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Frequently Asked Questions regarding the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Why is the Girl Scout Leadership Experience changing from age levels to grade levels?
Girls say it’s important to be with other girls their age and they identify with social groups based on grades. Research also found that girls learn best and have the most fun when they are with the right developmental/social grouping. The new grade levels address the charge of intentionally creating differentiated Girl Scout experiences that mirror girls’ developmental needs.
What are the new membership grade levels?
Girl Scout Daisy, Grades K-1
Girl Scout Brownie, Grades 2-3
Girl Scout Junior, Grades 4-5
Girl Scout Cadette, Grades 6-8
Girl Scout Senior, Grades 9-10
Girl Scout Ambassador, Grades 11-12
Why is the name changing from Brownie Girl Scouts to Girl Scout Brownies?
Every grade level within Girl Scouting is made up of Girl Scouts. By putting Girl Scout before the grade level, it emphasizes that each girl is a Girl Scout regardless of their grade level or pathway.
What is a Pathway?
A pathway is the way girls choose to join and participate in Girl Scouting. Girls can choose from one or more of the six pathways including: a troop; travel/destinations; camp; special interests; events; or virtual/online.
Pathways are critical because they allow girls and their families to participate in Girl Scouting in a variety of ways that best fit their interests and busy schedules.
What is a Journey? One Leadership Journey will be available in Summer 2008. When can we expect a second Journey Guide?
A Journey is a themed set of activities focused on building specific leadership skills. Each Journey will be broken out into different Girl Scout grade levels and generally include between six and eight sessions that will be customized for the specific needs and interests of girls. Journeys can be done in a variety of Girl Scout Pathways including stand-alone, short term activities. Each leadership Journey is tied to the three keys to leadership with special emphasis on choosing and implementing related “Take Action” projects.
All sessions within journeys are directly related to the GSUSA National Outcomes. While engaged in the new Girl Scout Journeys, girls and volunteers are encouraged to add outings, celebrations, in-depth explorations, or anything else that meets girls’ specific interests, time, and resources, including the Cookie Program Activity.
The first Journey is “It’s your World – Change It!” A second Journey will be released in the fall 2008 focusing on the environment.
What are Outcomes?
Outcomes are the tools to measure the specific knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and values that girls gain in Girl Scouting. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience has 15 specific outcomes. There are five common outcomes in each of the three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. The short term outcome is that girls gain specific knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and values in Girl Scouting, while the long term Girl Scout outcome is that girls lead with courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place (Girl Scout Mission).
What if we prefer not to work on the Journeys?
Leadership Journeys deepen girls’ understanding of what it means to be a leader at each progressive level of Girl Scouts, and research shows that this is what girls are asking for. Girls at every level can continue to use all available existing materials as new resources are developed and phased in.
Research has shown that using Leadership Journeys serve as the best “launch pad” for future experiences in Girl Scouting.
What does it mean to be “girl led;” we already use girl planning?
Being “girl led” is just what it sounds like – encouraging girls to drive the planning, decision-making, learning, and fun as much as possible. If you use girl planning techniques with girls, you are already helping them grow into leaders of the future.
With the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience, how will the uniforms change?
Girl Scout uniforms and awards unite Girl Scouts around the world as a sisterhood of leaders. Girls at every grade level will continue to have an official uniform item to proudly display the pins and awards they earn. Girl Scout Juniors and older will wear their vests and sashes with their own white shirts and khaki pants making it even easier for girls to show they are Girl Scouts. Girl Scout Brownies and Daisies may still wear full uniform ensembles.
All current sashes and vests will remain. This fall, in addition to the Girl Scout Daisy tunic, a new blue Girl Scout Daisy vest will be introduced. Similarly, this fall, the Girl Scout Ambassadors uniform will feature a special scarf, uniting them in the WAGGGS tradition.
We have a mixed grade Girl Scout Brownie troop this year (girls in both grade 2 and 3). How will we move forward next year when some girls will be Girl Scout Brownies and the others will be Girl Scout Juniors?
Keep going! Girl Scouts is all about inclusivity. Girl at all grade levels greatly enjoy and benefit through opportunities to “give and get” from one another at different grade levels. All girls will be engaged in exploring what it means to be leaders based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law, values, and philosophy, as well as the three leadership keys: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. Register your troop with the grade level of the majority of girls in your troop and each grade level will complete the Journey activity module for their grade level.
Because Journeys are designed for each Girl Scout grade level and follow the same theme, girls in each grade can be doing similar, yet age-appropriate activities at the same time.
Our troop is in fifth grade this year. With the change of the Girl Scout Cadette grade level to sixth through eighth grade we will be Girl Scout Cadettes one year earlier than in the past, correct? eighth graders will be Girl Scout Seniors one year earlier than in the past, Correct?
Yes. Early adolescence can be a challenging time in girls’ lives and the new grade grouping and leadership journeys are designed especially to address girls’ progression through the early stages of adolescence, ultimately preparing them for the next phase of life and the next phase of leadership in Girl Scouting.
