Meet Indy Hall’s youngest members: Girl Scout Troop #9573

As far as we know, Indy Hall is the only coworking space in Philly to host a Girl Scout troop among its members.
The Old City spot is home to Girl Scout Troop #9573, a Brownie troop comprised mostly of community offspring and led by Lansie Sylvia, Arielle Brousse and Joanna Leigh Simon. (Simon used to run a video company out of Indy Hall, and Sylvia started charity event Philly Give & Get out of Indy Hall.)
There are currently three kiddos in the troop, which has been meeting since September. Pop over to the troop’s adorable Instagram profile to see the kids going on scavenger hunts and doing crafts during their usual Tuesday evening get-together.
“Starting a Girl Scout Troop at Indy Hall seemed like an obvious fit to us, but we’ve since found out it’s quite innovative to start a troop out of a coworking space,” Sylvia wrote in an email. “We might be the first on in Philadelphia, or the nation!”
We’ll keep an eye out for other “coworking scouts” in Philly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMkkm56D8Xv/?taken-by=gsep9573
The idea behind nestling a troop of do-gooders at Indy Hall, Sylvia said, was exposing the second-graders to many different types of careers in a safe space.
“Towards that end, we have many Indy Hall members helping the girls achieve their badge goals this year,” she said. “Plus, Cookie Season is fast arriving, and who better to learn entrepreneurship from than Alex Hillman and Amy Hoy?” (Indy Hall cofounder Hillman and Slash7 cofounder Hoy run a popular bootstrapping conference called BaconBiz Conf and Hoy has written a book that espouses the same business principles.)
On Election Day, the kids made their own voter registration cards, made posters and gave mock campaign speeches from the Indy Hall floor. The troop’s electoral shenanigans provided some much needed distraction, as photographer and member of Indy Hall’s core team Sam Abrams tweeted out that evening.
https://twitter.com/smabrams521/status/796126231439835136
Girl Scout Troop #9573 is actively looking for more recruits. Enrollment is open to all second-grade girls in Philadelphia and, though there’s a $60 yearly fee, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, Sylvia said. Those interested can email the troop at gsep9573@gmail.com.
“Among the most incredible things I’ve gotten to watch over the years is when members in our community bring their kids around,” Indy Hall head honcho Alex Hillman told Technical.ly in an email. “I mean, can you imagine being a kid who hangs out at Indy Hall a couple times a month? Think about how the world is going to look to you. You’ll know about a way of working that so much of the world never even considers possible.”