Girl Scout Planning Through the Year

The following “Girl Scouting Through the Year” calendar is a helpful framework for programming troop activities through the year. Including these activities helps ensure that girls receive a good foundation for the Girl Scout experience and program, while at the same time giving you as leader the “building blocks” to tie into the larger programming goals of your troop.

To ensure girl participation in planning, review this calendar with them at the beginning of your troop year and ask them how they would like to incorporate these ideas - Badgework? Ceremonies? Crafts? Games? Service Projects? Trips?

For younger girls, offer limited choices (perhaps a choice of three activities that would apply to an appropriate Daisy Petal; or a choice of three appropriate Brownie Badges) and have them vote on their favorite. Juniors and Teens should take the lead in selecting, planning and carrying out the activities - as troop leader and advisor to older girls, you can help guide them through the process, but be sure to step back and allow them to do the actual work.

GIRL SCOUTING THROUGH THE YEAR CALENDAR 

Note:  the following calendar reflects certain events specific to the Chesapeake Bay Council

August

• Time to rev up your planning! Make sure you have all necessary forms.
• Watch for council's Program Calendar on the website - possibly in July -  to plan the trainings you need to take this year, and inform girls of council events they might want to participate in.
• Register for Fall School - a fun weekend just for adult volunteers ! 
• Organize your troop notebooks, binders, files.
• Plan to attend the monthly Service Unit volunteers meetings for updated information, ideas and networking.  If your Service Unit has a website, Facebook page, or email group for sharing communications, make sure you sign up and check those sources frequently for important info.
• Get in the habit of checking the council website for information on trainings and girl events (www.cbgsc.org) and GSUSA site for general information and updates (www.girlscouts.org) 

September 

• Troop year starts! Make sure all girls and adults working with girls are registered.
• Hold a Parent Meeting to recruit Troop Committee Members, explain policies & procedures.
• Make sure adults have been or will be receiving the trainings necessary for their positions.
• Have girls develop troop rules, goals, activities, badges to work on, and budget.
• Introduce Girl Scout history (some great badges and patch programs tie in nicely.) 
• Teach/review Girl Scout Promise and Law; Sign, Handshake, Motto and Slogan.
• Programming for the next two or three months should emphasize Team Building activities, especially for new troops or when including new girls.

October 

• Fall Product Sales (QSP - magazine subscriptions and nut/candy.) 
• Juliette Low’s birthday (October 31.)

November 

• Investiture/Rededication Ceremony.

December 

• Service Projects.
• Court of Awards for badges and awards earned during the fall.

January 

• Cookie Sales begin! 
• Winter activities and/or winter (cabin) camping.
• For younger girls - begin spring pre-camping progressions such as a one night indoor sleepover.

February

• Cookie Booths.
• World Thinking Day (February 22.)

March 

• Girl Scout Birthday (March 12.) 
• Girl Scout Sunday - the Sunday immediately prior to March 12. 

April 

• Earth Day and other environmental/outdoors activities.
• Spring camping.
• Order end of year member star pins and bridging patches (avoid the May “run” on Council inventory.) 

May 

• Bridging and Year End Activities including final Court of Awards.
• Family Recognition.
• Prepare all necessary End of Year Documents and Paper Work (DCR, United Way form, etc.) 

June 

• Attend your Service Unit's Adult Volunteer Recognition Dinner.
• Optional - plan once a month fun activities to keep the girls in contact and involved in the Girl Scout experience through the summer (girls who maintain that connection at least once or twice during the summer are much more likely to return in the fall!)

Troop Year End Checklist

This is a handy checklist for the end of the troop year.  It will help keep you on track, and prevent last minute panic when you realize you have more to do than you thought!

