We are the largest leadership development organization for girls in the world and a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS), a sisterhood of close to 10 million girls and adults in 150 countries. With programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl the chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.
Who can Join Girl Scouts? 
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience
When girls participate in the GSLE, they gain measurable leadership skills outcomes that fuels their success.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience comes to life when activities are led by girls, features cooperative learning, and girls are engaged in learning by doing. These are the three program processes that allow girls to ask questions, offer ideas, use their imaginations, learn to work together, brainstorm, problem-solve, and reflect on their experiences.
Girls’ time in Girl Scouting isn’t a to-do list, so please don’t ever feel that checking activities off a list is more important than tuning in to what interests girls and sparks their imaginations. Projects don’t have to come out perfectly—in fact, it’s a valuable learning experience when they don’t—and girls don’t have to fill their vests and sashes with badges. Because what matters most is the fun and learning that happens as girls make experiences their own, don’t be afraid to step back and let your girls take the lead.
Reflection
Was a badge-earning activity a resounding success? Or was it derailed by something the girls hadn’t factored in? No matter an activity’s outcome, you can amplify its impact by encouraging your girls to reflect on their latest endeavor.
Reflection is the necessary debrief that reinforces what the girls learned. As they explore the “whats” and “whys,” girls make meaningful connections between the activity at hand and future challenges that come their way. In other words, reflection gives girls the confidence boost they need to pick themselves up, try again, and succeed.
Reflection doesn’t need to be a formal process, but you can kick-start the conversation with three simple questions: What?, So what?, and Now what?
Go over with girls the what of the activity. For example, ask, “What did we do today? What part was your favorite? If we did it again, what would you want to do differently and what would you repeat?”
Then move to the so what elements. You might ask, “So what did you learn by doing this activity? So what did you learn about yourself? So what did you learn about your community (or environment, school, or others) that you didn’t know before?”
Lastly, review the now what with the girls. Say something like, “Now that we’ve done this, what would you like to do next? Now that you know this about yourselves, what would you like to try next? Now that we did this Take Action project, what do you think we should do next to make sure it continues on?”
What?, So what?, and Now what?—or whatever style of reflection you choose to use with your girls—are powerful elements of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and they’ll carry these lessons with them for the rest of their lives.
Progression
Although program elements—like outdoor expeditions or entrepreneurial ventures—align across all grade levels, Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors won’t be doing the same activities as seasoned Seniors and Ambassadors. But with your support, they will get there!
Girl Scout programming is designed to be progressive, and it’s what makes Girl Scouting fun and effective! By building on the knowledge and skills they gain year after year, your girls’ confidence will grow exponentially, and they’ll be eager to take the next steps. As a volunteer, you will cultivate a supportive, nonjudgmental space where girls can test their skills and be unafraid to fail.
Keep in mind that good progression drives success for girls. We’ve outlined some suggestions that will help you determine when your girls are ready for their next outdoor challenge, troop trip, or entrepreneurial venture.
Inclusion and Belonging
Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts over 100 years ago as an innovative movement where all would be welcomed. We continuously strive to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that supports the many faces, cultures, and walks of life that proudly make up our vibrant community. It is essential to our mission that every individual’s ideas and perspectives are sought out, heard, respected, and valued. Together, we empower girls to make the world a better place.
How to make a troop more inclusive:
1. Create an environment that values and respects diversity. Foster a belief in your troop that everyone benefits from having a diverse group of girls, by helping the girls be aware of and appreciate the commonalities and differences that they can and can’t see.
2. Make sure all girls have the opportunity to fully engage in activities and have access to opportunities and information. This may mean helping girls overcome barriers to participation, adjusting activities, or even changing how you communicate.
3. Model respectful ways to interact with all people. Girls learn by watching how adults interact with girlsand other adults.
4. Be mindful of your own biases and assumptions about others by leading with empathy and encourage girls to do the same.
5. Be conscious of and avoid using generalized statements about groups or types of people and don’t referto a person based on a particular characteristic like race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, education, socioeconomic status and religion.
6. Get to know the girls and their families. Remember that all families are different and keep that in mind when planning family events. Girls may have really engaged grandparents, caregivers, or other family members who should be included in important ceremonies and occasions. Also, pay attention to special holidays and cultural traditions that may conflict with troop plans or limit a girl’s participation.
