Troop Volunteer Orientation Guide
www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org • 877-312-4764
Welcome! Thank you so much for volunteering your time to support a Girl Scout troop.
You have taken on a significant responsibility—but also an amazing opportunity to see girls learn and grow together. This year will be filled with inspiring moments as you watch girls try new things, meet goals, and challenge themselves to step outside their comfort zones. With 90% of our girl members being in Girl Scout troops, and all of those girls depending on volunteers to mentor and guide them, we want to make sure that you have the resources and support that you need. We hope that this booklet, along with your Volunteer Resources CD and Volunteer 411 publication, will help you feel better prepared for your new role as a troop volunteer!
Leadership & Learning Specialist–Volunteerism Name: Phone: 877-312-4764 x Email:
@girlscoutsmoheartland.org
Membership Marketing Specialist Name: Phone: 877-312-4764 x Email:
Service Unit #: @girlscoutsmoheartland.org
Leadership & Learning Specialist–GSLE Name: Phone: 877-312-4764 x Email:
2
Troop #:
Service Unit Meeting Day: Time: Location:
@girlscoutsmoheartland.org
Service Unit Volunteer Support Coordinator
Product Program Specialist Name: Phone: 877-312-4764 x Email:
Important Contacts
Name: @girlscoutsmoheartland.org
Retail Shop 877-312-4764 x
CONNECT WITH GSMH Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland offers a variety of resources to help keep you updated on all things happening around our council. Our recently updated website, girlscoutsmoheartland.org, provides easy to find resources for girls, volunteers, and parents. Whether you are a new leader needing resources to get started, a parent interested in signing up her daughter for the first time, or a girl looking to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, our website will provide the information you are looking for in a few simple clicks. You will find valuable information like upcoming program and training opportunities, the latest news and information about the fall product and cookie programs and much more. All forms can be found under the “Forms and Resources” sections as well.
Online Registration is an exciting way for: • •
• • •
parents/guardians and troop leaders to register for council program events, resident camp, and trainings. parents/guardians to register or re-register annual Girl Scout memberships for themselves and their girls. families to be more directly involved in their girl’s membership. troop leaders to manage their troop roster and meeting information. anyone to donate directly to the council.
Click on Rose, our online registration mascot owl, to access our online registration system. We want to know about the fabulous things Girl Scouts are doing! A Link to our “Share Your Story” feature can be found on our home page! Use it to highlight the great things your girls are doing: service projects, skills learned, or fun events in which they’ve participated. You can also stay up-to-date on activities happening locally and council-wide by connecting with GSMH on Facebook, Twitter, our council blog, and our monthly Volunteer Connections newsletter. To sign up for Volunteer Connections, go to our website, click on “For Volunteers,” select the button on the right “Sign up for e-news,” then enter your email address and press “Continue.”
Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland @gsmoheartland blog.girlscouts moheartland.org
To Do List for new leaders
Complete a GSMH Volunteer Application and Background Screening.
Become a Member. Take the Girl Scouting 101 Training at http://training.girlscouts.org. • Choose: GS101 • Council Name: Missouri Heartland
Take New Leader Orientation.
Plan to attend your service unit meetings; it will keep you better connected to Girl Scout news, information, and events. Register for any additional training that you need, such as basic outdoor skills, basic troop camping, basic troop camping—accelerated, first aid/CPR or small craft safety and basic water rescue. Complete course descriptions and details can be found in the Volunteer 411 or online.
Take Age Level Training—available in a home study format, or sign up for one of our in-person training dates—see the Volunteer 411 or website for dates and details. Select your meeting date, time, and location. Good locations include schools, churches, libraries, and other public locations. Troops are strongly discouraged from meeting at homes. Plan a parent information meeting (see page 19 for more details). • If you have 2 leaders and 3 girls, you are ready to go! • Don’t forget if you recruit a new leader or co-leader to help with your troop, they too will need to complete the volunteer application process to become an approved volunteer. For more information about getting parents involved in your troop, see the 4 Her Program under the “Forms and Resources” section on our website. Open a troop bank account (see page 28). • Remember that when setting up your bank account, you need 3 unrelated, background cleared, registered adults. The forms you need are on the Volunteer Resources CD or on the GSMH website. Check out the “Forms and Resources” page on our website; it includes forms, safety activity checkpoints, and helpful volunteer information. If you need access to “offline” copies of these resources, contact our local Leadership & Learning Specialist—Volunteerism for a Volunteer Resource CD Sign up to receive the council e-blasts, including volunteer newsletters, at www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org. Make sure you are getting emails from your service unit. If you are not, ask your membership marketing specialist to put you in contact with your service unit contact person.
3
What We Do
In Girl Scouts, girls develop their leadership potential through activities that enable them to discover their values, skills, and the world around them; connect with others in a multicultural environment; and take action to make a difference in the world.
Our Structure
Headquartered in New York City, Girl Scouts has 112 chartered councils nationwide. These councils provide direct services to girls, the volunteers who work with them, and to the communities they serve. Girl Scouting is open to all girls from kindergarten through high school.
Service Units
Local service units are where volunteers meet to share information and happenings in the council. The service units meet monthly and all leaders are encouraged to attend to receive valuable information from the council and to network with other leaders from the service unit. The service unit is run by volunteers like you. Service units provide support and resources for new leaders and ongoing support for experienced leaders. They provide you with information about upcoming programs, events and learning opportunities on a wide range of subjects.
4
Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is the largest organization for girls in the world. Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Through activities in science and technology, business and economic literacy, and outdoor and environmental awareness, Girl Scouting provides girls with opportunities for fun and friendship while fostering the development of leadership skills and self-esteem. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912—over 100+ years ago—Girl Scouts of the USA was chartered by the United States Congress on March 16, 1950. Today, there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts: 2.3 million girl members and 890,000 adult members contributing primarily as volunteers.
COUNCIL PROPERTIES
Silver Meadows
Service Center Program Center
Sacajawea West
Program Center and Resident Camp Central Region Southwest Region Southeast Region
Jefferson City
Green Berry Acres
Friendship Fields Cape Girardeau
Springfield
Joplin
Cherokee Ridge Mintahama
Latonka
Finbrooke Dexter
Cherokee Ridge Program Center
Latonka Program Center
Nestled In the foothills of the Ozarks, with a captivating view of Lake Potashnik, Cherokee Ridge resides in Wayne County. Cherokee Ridge is the home of Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland’s equestrian program. Come experience the thrill of horseback riding, swimming in the sparkling pool, learning to shoot a bow and arrow, or catching a fish in the lake!
Tucked away in its own cozy private cove on beautiful Lake Wappapello in Wayne County, you’ll find Latonka. Challenge yourself on our low ropes adventure course or swing in the trees on our high ropes course. Don’t forget to soar down the zip line, cook over a campfire, swim in the lake, and soak up the sun on the sandy beach front!
Finbrooke Program Center
Mintahama Program Center
A camp tucked away just outside of Springfield, Finbrooke offers a wide variety of programs designed to encourage and support girls in their quest to face and overcome outdoor challenges such as rappelling off the tower, swimming in an Olympic-sized pool, hiking to the “Hidden Falls,” and testing archery skills.
Mintahama is located just outside of Joplin in Newton County, and boasts a private 12-acre lake with Goose Island in the center for primitive camping and two floating docks for canoeing and paddle boating. Come explore wildlife at the nature center, perfect your shot at the archery range, or take a nature hike along the lakeshore.
GSMH Locations Springfield Area Administrative Service Center 210 S. Ingram Mill Road Springfield, MO 65802
Cape Girardeau Area Service Center 2136 William Street, Suite 178 Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Dexter Area Service Center 1420 Girl Scout Way Dexter, MO 63841
Joplin Area Service Center 1202 S. Range Line Road, Suite 8 Joplin, MO 64801
Jefferson City Area Service Center 230 Metro Drive Jefferson City, MO 65109
5
Girl Scout Holidays October 31: Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthday (Founder’s Day) Celebrate the birth of Girl Scouts of the USA founder Juliette Low with a birthday party or one of these activities! • Read about Juliette’s life (look online, in the Girl Scout Journeys, or The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting). • Donate to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. • Go online and learn about The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia. February 22: World Thinking Day World Thinking Day celebrates the sisterhood between Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the globe. Every year, a global action theme unites members in service; watch for council publications to include this year’s theme. All Girl Scouts are encouraged to celebrate world cultures and give service on World Thinking Day. • Invite someone from another country (look to college or high school exchange students as resources) or someone who has traveled abroad to a meeting or event to learn about other cultures. • Hold a dinner or party with food, decorations, costumes, and activities from other countries. • Learn songs or games from other countries. • Give service in the theme of World Thinking Day. • Make paper chains in which each link represents a country, a wish for the future, or a girl. • Visit www.worldthinkingday.org for more ideas.
