Girl Scouts may cure our cookie cravings but they’re finding new ways to empower young women with initiatives like the Career Cafe that teach them how to be independent and self-sufficient. Career Cafe is an annual event where attendees walk away with helpful job-hunting skills including writing a resume and how to dress properly for an interview.
“I wanted to model it after a job fair but it’s difficult when the girls had varying levels of experience. I had to transform it to equip them with the skills so they could get those opportunities,” explains Career Cafe founder Anne Bauer.
Bauer created Career Cafe in 2015 as a high school student. Bauer, a Girl Scouts Lifetime member, has been involved with the Girl Scouts from the time she was in kindergarten until graduating high school. In 2018, she was the recipient of a $50,000 scholarship from the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Heroes of Tomorrow. She used the funds to help pay for her education and sustain the event.
“I was inspired by going to the Women’s Conference of Florida and introduce Anna Maria Chávez, who was CEO at the time, and my eyes were open to things affecting women in the workforce from managing money to work/life balance,” says Bauer.
She realized shortly thereafter that there was a need for this kind of program when she and her friends were talking and found out they were unequipped too.
“We weren’t ready at all when it came to job-hunt. I wanted to create something that was free for everyone to take away resources leaving them empowered and inspired,” she says.
Career Cafe is for any young girl between the ages of 16-24, which means even young women who are not associated with Girl Scouts can attend. The event typically occurs annually, but 2020 is the first time it’s biannual. The first Career Cafe takes place this month on the 18th at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ocala. The second is May 9th at the St. Petersburg College Clearwater campus. Both Cafe’s operate 9 a.m.-2 p.m. with lunch served in-between. Clara Moll, VP of Membership Innovation, says the hands-on workshops are good preparation for the future.
“We found Career Cafe aligns with skill-building in the girls. We want to prepare them for the future. Career Cafe fills that need and empowers them to do better,” Moll adds.
Moll says they invite a young woman to be the keynote speaker because it’s important for the girls to see themselves represented and it’s an example of what’s possible. This year’s speakers include Tyla Kennedy, Brittany Bokop, Shawn Chesser, and Dylan Newton.
“We like to show them what’s attainable so they can see they can get where she is with a little bit of work,” Moll says.
The Career Cafe is exclusive to the eight counties in the West Central Florida council. Bauer hopes one day someone else can create other Career Cafes and expand the event to other Girl Scouts councils.
“It would be great if they wanted to offer it to girls in their councils. I’d love to see it grow and see more girls learning, impacted, and benefitting from it,” said Bauer.
Just a heads up, a $5 deposit is required to hold your spot, and will be refunded in the form of a gift card upon participation at the event.
To register to attend the event visit, gswcf.org/careercafe
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This article appears in Jan 9-16, 2020.