Medford Girl Scouts deeply appreciates the special partnership it has with the Tufts Girls of Code. Founded in 2016 by Dr. Laney Strange, a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Tufts University, the group brings together female computer science students to hold hands-on coding workshops for girls. Their goal is to “create a welcoming environment for girls and other individuals who are frequently underrepresented in computer science.” The Tufts students are fantastic mentors who show Medford Girl Scouts that coding is fun and something everyone can do.
Held in the computer science labs at Tufts, the workshops are free and open to all girls ages 10 and older and, each year, the Tufts Girls of Code give priority registration to Medford Girl Scouts. Recent workshop topics have included:
- Animating in JavaScript
- Programming games in the Python computer language
- Using the language Alice to create 3D animations
- Creating websites from scratch by coding in HTML and CSS
“It’s a really fun program to take because I’m learning a lot of new things that I can use later in life. Everyone that is teaching is patient and helps out when you need help with something.” – Cadence McPherson, Junior Girl Scout
““I really enjoyed it. They provided a positive environment and taught me things about coding that I hadn’t learned anywhere else. They made coding fun!” – Claire Gingo, Junior Girl Scout
Girls from the at least seven different Medford troops have jumped on the opportunity to attend the workshops. In addition to their general coding workshops, at the request of Medford Girl Scouts, the Tufts Girls of Code developed a special workshop just for Brownies who want to earn the Computer Expert badge. They held three Computer Expert workshops and each was filled to capacity. This was the first time the Tufts Girls of Code had led workshop for girls who were younger than 10 years old. The girls loved being in the lab, working on the computers, and seeing their work come alive on the screen.
“About half my troop participated in the Brownie Computer Expert workshop, and they all proudly showed their work at pickup time! It was such a gift to have this event. The young women leading it were great role models, and I think it is so important for our girls to see a wide range of leaders in addition to their own troop leader.” – Jane Hamel, Leader, Brownie Troop 72096
Tufts Girls of Code has a special mission to “spark engagement and interest in computer science.” They strive, and succeed, in creating a warm and welcoming environment in which all girls get to code their own creations, and then play the games, or watch the animations, that they bring to life through their code.
Thank you to Dr. Laney Strange and the Tufts Girls of Code for expanding Medford Girl Scouts interest in STEM and coding!
About the Award:
The Outstanding Service Unit Partner recognizes a partnership that is instrumental in expanding program at the Girl Scout Service Unit level. In Girl Scouts, a Service Unit is a team of volunteers who organize and support Girl Scout programming in a particular community or region (such as the City of Medford.) A program partner supporting a Service Unit has a direct impact on the local community which gives girls the tools they need to be successful leaders in today’s world, shows girls future career possibilities and supports one or more of the pillars of Girl Scouting (Entrepreneurship, STEM, Outdoors and Life Skills).
The award was presented to Dr. Laney Strange by Lu-Ann Souza (Manager, Program Partnerships & Member Benefits) and Jennifer Duczkowski (Director, Girl Program and Partnerships) at Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts’s first Program Partner Brunch on June 16, 2018 at Camp Cedar Hill.
This patch will bring girls and troops out to an orchard to go apple picking. In addition, girls can also pick activities like baking with apples, learning about the importance of bees to orchards, bring apples to a food pantry, and/or learn about different varieties of apples and where they come from.
The sap runs when the nights are still cold but the daytime temperatures get above freezing and maple syrup seasons is usually a sign that winter is coming to an end. Girl Scouts of all ages can earn this patch by learning about how maple syrup is made (including the two types of maple trees that produce maple syrup sap), the difference between artificial and real maple syrup, and the important role maple syrup plays in the economies of New Hampshire and Vermont.
This patches program gives girls and troops a chance to learn more about the life of the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliet Gordon Low. Girls start with the center patch and then build out around the circle with a new activity and piece of the patch each month. Activities may change over time but currently include learning how to be inclusive of girls with disabilities in September, learning about World Thinking Day in February, and learning about how to be a friend to animals in March.
The Girl Scout membership year officially runs from October 1 to September 30 but Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is offering special incentives for girls, troops and for Medford when girls and adult volunteers re-register early.
Girls who renew before April 25 will receive:
Renew 75% of your girls in your troop (and two adult volunteers) by June 13 and receive:
Last year, we re-registered more than 50% of our girls and we received $300 that we used to buy a set of Girl Scout flags which we can use for city-wide events and which troops can use for their own flag ceremonies. 
Tufts University has a new club this year called 
Troops don’t have to work on a badge to join forces with the Tufts Girls of Code. Middle-school and high-school aged troops are welcome to connect with Dr. Strange if they would simply like the Tufts Girls of Code to lead a workshop for the troop. For example, the group already led a couple of workshops that were open to all girls in Medford. The first one taught girls to build an animated Jack-o-Lantern in JavaScript and the second one helped the girls create their own Android app video game.
Journey with JFK – the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Patch: This patch is open to all levels and it offers girls a variety of different activities, puzzles, worksheets, and games, some of which they can do at home and some which require them to go to the JFK Museum in Boston. 
Fetch! Patch: PBS’s TV show “Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman” teaches kids to explore the world and try new things. Brownies and Juniors can earn this patch by completing science and engineering activities, and then demonstrating what they have learned to younger kids (like Girl Scout Daisies, for example.) 
Plimoth Plantation Patch: Brownies and Juniors can earn this patch by visiting the Plimoth Plantation and learning about the history of the relationship between the Native Wampanoag people and the 17th-century colonists. 
the world-wide sisterhood of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides. Girl Scouts of all ages and levels have the opportunity to earn a special World Thinking Day badge by participating in World Thinking Day activities on their own, or as a troop.
Medford Girl Scouts 