Start or Join a Troop

Joining a troop is one way of participating in Girl Scouts. You’ll get together with your friends to seek adventure, learn together, take the lead, and make new friends!

Join an Existing Girl Scout Troop

When you join Girl Scouts, you get options! From a volunteer-led troop of your peers to going solo as a Juliette, you’re sure to find a place here.

Volunteer-Led

Volunteer-led troops are led by a volunteer troop leader—usually a parent or guardian of one of the girls in the troop. You and your troop sisters decide what to do, and work together with your troop leader to make it happen. Whether you get together once a week or once a month, you’ll find yourself counting the days until your next troop meeting starts!

You’ll try lots of new things—like camping, designing a robot, making jewelry, geocaching, helping your community, conducting science experiments, planting gardens, and oh, so much more.

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Mentored Troops

We know that Girl Scouting has proven to support academic success and life outcomes in alums, and Girl Scouts show increased self confidence in their decision-making abilities and their capacity to become strong leaders in their own lives and communities. At Girl Scouts River Valleys, we also know that not everyone finds Girl Scouting familiar or easily accessible, including girls and families of color within our council area.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are core Girl Scout values, and at River Valleys, we understand representation matters. Mentored Troops provide girls of color the opportunity to be a part of ethnically diverse Girl Scout troops led by volunteer troop leaders of color.

Through Mentored Troops, girls develop a sense of belonging and sisterhood with one another as they work toward badges and patches focused on leadership, STEM, outdoor skills, and financial literacy.

For more information, visit our Community Engagement webage.

ConnectZ Troops

ConnectZ troops are formed at schools and other organizations to provide the opportunity for girls from underrepresented communities to join Girl Scouts. These troops are led by trained youth-development professionals. Just like any other troop, you’ll earn badges and explore topics like healthy living, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and the business of selling cookies!

You’ll also have unique opportunities like learning from successful businesswomen, participating in a two-day Hmong Women’s Circle retreat, attending our Hermanas Latinas, Latina Conference, or touring historically black colleges and universities.

Team-Led Troops

Different than the volunteer-led Girl Scout troop model, where one or two troop leaders hold the bulk of the responsibility for coordinating troop meetings and logistics, the team-led troop approach spreads troop responsibilities around - giving everyone an opportunity to be involved in their girl’s troop experience and leadership! Many families find this team-led troop model to work well with their schedules, offering more flexibility and allowing everyone a chance to share their talents with the troop.

In a team-led troop, caregivers all register as volunteers with the troop, which involves paying an annual membership fee of $25* and completing a required background check.

*financial assistance is available

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Juliettes (Individual Girl Scouts)

Juliette Girl Scouts, named after our founder Juliette Gordan Low, are registered girl members in grades K-12 who are not affiliated with a troop or troop leader. Instead, you’ll have flexibility to try all the experiences Girl Scouts has to offer, on your own time, guided by your Juliette mentor! You’ll participate in our program grade levels (Daisies, Brownies, etc.), earn badges and awards, sell cookies, and much more—all with personal guidance from an important adult in your life. Any girl, K-12, can be a Juliette and she can also go back and forth between being in a troop and being a Juliette during her Girl Scout career.

Whether you travel the world or meet new friends at Girl Scout events, your independence and passion will lead you to success both in Girl Scouts and in your life!

Learn More

Start a Girl Scout Troop

Parents/guardians and community members make a key difference in the lives of girls by guiding them through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Leading a troop is an incredible way to help girls empower themselves to make the world a better place! Read How to Start a Troop or get started by completing the Troop Leader Registration Form.

Welcome Other Girls Into Your Troop

Word-of-mouth efforts are your most powerful tool for finding girls to join your troop. Spread the word about your troop and invite girls to join with these downloads:

Sample Social Post | Filable Troop Invite Flyer | Customizable Email Template

Choose Your Troop Meeting Details

You can start thinking about how your troop will get together right away! Most troops meet twice per month, but you can choose a schedule that works best for you.

You’ll want to pick a day, time, and location for troop meetings. Start by contacting potential venues now to find a safe, clean, and secure meeting space. Good options include:

Schools
Libraries
Places of worship
Community centers and buildings
Local businesses

Once you’ve finalized your meeting details, share them with us at Volunteers.GirlScoutsRV.org/Troop-Catalog-Update*. When you complete our Troop Catalog Update form, we’ll add your meeting details to the online registration portal—which helps families find the right troop for them.

*Volunteers.GirlScoutsRV.org is a resource website for registered Girl Scouts River Valleys volunteers!

Look for Other Adults to Help

A troop needs at least two unrelated adults to get started, and most troop leaders also look for additional help throughout the year. Parents/guardians of other girls in your troop and adults in your community are prime candidates! Learn about various volunteer roles you can optionally incorporate into your troop at GirlScoutsRV.org/Volunteers and check out our Family Resources document that outlines the ways parents/caregivers can help.