Community Needs From: Gonzaga University

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity for next semester that is tons of fun and will also give you a chance to support youth STEM education? Consider joining our Girl Scout GoGetters FIRST LEGO League team as a coach or mentor! 

FIRST LEGO League is a program proven to improve STEM education outcomes for students in grades K-8 using LEGO Education robotics kits and hands-on, project-based learning. The program was created by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in partnership with LEGO Education. We are excited to be bringing this opportunity to our Spokane Girl Scout Go Getter program, which provides the Girl Scout experience to girls from underrepresented backgrounds and title 1 schools free of charge, for the second season! Our aim with this engaging educational program is to encourage our girls to explore STEM concepts, education and careers by showing them that science, technology, engineering and mathematics can be fun, and that they already have what it takes to excel in these subjects.

In FIRST LEGO League, adult coaches and mentors are there to help guide and support youth, but the girls will be doing the work! Prior experience with LEGOs and robotics are welcome, but not required. We will provide basic FIRST LEGO League Coach training, and staff support to help guide the teams. Primary responsibilities of this role include guiding the team through the session plans provided with the season materials, asking the girls open questions that encourage critical and creative thinking, learning and helping the team learn the six FIRST core values, providing advice on project requirements, and helping to build wise time management and teamwork practices.

We have two teams that you may chose to volunteer with:

* FLL Explore- For Brownies in grades 2-3, the project requirements at this level are slightly less complex. The girls will build a team model based on the season theme and use scratch code in the LEGO SPIKE Essentials app to code one motorized part on that team model. At the end of the season, they will give a brief judged presentation of the model, explain the way that they incorporated and coded a motorized part, and describe how they used the FIRST Core Values throughout the season.

* FLL Challenge- For Juniors and Cadettes in grades 4-8, this team will have to complete a four part project! They will design, build and code a robot using the LEGO SPIKE Prime kit, devise a solution to a real-world problem related to the season theme and either build or draw a prototype of the solution for the Innovation Project, demonstrate their robot design and code by competing against other teams in the Robot Game, and provide a 15 minute presentation of all of the work that they did during the season to a panel of judges at the Regional Challenge Qualifier.

This community need will be updated periodically as more details are determined, closer to the start of the season in August. Currently, the minimum commitment for coaches and mentors is 2 hours per week for the FLL season, generally 12-14 weeks from mid-August to the first week of December, excluding holidays. Late starts will be welcome, just reach out and share your interest and scheduling needs. Meeting dates and times are TBD, but most meetings will occur on the same day of the week (M-TH) after school. Some weekend meetings may be necessary for team educational outings and extra practice, depending on the pace at which the teams complete project milestones. Season theme to be revealed next week!

Be a role model and make an impact! We believe every girl deserves the opportunity to be a Girl Scout, and you can help make it possible!

Our GoGetter Program is a grant-funded outreach initiative aimed to provide the necessary means for girls from underrepresented areas and Title I schools to access the Girl Scout Leadership Experience by eliminating barriers and navigating obstacles such as cost, facilities and transportation.

Our Spokane GoGetter program currently consists of eight troops of girls in grades K-5, and one troop of girls in grades 6-12, each of which meets once weekly after school. We are seeking volunteers willing to commit to at least one shift (1.5 hours) per week. No prior experience is necessary to serve in this role; you will be paired with a trained Girl Scout staff member. The primary duties of this role include providing support to the troop leader following the provided weekly lesson plan, assisting girls with snack and instructions as needed, and providing a safe and inclusive place for girls to communicate, learn and grow. The available shifts are as follows:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

If you are interested in volunteering to help our girls, please reach out via email, or submit a volunteer interest form at:

Girl Scout Go-Getters Volunteer Interest Form

For more information about the GoGetter program, go to:

https://www.gsewni.org/en/get-involved/join/go-getters-program.html