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How to Start a Troop

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The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law

* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be
   honest and fair,
   friendly and helpful,
   considerate and caring,
   courageous and strong, and
   responsible for what I say and do,
and to
   respect myself and others,
   respect authority,
   use resources wisely,
   make the world a better place, and
   be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Thinking of starting a troop? We’ll take out the guesswork. Follow these 10 steps and you’ll be on your way to providing opportunities that girls want and experiences that change lives!

To get back to this page, just remember www.GirlScoutsNorCal.org/newleader
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  1. Take the GSUSA Orientation (45 min.)

  2. Call or email your Community Development Director

  3. Go to your Welcome Session and sign your position description agreement (15 min.). One adult per troop must attend, however co-leaders or co-op troop leaders are also welcome.

  4. Register as a member of Girl Scouts of the USA Your CDD will give you the registration materials at your welcome session. Additional materials can be downloaded here.

  5. Complete the Adult Screening Process

  6. Take Getting Started (2 hours)

  7. Take Safety-Wise (45 min.)

  8. Agree to abide by the Girl Scout Promise and Law

  9. Get some girls together and start having fun!

  10. Take Leadership Essentials (2 hours) (you can take this within 4 months of starting your troop)

Please Remember

At least one adult present at every troop/group meeting or outing must have completed the entire core leadership series: GSUSA Orientation, Getting Started, Safety-Wise, and Leadership Essentials.

It is recommended that the leadership series be taken in order: GSUSA Orientation, Getting Started, Safety-Wise, Leadership Essentials.

Ratios for adult supervision as noted in the Council Resource Guide on page 16 must be observed.

Beyond the Basics

Once you’ve finished the basics and completed your first few meetings, you’ll probably want to branch out into other fun and exciting activities; Want to take your brownies on their first overnight camping trip or learn how to advise a group of teenagers? Additional adult learning courses may be needed for certain activities. We also offer some optional classes for enriching your Girl Scout activities.

Click here to view the Adult Learning Course Requirement Table