Special Interest Troop Guide
What is a Special Interest Troop?
In Girl Scouts, there are many ways youth can find adventure. They can participate in a traditional troop, be an individually registered member (Juliette), attend summer camp, be a member of a special interest troop, or participate in a combination of these experiences. Special Interest Troops are troops that are formed to focus on specific skills, activities, or curiosities of the troop members. They have similarities to a traditional troop, but the key difference is the narrower focus to one Girl Scout area of interest, such as travel, camping, target sports, or boating.
Here are some current special interest troops at Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines:
Adventure Mariners Shooting Sports
Girl Scouts plan a variety of trips and activities to take on high adventures throughout their council footprint, and beyond.
Girl Scouts gain experience in boating skills, knot tying, sailing, and safety on the water.
Girl Scouts learn and practice sports like archery, sling shots, and BB guns.
Girl Scouts choose and complete projects to complete together and individually to develop skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
Girl Scouts plan, prepare, and execute camping trips, hikes, and backpacking trips in this outdoorfocused troop.
Girl Scouts plan trips, execute money-earning activities to save for their trips, and travel around the nation and the globe.
Who can participate in Special Interest Troops?
All youth and adults participating in a Special Interest Troop are required to be current Girl Scout members. These are recommendations for Special Interest Troop structure:
Experience/Ability: There are no prerequisites for joining a Special Interest Troop and Girl Scouts should be welcome to join at all levels of experience in the troop’s focus. Girl Scouts of all ability levels can participate with the appropriate accommodations.
Frequency: It is recommended that troops meet a minimum of one time a month, with a combination of meetings to prepare for special interest activities/trips, and for expeditions to complete those activities.
Age: It is recommended that Special Interest Troops are comprised of Girl Scouts who are Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors. Girl Scouts progression is an important part of the program and as Girl Scouts get older, introducing Special Interest Troops can help keep them invested in new and different ways. Additionally, Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors sometimes find it difficult to commit to regular troop meetings because of the heavy pressures and responsibilities of middle and high school. These grade levels are the optimal time to retain or reengage girls as they consider how they’d like to pursue new, adventurous opportunities through Girl Scouts.
What is the difference between a Traditional Troop and a Special Interest Troop?
There are many similarities to traditional vs special interest troops, as well as some key differences.
Similarities: Differences:
• Troops can be located anywhere within the council footprint.
• Troops require background checked, registered, and trained volunteers.
• Troops must be girl-led and contain the elements of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE)
• Troops must follow council money earning guidelines
• Troops must operate within Girl Scout guidelines found in Volunteer Essentials and Safety Activity Checkpoints.
• Troops receive support from their local membership director and local service unit.
• Special Interest Troops have a dedicated staff support liaison for additional support.
• Participant locations may vary more than a traditional troop, as members may choose to travel to special interest troops to participate.
• Meetings may be held online or in different areas of the council footprint, to accommodate the various locations of its members.
• Special interest troops have two parts of the troop meeting format – the planning meetings that are girl-led and preparation focused, and then the outside events/travel/activities of the troops special interest.
Leadership Structure
Special Interest Troops require at least two, unrelated, registered and background checked adults (at least one of whom is female) to lead the troop. It is encouraged to have one troop co-leader who has expertise in the focus area of the troop to guide group activities and events, while the other leader helps with the organization and logistics of the troop.
Subject Matter Expert Co-Leader:
This leader should have experience in the area the troop specializes in, including carrying any certifications necessary to lead events (e.g. boating certifications for Mariners troops and camping certifications for Trailblazer troops). They also may have connections and resources to help the troop find locations and opportunities.
Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors:
Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors are old enough to manage many parts of the leadership of the troop on their own. At this level, the adults should act as mentors and support the Girl Scouts while they make their own plans, goals, and decisions as a group.
Organizational/Logistical Co-Leader:
This leader will act similarly to a traditional troop leader, making sure appropriate ratios, paperwork, and financial responsibilities are attended to. This leader will also likely take the lead of meetings that happen outside of the troop’s special interest activities.
