Teen Mentoring Awards

Program Aide (PA) Training is for Cadettes in grades 6-8.

When you guide people or teach them something you know, you're acting as a mentor.  As a Cadette, you have more opportunities to help younger Girl Scouts by sharing your skills, passions, and experience.

To earn a Cadette Program Aide award, follow these steps:

1. Earn one LiA award.
• If you are working on or have done the Cadette Media Journey you might consider the LiA Award for the Brownie Journey A World of Girls.
• If you are working on or have completed the Cadette AMAZE! Journey, you might consider the LiA Award for the Brownie Journey Brownie Quest.
• If you are working on or have completed the Cadette Breathe Journey, you might consider the LiA Award for the Brownie Journey WOW! Wonders of Water.
2. Complete council-designed leadership course training (PA Training).  Part of your leadership course training will involve learning to work with children, and gaining a deeper understanding of a specialty such as science, art, the outdoors, or adapting activities for girls with disabilities.
3. Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions.  This might be assisting girls on Journey activities (in addition to what you did for your LiA), badge activities, or other sessions.  You might work with a group, at their meetings, at a day camp, or during a special council event.

Program Aide Training is available as council training in Choices and also available in local areas.  Please ask your Service Unit or Community Camp Director if they offer it as a local training for you.

Program Aide Training

Special Note:  The Girl Scouts of Northern California offers additional specialty training courses for girls that have been through Program Aide, VIT, or CIT trainings to gain new skills or hone the skills they already have.  These advanced trainings will increase knowledge and abailities in working with younger girls.  

Program Aide, VIT, CIT Specialties

Volunteer-in-Training (VIT) is for Seniors and Ambassadors in grades 10-12.

This award is for girls who'd like to mentor a Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or Cadette group outside of the camp experience.  If you've completed ninth grade, you're eligible to earn this award.  Your VIT project should span a three-to-six month period.

To earn a Senior or Ambassador Volunteer-in-Training award, follow these steps:

1. Find a mentor volunteer who is currently the adult volunteer for a group of girls at the level you'd like to work with.  This volunteer will help you through your training and internship, and you'll help the volunteer with her group of girls for the three-to-six month period.
2. Complete a council-designed leadership course.
3. Create and implement a thoughtful program based on a Journey or badge that lasts over four or more sessions.  Be responsible for designing, planning, and evaluating the activities.  If you're passionate about a topic like art or technology, you could design the activities around the area you love or in which you have expertise.

Volunteer-in-Training is offered in Choices.

Volunteer in Training

Counselor-in-Training (CIT) is for Seniors and Ambassadors in grades 9-12.

This award is for girls who'd like to mentor younger girls in a camp setting as they build skills toward becoming a camp counselor. 

To earn the Senior or Ambassador Councselor-in-Training award, follow these steps:

1. Take a leadership course designed by your council on outdoor experiences.
2. Work with younger girls over the course of a camp session.

Counselor-in-Training programs are available through our council run and community camps.