Young women in E. Iowa to pitch community projects

Minnow Tank will fund local projects, provide mentors

By Jess Reed, The Gazette

Ten teams of middle school girls will get to pitch a project and earn funding to better their communities during the first ever Minnow Tank.

Minnow Tank, a pitch competition based loosely on the reality television series 'Shark Tank,” will take place on April 23. But instead of entrepreneurial pitches, Minnow tank is looking for community-based projects.

The event is partnership between Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois and SuccessShe, a group of high school students working to empower young women.

'One thing that gives you confidence for sure is knowing that you matter,” said Kinzie Farmer, project lead for SuccessShe. 'It's to show middle school girls that their ideas and they themselves matter to our community.”

Projects should be rooted in one of the five Girl Scout focus areas of financial literacy, STEM, outdoor education, healthy living or leadership.

'We're hoping the girls will interpret this in their own way. We're doing our best not to control the projects,” said Maxine Webb, development manager for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

The teams will have five minutes to present their projects and five minutes to answer audience questions.

Teams will compete for a portion of $4,000, which Minnow Tank has set aside to finance the projects. Community members can also pledge time or finances to the project of their choice based on team presentations. Teams can also gain a project mentor.

l Comments: (319) 368-8971; jessica.reed@thegazette.com