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Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Our
Strategic Priority
To build
the best
leadership
experience
that defines
activities
and outcomes,
is differentiated
by age-level,
promotes
consistency,
and offers
flexible
pathways
for participation
for all girls
5-17.
What
do girls really do
in Girl Scouts? How does
participating in Girl
Scouts benefit girls?
How exactly do girls
build courage, character,
and confidence and make
the world a better place?
How can busy girls stay
involved?
Chances
are good that right now,
depending on who you
ask, you'll hear different
answers to these important
questions.
Our
Challenge
We
know that for Girl
Scouts
to become even
more successful
and powerful
in the
years ahead, we
must deliver
an updated
and consistent
experience
that engages
all girls,
encouraging
them to
discover their best
selves
and use leadership
skills
to take action
and make
a difference
in their
world.
Therefore, we need to:
- Reach
new and growing demographic
markets
- Tie
enjoyable activities
and experiences to
our desired impact
on girls' lives (our
outcomes)
- Incorporate
community and global
service, action, and
global citizenship
- Combine
up-to-date language,
mediums and practices
with Girl Scouts' longstanding
traditions
Promise
and Law
The
Girl Scout Promise and
Law remain at the heart
of the
Girl Scout experience,
and their
values
are fully integrated
into the
Girl Scout
Leadership
Experience.
What
Leadership Means
Girl
Scouts of the USA has
a unique philosophy
of leadership
that is based
on “making
the world
a better
place.” That's
what it's
all about—just
as it says
in the Girl
Scout Promise
and Law.
Through
Girl Scouting,
girls become
leaders by:
- Discovering
Understanding
themselves
and their
values,
and using
their
knowledge
and skills
to explore
the world.
- Connecting
Caring
about,
inspiring
and teaming
with
others
locally
and globally.
- Taking
Action
Acting
to make
the world
a better
place.
The
leadership experience
will be clearly differentiated
for girls in elementary,
middle, and high school
in a way that gives girls
something new to aspire
toward as they grow older.
Pathways
for Participation
Girls
and their families are
busier than ever these
days, so our
goal is to provide both
long-term and short-term
avenues
of participation at
all grade levels.
Why
is Girl Scouts focusing
on leadership?
Girl
Scouts has always been
about leadership, so
this is not a new
focus but a more deliberate
one. Even
at the youngest ages
of Girl Scouting,
girls can gain leadership
skills they
will carry
with them
throughout their lives.
The Girl
Scout focus on leadership
shows girls
that they
are leaders right now
in their everyday
lives, and they will
continue
to be leaders as they
get older. We
believe that when women
are leaders
in our world,
positive
results are achieved—and
our world
needs more positive
results.
- How
is leadership taught
to
girls?
In
the
new
Girl
Scout
Leadership
experience,
activities
are
organized
around
three
pillars—discover,
connect,
and take
action—which
translate
into knowing
yourself,
reaching
out to
others,
and taking
action to contribute
to society
in sustainable
ways, making
a difference
in the
world. This
means
that
in
every
Girl
Scout
program
delivered
to
girls
of
each
age
group,
there
will
be
a Discover,
Connect
and
Take
Action
component.
These
three
pillars
and
the
focus
on
leadership
development
will
start
to
build
a consistent
experience
for
girls
across
the
country.
- What
Is
a "leadership
journey" and
how
will
it
change
program
materials
and
awards?
Girl
Scout
Leadership
journeys
are
coordinated,
thematic
series
of
activities
grouped
around
one
theme
that
is
delivered
over
a
set
period
of
time
with
the
intention
of
being
a
complete
leadership
experience
module. Each
journey
is tied
to some
of Girl
Scouts'
15 national
outcomes
for girls,
as defined
in the
Girl Scout
Leadership
Model.
These outcomes
are integral
to the "Discover-Connect-
Take Action" philosophy
of
leadership.
For
the
launch
of
the
leadership
experience
in
fall
2008,
GSUSA
is
creating
one
leadership
journey
for
each
level,
accompanied
by
awards
and
facilitator
guides.
These
initial
journeys
invite
girls
to
explore
a specific
leadership
theme
for
their
level.
Subsequent
journeys
will
layer
on
more
multi-disciplinary
content,
like
science
and
technology,
healthy
living,
and
the
outdoors,
adding
to
the
variety.