Girl Scout Ways Bridging The act of moving up from one Girl Scout level to the next. Girls usually cross a bridge at this ceremony (more information in the Volunteer 411) to symbolize the transition. Buddy System A safety practice that allows two girls of equal ability to move about and keep track of each other. Court of Awards A ceremony that can be held at any time during the year at which badges, recognitions, and awards are presented. Friendship Circle A group stands and clasps hands, right arm crossed over left. Symbolizes equality and an unbroken chain of friendship for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides worldwide. 6
Friendship Squeeze A hand squeeze that is sent around a Friendship Circle. Girls often put one foot forward after receiving the squeeze and passing it on so everyone can see it travel. Girl Scout Handshake A way to greet other Girl Scouts or Girl Guides. Shake with the left hand, because it is closer to the heart, and give the Girl Scout Sign with the right. Girl Scout Promise & Law The Girl Scout Promise is a pledge made by each member, both girls and adults, to live up to the ideals of Girl Scouting. Members live the 10 parts of the Girl Scout Law to fulfill the Girl Scout Promise. Girl Scout Sign Made by holding up the three middle fingers of the right hand - each standing for one part of the Girl Scout Promise. Used when making the Girl Scout Promise.
Girl Scout Week Always including March 12 (Girl Scout Birthday), Girl Scout Week begins with Girl Scout Sunday and ends with Girl Scout Sabbath. Girl Scout Sunday and Girl Scout Sabbath give girls an opportunity to attend their place of worship and be recognized as Girl Scouts. Girls may want to perform a service such as greeting, ushering, or doing a flag ceremony. This day can also be a time when girls explore other faiths if they wish - or just enjoy nature together! March 12 is Girl Scout Birthday, marking the day in 1912 that our founder held the first meeting for Girl Scouts in the United States. April 22: Girl Scout Leader’s Day Girl Scout Leader’s Day honors all the volunteers who work as leaders and mentors in partnership with girls. Girls, their families, and communities should find a special way to thank their adult Girl Scout volunteers.
Investiture Ceremony at which a girl first becomes a Girl Scout by making the Girl Scout Promise and receiving a membership pin. For more information, check out the Volunteer 411. Juliette Gordon Low (aka “Daisy”) Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA. Kaper Chart A grid system, wheel, or table showing the tasks assigned to each girl or group of girls; useful for meetings, campouts and other times when the troop is together. GSLE The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (see page 11).
A Brief History of Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA began on March 12, 1912 when Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting of 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia. Fresh from meeting Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement, in England, Low poured herself into realizing her dream of “something for all the girls.” Her vision was that girls would be brought out of sheltered home environments to serve their communities, experience the outdoors, and have opportunities to develop “self-reliance and resourcefulness.” Within months of that first meeting in 1912, members were hiking through the woods in their knee-length blue uniforms, playing basketball on a curtained-off court, and going on camping trips. On March 16, 1950, Girl Scouts of the United States of America was given a Congressional Charter. Today, more than 50 million American women have participated in Girl Scouts, as part of a worldwide scouting family of more than 10 million people in 145 countries.
Quiet Sign To let girls know it is time to be quiet, a leader raises her hand and keeps it up as each person sees it, stops talking, and raises her own hand until everyone is quiet. Rededication A formal ceremony at which a girl or adult, who has been previously invested, renews her Girl Scout Promise. Sit-Upon A cushion often made by Girl Scouts to use when the ground is damp, or to keep their clothes clean. SWAPs “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere” or “Share With a Pal”s often made and traded between Girl Scouts at events, generally follow the event theme or representing the maker’s interests. Tagalong A non-registered child attending a Girl Scout event; generally not permitted at GSMH program events or trainings.
Learn the Lingo Local Girl Scout Terms
Cookie Cupboard Open during the Girl Scout Cookie Program, volunteers come here to pick up additional cookies for girls to sell. LLS (Leadership & Learning Specialist) Primary staff contact for volunteers’ questions about the Girl Scout program. GSMH Abbreviation for “Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland.” Region Three geographic areas within GSMH—southwest (Springfield/Joplin areas, KS, OK), central (Jefferson City area), and southeast (Dexter/Cape Girardeau areas). Service Team Member Adult volunteers who support a service unit. Service Unit Geographic area—usually by county—of Girl Scout troops and members. Service Unit Meeting Information and networking opportunity for volunteers, usually held monthly. Volunteer Connections Monthly newsletter e-mailed to volunteers. Sign up to get the newsletter on our website. Volunteer 411 Resource for all volunteers published annually. 7
Understanding Your Role as a Girl Scout Volunteer Your most important role as a Girl Scout volunteer is to be excited about everything this opportunity affords you: a chance to help girls succeed, play a critical role in their lives, and watch them blossom! You also want to be someone who enjoys the activities you’ll be embarking on with the girls— whether you’re volunteering at a camp, working with girls who are traveling, or partnering with girls on a short-term series on a topic that interests you.
As a Girl Scout volunteer, you’ll serve as a partner and role model to girls. You’ll also work closely with a co-volunteer, because two adults must be present at all times when working with girls, and at least one of those volunteers must be female and not related to the other adult. This is an important distinction that bears repeating: men can serve as troop volunteers, but an adult female who is not related to the other volunteer must be present at all times, and only in cases of emergency is a girl to be alone with only one volunteer. Remember to also check the adult-to-girl ratios on page 32.
All Girl Scout volunteers are expected to: • • • •
8
Accept the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Understand the Three Keys to Leadership that are the basis of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. Share knowledge, experience, and skills with a positive and flexible approach. Process and complete registration forms and other paperwork, such as permission slips.
• • •
Communicate effectively with fellow volunteers, girls, parents, and council staff. Maintain a close connection to your volunteer support team. Facilitate and ensure a safe experience for every girl.
Troop Leader/Co-Leader Responsibilities • • •
•
•
Complete necessary trainings required to be a troop leader: Girl Scouting 101 and New Leader Orientation. Share knowledge, experience and skills with a positive and flexible approach. Work in partnership with girls so that their activities are girl-led, allow them to learn by doing, and allow for cooperative (group) learning; you’ll also partner with other volunteers and council staff for support and guidance. With a co-leader, manage the troop/group funds, ensuring that the handling of the funds meet with the Girl Scouts of the USA’s and GSMH’s policies and procedures. Organize a fun, interactive, girl-led thematic series of activities, which address current issues involving girls’ interests and needs.
•
• • • •
Provide guidance and information regarding events and practices with girls’ parents or guardians on a regular and ongoing basis through a variety of tools, which may include email, phone calls, newsletters, and social media. Attend service unit meetings to receive council and local updates relevant to providing a quality Girl Scout experience. Promote council-sponsored product programs and events to girls for their participation. Complete paperwork on time, including membership registrations and troop financial reports. Oversee with honesty, integrity, and careful recordkeeping the funds that girls raise. 9
Who Joins? Girl Scouts is about sharing the fun, friendship, and power of girls and women together. Any girl—from kindergarten through 12th grade— can join Girl Scouts. Girl Scout volunteers are also a diverse group— you may be a college volunteer working on a community-action project, a parent volunteer ready for an outdoor adventure with your daughter’s group, or any responsible adult (female or male, who have passed the necessary screening process) looking to help prime girls for the day when they’ll lead— however and wherever they choose. What all members share, both girls and adults, are the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Each member also agrees to follow safety guidelines and pay the annual membership fee of $15. Financial assistance is available. (Adults have the option to purchase a lifetime membership for $375.)
Brownies 2-3
Juniors 4-5
Girl Scout Brownies learn about themselves, their family, friends, and the world around them. They can earn badges for learning new things and complete special Brownie Leadership Journeys, too.
Girl Scout Juniors begin to practice leadership skills as they try new activities. They can earn badges while mastering new skills and completing special Junior Leadership Journeys. They are also eligible to earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award!
Cadettes 6-8
Seniors 9-10
Ambassadors 11-12
Girl Scout Cadettes can participate in national events and travel opportunities, as well as being eligible to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award. They can work on badges that match their interests and talents, and complete special Cadette Leadership Journeys. Best of all, they’ll take on more responsibility for their activities and learn to set goals.
Girl Scout Seniors plan their own activities with support from adult advisors and learn to be a leader by serving as a role model for younger girls. By completing Senior Leadership Journeys, they are eligible to begin work on the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting. They may also travel to national and international events.
Girl Scout Ambassadors can complete special Ambassador Leadership Journeys. They are also eligible to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting, which qualifies them for college scholarships! They can also travel to national and international events, serve in leadership capacities at a council or national level, and even work as a Girl Scout camp staff member.
Daisies K-1 Girl Scout Daisies can go on short trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their community. They can also earn Learning Petals, receive participation patches, and complete special Daisy Leadership Journeys!
10
Leadership Outcomes
use the National Program Portfolio (see p. 12-15). implement the Girl Scout processes in all activities and decisions (see below).
Taking these steps will help ensure that girls are benefitting from the outcomes of Girl Scouting.
•
Travel: trips around town or around the Troop world. Troop: regular meetings and shared experiences. Events: one-time activities in any topic ve v nt girls want! Tra Camp: by day or overnight. Series: interests explored over a few weeks.
•
el
•
•
Two easy guidelines that adults can use when planning their time with girls are to: • •
•
ries Se
How can you help?
