Girl Scout Teaches the Importance of Journalism in Digital Age

Local Girl Scout Elizabeth Casolo is sharing the significance of digital media education with Greenwich middle school students.

Casolo, a Greenwich High School junior, is working toward achieving her Gold Award, aprestigious honor for Girl Scouts who completed a rigorous self-initiated service project.According to Girl Scouts of the USA, each year, less than six percent of Girl Scouts receivethe Gold Award.

For her project, Casolo identified a lack of free opportunities for adolescents to be introduced to journalism and video production principles in her community.

This past August, Casolo hosted a week-long workshop at the Bendheim WesternGreenwich Civic Center to fill this void. The program’s participants completed activities thatencouraged creative problem solving, inquiry, and teamwork.

“After only a day, some students were really coming out of their comfort zones. The kids accomplished so much in such a short period of time. By the end of the week, eachstudent had produced an article on an area of interest, ranging from a profile on atalented youth baker to a feature analyzing the French Bulldog breed.” said Elizabeth Casolo, Greenwich Girl Scout

Halfway through the program, the students split into two groups. One group produced asatirical documentary while the other made a short film addressing social media’s “cancelculture.”

“Regardless of the profession these kids choose to pursue, collaboration and strongcommunication are essential and beyond the professional scene, journalistic thinking ishelpful for civic engagement and interpreting news sources, especially with the increasingdiscussions regarding ‘fake news.’” said Casolo.

To promote the longevity of her initiative, Casolo hopes to recruit former participants asvolunteers and continue this program throughout the next several summers.

Casolo is currently proceeding with the mandatory verification steps for her Gold Awardproject. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in May of 20

About the Greenwich Girl Scouts:

The Greenwich Girl Scout is of Service Unit of the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Girl Scouts are the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. For more information on our mission visit the Girl Scouts of Connecticut website: www.gsofct.org