Transition Planning, 2007-2010
The Girl Scout community is hard at work addressing our Core
Business Strategy’s call for a major transformation
centered on building the world's best leadership experience
that ties activities to outcomes, provides differentiation
for girls from kindergarten through high school, and offers
flexible pathways for today's diverse and busy girls and
volunteers.
With input from girls, the Girl Scout community, and youth
development experts, a team of national and council staff
spent 2005 determining key elements and outcomes for the New
Girl Scout Leadership Experience. This model was finalized
in 2006 and then slated, by the National Board of Directors,
for first-stage implementation in fall 2008.
The Multi-year Transition Period
The transition has been set up as a multiyear process so
that councils can balance national action plans with local
needs, making choices as needed to reach the Movement’s
goal of providing girls with a unified Girl Scout experience
by fall 2010.
Girl Scouts of the
USA wants to reassure councils and members that the
transition period extends through 2010. Fall 2008 marks
the beginning of the transition to the Girl Scout Leadership
Experience. GSUSA is providing guidance on managing membership
and program over the next several years with specific attention
to:
The concluding Challenges and Suggestions list
offers solutions for specific challenges related to transitioning
to the new grade levels and managing a variety of membership
needs, including multigrade and multilevel troops, homeschooled
girls and individually
registered girls. As the fall 2008 launch of the New
Girl Scout Leadership Experience nears, GSUSA will continue
to host a series of national conference calls and Webinars.
Some are to disseminate information on work completed; others
are to solicit input on work under way. The attached list
provides dates for these opportunities over the next several
months.
The Model, Pathways, and Journeys
Understanding the New Lingo on the Road to Leadership
The Leadership Model
The leadership model provides the design for what girls
do in Girl Scouting. It illustrates how adult support strengthens
girls’ experiences and drives and displays all the
elements that must be in place to create a positive impact
on girls’ lives.
Girl Scout Pathways
A pathway is the way girls and volunteers join Girl Scouting.
They can choose from several pathways, including an ongoing
troop, destinations, a short-term opportunity, a day or resident
camp, a special-interest topic or event, or a virtual (online)
connection.
Leadership Journeys
Journeys represent the experiences Girl Scouts engage in
to achieve leadership outcomes. For each Girl Scout grade
level, GSUSA is creating a series of leadership journeys
accompanied by new resources and new awards.
The New Membership
Grade Levels
Girls say it is important to be with other girls their age
and, currently, they get bored by too much repetition. As
one 13-year-old Girl Scout wrote, “It makes us more
comfortable to be with the same age group as ourselves.” Girls
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, approved by the National Board, address
the charge of intentionally creating differentiated Girl
Scout experiences that mirror girls’ developmental
needs:
- 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
The grade-level groups provide "leadership levels" for
girls as they progressively "step forward" through
the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Leadership Journeys: The
New Direction for Program Resources and Awards
A series of leadership journeys, accompanied by new resources
and new awards, is
being created for each Girl Scout grade level. Each journey engages girls in
exploring
a theme through a series of linked experiences that, together, form a whole
greater
than any one journey activity. Each journey is tied to national “Discover,
Connect
and Take Action” leadership outcomes.
The journey concept grew out of an approach many councils
already use informally
as they weave activities and events around existing Girl Scout resources and
awards
to better suit their members’ needs and interests. The concept also builds
on the rich
tradition of linked Girl Scouting efforts like "program trails."
While engaged in the new Girl Scout journeys, girls and
volunteers are encouraged
to add on outings, celebrations, in-depth explorations or anything else that
meets
their interests, time, and resources.
Coming in Fall 2008: Leadership Launch
Journeys
The first journeys planned for fall 2008 are referred
to as Leadership Launch Journeys because they kick-off
the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience and serve
as a “launch pad” for future experiences
in Girl Scouting.
Each launch journey presents a central theme that
ties to the three keys of leadership — Discover,
Connect, and Take Action—and places special
emphasis on choosing and implementing related "Take
Action" projects. These journeys deepen girls’ understanding
of what it means to be a leader at each progressive
level of Girl Scouts.
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The launch journeys are made up of 5-8 sessions (total
sessions vary by level) and are intended for local
customization. Journeys can be done in a variety of
Girl Scout Pathways, including stand-alone, short-term
experiences.
A print resource for each level will bring the journey
to life for girls and incorporate important elements
of Girl Scout history and tradition. Girls will earn
official awards to display on their vests or sashes
during each journey. The content and awards of the
launch journeys will be detailed during the November
2007 conference calls or Webinars (see attached schedule).
