Girl Scouts across the country can now participate in an exciting new patch program, The House That She Built, designed to empower girls to think about STEAM and construction by meeting real professional women in building.

Created by Mollie Elkman, the author of the children’s book, The House That She Built, with support from the book’s publisher, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this program is inspired by the same team of real women from NAHB’s Utah Chapter of Professional Women in Building Council who came together from around the country to build a one-of-a-kind home in Utah: The House That SHE Built. Many of the 100+ women who joined together from around the country to build this home are former Girl Scouts themselves.

The intent of this patch program is to build self-esteem and develop skills through curiosity and hand on activities. The program hosted by the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast was first rolled out last week but is available to all Girl Scouts across the country.

“We are so proud to be able to work with the Girl Scouts to introduce and empower young girls to learn about the construction industry,” said NAHB First Vice Chairman Alicia Huey, a custom home builder from Birmingham, Ala. “We hope that this program helps to drive curiosity, expose them to new career paths and be a fun learning experience.”

“The Girl Scouts is the perfect organization for us to partner with to help inspire the next generation of young women,” Elkman said. “I’m excited to show them the book and introduce them to some amazing women in the construction industry.”

The program also hopes to generate an early interest in the career opportunities in the construction industry. The shortage in skilled trade workers is a growing crisis for our country, and currently, women are the most underrepresented community in these careers, making up less than 3% of the workforce. The House That She Built patch will help expose girls to many new skills and interests and showcase the vast opportunities for successful careers in construction.

To earn The House That She Built Patch, the Girl Scouts will meet the author of The House That She Built along with the general contractor and other key women involved in the home and story, as well as participate in other hands-on activities.

Proceeds from the book support skilled workforce development and diversity and inclusion in the construction industry. The House That She Built is a 10 x 10 hardcover picture book with dust jacket/36 pages, $17.95 retail, ISBN 978-0-86718-7854. The book is distributed by IPG and is available by visiting www.shebuiltbook.com.

For more information on participating in the Girl Scouts The House That She Built patch and charm program, visit, https://www.girlscoutsccc.org/en/activities/partners-in-programming/the-house-that-she-built.html or contact the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast at info@girlscoutsccc.org.