The Important Difference Between Badges and Journeys
Journeys and badges are designed to give girls different leadership-building experiences, all while having fun!
Journeys are multi-session leadership experiences for girls to explore topics such as bullying, media literacy, design thinking, or environmental stewardship. Girls do hands-on activities, connect with experts, and take the reins on age-appropriate Take Action projects. Because of their leadership focus, Journeys are also a prerequisite for the highly regarded Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.
Badges are all about skill building. When a Girl Scout earns a badge, it shows that she’s learned a new skill, such as how to make a healthy snack, build and test a toy race car, or take great digital photos. It may even spark an interest at school or plant the seed for a future career. And remember: you’ll have fun and learn by doing right alongside your girls!
If they choose, girls can pursue badges and Journey awards in the same year; encourage them to find the connections between the two to magnify their Girl Scout experience! While you’re having fun, keep in mind that the quality of a girl’s experience and the skills and pride she gains from earning Journey awards and skill-building badges far outweigh the quantity of badges she earns.
As a volunteer, you don’t have to be the expert in any badge or Journey work. In fact, when you show that you’re not afraid to fail and you’re willing to try something new, you’re modeling what is it is to be a Girl Scout. Our badge and Journey requirements are structured so your girls can learn new skills without your having to be an expert in all the topics, including STEM.
Emblems and Patches
In addition to Journey awards and badges in the Girl’s Guide, girls can commemorate their Girl Scout adventures with emblems and patches, which can be worn on their vests or sashes.
- Emblems show membership in Girl Scouts, a particular council, a particular troop, or in some other Girl Scout group. These can be worn on the front of a sash or vest (see the diagram in the handbook section of The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to see where these are placed).
- Patches are developed at the national or council level with a focus on participation. Some come with companion activity booklets, while others are given out at events. These are worn on the back of the sash or vest, since they are not emblems or earned awards.
You can purchase emblems and patches—along with badges and leadership awards—at Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s shops or by visiting the GSUSA online shop. There, you not only find a cool list of the earned awards for each grade level but also can click on a link that shows you exactly where girls can place all their emblems, awards, badges, pins, and patches on their vests and sashes!
The Difference Between Community Service and Take Action Projects
As your Girl Scouts look for meaningful ways to give back to their community, you can help sharpen their problem-solving skills and expand their definition of doing good by discussing community service and Take Action projects. Both projects serve essential needs, but at different levels. When a Girl Scout performs community service, she’s responding to an immediate need in a one-off, “doing for” capacity. In other words? She’s making an impact right now!
Through Take Action/service learning, girls explore the root causes of a community need and address it in a lasting way; they truly make the world—or their part of it—a better place.
If your troop members want to pursue their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, they’ll develop a Take Action project on an issue that’s close to their hearts. To make Take Action projects even more impactful for your Girl Scouts, set time for them to reflect on their projects. When they make time to internalize the lessons they’ve learned, they’re more likely to find success in their future projects —or anything else they put their minds to.
Traditions and Special Girl Scout Days
Highest Awards
Girl Scout Travel and Destinations
Outdoor Adventures
For over 100 years, girls have discovered, explored, and strengthened their outdoor skills and commitment to environmental stewardship through Girl Scouting. Guided by supportive adults and peers, Girl Scouts discover the wonders of nature, experience the thrill of adventure, and challenge themselves and one another to reach new heights!
Girl Scouts’ national outdoor programming features a variety of fun, challenging, and experiential activities that empower girls as they develop attitudes, skills, and behaviors essential to effective leadership in the outdoors:
- Outdoor Competence: Girls engage safely and responsibly in a range of outdoor activities (e.g., practicing Leave No Trace and knowing what to bring to be prepared in the outdoors).
- Outdoor Confidence: Girls have confidence in their outdoor abilities and are willing to try new and challenging outdoor activities.
- Outdoor Interest: Girls have a love of nature and an interest in the natural world.
- Environmental Stewardship: Girls understand how their behaviors impact the environment and what they can do to protect the natural world.
* A 2019 Report from the Girl Scout Research Institute: Girl Scouts Soar in the Outdoors
How to Locate and Sign up for GSWO Events