GSUSA is mindful of the need to be cost-conscious with
all new product offerings.
Councils will preview the launch journeys in spring
2008 and can begin using them in fall 2008.
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Existing
Resources & Awards
Throughout the multiyear
transition period, no girls will
lose out on experiences, projects, or awards they have already started.
Girls at every level can continue to use all available existing materials
as new resources are developed and phased in. Adults are invited to use
their best judgment to assist girls in choosing projects that are appropriate
for their grade level. Existing program resources will continue to serve
as supplements to the new materials through 2010.
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Highest
Awards in Girl Scouts
The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold
Awards remain the culminating leadership awards, and
are an opportunity for girls to put the "Discover,
Connect, Take Action" leadership philosophy in
motion.
Based on the resolution adopted by the
National Council in 1990, GSUSA recognizes "in
perpetuity the designation Girl Scout Gold Award as
the highest award to be earned as a girl member." GSUSA
suggests that girls are eligible to complete their
Girl Scout Gold Award any time between 10th and 12th
grade, as Girl Scout Seniors or Ambassadors.
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.
GSUSA is now seeking input on both the
grade-level standards and requirements for these highest
awards. The ultimate goal is to lift up these awards
as pinnacles of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Working
together with councils, we will increase the prestige of these awards
and honor as never before the girls who demonstrate their leadership
while earning them. E-mail suggestions to programideas@girlscouts.org.
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Local Efforts Wanted for National
Journeys
GSUSA recognizes that some girls, volunteers,
and councils may want to continue their practice
of creating their own Girl Scout leadership experiences
based on the new national leadership outcomes and
the girl-led, cooperative, and learning by doing processes.
Once national Girl Scout Pathways are defined, councils
may also want to create leadership experiences to
fit those pathways.
As the Leadership Launch Journeys begin in 2008, the
Girl Scout community will be welcome to suggest high-quality
local projects for consideration as future national
journeys. GSUSA has a special interest in replicating
excellent leadership experience efforts that further
integrate important topics such as healthy living,
science, math, technology, the outdoors, and the environment.
Beyond 2008
Additional leadership journeys for each grade level,
slated for release in 2009 and beyond, will continue
to tie experiences to leadership outcomes while incorporating
a variety of topics, especially science, math, technology,
healthy living, the outdoors and the environment. Suggestions
for future thematic journeys are welcome; e-mail programideas@girlscouts.org.
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Preparing
Adults
Facilitator Guides
Girl Scout volunteers have long asked for more concrete
and specific guidance on “what to do” with
girls. Recognizing that busy adults need “ready-to-go” materials,
Girl Scouts of the USA is creating detailed facilitator
guides to accompany each Leadership Launch Journey.
These resources will guide volunteers through the
journey with girls, and will make girl-led, cooperative,
and hands-on learning techniques easier than ever before
to implement. Additionally, the facilitator guides
will show volunteers how journey experiences are tied
to achieving the national leadership outcomes.
Together, the new materials for girls and adults will
bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to life.
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Spring 2008 Conferences
GSUSA will hold six sessions for teams of council staff
and volunteers in spring 2008.
These sessions, called “The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience:
A Bold Journey
into the Future,” will engage participants in understanding the Girl
Scout leadership
philosophy "from the inside out" and then prepare them for local
implementation. An
emphasis for these sessions will be on preparing and coaching volunteers to
use the
girl-led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing processes to ensure high-quality
experiences.
Online Learning
Online learning opportunities throughout 2008 will enable
the Girl Scout community
to further understand and prepare to implement the New Girl Scout Leadership
Experience. Again, adults will explore not just "what to do" with
girls, but the
processes of "how" to achieve the desired impact on girls—leadership!
Registration Form Changes
Currently, the dues summary registration form asks for “one
grade level that
represents the majority of the girls that are registering now” and displays
the current
grade levels. These categories will be changed to reflect the new levels. Changes
will
be made for all forms distributed winter/spring 2008. Since the girl registration
form only asks what grade a girl is in school, that question will remain.
Toward National Outcomes
Building on the charge to tie activities to outcomes within
the New Girl Scout
Leadership Experience, GSUSA will this fall release a new publication, Transforming
Leadership: Outcomes of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. This
document
will detail the meaning of each outcome by grade level within the Discover,
Connect,
Take Action framework. Transforming Leadership will help focus efforts around
those
outcomes (e.g., program activity selection, fund development, communications)
and
pave the way for future outcomes measurement.
