Engineering, woodworking, and car mechanics are just some of the badges local Girl Scouts can earn as a first step towards getting interested in the trades. Girl Scouts of the USA started to incorporate more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities into its programming since it announced in 2017 its initiative to raise $70 million and bring 2.5 million of its youth into the STEM career pipeline by 2025. Locally, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes CEO Karmen Lemke says their troops have benefited from businesses reaching out to support them in their efforts.

Lemke says over 8500 STEM-related badges were earned last year by the council’s 16,000 members in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.