Year End Ceremonies 
 ___ Plan final Court of Awards.
        ___ Order all necessary insignia for final Court of Awards. (Note: order early to avoid
               inventory depletion.)
        ___ Write article for Court of Awards and mail to local newspaper or give it to the
               service unit public relations manager, if requested.
 ___ If troop has girls Bridging to next level:
       ___ Plan activities for girls to earn their bridging patch (start early enough to complete
              requirements.)
       ___ Notify troop organizer or service unit manager of girls eligible for bridging.
       ___ Notify bridging members of their new troop/group.
       ___ Give individual Girl Record forms for bridging members to troop organizer or
              service unit manager
       ___ Read "Membership Transfers/Dropouts" section under "Money Management" in
              Adult Resource Manual and follow guidelines for money transfer, as necessary.
       ___ Plan Bridging Ceremony with the girls.

Troop/Girl Goals 
 ___ Review and evaluate the year’s troop plans and goals with the girls.
        Were they achieved? If not, are they still relevant?
        What help does the troop need to reach them?
___ Review individual goals and plans with each girl.
       Were they achieved? If not, are they still relevant?
       What help does she need to reach them?
___ Plan and carry out the troop cookie money activity(ies) decided upon by the girls.
       If activity has not been implemented, is there a clear, definite plan and timeline for it?

Bank Accounts and Financial Statements  
___ Balance troop/group bank account and reconcile all statements.
___ Complete troop/group Financial Report (DCR) and give to service unit manager or
       service unit treasurer or auditor by the specified deadline.

Intent for Returning Next Year 
___ Survey girls and adults as to their intent on returning to the program next year.
___ Complete Girl & Adult Troop Placement Form and return to service unit manager or
       troop organizer.
___ Receive completed registration forms and GSUSA registration fees from all girl and adult
       members planning to re-register for the next Girl Scout year.
___ Deliver the above items to the service unit registrar.
___ Notify service unit manager of future intent of troop/group/adults in leadership positions -
       staying with troop or resigning.**
___ ** If adult leadership is resigning, give all troop/group equipment, supplies, handbooks,
       Safety-Wise, records, flags, bank accounts to troop organizer or service unit manager.
       CHECKBOOK IS NEVER TO BE TURNED OVER DIRECTLY TO AN INCOMING
       LEADER.

Other Activities 
___ Complete the United Way form and return it to the service unit manager
___ Recognize/thank those individuals, businesses, and organizations who helped the troop
       during the year. (Sponsors, troop committee people, consultants, etc.)
___ Promote day and resident camp opportunities to girls and adults.
___ Plan summer fun activities with girls.
___ Set date for first formal meeting after summer vacation. Notify girls.
  

 * If your service unit does not have a service unit manager, 

give all information to your assigned membership staff person.

HAVE A SUPER SUMMER - you deserve it!

10 Things Leaders Should Know

We would all do well to remember these ten pearls of wisdom from seasoned leaders!

10. There is not just one way of doing things.
Your way is just great. There are no Girl Scout Police. You don't need to be a great outdoorswoman or a life-long Girl Scout to be an effective Girl Scout Leader. (But if you know somebody like that, don't forget to use their expertise to help you along the way!)

9. Being a Girl Scout Leader is not a competition sport. 
If you hear of something neat that another troop is doing, please don't feel inferior. Remember all the great things your troop is doing!  File that great idea away because maybe you'd like to borrow it for your troop someday.  And don't forget to tap your parents to help implement those great ideas so you're not doing it all yourself!

8. Network. 
One part of the Girl Scout Law is to use resources wisely. Don't re-invent the wheel! Talk to other leaders, as well as people involved in other youth organizations and get ideas. Don't hesitate to call team members for advice.

7. Work together. 
Plan some joint activities with other troops. Invite some girls from older troops to come help you, especially troops that are getting ready to bridge to the next level.

6. Follow the rules.
Remember that all those Girl Scout rules and regulations are there to help and protect you, not to be punitive or restrictive. Those rules, along with a little common sense, will keep you out of hot water.

5. Get the girls to be as self-sufficient as possible. 
Don't do something for them that they could do themselves. Don't automatically jump in and fix everything right away. Ultimately, this will be better for them and better for you. This is an investment you'll make in the earlier years. Some day, you'll sit in a lawn chair while they serve you. I promise!