Through fall 2007 and spring 2008, the Girl Scout Research
Institute (GSRI) will pilot
measures of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience outcomes and program processes
(girl-led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing). A national pilot baseline
study will be conducted in spring 2008 with 6-10 councils. The results will
provide a baseline for future comparisons and outcomes measurements, and will
be ready in time for the 2008 National Council Session. The GSRI is working
with councils on the Outcomes Advisory Group to develop a five-year plan for
an integrated local/national outcomes measurement system. Closely aligned with
this work, the GSRI will release a research review, Exploring Girls’ Leadership
(fall 2007),
and an original study on girls’ leadership (spring 2008) that further
illuminate what leadership means for girls, which factors encourage them to
aspire to leadership, and how Girl Scouting can make a difference.
Girl Scout Pathways
GSUSA envisions councils using the new leadership journeys
to fuel girl and volunteer participation in a variety of
consistent long- and short-term Girl Scout Pathways. For
example, a journey can be spread over a series of troop gatherings,
provide the basis for a week of day or resident camp, or
be the primary content of a virtual pathway.
The Girl Scout community is helping shape pathway standards
to provide nationally consistent approaches to membership.
This summer 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 that could easily fit into a national pathways
framework. The information gathered in these conversations
will help develop national criteria for Girl Scout Pathways.
All councils can participate in the ongoing “conversations” GSUSA
will host in fall 2007. Topics may include funding pathways,
volunteer position descriptions, development of virtual pathways,
and recruitment strategies. (See the attached Webinar calendar
for dates.) For a copy of the most recent Girl Scout Pathways
draft document and supporting materials, contact pathways@girlscouts.org.
Symbols of Belonging: Uniforms and
Awards
Girl Scout uniforms and awards unite Girl Scouts around
the world as a sisterhood of
leaders. In the tradition of updating these important symbols of belonging
periodically, the National Board of Directors approved a new policy, provided
below, for implementation, beginning in fall 2008.
Based on this policy, girls at each level will have one
official uniform item (e.g. tunic, vest, sash) so that they
can proudly display the pins and badges they earn. Girls
will wear their vests and sashes with their own white shirts
and khaki pants, making it easier for more girls than ever
before to show their pride as Girl Scouts!
Uniform Policy Adopted by National Board
of Directors, August 2006
Required Elements:
- Girl Scouts at each level will have
one official uniform item (e.g., tunic, vest, sash)
for the display of official pins and awards. This uniform item will be required
when
girls participate in ceremonies or officially represent the Girl Scout Movement.
- The official dress code will unite girls
as Girl Scouts. Girl Scout Juniors and older
program age groups will wear solid white shirts and khaki pants or skirts
with their
official uniform item, which will be required when they participate in ceremonies
or
officially represent the Girl Scout Movement. Brownies and Daisies may still
wear full
uniform ensembles.
- The adult uniforms will be a scarf worn
with the membership pins for women and a
tie for men. The scarf/tie and membership pins will be worn with navy blue
business
attire.
Available elements:
- Girl Scouts at the Daisy and Brownie
levels will continue to have a full uniform
ensemble available.
- Girl Scouts in high school will also
have a scarf, uniting them in the WAGGGS
tradition.
- Girl Scouts of the USA will continue
to develop and offer a range of appealing casual
wear for girls and adults.
Challenges and Suggestions
Girl Scout Daisies: Currently
not enough program content is available to manage
the Daisy Girl Scout experience as a two-year experience. What about girls
who use
the existing Daisy materials in 2007-2008 as kindergarteners—what would
they do
as first-grade Daisies in 2008-2009?
SUGGESTION: Girl Scouts of the USA encourages
the following approach to the
Girl Scout Daisy level:
- Girls who are in kindergarten in 2007-2008
are Girl Scout Daisies, using the
existing program resources as they learn the Girl
Scout Promise and Law.
Councils continue to supplement this with local programming.
- When these girls enter first grade in
2008-2009, register them as first-grade
Daisies, enabling them to participate in the Daisy launch journey which lays
the foundation for their next leadership steps as Girl Scout Brownies.
Councils choosing to register these first-graders as Brownies
in 2008-2009 should
consider that the Girl Scout Brownie launch journey is being created especially
for
second- and third-graders.
