Tips for New Girl Scout Leaders

There aren't too many people that haven't heard of Girl Scout cookies. A lot of people have their old favorites that they look forward to every year. Behind all those wonderful girls selling cookies are adult leaders, usually moms, who have devoted their time to the Girl Scout organization and their goals to help young girls develop to their full potential. Girl Scouts grow up to be leaders, with a meaningful set of values to guide their actions. They learn the value of friendships and achieve an understanding and appreciation of differences among their peers. How you guide them as a leader will help them to achieve their highest potential in Girl Scouting.

The Girl Scouts organization provides leaders with many tools and resources to get you on your way to being a terrific leader. Necessary classes are given to give a new leader a broader understanding of Girl Scouts, as well as specialized training for the age level you'll be leading. Other classes are also available from first aid to outdoor living so that as a leader you are completely prepared to handle your girls in any situation. A team of Girl Scout staff members are a phone call away to answer any questions and help you in any way possible. But these are just the basics of being a leader. To really become a great leader you need to know how to apply your knowledge.

The first thing you want to do is get yourself organized. A simple three-ring binder with dividers can keep all of your necessary paperwork neatly arranged, as well as your resource guides. You'll want to put blank permission slips for field trips in there, individual records of all your girls, a worksheet for patch achievements, a space for meeting notes and a spreadsheet for financial records in this binder. Leader handbooks should also go in there, as well as your Safety-Wise book. The Blue Book of Basic Documents is a great tool to have available at all times in case a need for any form arises. A list of phone numbers and the workings of a phone tree should be included as well. One of those zippered pouches that go in the binder can store pencils and pens.

Now that your paperwork is set you need to get your girls organized. The youngest Girl Scouts, Daisies, will be entirely led by the leader. As the girls grow older they begin to take on more responsibility in how the troop operates, what patches they want to work towards and the general goals of the troop. If you're becoming a Daisy leader you may want to start your year off creating a tentative agenda for the year. Daisies have a set of petals to earn, rather then patches for specific tasks like their older counterparts. As the leader you will have a resource guide on ways to achieve petals and how to go about setting up your year. Since Daisies are usually the only group that make up just one year, while Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes and Seniors cover a few years at a time, it is important to know what petal you're going to earn and how you're going to have the girls earn it.

For Brownies and Juniors it's a good idea to have a printed meeting agenda so your girls know what to expect, usually created monthly. Meeting notes should always be taken and filed away so you can remember what was discussed. Employ the use of a kaper chart, the Girl Scout term for chore list, so your girls know exactly what task is expected of them in the meeting. First year Brownies will need almost as much guidance as Daisies but since there are several options for patches it's a good idea to present a select few at a time and ask them to decide as a group what they'd like to work towards. By the time they get to Seniors the girls should be completely running the meetings themselves, with the leader as a resource for them.

Another tip is for a troop file box, where you store catalogs, training opportunities and field trip ideas. At one of the first meetings have the girls go around the room and list things that they'd like to do and places they'd like to go. Write down the ideas and put them in the box so your girls have a list of things to choose from when trying to come up with the next task to complete. Again, the younger troops will require more guidance and perhaps be shown some ideas and given the opportunity to decide as a group which things appeal to them. As the year goes on they may have new ideas - put them in the box!

The last tip is the creativity box. Occasionally you will find yourself at a meeting and have some downtime - perhaps your task for the meeting is done but you've still got time left. Fill a plastic tub with crayons, markers, scissors, glue sticks, construction paper, used magazines, craft sticks - anything you can get your hands on. Have it available at every meeting in case of mutiny from a bunch of bored girls!

Leaders are an invaluable resource for the future of Girl Scouts, and if you embark on this mission you'll need these tips to have a great first year. After that your own experience will guide you through the rest of your tenure. You'll learn where you need to change things and where you need to add or subtract things. Leading a group of girls is an experience like no other - make sure you take advantage of all the resources provided by your own Girl Scout council and remember that another leader is often the best resource of all!