Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

An estimated one in five girls in the United States has some type of disability—physical, mental, sensory, emotional or learning. Unfortunately, many of these girls don't have a chance to fully participate in community activities. In an effort to open opportunities for all girls, Girl Scouts of the USA has partnered with the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to launch the Include All Girls initiative.

The Include All Girls initiative is a three-year $250,000 project designed to make Girl Scouting more accessible and inviting to girls of all abilities. In 2008 and 2009, selected Girl Scout Councils will receive training, pilot inclusive programming models, document best practices, and report on lessons learned. Then in 2010, GSUSA will hold a national conference at the Edith Macy Conference Center where 109 Council representatives will gather to learn about inclusion and develop the expertise to better serve all girls. Several resources will be developed over the course of the grant, such as an Include All Girls patch program, an online inclusion resource center, and training and programming materials available for all Councils to use.

The Councils selected to participate in the pilot phase of the Include All Girls initiative are:

• Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
• Girl Scout Council of Colorado
• Girl Scout Council of Central Maryland
• Girl Scout Council of Eastern Missouri
• Girl Scout Council Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys
• Girl Scout Council of Orange County

Other Councils wishing to share their inclusive best practices may contact Kate Gottlieb, Disabilities Consultant at GSUSA.

Established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) helps young people with disabilities maximize their potential and participation in society. Include All Girls builds on the Foundation's Inclusion Initiative, which began in 2000 with grants to the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and Girl Scout Council of Orange County. MEAF has since invested more than $2 million in grants to youth organizations throughout the country, helping them to become more inclusive of young people with disabilities. Best practices and other resources from the Inclusion Initiative can be found at www.IncludingAllKids.org.

To learn more about MEAF, please visit www.meaf.org.