With this in mind, girls entering sixth grade will benefit the most by registering as Girl Scout Cadettes; so they can enjoy the new Leadership Journey created for their current grade level. If girls were to register as Girl Scout Juniors, the new leadership activities they would be experiencing would be geared for the younger developmental level of fourth and fifth grade girls. The same concept holds true for eighth grade Girl Scout Cadettes becoming Girl Scout Seniors.
Our girls are working on their Girl Scout Silver Award. With the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience will they have to start over or finish earlier than they planned to?
No. Throughout this transition period, girls will not lose out on experiences, projects, or awards they have already started. Continue activities and recognitions as planned. GSUSA will update the requirements for the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards for release in 2009, and will provide a transition period for girls to meet the updated requirements.
Our girls are in kindergarten this year and we have already prepared to bridge into Girl Scout Brownies this May. Our ceremony is planned. Now that we are staying Girl Scout Daisies for another year, what about our bridging ceremony?
Celebrations are – and will continue to be – an integral part of the Girl Scout experience. Year end celebrations are important to continue and will acknowledge and create pride in the knowledge gained and the accomplishments of girls at every level. Although current Girl Scout Daisies are continuing as Girl Scout Daisies this fall, there is a lot to celebrate with girls and families this spring.
Our kindergarten Girl Scout Daisies are eligible to attend our service unit day camp this summer where they will be earning Girl Scout Brownie Try-Its. What will we do with these now that we are not becoming Girl Scout Brownies for another year?
Girl Scout Daisies can still go to day camp! For the 2008-2009 program year, girls and families may want to display their Try-Its on the back of their Girl Scout Daisy tunic or vest. If not, they can be kept in a safe place until next year.
Our girls are Girl Scout Daisies graduating from kindergarten. Are they going to be able to sell cookies next year as first grade Girl Scout Daisies?
Yes! Girl Scout Daisies who will be entering first grade in fall 2008 will be able to fully participate in the Cookie Program Activity, including selling cookies.
Girl Scout Daisies who will be entering kindergarten in fall 2008 will be able to participate in the Cookie Program Activity – however Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has not yet defined the parameters of their involvement. Additional information will be provided by your service unit volunteers or membership specialist as it becomes available.
We are trained leaders. Will we need to take training for the Girl Scout Leadership Experience while we continue with this program grade level?
River Valleys’ staff and volunteers recognize that our dedicated Girl Scout volunteers are among the busiest ones!
Throughout this transition period, adults will not need to duplicate their training. Adult volunteer training curriculum rewrites will proceed once detailed materials have been launched officially at GSUSA Spring Conferences.
Trainers will receive updated training materials in September, and adult volunteer training will be scheduled throughout the 2009-2010 program year. Staff members are also looking into new ways of delivering training including online webinars and larger forums. Stay tuned for further announcements!
Will new troops receive complementary adult volunteer books from River Valleys next year?
Yes. Each River Valleys’ service center has made books available to new troops in the past. At Spring Conferences we will see the Adult Guides, books for girls, and the new Leadership Journey for the first time. (We have seen a photocopy of the Girl Scout Daisy resources, and they look fabulous!) We will review carefully and determine which resources would be the most helpful and the best use of River Valleys’ resources. The same analysis and consideration will be made for all re-registering troops. Stay tuned for a future announcement.
How long has this new Girl Scout Leadership Experience been in the works?
The legacy councils and River Valleys has been updating members about GSUSA’s Core Business Strategies, including realignment, since they were approved by the GSUSA Board of Directors in August 2006. In addition, GSUSA Leader magazine had two articles which discussed the new Girl Scout Leadership Development Model and how to link it with current activities and recognitions (January 2008 and Winter 2006). River Valleys’ staff members also participated in some planning and feedback sessions this past fall to help fine-tune the model. GSUSA is formally launching the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience at Spring Training Conferences in April and May. We have several staff members and volunteers who will be attending these conferences and we are anxiously awaiting their return with more information.
Girls’ definitions of leadership and perceptions of themselves as leaders differ with age. The Girl Scout Research Institute study reports that 69 percent of girls currently think of themselves as leaders; however, only 36 percent of girls surveyed envision themselves as leaders in the future. Girls describe a leader as someone who combines qualities or characteristics with actions.
Who can I contact for more information?
Contact your service unit manager, or membership specialist. As information is available, it will be posted on River Valleys’ website www.girlscoutsrv.org and sent in newsletters. If you have not given River Valleys your e-mail address, consider doing so by scrolling to the “Subscribe” area on the bottom of the River Valleys’ website home page, www.girlscoutsrv.org. You will be added to the growing number of adult volunteers that receive our “latest and greatest” information in regular electronic newsletters.
Girl and leadership research information is available on the GSUSA website www.girlscouts.org, under Research.
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