Innovation through Girl Scouts
Since 2023, six Girl Scout councils serving Indiana formed a coalition to engage with local communities, learn more about the needs of today's girls, and remove barriers to access. At Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, we’re incorporating these findings into relevant, responsive programming that reflects our local community!
A single question launched the Indiana Girl Report debut issue in 2023. “How are girls really faring in Indiana?” The answer, it turns out, is quite complicated.
Partnering with Indiana Youth Institute, the Girl Coalition of Indiana disaggregated data of all Indiana youth to reveal a mix of truths linked explicitly to girls. Some data points showed encouraging trends, while other points revealed disheartening warning signs about the social and emotional health of girls in the state.
The 2023 debut report left readers wanting more — more data points, more facts, and more understanding about what intentional interventions could change the trajectory for the better. This year’s edition of the Indiana Girl Report dives even deeper, aggregating information from even more sources to bring state-wide consciousness to the issues impacting girls’ lives.
We grappled with many of the issues outlined in the report — but prioritized a few that reflect deep disparities AND have a tremendous impact on the lives of girls. We asked:
- Why are Indiana girls experiencing bullying at double the rate, cyberbullying at triple the rate of Indiana boys?
- Why are Indiana girls experiencing sexual violence at four and a half times the rate of Indiana boys?
- Why do girls ages 15-24 make up a disproportionate number of emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays?
- How is it that the prevalence of 7th-12th grade girls experiencing clinical depression is twice that of boys?
View the report to better understand these issues and to see our definitive call to action.
