Girl Scout
Troop Manual
Troop
Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors
Leaders
(name of leader here), Co-Leader
(name of leader here), Co-Leader
(Customize this booklet for your troop; insert your specific information and photos/clip art and send a copy to each family. It answers many of their questions, defines expectations, and acquaints them with Girl Scout terminology.)
2/20/14
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TROOP INFORMATION
How much does it cost to be a Girl Scout?
WHAT DO I NEED TO BUY?
Basic Meeting
Inclement Weather Policy
Troop Leader Information
OTHER VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Girl Scout Rules
Other Girl Scout Information
Organization of Girl Scouts
Terms of Girl Scouts
TROOP INFORMATION
WHEN: (day of week and time are put here)
WHERE: (meeting location here)
WHAT TO BRING: uniform, handbook/Journey book, meeting dues and a BIG smile
WHATTO LEAVE AT HOME: (insert your rules here)
Our cell phone policy is similar to school:
(Any other notes or information about troop goes here, i.e. “we have a special activity the 3rd Saturday of the month”)
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BE A GIRL SCOUT?
Registration – $15. Please consider registering yourself as well so as to be covered by the Girl Scouts insurance during trips and events.
Dues –(amount of meeting dues here) per meeting
Occasionally there are events offered by the service unit, region or council that are open to all Girl Scouts. The girls are encouraged to attend any of these events in which they are interested. Any fees for these events are not paid from troop funds (unless otherwise announced) and are the responsibility of the parents.
WHAT DO I NEED TO BUY?
The uniform vest or sash must be purchased separately. These may be purchased at the Girl Scout store which is in Asheville on WT Weaver Blvd. just down from UNCA. The needed uniform parts are:
Vest or sash in the appropriate color(price after each item)
- Daisy- blue tunic or vest
- Brownie-brown vest or sash
- Junior-green vest or sash
- Cadette-khaki vest or sash
American flag patch
Council ID patch set
Troop numbers:
Ribbon tab in appropriate age-level color (unless it’s provided by the troop. That information would go here)
Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
Leadership Journey book (if the books are optional, add that here)
One of the most recognized things about Girl Scouts is the uniform! Badges and awards are worn on the front of a vest or sash and “fun” patches are worn on the back. For activities such as product sales booths and formal awards ceremonies, all Girl Scouts should also have khaki pants or skirt (for Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors)and a white shirt. The uniform is not meant to make the girls conform, but rather give them a way to show they belong to a special group. The Girl Scout uniform is more than just a place to show off badges and activity patches – it’s a way to show pride in whom they are and what they do. Please encourage your daughter to wear her uniform to meetings and activities.We are proud to be Girl Scouts!
How do the girls know what to do? There are Journey books and the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. The leaders use these materials to help the girls plan their meeting activities and field trips. Each girl should have their own copy of each book so they can follow along and keep track of their individual progress.
Basic Meeting
(A basic outline of how a meeting goes is here. I’ve included an example.)
In our case, several troops meet at the same time. All of our troop meetings begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law (when new girls join us, we find this is a great way to help them learn the Promise and Law quickly). All the troops do this together. After the Promise and Law the girls break up into their individual troops for troop time to work on their badges or other activities. The meetings last from 6 p.m. to about 7:30-7:45p.m. Our meetings generally conclude with a snack and the Friendship Circle. It looks something like this:
Opening
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Girl Scout Promise & Law
Troop time
Snack time
Closing
- Friendship Circle
To set a good example for the girls, please listen respectfully during presentations or other activities that the girls are doing in the fellowship hall. Talking is very distracting and takes away from the work that the girls are doing or presentations they are making. Remember, a girl’s first role model is her parent.
Inclement Weather Policy
(It’s a good idea to have this already in place so that when bad weather hits, there’s no last-minute scrambling)
Troop Leader Information
Co-Leader: (name of leader here)
(phone number here)
(e-mail address here)
Co-Leader: (name of leader here)
(phone number here)
(e-mail address here)
TROOP COMMITTEE MEMBERS
(Add names of product sales chairs, troop first aiders, etc)
OTHER ways to be involved
Product sales chairperson- Duties include overseeing the fall nut/magazine program and spring cookie program by attending council required training, training the girls (and parents) for the sales and making sure all paperwork is completed and turned in on time as well as getting the actual orders submitted on time and all monies turned in.
