft does a lot of good things, but more women in fields where they typically aren't prevalent isn't exactly a problem, it's usually a choice not to pursue those fields rather than the mentioned reasons. Our culture didn't have the issues of today 70 years ago. The program sounds great, but why is it only targeting girls? Why not boys too? Why not just help society be smarter and more ready for the workforce?</p><p>Young women are also lacking good role models for strong women at home or in the community, you don't have to work in STEM to have a wonderful and fulfilling life and the feminists will destroy the reputation of any women that speaks highly of raising a family. Home economics is being cut along with music programs all across the country and it's the left's agenda to drive girls into the workforce, especially male dominated fields to create more 3rd wave feminists that hate men, always has been, so this isn't surprising at all.</p>
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pargon
Premium Member<blockquote><em><a href="#480843">In reply to Chris_Kez:</a></em></blockquote><p>This is fake news. Half the population isn't "dropping out of the pipeline", they were never in it to begin with. Someone has to raise the family and nurturers tend to be women. A healthy society is not one that has both parents working and not raising their children.</p><p><br></p><p>There are many tech companies hiring H1B visa workers and making their full time american employees train the new guys. It's not a lack of male employees, it's purely a liberal agenda to drive women into the workforce, break up the nuclear family, have no strong parental roles at home because they are at work and the kids raised by the state (school) and the media to vote liberal. It's been going on for decades.</p><p><br></p><p>Women largely never wanted careers, they wanted to raise the kids. But 2 World Wars changed that when the men were overseas fighting and we needed to produce planes, tanks, ships and run the country at the same time. Women were then told that they needed to keep their jobs for their social status….and then Liberals (& republicans aka rinos) shipped all the jobs overseas and opened flood gates of immigration. That forced down wages and all but required women to work in most households, usually barley making enough money to cover putting the children in daycare. That's how they hooked more and more families on the social "safety net" that wasn't needed till we put a bunch of liberals in charge.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>