New Girl Scout Detroit headquarters unveiled in Detroit

DETROIT (WJBK) - The outdoors are heading inside at the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan's new headquarters. 

The new facility, which combines the three former Girl Scout facilities in southeast Michigan, opens for business in Detroit on Thursday, June 6. 

Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo says it's important to know the Girl Scouts program is much more than "selling cookies." The program also focuses very heavily on STEM programs and the outdoors. 

So much so, that this new Detroit facility is bringing the outdoors into the work environment. A full-size cabin sits at the main entry, and the lighting represent camping elements such as clouds, rain, trees and the bright natural light of the outdoors.

The facility is meant to be a gathering and meeting space for the Girl Scouts, where training for employees and troop leaders can also take place. The ribbon cutting ceremony is Thursday, June 6. Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevado will be there to do the honors. 

Acevado grew up on a dirt road in New Mexico and credits her interest in science to her time in Girl Scouts. She is a former NASA rocket scientist, and is now dedicated to promoting STEM opportunities for girls. 

In fact, she says in the last year the Girl Scouts have developed 23 new badges that relate to STEM, as well as the outdoors. Several others also relate to cyber security. 

"Every girl has a mobile device in her hand. We want her to be a creator, an inventor, a designer. It's so important she has those skills," Acevado told us when she joined us on The Nine ahead of the ribbon cutting ceremony. 

She says many STEM-related activities will take place at the new headquarters, such as robotics or coding lessons. 

"We're really focused on girls' leadership, and, what we know is, our girl-only space allows girls to do things that typically aren't allowed in a traditional space, like computer, like robotics. You don't always get called on; you don't always get a chance to do that," she says. You can hear more from her in the video player above. 

The headquarters is located at 1333 Brewery Park Boulevard, Suite 500, which is near I-75 and Gratiot Avenue.