Troop camper- Ideally there should be one troop camper for each troop and there can certainly be more than one. This position is required by GSUSA for all camping trips. The council has online and face-to-face training courses to fulfill this requirement. Please consider helping out in this area.
Troop first aider- A troop first aider is required at all meetings and events/trips away from the meeting site. The council offers the first aid and CPR classes required.
Representative at service unit meetings- Usually this is one of the leaders, but it is open to all leaders, parents, and girls over the age of 14.
Troop event coordinator- this would be for our ceremonies and parties where we need a contact person to arrange for the food to be brought by the families and to coordinate set up and clean-up crews.
Troop historian- This is the person who keeps a photo record of all our troop events. Are you a shutterbug or scrapbooker? This may be the spot for you.
Troop communications- This person makes sure all families are kept informed of all meetings, activities, etc.
Girl Scout Rules
There are rules in Girl Scouts just like any other group. Individual troops will have their own rules for their troop time, but there are some that are standard for any Girl Scout group whether in a troop meeting or other event.
The first and foremost of these rules is to follow the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law. If these two are followed the rest is easy. Take time to read the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law so you can be familiar with it.
Remembering and using basic manners goes a long way to keep friction to a minimum. Girls are not allowed to have music players, video games, etc. at troop meetings, field trips, and other events. Please make sure these things stay at home.
GSUSA requires that troops must maintain at least 2 adults when working with girls other than their own. Large groups of the younger girls need a larger number of adults than the same number of older girls, of course.
We would like to stress that the girls leave their areas in as good or better condition than they found them in. This includes snack time in the fellowship hall as well as the troop rooms. Please encourage your daughter to share that responsibility with her troop sisters. We will be using Kaper assignments to ensure that all the girls get a turn each job.
Other Girl Scout Information
Troop meetings and activities are just the start of what is available to your Girl Scout! Our service unit and our council offer programs throughout the year.
There is a newsletter from the council that provides up to date information as well as the calendar function on the council website (
(If your region/service unit has a Facebook page or Yahoogroup or something similar, this is a good place to put those links so your parents can utilize these fantastic resources)
What would Girl Scouts be without summer camp! There are a total of 4 camps available to our girls and each camp has its own programs that run all summer. Younger girls can go for a mini-camp of only 2 or 3 days and of course there are the week-long programs. Make sure you get a brochure, which usually comes out in December and register early! Some slots fill up really quick. See your daughter’s leader for more information.
Occasionally there are events offered by the service unit, region or council that are open to all Girl Scouts. The girls are encouraged to attend any of these events they are interested in. Any fees for these events are not paid out of troop funds and are the responsibility of the parents.
Organization of Girl Scouts
Troop: At the individual level, the troop is generally a girl’s first introduction to Girl Scouts.
Service Unit: This is the county in our council that the troop meets. Therefore our service unit is Buncombe County. All troops in the county are part of the service unit.
Region: The region is a group of counties and is how our council is divided up. We are Region 2 along with Haywood, Henderson, and Transylvania counties.
Council: Our council comprises 40 counties of central and western North Carolina. Our council is Girls Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont.
GSUSA: Girl Scouts of the USA is the national organization and is the number one leadership development program in the country just for girls.
Girl Scout Terms
Badge: Embroidered recognition for Girl Scouts to indicate increased knowledge and skill in a particular subject.
Bridging: The move from one program grade level of Girl Scouting to the next.
Flying Up: The ceremony in which a Girl Scout Brownie "graduates" to Girl Scout Juniors.
Investiture: A special ceremony in which a new member makes her Girl Scout Promise and receives her membership pin.
Kaper Chart: A chart that shows the delegation of jobs and rotation of responsibility day by day and/or meal by meal.
Rededication: A formal ceremony at which a girl or adult, who was previously invested, renews her Girl Scout Promise.
Special Days for Girl Scouts
Founder’s Day, October 31– This is the birthday of Juliette Gordon Lowe who began Girl Scouts in the United States
World Thinking Day, February 22– This is the day that we think about and learn about our Girl Scout and Girl Guide sisters all over the world.
Girl Scout Birthday, March 12 – This is the day we celebrate the very first troop meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia by Juliette Lowe
Girl Scout Week, March– This is the calendar week that includes March 12.
Girl Scout Sunday – This is the Sunday that kicks off Girl Scout week. If March 12 falls on Saturday, then Girl Scout Sunday is the Sunday before.
Volunteer Appreciation Day, April 21 – This is the day we show appreciation for all our leaders and volunteers.
Page 1