Girl Scout Cadettes: Given that
sixth-graders may fall into either elementary or
middle school depending on their school district’s grade structure, troops
and service
units might want to continue registering sixth graders as Girl Scout Juniors.
SUGGESTION: Girl Scouts of the USA recommends
that girls entering sixth grade
in 2008-2009 register as Cadettes so they can enjoy the new Leadership Journey
for
this level.
Early adolescence can be a challenging time in girls’ lives.
The new grade grouping
and leadership journey is 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.
Depending on school districts and other local issues, councils
may need to use 2008-
2009 to work with troops and service units on adjusting membership practices.
The
multiyear transition allows for the option of taking some extra time as necessary
to
move membership to the new levels.
High School Membership: Ambassadors
(11th-12th grades) are a brand-new
level for young women in Girl Scouts. How will it be different then the experience
of
Senior Girl Scouts (9th-10th grades)?
SUGGESTION: Girl Scouts of the USA
recommends that girls entering ninth or
10th grade in 2008-2009 register as Girl Scout Seniors. These girls will develop
their
vision of the world as they try out the new Senior Leadership Launch Journey,
supplementing it with the array of existing resources.
Girls in 11th and 12th grade are future-driven and can apply
their leadership to
setting a new, and possibly global, course—as Girl Scout Ambassadors.
Girl Scouts of the USA invites girls entering the 11th and
12th grades to become the
first “Girl Scout Ambassadors” in the 2008-2009 year. In addition
to completing—or
even beginning—their Girl Scout Gold
Award, they will try the new Ambassador
Leadership Journey. Ambassadors may also choose from the array of existing
offerings for teen Girl Scouts, while they partner with GSUSA to shape their
special
Ambassador roles in Girl Scouting.
Multilevel Groups: In some places
around the country, multilevel groups are
working really well—serving girls from kindergarten through high school.
What
happens to them in the new level groupings?
SUGGESTION: Keep going! Diverse girls
benefit greatly through opportunities to
"give and get" from each other at different levels. All of the girls
can be engaged in
exploring what it means to be leaders based on the Girl Scout philosophy: Discover,
Connect, Take Action.
Just ensure that plans do not always rely on engaging "older" girls
as "helpers" of
younger girls. Teens need opportunities to network in their own peer group
and
participate in challenges especially for their level.
Multigrade Groups: Within one
Girl Scout level, there could be two to three
grades of girls represented. How are troops or groups best set up—single
grade or
multigrade?
SUGGESTION: When volunteers and logistical considerations
(transportation!)
make it possible, it's great for girls who are "slightly" older/younger
to benefit from
each other. There are several ways to manage this experience. For example,
Girl Scout Juniors are fourth- and fifth-graders. The fifth-graders could assist
their younger peers on the "Leadership Launch Journey" while having
some "break out time" to plan their Bronze
Award project.
Homeschooled Girl Scouts: In
some areas of the country, homeschooling is
very popular. What Girl Scout level would homeschooled girls participate in?
SUGGESTION: Girl Scouts of the USA
trusts councils, in partnership with families,
to assist every girl to have the Girl Scout experience that is best for her.
As a
general practice, girls say it is important to be with their "social peers"—groups
that
share the same developmental characteristics.
Individually Registered Girl Scouts: When
girls do not have time to belong in
a troop or the logistics of meeting times and places get in the way, they might
choose to register "individually." What changes might need to be
addressed for
these girls to participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience?
SUGGESTION: Individually
registered girls can participate in any pathway. The
vision is all girls and adults join Girl Scouts immediately upon paying their
$10
membership dues and accepting the Girl Scout Promise
and Law. They then decide
which pathway(s) they'd like to participate in. They can participate in any
or all
pathways, and regardless of which pathway they participate in they are all
Girl
Scouts! For a copy of the most recent Girl Scout Pathways draft document and
supporting materials, contact pathways@girlscouts.org.
Awards: While Girl Scouting
undergoes this major transformation, girls might find
themselves with “last year’s” tunic/vest/sash and “this
year’s” new award items.
SUGGESTION: With
so much change and transition under way,
Girl Scouts of the
USA invites councils to assure membership that all new awards will come with
placement guidelines. Some specific examples of what uniforms and awards might
look like during transition include:
- Girl Scout Daisies might earn and place
petals on their tunics as
kindergartners in 2007-2008 and go on to earn and add the new awards,
which can have a special place on that same tunic, as first-graders in 2008-
2009.
