All About Progression
All About Progression
Progression is a concept we love to talk about here at Girl Scouts—it’s a huge component of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, after all. But what does it mean and how do you know it’s working in your troop? Let’s break it down.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Progression
The main feature of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is that it’s Girl Scout-led. That means that Girl Scouts should have a say in everything they do, whether that’s picking which badge to earn or planning the entire itinerary for an international troop trip. Will your newly formed Daisy troop be able to research activities, budget for supplies, and lead the meeting themselves from the get-go? It’s pretty unlikely, but that’s exactly where progression comes into play.
Progression enables Girl Scouts to acquire the necessary skills to become competent leaders, fearless outdoor enthusiasts, and adventurous travelers. Girl Scouts start at a baseline (What can they do now?) and practice the skills they need to get to the next level (What do they want to be able to do?). As they progress towards higher levels of complexity and difficulty, they’ll also take on more and more responsibilities.
Progression and a Troop Leader’s Role
As a troop leader, your role is to consider your Girl Scouts’ individual abilities as you explore, plan, and guide your troop’s activities. For younger troops, that means you’ll play more of an active role in presenting choices and helping Girl Scouts discover their interests. For older troops, you’ll step back to allow Girl Scouts to take the lead and provide guidance and coaching when needed.
By the time they bridge to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors, your Girl Scouts will be the primary decision-makers and assume the majority of responsibility for their troop. You’ll never leave completely, but you’ll be sitting back and marveling at the extraordinary leaders you’ve helped nurture!
Progression in Practice
Because progression can sometimes seem fuzzy in practice, here’s an example of how it could look at each program grade level. You’ll notice what Girl Scouts are able to do, and what role you can play.
Choosing and Earning a Badge
Program Grade Level |
Girl Scouts’ Role |
Troop Leader’s Role |
Daisy/Brownie |
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Junior |
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Cadette |
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Senior/Ambassador |
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But how exactly do you go from Girl Scouts expressing their ideas to them then taking those ideas and coming up with a full meeting plan? Well, let’s go through the framework:
- In the beginning, you’ll be doing the majority of the planning and work (With troop input, of course!)
- Then, work your way to planning alongside your troop. Show them how you go about planning a meeting. Incorporate questions so they get a sense of how you think through problems. So, you could say, “We agreed to set aside $25 for this activity. Would we have enough to go to the museum to earn the Space Science badge? How much does going to the museum cost? If we don’t have enough money, what could we do instead?”
- With that foundation in place, step back and let Girl Scouts take the reins. Be ready (but not too ready, since you want to give them space to try out different things and make mistakes) to step in to support if they need assistance.
- Finally, step alllll the way back and let the troop do it by themselves.
So, while your Daisies might not be able to balance the troop budget and reach out to a potential guest speaker for your troop meeting now, there’s a clear pathway to get them there. And when your Girl Scouts reach that pinnacle of doing it all by themselves, know that you were instrumental to their success. Way to go, troop leader!
