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The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience
In fall 2008, Girl Scouts of the USA will launch the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience designed to provide girls with expanded leadership opportunities. From projects to improve our environment to assisting victims of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, each year 2.6 million Girl Scouts take the lead in bettering their communities and the world. Girl leaders have been at the heart of Girl Scouts since its founding in 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low recognized that nurturing girls’ leadership abilities would ensure their roles as change-makers of the future.
One of the key changes are the new grade levels for girls. Girls have said that their grade, rather than their age, often determines their social groups. Research has shown that girls learn best, and have the most fun, when they are with the right developmental and social group. To ensure that girls get the most out of Girl Scouting, GSUSA will begin to base its levels on the following grades beginning in October 2008:
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
For recommendations regarding registration for the 2008-2009 program year, or how to transition to the new grade levels (not called “program levels” or “age levels” any longer) for existing troops/groups, read the Frequently Asked Questions document here:
| Frequently Asked Questions regarding the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience | PDF (292KB) (w/graphics & color) | Word (72KB) |
| Ten Best things about the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience | PDF (72 KB) (w/graphics & color) |
The “Journeys” are coming!
Today’s busy Girl Scout volunteers have been asking for easy ways to guide girls through the wealth of experiences that Girl Scouting offers. This fall, those requests will be answered as we launch the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience at each grade level. Easy-to-use companion adult guides will accompany each “leadership journey” and are designed to help volunteers guide girls easily through fun and meaningful experiences. The adult guides will also help volunteers to understand and observe the impact of the program on girls’ lives.
| Details about the Journeys | PDF (760KB) (w/graphics & color) | Word (64KB) |
What is a Leadership Journey?
A leadership journey is the exciting new way of working with girls in a series of themed activities focused on building specific leadership skills. Journeys generally are designed in a six to eight session framework, and are fully customizable by girls and volunteers. In partnership with girls, volunteers can add outings, celebrations, and explorations that suit the journey’s theme and the girls’ interests. Journeys can be stretched over a Girl Scout year or done over the course of a few weeks or months. While journeys offer plenty of choices for girls, the companion adult guides will provide the “roadmap” volunteers want.
Girls of all ages and from across the country contributed their ideas and feedback to make the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience a reality. Girls said they wanted challenging experiences and an exciting, contemporary “look” for books and awards. They also shared, in no uncertain terms, what “leadership” means to them.
| Summary of the Research Review of Exploring Girls Leadership | PDF (284KB) (w/graphics & color) |
| Full the Research Review of Exploring Girls Leadership | PDF (4.1MB) (w/graphics & color) |
How do these journeys benefit girls?
Leadership journeys intentionally guide girls to be leaders in their own lives and as they grow. Experiences in each journey are tied to the three keys to leadership that are at the heart of the Girl Scout philosophy of leadership:
Discover: Girls understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world
Connect: Girls care about, inspire and team with others locally and globally and
Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place.
How will I know that girls in my group are benefiting from the journeys?
Each adult guidebook describes how the experiences in that journey tie into the national leadership outcomes. Fifteen national leadership outcomes, or benefits of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience, were identified by Girl Scouts of the USA in tandem with youth development and education experts. Knowing these outcomes, and the “signs” of these outcomes in girls, makes it possible to see the impact you are having on girls’ lives. You will find the outcomes and their signs built right into your adult guide.
Transforming Leadership, a new book published by GSUSA, outlines the Discover-Connect-Take Action framework of the 15 outcomes, and helps adults to understand how girls will benefit from the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience now and in the future.
Click here to order or download Transforming Leadership from GSUSA
What do families get from this new leadership experience?
Families will have the satisfaction of seeing their girls blossom into leaders. And in doing so, girls and their families will gain a new appreciation for the values of Girl Scout awards. They will celebrate earning them in the same spirit as Juliette Gordon Low when she said-
“The awards you work on with others are more fun and better prepare you for being useful…you want to be proud of your badge and feel that you have accomplished something worthwhile.”
The girls in my group are bridging to Girl Scout Ambassadors. How can they prepare?
Our council has developed bridging steps for girls entering the 11th grade to assist them. Girls who complete the bridging steps may purchase the new Bridge to Ambassador Patch when it becomes available later this year.
| Bridging to Ambassadors Steps | PDF (70KB) (w/graphics & color) | Word (30KB) |
What about girls bridging to the other levels?
Everything you will need is available at your local GSNC retail store!
- Bridge to Brownie Patch
- Bridge to Junior Patch
- Bridge to Cadette Patch
- Bridge to Senior Patch
- Membership Stars and Discs (Blue, Green, Yellow, White)
- Bridging Certificates for all levels, including Daisy Girl Scouts!
For GSNC store locations go to www.GirlScoutsNorCal.org/store
Visit the store page to download a list of store locations or order form for in-store, fax, phone, or mail-in orders. You can shop 24 hours a day, every day by using our online store.