The Girl Scout Leadership Experience

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience

Program Resources for Troops and Service Units

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience model engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place. This model begins with a definition of leadership that girls understand and believe in: a leader, girls say, is defined not only by the qualities and skills one has, but also by how those qualities and skills are used to make a difference in the world.
Recent research highlights that girls want leadership opportunities where they can learn by doing and are cooperative learning experiences. This more inclusive and empowering model of shared leadership is also the one most valued by girls. It encourages girls to take an increased responsibility for designing and implementing activities, and this results in opportunities for them to see how their actions can impact the lives of others.

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience invites girls to participate in journeys to explore three “keys” to leadership:

Discover – girls understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world.

Girls develop a strong sense of self

Girls develop positive values

Girls gain practical life skills

Girls seek challenges in the world

Girls develop critical thinking

Connect – girls care about, inspire, and team with others locally and globally.

Girls develop healthy relationships

Girls promote cooperation and team building

Girls can resolve conflicts

Girls advance diversity in a multicultural world

Girls feel connected to their communities, locally and globally

Take Action – girls act to make the world a better place.

Girls can identify community needs

Girls are resourceful problem solvers

Girls advocate for themselves and others, locally and globally

Girls educate and inspire others to act

Girls feel empowered to make a difference in the world

Girl Scout Leadership Experience Outcomes
To develop and evaluate the program model objectively, 15 anticipated benefits or measurable outcomes were identified within the three keys to leadership. Tying the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to measurable outcomes serves three vital functions to: measure the impact of the Girl Scout experience
determine what future modifications are needed
communicate with others how girls are benefiting from their Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Girl Led, Learning by Doing, and Cooperative Learning
Girl Scouting is a hands-on leadership program that grows with the girl and her interests and abilities. Girl Scouting has six program grade levels:

Girl Scout Daisy (kindergarten-grade 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)

When Discover, Connect and Take Action activities are girl-led and involve learning by doing and cooperative learning, girls achieve the desired and expected 15 leadership outcomes, ultimately resulting in Girl Scouting achieving its mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Council-Sponsored Program Events
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys offers more than 1,100 council-sponsored program events that incorporate the outcomes of the Discover, Connect, and Take Action leadership keys. Click here to view the online listing of council-sponsored events.

What is a Girl Scout Journey?
Journeys are the exciting new way Girl Scouts is moving from single-interest awards and activities to a series of themed program activities focused on building specific leadership skills and interests for one of the six Girl Scout program grade levels.

Journeys will ensure a consistent core Girl Scout experience nationwide, tie activities to 5-8 of the leadership outcomes, incorporate the Girl Scout processes: Girl Led, Cooperative Learning, and Learning by Doing, and make it easier for Girl Scout volunteers to guide girls through fun and meaningful experiences.

Journeys generally run from six to eight sessions; they can be customized by adding Girl Scout outings, celebrations, and explorations that suit the Journey’s theme and the girls’ interests. Journeys can be stretched over a Girl Scout year or done over the course of a few weeks or months – whatever the girl and her troop decide.

Program grade level specific Journey books are available to girls, along with easy-to-use “how to” guides for adults that accompany each Journey book. Girls also have new official awards to earn, which will mark their accomplishments along the journey and recognize their growing leadership skills.

Leadership Essentials Training for Volunteers

New leaders need to complete Leadership Essentials training within four months of their appointment as a Girl Scout leader. Returning leaders are highly encouraged to attend a Leadership Essentials training as well. Registration for all River Valleys training sessions is available online.

The first Journey series is called: It’s Your World-Change It!

Girl Scout Daisy (kindergarten – grade 1) – Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden

Girl Scout Brownie (grades 2-3) – Brownie Quest

Girl Scout Junior (grades 4-5) – Agent of Change

Girl Scout Cadette (grades 6-8) – aMAZE: The Twists and Turns of Getting Along

Girl Scout Senior (grades 9-10) – GIRLtopia

Girl Scout Ambassador (grades 11-12) – Your Voice – Your World: the Power of Advocacy

By Fall 2010, there will be a total of three program grade level specific Journeys for girls. All Journeys will incorporate girl-friendly themes, include multi-disciplinary content (STEM, healthy living, the environment, etc.), use a global perspective, have corresponding awards, and tie to the national Girl Scout leadership outcomes.

Continuing the Excellence

Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys is thrilled to be one of the councils nationwide that is embracing and rolling out the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience to all members as we get the new materials (Journey books) and resources.

All existing Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) handbooks and earned award books, including STUDIO 2B books, will remain available and viable Girl Scout resources; girls may continue using them based on their interests. As the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is phased in throughout the U.S. between 2008 and 2010, GSUSA will determine which resources might still be needed to supplement the new approach as well as which current resources might be adapted to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience for use beyond 2010. Girls will always have a chance to complete existing plans and transition to new materials.

As with the existing books, girls are welcome to continue choosing and earning existing awards that represent their varied interests, too; over the next several years, GSUSA will be updating some awards to ensure that all learning experiences tie to the national leadership outcomes intended for girls. Girls will have time to transition to new or updated awards; they will not “lose out” on activities they have already begun or planned.

The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards will remain the highest awards in Girl Scouting. New guidelines, more closely aligning the awards with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, will be available in Spring 2009. The Girl Scout Bronze Award will be earned by Girl Scout Juniors, the Girl Scout Silver Award by Girl Scout Cadettes, and the Girl Scout Gold Award by Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors. During the transition period, girls will have the option to continue earning these awards based on existing standards.

Transforming Leadership Video

Read more about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience in Frequently Asked Questions.