With so many different activities, commitments, and distractions available to youth today, Girl Scouting has evolved to serve the changing needs of girls. There are five program pathways in which girls may participate. Whether they choose one or all pathways - girls will still have a positive and meaningful leadership experience.
E
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience encourages girls to engage in the process of leadership. By combining fun and friendship with activities and projects designed to meet specific developmental outcomes, Girl Scouting remains the best leadership development opportunity available to girls today. The outcomes of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience are designed to work together to help girls become capable, well-rounded, lifelong leaders.
Girl Scout Pathways
Cam p
Since its inception, Girl Scouts has always been an organization that empowers girls to become leaders and provides them with a safe, productive environment in which to develop their leadership skills. There is one constant at the core of every program, badge activity, service project, and decision made in Girl Scouts: girls.
For more information about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, please visit www.girlscouts.org/gsle or www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org.
}
WHAT GIRLS DO
HOW THEY DO IT
DISCOVER themselves and their values, and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world.
GIRL-LED: Girls choose and direct their own activities.
1. Girls develop a strong sense of self. 2. Girls develop positive values. 3. Girls gain practical life skills. 4. Girls seek challenges in the world. 5. Girls develop critical thinking.
CONNECT with others, locally and globally, in a changing and diverse world.
LEARNINGBY-DOING: Girls engage in hands-on activities.
1. Girls develop healthy relationships. 2. Girls promote cooperation and team-building. 3. Girls can resolve conflicts. 4. Girls advance diversity in a multi-cultural world. 5. Girls feel connected to their communities, locally & globally.
TAKE ACTION to make the world a better place.
COOPERATIVE LEARNING: Girls work together as a team.
1. Girls can identify community needs. 2. Girls are resourceful problem-solvers. 3. Girls advocate for themselves and others, locally & globally. 4. Girls educate and inspire others to act. 5. Girls feel empowered to make a difference in the world.
(Girl Scout keys)
(Girl Scout processes)
HOW THEY BENEFIT
(short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes)
LONG-TERM OUTCOME: Girls lead with courage, confidence, and character, to make the world a better place.
11
What Girls Do in Girl Scouts The Core: Leadership Journeys
Journeys are the core piece of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Through Journeys, girls learn the three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. Each Journey has awards that girls may earn - the only awards in Girl Scouting that specifically engage girls in the complete experience of discovering, connecting, and taking action. Unlike skill-building badges, which recognize specific talents or tasks, the Journey awards represent a deep and long-term exploration of a topic. There are three themes to choose from at each Girl Scout age level – It’s Your World—Change It!, It’s your Planet—Love It!, and It’s Your Story—Tell It! Journeys are designed to be flexible and can be customized to a group’s interests. Each Journey has a suggested number of sessions it will take to complete, but the sessions do not have to be done consecutively (unless that is how the girls want to do it, of course!).
1
Choose a Journey
and earn awards!
2
12
Earn More Badges — Add the Badge Sets
Skill-Building and Traditions: The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
Each Girl Scout age level has its own Girl’s Guide, which contains both a handbook and badge requirements. This is where girls will find skill-building badges ranging from traditional Girl Scout topics like cooking, first aid, and nature, and more contemporary topics like financial literacy and cookie business. Additional skill building badge sets (pictured on page 12) are available to complement each of the three journeys. The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting is cleverly designed as a three-ring binder so girls can insert these badge sets and other materials as they become available.
3
Use all of this with The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
13
Journeys It’s Your Journey–Customize It!
The Girl Scout Journeys are books - but they are not textbooks or step-by-step books; they are guidebooks to leadership development opportunities. Journeys were designed to be customizable, flexible, and tailored to a group’s interest. Girls and adults can determine together the format for their Journey: how many sessions; what they’d like the Journey to be; and what field trips, experts, and “side trips” they would like to add to make the Journey as personal, intriguing, and educational as possible. That’s far from boring; that’s a girl-led, girl-centered leadership experience! There are three Journey series for girls. Girls who choose the It’s Your World–Change It! Journey series follow in the footsteps of our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, to become advocates to make positive change in their world. Through It’s Your Planet–Love It!, girls learn ways in which they can be good stewards for our environment and use resources wisely. And in It’s Your Story–Tell It!, girls are able to express their own amazing story in creative ways.
Guidance for Adults
The Girl Scout Journey series have helpful “How To” guides for volunteers to use for each age level; they even include sample program sessions! However, as with all things in Girl Scouts, the experience should be customized to suit the needs and wants of the girls! When girls choose their Journey, find out what that series theme means to them. Are there guest presenters they’d like to invite to a troop meeting? Perhaps there is field trip girls could organize that will help them learn more about the topic of the Journey. Most importantly, make sure it’s fun for the girls! As Girl Scout Daisies are welcomed into the Daisy Flower Garden, they can plant their own flower or even an entire garden! Girls can choose the flower part of the Girl Scout Law that means the most to them and plant that flower or draw a poster to have at home.
Girl Scout Daisy Journeys Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden Learn the Girl Scout Law with new flower friends.
Between the Earth and Sky How can we help protect and save our planet?
5 Flowers, 4 Stories, 3 Cheers for Animals! What can caring for others teach us about ourselves?
As Brownies are exploring the Wonders of Water, perhaps they can go on a field trip to a local dam or levy and learn about how our communities harness the power of water. Invite a local expert on water to meet your troop at a local creek and explore all the life living in the water.
Girl Scout Brownie Journeys
Juniors who are learning to be Agents of Change talk about the power of “one” and the power of “team.” Engage your girls in team games that require them to all work together. Sign up your group for a team building event/challenge course at GSMH!
Girl Scout Junior Journeys
14
Brownie Quest
Discover the three keys to being a good leader.
WOW! Wonders of Water
What does water do for us? What can we do for it?
A World of Girls
What clues are hidden in stories - including yours?
Agent of Change
Unleash your power and help make a difference.
Get Moving!
What is energy - and how can we use ours wisely?
aMUSE
What roles can you play? What’s possible for you?
“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing –Vera Nazarian another to take yours.” Break out the video camera and help Girl Scout Cadettes write and direct a video celebrating their accomplishments throughout their Girl Scout year as they explore MEdia. Share the video with younger girls to show them all they have to look forward to. Girl Scout Seniors working through Sow What? can work with local master gardeners to plant and harvest a garden. All produce can be donated to a local food pantry to provide fresh, local food to families in need.
Ambassadors learning about the power of advocacy in Your Voice, Your World can meet with lobbyists who work directly in our government to influence change. Work with your girls to determine what issues matter most to them and contact local non-profits to learn how they work in local, state, and federal governance to impact policy.
Girl Scout Cadette Journeys aMaze: The Twists & Turns of Getting Along
Stand strong against bullies, cliques & negativity.
Breathe!
Focus your senses . How can we help “clear the air”?
MEdia
How can you shape media - and make it better?
Girl Scout Senior Journeys GIRLtopia
Envision a more perfect world & make it a reality!
Sow What?
Food: what’s really good for people and the planet?
Mission: Sisterhood!
What good is in store when you expand your networks and friendships?
Girl Scout Ambassador Journeys Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy
“Why isn’t someone doing something about that?” It’s your turn to be that someone.
Justice
What’s the big picture? How do we decide what’s really “fair” for our planet and ourselves?
Bliss: Live It! Give It!
Dream big - now and later... What will your legacy be?
15
Your Support Team The Volunteer Support Coordinator is a volunteer who provides support to other local volunteers (including yourself), oversees service unit meetings, and helps recruit adults. The Membership Marketing Specialist (MMS) works with key volunteers and members of the local community in delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience in a variety of pathways for both girls and adults. The MMS identifies, recruits, and provides ongoing support to administrative volunteers, and serves as liaison to council management for volunteers in the assigned geographic areas. We hope that the parents and families of all Girl Scouts will provide you with some support as well! Many parents may be unable to attend every meeting, but every family should be encouraged to invest some time in their girl’s experience, and most will, when asked to do so. Parents can help in many ways, including: filling in for you; arranging meeting places; being responsible for communicating with girls and parents/guardians; locating adults with special skills to facilitate a specialized meeting; assisting with trips and chaperoning; and managing group records. These are additional ways parents and families can help! •
•
• • • • •
Troop Cookie Manager- Coordinates the troop’s participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Attends appropriate training for preparation. Trains girls at troop meeting, coordinates Cookie Booths for troop. Assures that girls receive cookie program recognition items. Troop Fall Product Manager- Coordinates troop participation in the Fall Sale Program, attends appropriate training for preparation, trains girls at troop meeting, assures that girls receive recognition items. Troop Treasurer- Gives guidance with regard to troop financial affairs such as product sales and money-earning activities. Informs parents of giving opportunities. Service Project Coordinator- Helps leaders and girls plan and complete service projects within the troop and service unit. Outdoor Program Coordinator- Helps plan for camp outings with girl and leader input. Attends campouts, promotes resident camp, and attends appropriate training for outdoor and camping activities. Craft Coordinator- Works with leaders to plan crafts and activities that the girls have chosen. May shop for crafts supplies and may attend meetings to help with crafts and activities. Transportation Coordinator- Responsible for securing transportation for the troop to take trips, field trips or service projects. Works to ensure that all council and Safety Activity Checkpoints are in place.
