Girl Scout Program Pathways
 Leadership
Program Resources, Awards, and Pathways
A pathway is the way girls and volunteers join Girl Scouting.
They can choose from several pathways both short and long
term, including troop, travel destinations, short term
program activities, day camp and resident camps, special
interest groups, or virtual activity connections.
The Girl Scout community is helping shape pathway standards
to provide nationally consistent approaches to membership.
In the summer of 2007 GSUSA hosted nine conversations with
215 staff from 147 councils in 42 states to talk about
Girl Scout Pathways. Councils shared their own innovative
approaches for reaching girls and adults. The information
gathered in these conversations will help develop national
criteria for new Girl Scout Pathways.
Work
is underway to create the first wave of program resources,
awards, and facilitator guides that will bring our new
leadership experience to life for girls.
Fun,
Coordinated and Serial: GSUSA
will develop a coordinated series of fun, modular
resources and corresponding awards for girls at
each level based on the Discover, Connect and Take
Action leadership outcomes and indicators.
Thematic
Journeys: Each
journey will be designed around an age appropriate "guiding
theme" and engage girls in exploring a variety
of interests. The first segments will provide
a "leadership launch" for girls. Girls
at each level will explore a specific leadership
theme, earning small awards along the way and the
leadership award for the level at the end of the
journey.
- Field
testing of the "leadership launch" will occur
with girls and volunteers in summer 2007, and will
continue through spring 2008. Corresponding "facilitator
guides" will make it easy for volunteers to coach
girls at each level by applying the girl-driven,
learning by doing and cooperative
learning processes.
- The
new leadership awards will provide a springboard to
the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold awards
at the relevant levels.
- Over
time, we expect to develop many fun and multi-interest
thematic strands for each level, accompanied by facilitator
guides for volunteers.
- This
serial and modular approach has a number of advantages
for Girl Scouting:
- Responds
to learning needs by shifting our paradigm from
a myriad of "single topic" badges to
exploration of varied topics tied to a larger,
overarching guiding theme.
- Engages
girls in fun and purposeful seeking and exploring
related to a thematic issue that is larger than
any one activity along the way—the journey
is the reward.
- Enables
GSUSA to update program experiences for girls
in a timely way. For example, nationally, we
could replicate a journey created locally by
girls to reflect current interests.
Toward
Nationally Consistent Membership Pathways
Each program segment will be designed for use within a troop year or as a national,
short-term pathway, promoting:
- Consistent
and high quality experience for all girls Participation
by busy girls and families
- Collaboration
opportunities with schools and other community groups
Girl
Scouts can continue to enjoy participating through membership
in a troop of girls progressing through the years together.Given
the busy lives of girls and volunteers, Girl Scouts can
also choose to participate via serial, shorter-term experiences
(e.g. 8 – 12 sessions).
We
will gain national consistency and quality when girls
in troops and in short-term pathways use the same high-quality
Leadership Development Program.
Summarizing
the Paradigm Shifts
Q & A What
about the uniforms?
- Girl
Scouts will balance our tradition of unity with practicality
to meet the needs of today’s girls and their
families.Girls at each age level will have one official
uniform item (e.g. tunic, vest or sash) for the display
of official pins and awards. Girls will wear this item
with their own white shirts and khaki pants or skirts
when they participate in ceremonies or officially represent
the Girl Scout Movement. Teen
girls will also have the option of wearing a scarf
connecting us to our global sisterhood, WAGGGS.
- The
adult uniform will be the membership pins worn with
a scarf for women and a tie for men coordinated with
navy blue business attire.
Girl
Scouts of the USA will continue to evolve and offer a
range of appealing casual uniform wear for girls and
adults.
As
of fall 2008, Girl Scouts at each program level
will need one required uniform item (tunic, vest, and
sash) for display of official pins and awards at ceremonies,
and when officially representing the Girl Scout Movement.
Girls can show their pride in belonging to Girl Scouts
of the USA by continuing to wear the currently available
clothing items!
Also,
girls and volunteers can continue to use all of the currently
available program resources —books, awards and
Web sections.
If
you have questions that you would like answered please
send them to communications@girlscouts.org.
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