Menomonee Falls Girl Scouts Turn Negative Media Influences Into Positive Messages

What happens when you put video cameras in the hands of 260 4th and 5th grade girls? Lots of giggling and energy, for sure! However, for Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) Cadettes Sarah Hahn, Brittany Marks, Zoe Oskarsson, and Angelika Ytuarte all from Menomonee Falls, it meant something more.

Each girl’s troop was specifically selected to participate in a grant funded by

Girl Scouts of the USA to evaluate the effectiveness of Girl Scout materials regarding media literacy. The project led to a capstone event where the Girl Scout Cadettes, all who are in grades 6-8, planned and executed a workshop on their own called Lights! Camera! Me! to teach their younger Girl Scout sisters about stereotyping, rumors, and self esteem.

“Media literacy is a key component of Girl Scouting’s newest leadership journey series, It’s Your Story—Tell It!,” said Sue Molina, Program Manager for GSWISE. “Through a variety of activities and experiences, Girl Scouts, explore media all around them—in their lives and in their world. They look critically at what they find and develop media skills to remake media to reflect their reality.”

At this event, the girls expressed themselves through storytelling and the arts and starred in their own Flip video movie. Participants took part in activities where they: learned how media influences them and how to speak out against stereotypes and rumor; practiced listening for the underlying meaning of words and how to respond appropriately; and envisioned their lives as adults by creating a storyline of their education and career experiences through a variety of artistic activities.

Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast serves over 28,500 girls in grades K through 12 in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha County. Girl Scouts is the pre-eminent development organization and leading authority on girls’ healthy development.

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For additional information about the Girl Scouts organization, contact Kristie Arciszewski, Communications/ Public Relations Manager, at 800-565-GIRL (4475) or karciszewski@gswise.org.