We encourage every leader to approach her/his troop with the 4Her Promise program. This program leads you through the process of asking your troop families to commit to giving 4 hours of time to the troop through their choice of a variety of tasks. Details about the 4Her Promise program, as well as sign-up sheets for parents and certificates for families who participate, are available on our website. 16
PUBLICATIONS
Many of our publications also offer you additional support! Volunteer Essentials is GSMH’s main publication for the operations, policies, and procedures. It is the basis for this presentation of Getting Started and will be your resource for many questions you may have. Access it by going to girlscoutsmoheartland.org, then click on “Forms and Resources” in the top menu, then Volunteer Essentials. Use the table of contents to search what you are looking for. Policies, parents meetings, conflict management, running a troop, travel, camp information, and more can all be found in this document. The Volunteer 411 is a comprehensive resource containing council programs, trainings, and volunteer information. There is also a whole section of advice and information just for troop leaders! It’s published and distributed annually, and can be found in digital form under the “Publications” tab on our website homepage. We email our Volunteer Connections newsletter out at the beginning of each month. It highlights program news, upcoming trainings, updates, and shop sales. Current and archived editions can be found on our website. Troop Tips are grade-level specific newsletters e-mailed to current volunteers every month. These nuggets of inspiration, suggested activities, and reminders can be helpful to new and seasoned volunteers. Please let us know if you don’t receive yours within two months of becoming a registered volunteer. Please remember—all adults who: • transport girls or troop property • have access to troop funds (including Cookie Sales money from booth sales) • could ever intentionally or unintentionally be alone with girls in the troop • regularly interact with girls other than their own (e.g. attend most meetings) must have a cleared background check on file with the council.
g n i a t r Tr o o p Sta In this section we will review the initial steps to starting a troop. The minimum membership requirements for a troop are three girls and two non-related adults. As a new leader, you will want to think first about securing a co-leader, where to meet, what time of day to meet, getting the names of girls that will be in your troop, and recruitment for your troop. Once you have finished with your application and taken the needed courses to start your troop, what’s next? Read on to find out!
17
Do you have a second person to be your co-leader? You must have two registered, non-related adults for your troop who have filled out an application and been approved to be volunteers. An approved volunteer is a registered member who has completed the background check process and been appointed by GSMH. Check with other parents if you have not secured this second person. It is for the security of you and the girls that there are always at least two unrelated adults present at troop meetings. Do you have a location picked out? Schools, churches, and community rooms are examples of places that often let troops meet for free. If a contract needs to be signed to secure a location, it must be signed by a Girl Scout representative at your local office. To protect everyone involved, do not sign the contract yourself.
What about the day of the week? It may depend on the location as to when it is available. It may depend on the best day for the girls. But ultimately it needs to work for you. The same goes for time. What is available? Will you be able to meet directly after school? Or does it need to be in the early evening after work? Work with the parents on the best time, but remember that you can have the final say. You will receive the names of the girls from your membership marketing specialist, volunteer support coordinator, or membership registration coordinator when your application has been approved. You will also receive your troop number if it hasn’t already been given to you. Your membership marketing specialist can help you with further recruitment if needed. Your next steps will be to contact the parents and set up a parent meeting. Remember your service unit, fellow volunteers, and membership marketing specialist are here to help! They can share ideas and help you get the materials you’ll need for a successful recruitment event.
18
Some recruitment ideas for you troop might include the following! Parent/Guardian Information Night Flyer your school to invite girls and families to an information night. Plan a fun activity to do with the girls while another troop volunteer talks with the parents about their experience with Girl Scouts and encourage the adults to volunteer. Bring-A-Buddy Make any field trip Bring-ABuddy! Each girl can invite a friend (or two) to accompany the troop on an activity—fun options include a museum visit, outdoor adventure day, or swimming day! Make time before the activity to provide information to the parents about Girl Scouting and to have them complete the appropriate forms for joining Girl Scouts and attending the trip. These are only a few ideas. Feel free to be creative and think outside the box to design recruitment activities that work for your community! There are flyer guidelines and ready-to-use templates available on our website at girlscoutsmoheartland.org. You can find them under the “Forms and Resources” page.
Parent Meeting
A parent meeting is a great way to start your troop year. Getting parents involved and keeping them informed from the beginning significantly improves the troop experience for everyone. The goals of your first parent meeting should be to: • gather support • give information • generate enthusiasm • build a troop team (see 4Her Promise information on our website) • follow-up after meeting - turn in Registration Forms - follow-up on all offers of help
Before you begin Plan an Agenda Talk with your Co-leader Gather Supplies Invite the Parents
Sample Agenda for Parent Meeting Beginning the Meeting • Welcome - Name tags - Introduce all leaders - Parent and girl introductions • Information about Girl Scouts
(hand out the “Family Guides” given to you in orientation)
- Mission statement - Recite the Promise & Law - Benefits of Girl Scouting - Girl-Led programming • Troop Leader Responsibilities - Your responsibilities/role as the leader - Your hopes and goals for the troop • Parent/Guardian Responsibilities - How parents can help - Share your expectations - Discuss financial support - Benefits of involved Parents - 4Her Promise program (optional)
Our Troop Information • Troop meeting dates/times - Procedure/plan for cancelled troop meetings • Troop finances - Membership fees - Troop dues - Who pays for what - Financial assistance • Getting Started - Books and uniforms - GSMH service centers and shop locations • Communication with Parents - Parent handbooks (optional; download template from GSMH website)
Registration Information • Collect registration forms for all girls • Encourage parents to register as well Ending the Meeting • Thank everyone for coming • Collect contact information from all parents • Follow up with parents unable to attend After the Meeting • Submit your troop’s registration forms and money as soon as possible after the meeting. • Make copies of the forms for your records. • Look forward to your next meeting! 19
Communicating One of your greatest resources as a With Parents troop leader will be the girls’ parents. Beyond keeping them informed about what is happening with the troop, you will want/need their assistance—like providing snacks for meetings, helping with cookie booth sales, or having enough adults on trips to meet the girl-adult ratios. Parent involvement will not only enrich the girls’ experience, it will help you fulfill your role as a leader by allowing you to focus on your time with the girls. The suggestions below will give you a good start on how to involve parents in your troop. Have a parent meeting. Before you have your first meeting with the girls, invite the parents to a meeting. This allows them to meet you and your co-leaders, meet the other girls, and begin a relationship with other parents. Have the parents meet in one room and the girls in another. If this is not possible, meet without the girls or plan the meeting to address both the girls and adults. A sample agenda is on page 19. Establish a method of communication. Will the girls receive fliers to take home that talk about Girl Scout activities? Will the parents receive phone calls or emails? Does the troop have a newsletter? Be sure to establish a method of communication with parents. Girls should not be relied on to share important information with their parents. As a leader, you need to be communicating on a regular basis with the girls’ parents/guardians. You can use various methods of communication to do this, including phone calls, troop newsletters, email, etc. Greet the parents. As parents drop off or pick up their daughters from the meeting, be sure a leader or coleader is assigned to greet them and communicate with them about the meeting and any upcoming activities. This also allows the parents to speak with you or your co-leader about their daughter. Also, be sure to relay any important information as parents pick up their daughters.
20
10
Have parents come to the last 10 minutes of the troop meeting. Invite parents to join in on your closing ceremony whether it is retiring flags, friendship circles, or a song. Inform the parents what the girls have learned that day and when the next meeting will be held. Keep in touch with parents. It may not be realistic to contact all of your parents on a weekly basis—however, make a point to connect with the parents. Tell them how their daughter is progressing. If you are proud of a girl’s accomplishment, tell her parents. Communicate successes and concerns. A simple conversation can go a long way.
Have parents sign up to help. A great time to solicit assistance is at your parent meeting. Parents and extended family of the girls are your best resource. Ask if you need an extra set of hands at meetings, drivers for field trips, or help with a project. Be sure you ask them directly. If you are vague or nondescript about what needs to happen, they will not volunteer. Remember every driver must be an approved adult volunteer, meaning they have been through the background check process and appointed by GSMH.
THANK YOU
Recognize parents. Send a note to thank parents for their help, mention their assistance in your troop’s newsletter, and share with them how you have seen their daughter change and grow.
Most girls learn from watching the ways women communicate and resolve conflict. Avoid indirect communication like texting or gossip to resolve your conflicts. Instead, model direct & honest communication with your peers and the girls. Whenever a group of people get together, conflict can occur. As a Girl Scout leader, you will find there are times when getting a group of girls to agree on an activity or trip seems to be an impossible task. The following are some tips for resolving conflicts. • • •
Girls need to feel secure, capable, and accepted by the group. When they do, conflicts occur less often. When girls feel accepted, they are more likely to empathize with others and understand a different point of view. When girls feel that they are actively making decisions and setting the goals for their activities, then they are less likely to jeopardize those activities through misbehavior.