Troop Support Volunteers:
Additional volunteers are encouraged to be added to special interest troops. These individuals can help with banking, driving, chaperoning, money earning activities, and a variety of other needs the troop may have.
How to start a special interest troop
If your Girl Scouts show particular interest in a specific area of the Girl Scout program, you may want to start your own special interest troop, but how? Here are the steps you will take to start a special interest troop:
1. Decide what specific interest your troop will focus on (i.e. for boating – will it be sailing, or all different boating types? For travel – will it be regional travel, or international, or both?). Council staff can assist you to look if there is a need for a new special interest troop in your area, or if perhaps there is one already established that you can join.
2. Team up with a co-leader and troop volunteers and decide on grade levels the troop can accommodate.
3. Work with your leadership team to decide when/where and how often your planning meetings will be with the girls, and how often you will meet for troop activities (see Girl-Led section of this guide for more information)
4. Contact your local membership director and explain you are interested in starting a “Special Interest Troop” to get the correct troop number assigned to you.
5. Advertise your troop to Girl Scouts and invite new families to a meeting.
Money Earning
To maintain the special interest troop’s finances, you will need to have a troop bank account and manage funds like any other Girl Scout troop. Refer to Troop Finances for guidance on managing troop funds.
Girl Scouts can only participate in the product program through one troop, so if they are part of a traditional troop and a special interest troop, they will have to decide where they will participate for product programs. Special Interest Troops should support members who wish sell fall product and cookies through the troop, and this requires having a volunteer to manage these programs. Additionally, members may want to do money earning activities to fund the troop’s trips and activities.
Refer to Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines Money Earning Guidelines to understand of how to manage your troop’s money earning activities. You can view this booklet at gsnccp.org/MoneyEarning or by scanning the QR code.
Keeping it Girl-Led and including the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE)
Once you’ve started your special interest troop, it’s important to keep the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at the forefront of the troop structure by using the three Girl Scout Processes to lead the troop.
The Three Girl Scout Processes ensure the promotion of the fun and friendship that have always been integral to Girl Scouting. These processes include being Girl-Led, allowing Learning by Doing, and using Cooperative Learning.
• Girl-led means that girls take an active and grade-appropriate role in figuring out the “what, where, when, why, and how” of what they do.
• Learning by doing is hands-on learning that engages girls in an ongoing cycle of action and reflection. When girls participate actively in meaningful activities outdoors and later reflect on them, they gain a deeper understanding of concepts and mastery of outdoor skills.
• Cooperative learning is designed to promote sharing of knowledge, skills, and learning in an atmosphere of respect and cooperation as girls work together on goals that can only be accomplished with the help of others.
Here are some ways to ensure the troop is maintaining a Girl-Led experience:
• Hold regular meetings (outside of the special interest events) where the troop members decide, plan, and lead the group toward the goals of the troop. If location is an issue, an online platform can be a great option.
• Allow the group to goal-set, brainstorm, and decide how they want to schedule the events and learnings they would like to accomplish throughout the year.
• Encourage and support the group and remember that giving them space to make their own decisions—and mistakes—is what Girl Scouts is all about.
Some challenges to look out for while keeping your troop Girl-Led:
• Adults are used to being in charge and inherently have more life experience than the youth they are supporting. This may lead to adults to want to take charge or solve problems for the troop. However, this doesn’t allow for Girl Scouts to learn from their mistakes or get the experience of learning by doing.
• Time restraints can play a factor in wanting to take over for the Girl Scout youth and make decisions or solve problems as adults. While it may take more time for the troop to come to decisions and overcome obstacles, it’s important to let them lead and find their own solutions.
• Interpersonal conflicts among troop members can leave the group frustrated and not sure how to move forward. When this occurs, adults may find themselves wanting to step in and take the reins. However, this is an opportunity to mentor the troop members toward finding common ground, putting aside differences, and focusing on the group goals.
For more understanding on keeping your troop Girl-Led, refer to GSUSA’s Let Girls Take the Lead that goes into more detail about progression and talking to families about how to support a Girl-Led troop.
