Did you know that almost 40% of girls are neurodivergent? Neurodiversity is the idea that we all have different brain wiring. If you don’t have a diagnosable brain-based difference, such as autism for example, you are of the “neuromajority”, or are “neurotypical”. But if 2 in 5 of us think and experience the world differently because our brains process information differently, then we should probably explore that! 

Good Friend, Inc., a Waukesha County-based nonprofit, has been teaching children and adults about autism and good friendship since 2007. While most of their services to more than 50,000 children have been conducted in person, Good Friend now has an online platform called Good Friend Academy that allows any child service provider anywhere to access developmentally-specific peer education films, discussion guides, and other supplemental materials. 

Through a grant from the Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County, Good Friend will partner with Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast and provide access to their courses for a total of 15 Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or Cadette Troops. The goal of this program is for girls to have increased empathy and understanding of their autistic and neurodivergent peers. 

To learn more, please visit Home - Good Friend Inc.

The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County, established in 2004 to improve the quality of life for women and girls in Waukesha County. Since 2005, the Women and Girls Fund has awarded more than $1.6 million to nonprofit organizations that promote the health and well-being, self-sufficiency and empowerment of women and girls of all ages.