When a problem does arise, consider one of these approaches. •
•
• •
Mediation - A third person just listens without deciding who is right or wrong. Each person gets a chance to tell her side of the story without any interruptions. Then the mediator helps girls think of possible solutions to the problem and helps them choose one. Time Out - Ask the girls to go to a quiet spot and give them a set time period in which you expect them to return with a solution. If they cannot come up with one, then you might need to appoint a mediator. Role Reversal - This is a form of role-playing in which the participants reverse their roles. This can increase empathy and problem-solving skills. Contracts - For a continuing problem, make a contract. Work out a compromise, decide on a solution, and write up a contract that the participants sign. Make sure the contract is realistic. Remember, contracts can always be renegotiated.
(adapted from Girl Scouts of Western Iowa and Eastern Illinois)
For more information on conflict management and communication, check out the Volunteer Essentials on our website.
“
Managing Conflict
— girlscouts.org/banbossy
Discipline Approaches Disruptive behavior • Respond consistently • Try nonverbal cues to behave • Use gentle verbal reminders • Redirect to the activity if not responding to the reminder Explore the reason for the behavior • If for attention: respond to positive choices • If for power: give responsibility or choices • If for belonging: structure activities to help them feel a part of the group Teach positive behaviors • Discuss and role play positive behaviors • Notice when behaviors are positive • Ratio should be 3 positive to 1 negative comment If misbehavior continues • Establish consequences: - Loss of privileges - Leave the activity - Time-out on the chair • Give options: - Describe behavior of concern - How it affects the group - Choices: list positive behaviors first, then consequences Enrichment Trainings are offered periodically. You can find trainings for songs, games, conflict resolution, and many other topics offered at Leader’s Weekend, Regional Learn 2 Leads, or Super Saturday Trainings. You can find these and other trainings in the Volunteer 411 or on our website. 21
Holding Troop Meetings Many volunteers find it helpful to think of meetings as having six parts, as outlined below, but feel free to structure the meeting in a way that makes sense for you and the girls.
1
As Girls Arrive: Start-up activities are planned so that when girls arrive at the meeting they have something to do until the meeting begins. For younger girls, it could be coloring pages; teen girls might jot down a journal entry or just enjoy a little time to talk.
2
Opening: The opening focuses the meeting and allows girls to get started. Each troop decides how to open their own meeting— most begin with the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and then add a simple flag ceremony, song, game, story, or other ceremony designed by the girls. Girl Scout Brownies, for example, might create a new tradition by skipping in a circle while singing a song. Ceremonies, even when brief or humorous, make Girl Scout time special. The Journey adult guides contain ideas about openings that correspond to Journey themes.
3
Business: Troop business may include taking attendance, collecting troop dues, making announcements, and planning an upcoming event or trip. This is a good time for girls to take turns leading, especially as they grow up! (Some troops may move the business portion of the meeting to an earlier or later slot.)
22
4
Activities: Activities will depend on what the girls want to do in their troop and how they want to spend their collective time. For example, if girls are interested in animals, encourage the girls to plan a visit to a zoo or animal shelter. As you engage in one of the three Girl Scout journey series, review the “Sample Sessions at a Glance” in the adult guide for Journey ideas. Treats are an option some troops decide to include in their meetings. If girls choose to include snacks, guide them to consider the health of a potential snack, as well as possible food allergies. Enlist the help of parents or guardians by asking them to sign up and bring a treat.
5
Clean-Up: Clean-up is a great habit for girls to get their meeting space back to the way it was when they arrived—maybe even cleaner! Girls can also take leadership of the cleaning themselves, deciding who does what. They might even enjoy the tradition of a kaper chart (see page 6), so that everyone takes turns at each responsibility. “A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than she found it.”
6
Closing: The closing lets the girls know that the troop meeting is ending. Many girls close with the friendship circle, in which each girl stands in a circle, puts her right arm over her left, and holds the hand of the girl standing next to her. The friendship squeeze is started by one girl, and then passed around the circle until it comes back to the girl who started it. When the squeeze is finished, girls twist clockwise out of the circle lifting their arms and turning around and out of the circle. In addition, you may find some helpful, journeyrelated closing ceremony ideas in the journey’s adult guide. Each troop member should do her part to ensure the meeting and activities are enriching and fun. Based on their grade levels and abilities, girls may decide and plan opening and closing activities, bring and prepare treats, teach songs or games, and clean up. As girls grow, they can show and teach younger members about Girl Scouting. They can also assist you in preparing materials for activities. For trips, campouts, parent meetings, and multi-troop events, girls may be responsible for shopping, packing equipment, handing out programs, cleaning up, gathering wood, and so on. As long as you pay attention to grade level and maturity, what girls can do is endless!
Letting Girls Lead Troops should employ a democratic system of governance so that all members have the opportunity to express their interests and feelings and share in the planning and coordination of activities. Girls can partner with you and other adults, while you facilitate, act as a sounding board, and ask and answer questions. Girl Scouts from Daisies through Ambassadors will gain confidence and leadership skills when given the opportunity to lead their activities, learn cooperatively as a group, and learn by doing instead of by observing. The following are some traditions troops have used for girl-led governance, which you may use or adapt as needed for your troop. Daisy/Brownie Circle While sitting in a circle (sometimes called a ring), girls create a formal group decision-making body. The circle is an organized time for girls to express their ideas and talk about activities they enjoy, and you play an active role in facilitating discussion and helping them plan. Girls often vote to finalize decisions. If girls are talking over each other, consider passing an object, such as a talking stick, that entitles one girl to speak at a time. Junior/Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Patrol or Team System In this system, large troops divide into small groups, with every member playing a role. Teams of four to six girls are recommended so that each girl gets a chance to participate and express her opinions. Patrols may be organized by interests or activities that feed into a Take Action project, with each team taking responsibility for some part of the total project; girls may even enjoy coming up with names for their teams. Junior/Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Executive Board In the executive board system (also called a steering committee), one leadership team makes decisions for the entire troop. The board’s responsibility is to plan activities and assign jobs based on interests and needs, and the rest of the troop decides how to pass their ideas and suggestions to the executive board throughout the year. The executive board usually has a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer and holds its own meetings to discuss troop matters. Limit the length of time each girl serves on the executive board so all troop members can participate during the year. Junior/Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Town Meeting Under the town meeting system, business is discussed and decisions are made at meetings attended by all the girls in the troop. As in the patrol and executive board systems, everyone gets the chance to participate in decision-making and leadership. Your role is to act as a moderator, who makes sure everyone gets a chance to talk and that all ideas are considered. 23
Sample Troop Meetings
The sample sessions in the Leadership Journey adult guides will give you ideas about how to plan and hold successful troop meetings that allow girls to Discover, Connect, and Take Action as they have fun with a purpose.
Sample meetings for additional Girl Scout grade levels can be found on your Volunteer Resource CD or on the “Forms and Resources” section of the GSMH website (girlscoutsmoheartland.org).
First Girl Scout Troop Meeting (Sample – Daisy/Brownie/Junior)
These are suggested ideas for your first troop meeting. You do not have to follow this outline exactly; it is simply meant to provide you with some ideas for how to structure your meetings. Pre-Meeting Activity. Items needed: index cards, yarn, hole punch, scissors, and crayons Name tags. Have the girls write their first name on an index card. Punch a hole in the top, thread a piece of yarn through the hole and have girls tie the ends (before the meeting, you can pre-punch the holes and cut the yarn if you prefer). Let each girl decorate her name tag.
Opening Activities
Introductions. Have the girls and leaders sit in a circle. Introduce the leader and co-leader and welcome girls to their first Girl Scout meeting. Ask each girl to tell the group her name and something she wants to share about herself, like her favorite color or favorite food. (At future meetings you might want to use this time to have them share something that has happened in their lives since the last meeting). Special Girl Scout Ways. Tell the girls that in Girl Scouting there are certain things that Girl Scouts do that make them special. They are 24
going to learn about many special things that they will do at each meeting. The first thing the girls will learn is the Girl Scout Sign. To make the Girl Scout sign, you hold up your right hand, fold down your pinkie and your thumb, and hold up your three middle fingers. Tell the girls that this can seem awkward at first, but with practice it will become easier. Next you will teach the girls the Girl Scout Promise. It helps to have it pre-written on a poster. Ask the girls what it means to make a promise. Then teach them the Promise by saying it one line at a time and having them repeat it back to you. Have the girls make the Girl Scout Sign and explain to them that they always make the sign when saying the Promise. The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law. Explain that whenever Girl Scouts have a meeting, they always begin with the Promise.
Major Activity
Girl Scout Promise & Sign Poster. Items needed: copies of Promise, construction paper, crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. • Explain to the girls that they are going to make a poster to take home to help them practice and learn the Girl Scout Promise and Sign. • Give each girl a copy of the promise, 2 pieces of construction paper, and a glue stick. Place crayons where everyone can use them. • Tell the girls to cut out the promise. Have them look at the shape the promise is in. Tell them that shape is called a trefoil and that is a special Girl Scout shape. • Next have the girls trace and cut out their hand. They will glue down the pinkie and the thumb to make the Girl Scout sign. • Girls will glue the Promise and the sign on their construction paper. • Girls can decorate their posters with crayons.