- Girls who are fifth-grade Juniors in
2007-2008 might wear their vests into
sixth-grade Cadettes in 2008-2009, completing their Bronze Awards and/or
choosing to try out the premier Cadette Leadership Journey.
The above are just two examples of what our transition to
the new Girl Scout
Leadership Experience might mean for girls. Many more “What If” situations
are sure
to arise. Keep moving toward having every Girl Scout engaged in the new Leadership
Experience by fall 2010. By then, girls will be able to proudly and uniformly
use the
vests/sashes and awards designated to show that they belong to a sisterhood
of
leaders.
Recommended Membership
for Girl Scout Daisies-Brownies During Transition
Entering
Kindergarten
2007-2008
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Entering
First Grade
2008-2009
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Second Grade
2009-2010
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Third Grade
2010-2011
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Fourth Grade
2007-2008
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Register as GS
Daisy
Use existing GS
Daisy program
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Register as GS
Daisy
Use new GS
Daisy Journey
Supplement with existing GSUSA and
local materials and awards
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Register as GS
Brownie
Use new GS
Brownie
Journeys
Supplement
with existing
GSUSA Brownie
Materials
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Register as GS
Brownie
Ample new GS
Brownie
materials exists
to choose from
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Follow new GS
grade groupings
and use new
leadership
resources
through 12th
grades |
Recommended Membership
for Girl Scout Cadettes During Transition
Entering
Sixth Grade
2007-2008
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Entering
Sixth Grade
2008-2009
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Seventh Grade
2009-2010
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Eighth Grade
2010-2011
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Ninth Grade
2011-2012
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Use existing
standards:
option to be a
GS Cadette or
Junior
Option to do GS Bronze Award
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Register as GS
Cadette
Use new Cadette Journey
Supplement with existing materials
Option to complete GS
Bronze Award
before starting
any work on GS
Silver Award
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Register as GS
Cadette
Use new Cadette Journeys
Supplement
with existing
materials
Option to begin GS Silver Award
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Register as GS
Cadette
Ample new
leadership
materials exist
Option to do GS
Silver Award
|
Option to do GS
Silver Award
Bridging into GS
Senior at end of
ninth grade
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FAQ's on the Leadership Experience
Why is Girl Scouts focusing on leadership?
Girl Scouts has always been about leadership, so this is not a new focus but
a more deliberate one. Even at the youngest ages of Girl Scouting, girls can
gain leadership skills they will carry with them throughout their lives. The
Girl Scout focus on leadership shows girls that they are leaders right
now in their everyday lives, and they will continue to be leaders as they get
older. We believe that when women are leaders in our world, positive results
are achieved—and our world needs more positive results.
How is leadership taught to girls?
In the new Girl Scout Leadership experience, activities are organized around
three pillars —discover, connect, and take action—which
translate into knowing yourself, reaching out to others, and taking
action to contribute to society in sustainable ways, making
a difference in the world. This means that in every Girl Scout program
delivered to girls of each age group, there will be a Discover, Connect and
Take Action component. These three pillars and the focus on leadership development
will start to build a consistent experience for girls across the country.
What Is a "leadership journey" and how will it change
program materials and awards?
Girl Scout Leadership journeys are coordinated, thematic series of activities
grouped around one theme that is delivered over a set period of time with the
intention of being a complete leadership experience module. Each journey
is tied to some of Girl Scouts' 15 national outcomes for girls, as defined in
the Girl Scout Leadership Model. These outcomes are integral to the "Discover-Connect-Take
Action" philosophy of leadership. For the launch of the leadership experience
in fall 2008, GSUSA is creating one leadership journey for each level, accompanied
by awards and facilitator guides. These initial journeys invite girls to explore
a specific leadership theme for their level. Subsequent journeys will layer on
more multi-disciplinary content, like science and technology, healthy living,
and the outdoors, adding to the variety.
When will we get new program materials for these leadership journeys?
New program materials will be phased in gradually, and with lots of input.
Each grade level will have one “launch” journey for fall 2008,
and councils will have a preview of all materials by April 2008. This means
you will know what the print piece for girls and the adult facilitator guide
will look like at each age level. You will also know what the new awards
are at each age level and what accessory products are available. Feedback
from the Girl Scout community will inform the development of subsequent journeys.
What about current program resources and awards?
Keep using them. It will take several years to create sufficient new program
materials for each age level, and there are many great examples of our DiscoverConnect-Take
Action leadership philosophy at work in the existing materials.
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