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Since leaders are given the responsibility to create this environment, here are some tips for making your
troop experience a successful one. For more tips and advices click here.
- Be Knowledgeable: To succeed in anything in life you must be prepared, and this holds true for Girl Scout
leaders, too. Before you can lead a Girl Scout troop, you'll be asked to complete an application and
submit three references. After they are reviewed by council, you'll be asked to sign a Volunteer Agreement.
Next comes orientation conducted by Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach. When this is completed, you'll
sign up for Basic Leadership Training as well as your age level training. And now, Congratulations! go out to you!
You are now an appointed leader for the Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach.
Enjoy the Girl/Adult Partnership: Encourage the girls to be a part of the planning for troop activities as they
progress through Girl Scouting. The worst thing, believe it or not, is for a leader to plan out the entire year
for the troop! Part of being a Girl Scout is the fun of making decisions, and a wise leader will give her girls
every opportunity to do just that. With the youngest girls, 10% of the meeting is planned by the girls and 90%
by the adults. With the oldest girls, 90% is done by the girls and 10% by the adults. (Yes, even Daisy Girl Scouts are "old enough" and should have a voice in some decision-making.)
Involve a Troop Committee: A troop committee is a group of adult volunteers who help you with generating
ideas and running troop activities. They help to shoulder troop responsibilities such as product sales,
record keeping, and chaperoning. Troop committee members make Girl Scouting a cooperative effort and bring
new ideas and support to both the leader and the troop. Every troop leader should write out a list of "jobs" and circulate it among the parents/guardians for sign-up. Never try to do everything yourself! This is a
perfect way to show the girls how a team and a troop works.
Paperwork and Safety: What may appear at first glance as "unnecessary paperwork" is really a safeguard for
you, the leader. By following GSUSA guidelines and all Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach policies
(which, by the way, are set by the council's volunteer Board of Directors) you are protected by the Girl
Scout organization against claims of negligence or financial impropriety. Plan all of your activities in
accordance with Safety Wise, the basic safety reference produced by GSUSA. Keep good records on troop
activities and how the troop budget was spent. Keep all copies of financial statements, permission slips,
medical records, and trip approvals throughout the year.
Girl Scouts and Diversity: As the world gets smaller through travel, Internet, and the media, girls need
to understand and accept people who are "different" from themselves because that's who makes up the world,
people with differences! Girl Scout leaders are in a unique position to bring girls together and help prepare
them to thrive in a multiracial, multi-cultural society. One of the most important goals of Girl Scouting is
to have a membership that reflects the full diversity of the population. Help them to reach that goal-teach
your girls to celebrate the beauty that is in our sisters no matter who they are, what they look like, where
they live, what they believe, or how they worship.
Books and Resources: Just as it is vital for children to have schoolbooks, it is a priority for Girl Scouts
to own their own Girl Scout handbooks. Girls can look through their books at home, think about areas they
wish to explore, and bring their ideas to their troop meeting. Girls can work on badges in groups according
to similar interests. Encourage them to discuss items of interest they've found in their handbooks and to
form discussion groups. Discuss using money raised from the candy and nut sale to purchase handbooks; see
if the girls want to use part of the money from the troop cookie sale to buy other books or resources they
might enjoy. Give them every opportunity to read all about being a Girl Scout-because that's who they are!
Girl Scout Promise and Law: Everything that goes on in a troop should be based on the Girl Scout Promise and
Law, including behavior. By making the Promise and Law the central theme of each meeting, you'll be setting a
tone that will allow the girls to take risks and solve their own challenges. It will also reinforce the idea
that Girl Scouts have a special way to interact with each other, because they promise to do their best to live
by the Girl Scout Law. Here are some tips to promote good behavior:
Set and maintain clear limits as to appropriate interaction. Girls need and want clear rules.
Open every troop meeting with the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
Include the girls in setting troop rules and the consequences of misbehavior; use the Girl Scout Law as your guide.
Show girls how to effectively problem-solve and settle differences.
Model the behavior you expect from them. You have a lot of influence, and they're watching you.
Relax and Enjoy: This may just be the best tip for a having a successful troop. The troop "belongs" to the
girls so... do your paperwork, get adult support, let the girls help make the rules and the plans, then sit
back and watch the magic happen!
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