Sample Troop Year Checklist Hold a parent/guardian meeting. Open a checking account, if needed. Register all the girls in the troop. Meet together for the first time, allowing the girls to decide how they can learn each others’ names and find out more about each other. Kick off a Leadership Journey with the opening ceremony recommended in the first sample session, or a trip or special event that fits the theme. Have the girls brainstorm and plan any trip or event. Enjoy the full Journey, including its Take Action project.
Closing
Friendship Circle. The friendship circle and the friendship squeeze are other traditions in Girl Scouting. It is the way we end our meetings and say good night. • Have girls stand in a circle. • Have everyone put their right arm in the air. • Have them take their left arm and cross it over the right side of their body. • Then lower their right arm across their body. • They will take the hand of the person on each side of them. • Start the squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person on your left. • When each girl’s hand is squeezed, she will squeeze the hand of the person on her left. • When a girl’s hand is squeezed, she needs to put her left foot out. This helps you make sure the squeeze is being passed around the circle. • When the circle reaches you, say “good night Girl Scouts” and twist out of the circle. Please note: The opening activity and friendship circle can be done at every meeting. After your first meeting, you can plan different “major activities” based on what the girls decide, such as badge work, product sales activities, or service projects. Ideas for meetings based on the Girl Scout Journeys are on your Volunteer Resources CD. If you need additional guidance, contact your regional leadership and learning specialist.
Along the way, add in related badge activities that girls will enjoy and that will give them a well-rounded year. Use the Badge Tracker Worksheets found on our website to help keep track of the awards your girls have earned. Have the girls plan, budget for, and “earn and learn” in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Help girls plan a field trip or other travel opportunity. Encourage girls to plan a culminating ceremony for the Journey, including awards presentations, using ideas in the Journey girls’ book and/or adult guide. Pre-register girls for next year. Early Bird! Camp out! Participate in a council-wide event with girls from around your region. Have the girls plan and hold a bridging ceremony for girls continuing on to the next Girl Scout grade level.
25
Girl Scout Grade Level: Circle appropriate level Activity / Event / Award
References::
Daisy (K-1)
Cadette (6-8)
1. 2. 3.
Senior (9-10)
Energy Break Snacks & Stretches
Journey Helpers Family / Friends / Network
1. Girl Led 2. Learning By Doing 3. Cooperative Learning
Circle all appropriate Processes
Girl Scout Processes
Materials / Supplies Needed
Field trips, Research, Community Service, etc.
Ways to Extend This Activity
Ambassador (11-12)
Creating Your Own Journey Activity Sheet
Junior (4-5)
Journey – __________________ Brownie (2-3) The 3 Leadership Keys – Outcomes
Circle all appropriate Outcomes Discover 1. Girls develop a strong sense of self. 2. Girls develop positive values. 3. Girls gain practical life skills. 4. Girls seek challenges in the world. 5. Girls develop critical thinking. Connect 1. Girls develop healthy relationships. 2. Girls promote cooperation and team building. 3. Girls can resolve conflicts. 4. Girls advance diversity in a multicultural world. 5. Girls feel connected to their communities, locally & globally. Take Action 1. Girls can identify community needs. 2. Girls are resourceful problem solvers. 3. Girls Advocate for themselves and others, locally and globally. 4. Girls educate and inspire other to act. Girls feel empowered to make a difference in the world. 5.
For Journey options, check out pages 12-15.
Tr o o p A d m i n i s t r a t i o n In this section we will cover the basics of managing a troop! The following pages will cover financial organization, reporting and money earning projects, as well as safety ratios, insurance, emergency procedures and travel planning.
27
Finances
Helping girls decide what they want to do, and coaching them as they earn and manage money to pursue their goals, is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Your Girl Scout group plans and finances its own activities, with your guidance. At the same time, girls learn many valuable skills that serve them throughout their lives. Girl Scout groups are funded by a share of money earned through council-sponsored product sale activities (such as the Girl Scout Cookie Program), group money-earning activities (with council approval), and any dues your group may charge. (This is in addition to the $15 annual membership fee that goes to the national organization.) This section gives you the ins and outs of establishing a group account and helping girls manage their group’s finances.
Girl Scout Troop/Group Bank Accounts
• All troops/groups shall have a bank account and must use their 5-digit troop/group number. • These bank accounts are authorized with a board of director’s resolution which will be distributed to all groups needing bank accounts. • Individuals responsible for handling troop/group funds shall be registered members of Girl Scouting and be an approved volunteer. • Debit cards on accounts are permitted. However, online banking is not permitted. • Limitations on handling money may be in place for individual’s whose background check revealed: crimes involving theft, fraud, or forgery.
28
To Open a New Account
• Paperwork needed (available on GSMH website): – Corporate Resolution – IRS Tax Letter – Bankcard Sheet • Bank accounts should be opened with the federal Tax ID number of 44-0594943, not a personal social security number. • The bank account information and check imprint must be: – Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, Inc. – Girl Scout Troop/Group # – Volunteer’s Address (optional on check imprint) • The troop/group leader’s home address should be used when opening the account, not the council address. • All troop/group accounts shall have on the signature card the signatures of three unrelated, registered, and approved members. • Only one signature is required for withdrawal. • After the account has been opened, a GSMH Troop/Group Bank Account Information Form (not a bank-issued signature card) with troop/group bank account information should be returned to the local Girl Scout service center.
Establishing a New Troop Account
Each troop needs to set up a bank account. If you’re taking over an existing group, you may inherit a checking account. With a new group, you’ll want to open a new account. This usually happens when there is money to deposit, such as troop/ group dues or money from product programs or group money-earning activities. Consider these tips when working with a group account:
• Keep group funds in the bank before an activity or trip, paying for as many items as possible in advance of your departure. • Use debit cards during the activity or trip. • Make two people responsible for group funds and for keeping a daily account of expenditures. One person could write the checks and the other is responsible for balancing the checkbook. This will give you a checks and balance system. • Have one or more back-up people who also have debit cards, in case the main card is lost. Follow GSMH’s financial policies and procedures for setting up an account. All finance forms referred to in this section can be found on our website in the “Forms and Resources” section.
Taking Over the Account for an Existing Troop
If you are taking over an existing troop there should already be some money in the account to date. But you will need to change the signatures that were associated with that account. To do that contact your membership marketing specialist and they will then walk you through all the necessary steps to make the change. Then go to the bank to make the necessary changes to get you on the account. Lastly, turn in the GSMH Troop/ Group Bank Account Information Form.
1/3 Rule of Thumb
from Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska, New Leader Training
Money-Earning Basics The best way to earn money for your group is to start with the Girl Scout Fall Product and Cookie Programs. These council-sponsored activities can help girls earn money for their troop and help the council as well. The Girl Scout Cookie Program and the Fall Product Program are integral parts of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. With every season of cookies, another generation of girls learn five important skills: goal setting; decision making; money management; people skills; and business ethics.
Family Campaign Another valuable way for parents and volunteers to help support the Girl Scout Experience is to participate in the Family Campaign. This campaign – called Strive for Twenty-Five! – encourages donations of all amounts. It’s easy to participate! When you pay your daughter’s membership fee, consider making a donation of at least $25 to support Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland. Daughters of families that participate in Strive for Twenty-Five! receive a fun patch as a thank you for your support. Every penny of every donation is used in our council jurisdiction to strengthen and help deliver the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. GSMH depends on donations to provide financial assistance to families in need, free volunteer screenings, safe and fun program and camp experiences, and more.
Financial Assistance Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland recognizes the needs of members with financial hardship and strives to eliminate this potential barrier to participation for girls and adults. Girl Scouts encourages girls and volunteers to contribute when able and to be active participants in their Girl Scout experience. Financial assistance is limited and not all requests may be granted. Our council approves funds based on level of financial need demonstrated on the application.
Troop income earned through troop dues collection, product program, and money-earning activities should help your girls and their families to have a positive Girl Scout experience. A good rule of thumb to follow is a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule. Families and girls should be learning to budget in a responsible and sustainable way. That means each troop should be working to minimize extra costs to themselves and to families at all times.
• 1/3 to help cover costs of
badges, registrations for the following year, and uniform pieces. All girls should have an opportunity to have a membership paid in full or part by their troop, even if they decide not to join the troop the following year. • 1/3 covers field trips, meeting supplies, and ceremonies… that’s right, only 1/3. Girls should be learning to use their resources wisely and learning the value of saving up for big trips and ideas. • 1/3 for unexpected expenses (like a family who needs financial assistance, or an amazing opportunity that suddenly comes up), and larger expenses (like travel and take action projects).
Financial assistance is available for membership fees, books and uniforms, resident camp, program events, and volunteer trainings. Application forms are available on our website. We encourage you to bring some copies of these forms to your parent meeting, and keep a few in your Girl Scout bag or binder for the future. This can be a sensitive subject for some families, so please be considerate and discreet when helping those in need.
