There are some exciting changes coming
to the Girl Scout community. The changes, called the Girl Scout Leadership
Experience, offer new Pathways for today’s diverse and busy girls and
volunteers.
While the new Girl Scout model will take a few years to fully implement (slated for completion in the fall of 2010), parents and leaders will notice the change when they register their daughters for the 2009-10 membership year.
Model and keys to leadership
The Girl Scout Leadership Model provides the design for what girls do in Girl Scouting. It illustrates how adult support strengthens girls’ experiences and drives and displays all the elements that must be in place to create a positive impact on girls’ lives.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience identifies three "keys" to 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
Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place
All experiences in Girl Scouting incorporate the Discover, Connect and Take Action keys to leadership.
Understanding the model
The diagram below shows the various components of the leadership experience and their tie to the larger goal that girls lead with the courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place. When Discover, Connect and Take Action activities are girl led and involve learning by doing and cooperative learning, girls achieve the desired and expected short-term and intermediate leadership outcomes, ultimately resulting in Girl Scouting achieving its mission.
The Girl Scout processes
In Girl Scouting, it’s not just what girls do (activities), but how (processes) they do them. When used together, these processes - Girl Led, Cooperative Learning and Learning by Doing - ensure the quality and promote the fun and friendship so integral to Girl Scouting.
Here’s how the processes are defined:
Girl Led: Girl led is just what it sounds like - girls play an active part in figuring out the what, where, when, how and why of their activities. They lead the planning and decision-making as much as possible. This ensures that girls are engaged in their learning and experience leadership opportunities as they prepare to become active participants in their local and global communities.
Learning by Doing: A hands-on learning process that engages girls in continuous cycles of action and reflection that result in deeper understanding of concepts and mastery of practical skills. As they participate in meaningful activities and then reflect on them, girls get to explore their own questions, discover answers, gain new skills and share ideas and observations with others. Throughout the process, it’s important for girls to be able to connect their experiences to their lives and apply what they have learned to their future experiences.
Cooperative Learning: Through cooperative learning, girls work together toward shared goals in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration that encourages the sharing of skills, knowledge and learning. Working together in all-girl environments also encourages girls to feel powerful and emotionally and physically safe, and it allows them to experience a sense of belonging even in the most diverse groups.
Pathways and Journeys
Another change coming for Girl Scouts and volunteers will be how a girl or adult chooses to be involved. Girl Scout Pathways are ways that girls and adults can join. We understand how busy daily lives can get and we want to make involvement with Girl Scouting as easy as possible. With the Pathways, members can choose from several “paths” including camp, short-term programs or traditional troop participation. More about Pathways.
Girl Scouts in each program level will participate in Leadership Journeys, a series of themed activities that will run from six to eight sessions and are customizable by girls and volunteers. Volunteers will be offered plenty of new training opportunities and guides to help them lead girls through fun and meaningful experiences. More about Journeys.
Summary: A Journey
is what girls do - a holistic sequence of Girl Scout experiences, discussions,
reflections and traditions that challenge girls to explore leadership.
A
Pathway is how girls and adults participate in Girl Scouting
- how they belong.
Girl Scout level and uniform changes
Information is still being filtered down from Girl Scouts of the USA, and as we are updated, we will keep our members updated as well. For now, here are some key changes you will notice:
Membership grade levels to change
After extensive research and focus groups with girl members, GSUSA discovered that many girls identify socially and developmentally with others at their own grade level. To coincide with this way of thinking, GSUSA has regrouped the membership levels to reflect these needs and added a Girl Scout Ambassador level for girls in grades 11 and 12.
The new membership grade levels are:
Girl Scout Daisy, grades K-one*
Girl Scout Brownie, grades two-three
Girl Scout Junior, grades four-five
Girl Scout Cadette, grades six-eight
Girl Scout Senior, grades nine-10
Girl Scout Ambassador, grades 11-12
*In order for a girl to become a
Girl Scout Daisy, she must be in kindergarten, regardless of her birth date.
Uniform changes for Girl Scouts
Along with the new Girl Scout levels,
there will be a slight change to the Girl Scout uniform. Daisy and Brownie level
Girl Scouts will continue to have the full uniform ensemble. Girl Scout Juniors
and older will have the option of wearing a solid white shirt and khaki pants
or skirts with their sash or vest. High school girls will have a scarf that
will unite them in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts tradition.
Adult members will continue to wear their membership pins and scarf for women
and tie for men. Navy blue business attire will be the official uniform. There
will still be one official uniform item (e.g., tunic, vest, sash) that will
be required for girls participating in ceremonies or officially representing
the Girl Scout Movement.
Your virtual guide to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has
recently developed a supplemental electronic resource for the Girl Scout
Leadership Experience that is now available on the GSUSA
Web site.
This online resource has six flash-based
modules intended to convey an overall understanding of the Girl Scout Leadership
Experience and its impact on girls. It is an informational tool designed to
fully explain the key features and benefits of the Girl Scout Leadership
Experience including: journeys, pathways, three keys to leadership, three processes
and outcomes. And don't forget to ask Sophia, your personal guide to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience!