4. Take the training courses that are offered to you.
It's hard to commit to yet another night out, but you'll get some great ideas and meet some really nifty people. In the long run, it'll be a time saver.

3. Attend Leader meetings.
Same reasoning as the last one.

2. Delegate. 
Let the other parents in the troop know that everyone should have a part in the troop. There are lots of jobs to be done, large and small, and to fit every time schedule. Make it clear that you are not baby-sitting.

1. Have fun! 
Being a Girl Scout Leader is one of the best things you'll ever do for yourself, your daughter, and all of those other girls in the troop.

The Power of Yet

by meganramey2014 on July 20, 2015 for GSWOblog.org

Yet is a powerful word for young girls (and for adults). Adding a simple "yet" or a "not yet" to a sentence can change everything for a struggling girl. 

Don’t see how? Think of a time when you were trying to master a new skill. Like that difficult kickflip on your skateboard or plunking out “Heart and Soul” on the piano. Was there a moment when you failed (again) and the frustrated words “I just can’t do it” popped out of your mouth? Of course there was, everyone has those moments. 

Now what if someone nearby had added a “yet” or a “not yet” to that sentence? Let’s say it again: I just can’t do it yet. Can you feel the difference? That tiny yet makes a “never going to happen” into a “this is possible”. That is the power of yet. 

Thinking of overcoming challenges with a yet mindset makes failure a part of the journey, just one more stop on the road leading to success. It means girls process the errors they made, correct them through practice or strategy, and continue working toward the goal. 

The power of yet is an awesome tool for fostering growth mindset that helps girls be successful. When girls struggle with a new task, when they strive for big goals, when they feel too small to make a difference, helping them embrace the yet gives them the confidence to accept where they are now - because that is not all they will ever be. 

And it’s not just for girls. What goals are you striving for? What legacy will you leave? You’re not there yet, but with hard work (and a growth mindset) we believe you’ll get there and help your girls reach their dreams too!

Closing the Financial Gap

Well, the time is here. The end of your troop year is drawing close, and the girls are eagerly anticipating their final troop activities. For some troops, that means a moment of reckoning: despite all their best efforts at Fall Products Sales and Cookie Sales, they do not have enough money to fund all of their goals. As a leader, what do you do?

1. Ask the parents to pay the difference. 
This might be an option if the girls are short only a small amount, there is only one thing they have left they want to accomplish, and it will not be a financial hardship on any family (the key word here is ANY FAMILY.)

2. Decide whether a Supplemental Money Earning Activity is appropriate. 
Troops are permitted to engage in extra money earning activities to fund a particular goal, but this option comes with many mandatory stipulations, including submitting forms and receiving approval from the Service Unit Manager and your Council. There must be a clearly defined need for the extra funds. In addition, you must indicate what part the GIRLS have played in planning this activity.  Commercial fund-raisers and profit-sharings are prohibited.  Most councils require that the troop must have participated in all council-sponsored sales programs prior to applying for and conducting a supplemental money earning activity.

3. Use this as an opportune "teachable moment".
Sometimes in life you don't have the finances right now to buy what you want - a snazzy car, a total wardrobe overhaul, the latest iPhone.  Process with the girls that this is not a failure, it is just reality, and they will face this situation over and over again in their life.  Brainstorm what else they can do that is within their financial reach that would still satisfy them.  Do they need to go to an expensive water park, or would they be happy at a smaller community water park or pool?  It is not a bad thing to allow girls to experience scaling back their aspirations to fit the reality of the situation, and learning they can still be happy with the result.  In fact, you will be giving girls an incredible gift of learning to "live within their means." The important point here is allowing the girls to make their own choices so they can take ownership of it and feel satisfied.

As a troop, you will probably be faced with this situation many times over the years.  By allowing the girls to take the lead in solving the challenge, they will become better equipped to handle their own personal wants and needs in the future.