29
Safety Responsibilities
In Girl Scouting, the emotional and physical safety and well-being of girls is always a top priority. You, the parents/ guardians of the girls in your group, and the girls themselves share the responsibility for staying safe. The next three sections flesh out who’s responsible for what.
Responsibilities of the Volunteer Girl Scout Safety Guidelines
1
6
2
7
Follow the Safety Activity Checkpoints. Instructions for staying safe while participating in activities are detailed in the Safety Activity Checkpoints and our website. Read the checkpoints, follow them, and share them with other volunteers, parents, and girls before engaging in activities with girls. Arrange for proper adult supervision of girls. Your group must have at least two unrelated, approved adult volunteers present at all times, plus additional adult volunteers as necessary, depending on the size of the group and the ages and abilities of girls. Adult volunteers must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority defined by the state, if it is older than 18) and must be screened by your council before volunteering. One lead volunteer in every group must be female.
3
Get parent/guardian permission. When an activity takes place that is outside the normal time and place, advise each parent/ guardian of the details of the activity and obtain permission for girls to participate.
4
Report abuse. Girl Scout volunteers are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. Child abuse hotline numbers: • Kansas Department of Family Services: 1-800-922-5330 • Missouri Department of Family Services: 1-800-392-3738 • Oklahoma Department of Family Services: 1-800-522-3511
5
Be prepared for emergencies. Work with girls and other adults to establish and practice procedures for emergencies related to weather, fire, lost girls/adults, and site security. Always keep handy a well-stocked first-aid kit, girl health histories, and contact information for girls’ families.
30
Travel safely. When transporting girls to planned Girl Scout field trips and other activities that are outside the normal time and place, every driver must be an approved adult volunteer. Insist that everyone is in a legal seat and wears her seat belt at all times, and adhere to state laws regarding booster seats. Ensure safe overnight outings. Prepare girls to be away from home by involving them in planning, so they know what to expect. Men may not sleep in the same space as girls and women. During family or parent-daughter overnights, one family unit may sleep in the same sleeping quarters in program areas. When parents are staffing events, daughters should remain in quarters with other girls rather than in staff areas.
8
Role-model the right behavior. Never use illegal drugs. Don’t consume alcohol, smoke, or use foul language in the presence of girls. Do not carry ammunition or firearms in the presence of girls. Refer to your volunteer standards of conduct document for additional guidance.
9
Create an emotionally safe space. Adults are responsible for making Girl Scouting a place where girls are as safe emotionally as they are physically. Protect the emotional safety of girls by creating a team agreement and coaching girls to honor it. Agreements typically encourage behaviors like respecting a diversity of feelings and opinions; resolving conflicts constructively; and avoiding physical and verbal bullying, clique behavior, and discrimination.
10
Ensure that no girl is treated differently. Girl Scouts welcomes all members, regardless of race, ethnicity, background, disability, family structure, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status. When scheduling, helping plan, and carrying out activities, carefully consider the needs of all girls involved, including school schedules, family needs, financial constraints, religious holidays, and the accessibility of appropriate transportation and meeting places.
11
Promote online safety. Instruct girls never to put their full names or contact information online, engage in virtual conversation with strangers, or arrange in-person meetings with online contacts. On group websites, publish girls’ first names only and never divulge their contact information. Teach girls the Girl Scout Online Safety Pledge and have them commit to it.
12
Keep girls safe during moneyearning activities. Girl Scout cookies and other council-sponsored product sales are an integral part of the program. During Girl Scout product sales, you are responsible for the safety of girls, money, and products. In addition, a wide variety of organizations, causes, and fundraisers may appeal to Girl Scouts to be their representative. When representing Girl Scouts, girls cannot participate in money-earning activities that represent partisan politics or that are not Girl Scout–approved product sales and efforts.
Responsibilities of Parents and Guardians You want to engage each parent or guardian to help you work toward ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of girls. Clearly communicate to parents and guardians that they are expected to: • provide permission for their daughters to participate in Girl Scouting as well as provide additional consent for activities that take place outside the scheduled meeting place, involve overnight travel, involve the use of special equipment, and/or cover sensitive issues. • make provisions for their daughters to get to and from meeting places or other designated sites in a safe and timely manner and inform you if someone other than the parent or guardian will drop off or pick up the child. • provide their daughters with appropriate clothing and equipment for activities, or contact you before the activity to find sources for the necessary clothing and equipment. • follow Girl Scout safety guidelines and encourage their children to do the same. • assist you in planning and carrying out program activities as safely as possible. • participate in parent/guardian meetings. • be aware of appropriate behavior expected of their daughters, as determined by the council and you. • assist volunteers if their daughters have special needs or abilities and their help is solicited.
Responsibilities of Girls Girls who learn about and practice safe and healthy behaviors are likely to establish lifelong habits of safety consciousness. For that reason, each Girl Scout is expected to: • assist you and other volunteers in safety planning. • listen to and follow your instructions and suggestions. • learn and practice safety skills. • learn to “think safety” at all times and to be prepared. • identify and evaluate an unsafe situation. • know how, when, and where to get help when needed.
31
Understanding How Many Volunteers You Need
Girl Scout adult-to-girl ratios show the minimum number of adults needed to supervise a specific number of girls. (There may also be maximums due to size or cost restrictions). These supervision ratios were devised to ensure the safety and health of girls—for example, if one adult has to respond to an emergency, a second adult is always on hand for the rest of the girls. It may take you a minute to get used to the layout of this chart, but once you start to use it, you’ll find the chart extremely helpful.
Group Meetings Two unrelated adults (at least one of whom is female) for this number of girls:
Events, Travel, & Camping
Plus one additional adult for each additional number of this many girls:
Two unrelated adults (at least one of whom is female) for this number of girls:
Plus one additional adult for each additional number of this many girls:
Daisies (K-grade 1)
12
6
6
4
Brownies (grades 2-3)
20
8
12
6
Juniors (grades 4-5)
25
10
16
8
Cadettes (grades 6-8)
25
12
20
10
Seniors (grades 9-10)
30
15
24
12
Ambassadors (grades 11-12)
30
15
24
12
Here are some examples. If you’re meeting with 17 Daisies, you’ll need three unrelated adults (in other words, not your sister, spouse, parent, or child), at least one of whom is female. (Let’s take a second to follow the chart: you need two adults for 12 Daisies and one more adult for up to six more girls. You have 17, so you need three adults.) If, however, you have 17 Cadettes attending a group meeting, you need only two unrelated adults, at least one of which is female (because, on the chart, two adults can manage up to 25 Cadettes). In addition to the adult-to-girl ratios, please remember that adult volunteers must be at least 18 years old or at the age of majority defined by the state, if it is older than 18.
* For more information about safety, please refer to the Safety Activity Checkpoints on our website.
When planning activities with girls, note the abilities of each girl and carefully consider the progression of skills from the easiest part to the most difficult. Make sure the complexity of the activity does not exceed girls’ individual skills—bear in mind that skill levels decline when people are tired, hungry, or under stress. Also use activities as opportunities for building teamwork, which is one of the outcomes for the Connect key in the GSLE. 32
Providing Emergency Care As you know, emergencies can happen. Girls need to receive proper instruction in how to care for themselves and others in emergencies. They also need to learn the importance of reporting to adults any accidents, illnesses, or unusual behaviors during Girl Scout activities. To this end, you can help girls: • Know what to report. GSMH Crisis Guide for Leaders handout can be found on our website. • Establish and practice procedures for weather emergencies. Certain extreme-weather conditions may occur in your area. Please consult with your council for the most relevant information for you to share with girls. • Establish and practice procedures for such circumstances as fire evacuation, lost persons, and building-security responses. Every girl and adult must know how to act in these situations. For example, you and the girls, with the help of a fire department representative, should design a fire evacuation plan for meeting places used by the group. • Assemble a well-stocked first-aid kit that is always accessible. First-aid administered in the first few minutes can mean the difference between life and death. In an emergency, secure professional medical assistance as soon as possible, normally by calling 911.
Liability Insurance
Many times the locations where troops and service units meet or hold activities will require a certificate of insurance before agreeing to let them use their facility. If your meeting or event location needs proof of insurance, please complete a Request for Certificate of Liability Insurance form (available on your Volunteer Resource CD and our website). Forms should be submitted to the GSMH human resources department at least two weeks before the facility is needed. Once requested, a copy of our certificate of liability insurance will be faxed, emailed or mailed directly to the site that needs it. Registered Girl Scouts are covered by a secondary accident insurance while participating in approved Girl Scout activities. Sometimes, a troop or service unit must take out extended insurance for members or non-members. Some instances in which troops or service units should purchase this low-cost insurance include: • non-members attending a Girl Scout event (Plan 2) • registered members participating in an event or activity lasting more than two consecutive nights (Plan 2); members and non-members accident and sickness for events lasting longer than two consecutive nights • members and non-members accident and sickness for international travel Detailed information about this additional insurance and when and how to obtain it is available on your Volunteer Resource CD and our website. Questions may be directed to the GSMH HR/benefits coordinator.
Trainings First Aid/CPR— recommended for at least one volunteer in each troop. It is required if your troop will be travelling, camping, or meeting somewhere other than your normal meeting site. Basic Outdoor Skills—one volunteer from each troop is required to have this training in order to spend the day or one night at any of the GSMH program centers, or in a troop member’s backyard. Basic Troop Camping—is required for any troop that plans to camp at an established campground, GSMH program center or a backyard for at least one night. Small Craft Safety—recommended for at least one volunteer from any troop who intends to use canoes and/ or kayaks. (*In addition to this training, at least one adult on your trip must be a certified Waterfront Lifeguard.) Caution: First Aid/CPR training that is available entirely online does not satisfy Girl Scouts’ requirements. Such courses do not offer enough opportunities to practice and receive feedback on your technique. For that reason, if you have the opportunity to get trained in council-approved FirstAid/CPR, do it! You can take advantage of First-Aid/CPR training offered by chapters of the American Red Cross, National Safety Council, EMP America, American Heart Association, or other sponsoring organizations. You will need to get approval from your regional leadership and learning specialist - volunteerism.
Warning: The following activities are never allowed for any girl as part of the Girl Scout Program: potentially uncontrolled free-falling (bungee jumping, hang gliding, parachuting, parasailing, and trampolining); creating extreme variations of approved activities (such as high-altitude climbing and aerial tricks on bicycles, skis, snowboards, skateboards, water-skis, and wakeboards); hunting; shooting a projectile at another person; riding all-terrain vehicles and motor bikes; and taking watercraft trips in Class V or higher. 33
Traveling with Girls Travel - whether it be around town or around the world - can be one of the most enriching and educational Girl Scout pathways. Of course, there are program standards and procedures that you should follow to ensure that the experience is safe, fun, and rewarding for all. How parents decide to transport girls between their homes and Girl Scout meeting places is each parent’s individual decision and responsibility. For planned Girl Scout field trips and other activities outside the normal time and place in which a group will be transported in private vehicles, the following applies: • every driver must be an approved adult volunteer and have a good driving record, a valid license, and a registered/insured vehicle. • girls never drive other girls. • if a group is traveling in one vehicle, there must be at least two unrelated, approved adult volunteers in the vehicle, one of whom is female, and the girl-volunteer ratios on page 32 must be followed. • if a group is traveling in more than one vehicle, the entire group must consist of at least two unrelated, approved adult volunteers, one of whom is female, and the girl-volunteer ratios on page 32 must be followed. Care should be taken so that a single car (with a single adult driver) is not separated from the group for an extended length of time.
Private transportation includes private passenger vehicles, rental cars, privately owned or rented recreational vehicles and campers, chartered buses, chartered boats, and chartered flights. Each driver of motorized private transportation must be at least 21 years old and hold a valid operator’s license appropriate to the vehicle. All state laws must be followed, even if they are more stringent than the guidelines here. Anyone who is driving a vehicle with more than 12 passengers must also be a professional driver who possesses a commercial driver’s license (CDL)-check with GSMH to determine specific rules about renting large vehicles.
Please keep in mind the following non-negotiable points regarding private transportation: • Even though written agreements are always required when renting or chartering, you are not authorized to sign an agreement or contract-even if there is no cost associated with the rental. Such an agreement must instead be signed by the person designated by GSMH. • Check with GSMH to make sure you are following accepted practices when using private transportation; this ensures that both you and your council are protected by liability insurance in the event of an accident. • If your council has given permission to use a rented car, read all rental agreements to be sure you comply with their terms and avoid surprises. Note the minimum age of drivers (often 25), as well as the maximum age (often under 70). Be sure the car is adequately insured, knowing who is responsible for damage to or the loss of the vehicle itself. Also, ensure you have a good paper trail, with evidence that the vehicle rental is Girl Scout–related. • Obtain parent/guardian permission for any use of transportation outside of the meeting place.
General Travel Guidelines More information about transporting girls and necessary girl/adult ratios can be found in Chapter 4 of Volunteer Essentials, on the Volunteer Resource CD, or available on our website. Troop travel procedures and the Troop Travel Application can also be found on the CD or on our website. 34
Checklist for Drivers
When driving for Girl Scout events take the following precautions and ask any other drivers to do the same. • Ensure all drivers are adults; girls should not be transporting other girls. • Never transport girls in flatbed or panel trucks, in the bed of a pickup, or in a camper-trailer. • Keep directions and a road map in the car, along with a first-aid kit and a flashlight. • Check your lights, signals, tires, windshield wipers, horns, and fluid levels before each trip and check them periodically on long trips. • Keep all necessary papers up to date, such as your driver’s license, vehicle registration, any state or local inspections, insurance coverage, etc. • Wear your seat belt at all times and follow state laws on booster and front seats. • Follow all the established rules of the road in the state you are driving. • Do not utilize devices such as cell phones when driving. • Avoid driving for extended periods at night, when tired, or taking medication that makes you drowsy. • Plan rest stops every few hours; if driving with others, prearrange stopping places along the way. When planning longer trips, arrange for relief drivers.
For Day Trips of 50+ Miles & Simple Overnights
A troop travel application must be submitted to your volunteer support coordinator for approval (preferably 4 weeks in advance). If there is no volunteer support coordinator available, or if the volunteer support coordinator is a participant in the trip, the application should be submitted to a GSMH leadership and learning specialist - GSLE.
For Trips 100+ Miles Outside Council Jurisdiction, 3+ Nights, or International
A troop travel application must be submitted for approval by both your volunteer support coordinator and a GSMH leadership and learning specialist - GSLE. Please complete the troop travel application at least four weeks in advance for domestic trips; 12 weeks for international trips. Additional accident & sickness insurance coverage must be purchased through Mutual of Omaha for trips lasting three or more nights. Please contact the GSMH HR/benefits coordinator for more information.
For All Trips (including in-town field trips)
Make sure that you receive a signed parent/guardian permission slip for each girl before departure. In addition, keep the following vehicle guidelines in mind: Girl Scouts of the USA recommends two adults per car; there must be at least one adult with current CPR/ First Aid certification traveling with the group; each vehicle should have a First Aid kit.
Field Trip Check List At Least 4-6 Weeks Before Trip
□□ With girl input, establish purpose of trip. □□ Discuss finances with girls and families. □□ Review troop travel procedures & safety
activity checkpoints. □□ If required, submit Troop Travel Application. □□ If needed, purchase Mutual of Omaha nonmember insurance or additional accident and sickness coverage through HR/benefits coordinator. Call 877-312-4764.
3-4 Weeks Before Trip
□□ Have girls practice any new skills that will be used. □□ Secure adult participants with proper training. □□ Submit background check forms for anyone who will be transporting girls. □□ Inform parents of upcoming trip/event; distribute permission slips and instructions. □□ Secure transportation. □□ Identify emergency contacts for trip. □□ Inventory first-aid kits (1 per car).
Day of Trip
□□ Make sure that the leader has:
□□ A permission slip for each girl. □□ A health history form for each girl. □□ Emergency contact information for each driver.
First-Aider has: □□ Troop/group first-aid kit. □□ Girls’ medications in original containers with directions, including over-the-counter. □□ Medications. The emergency contact person has: □□ Copies of permission slips. □□ Trip itinerary with contact information (not just cell phones!). Each driver/car has: □□ A seat belt/car seat for each girl in car. □□ A trip itinerary and map. □□ A first-aid kit. □□ Site rules (preferably written) to review with girls.
□□ GO AND HAVE FUN!
After Trip
□□ Evaluate the trip with your girls to help them learn from their experience.
35
Quick Contacts For concerns/questions about…
Call 877-312-4764 toll-free to contact:
Bank Accounts (Troop or Service Unit) Service Unit Accounting Advisor Camp Use/Reservations Properties/Risk Manager (or properties@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Camp - Summer Camp Leadership & Learning Specialist—Outdoor Program Cookies (Girl Scout Cookie Program) Product Program Specialist (or productprogram@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Donations Chief Development Officer Employment with Girl Scouts Director of Human Resources (or hr@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Flyers (guidelines) Marketing/Brand Manager Insurance (event/activity) HR/Benefits Coordinator Membership/Joining Your Membership Marketing Specialist Money-Earning Projects Chief Development Officer Photos (submissions) Marketing/Brand Manager Programs—Events, Series, or Travel Leadership & Learning Specialist (or programs@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Program Registrations (follow up to submission) Customer Data Coordinator Property/Maintenance Issues Properties/Risk Manager (or properties@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Service Unit Meetings Your Volunteer Support Coordinator Shops Retail Manager (or shop@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Training/Training Registrations Leadership & Learning Specialist—Volunteerism (or training@girlscoutsmoheartland.org) Trainings on Request Leadership & Learning Specialist—Volunteerism Website PR/Digital Media Manager
The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Mission Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Th
of today is the k r o his ew
tor
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
yo
f to mo rrow , an d we are it’s makers. – Juli ette Gordon Low