Girl Scouts
 

Hey Everyone!

I was just curious if anyone out there was a troop leader or had gone through the training etc.
I was a girl scout in elementary school and i thought it would be nice to be a troop leader! So I called my local council and spoke with someone and made an appointment for this week for my interview.

Im VERY nervous! I think it would be AWESOME, but I'm just nervous about if I will pass the interview process....anyone out there been through it as well????

The lady I spoke with told me there is a troop in need of a leader in my area made up of daisys brownies and juniors MIXED :eek:
which makes me a lil nervous cause im just one little person...

anyways any advice out there? should i do it?
what should i wear to my interview? buisness attire, buisness casual?? or just dress nice...

hmmmm ok any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

OR any former girl scouts with nice memories...I have so many memories from my time in it :)

Being the largest women's organization out there I figure some of you out there have got to be GIRL SCOUTS! ;)


:D

yeah hi...reply to me! ;) lol
im extremely impatient today ....

I was a brownie when I was little. I have no advice. I just want to wish you good luck. :)

I was in Girl Scouts for years. I finally quit when I was in 10th grade and I was put in with a really inactive troop.

Personally, my favorite was juniors. I had awesome troop leaders who always had something new and exciting going on. They not only did girly stuff, but also outdoorsy stuff. I use to love going canoeing, sailing and windsurfing down at Camp Kateri.

More than anything, though, they made us more aware of people and how to get along with others. Everything we did was as a troop and there were no cliques, even though our troop was about 45 girls.

My advice, if you decide to go through with it, is to plan meaningful activities that involve all of the girls' interests. Who knows?! You may help them discover themselves... :)

Cream,

as always you are AWESOME!!!

I was starting to think not a soul was going to respond to my thread....what sadness that would have been...

lol

anyways thanks for your good wishes...ill let you know how it goes..

:D

i was looking on the girlscout website and there is alot of things that are VERY similar to sorority life, handshakes, creeds, promises, etc. its cute!!!! :D
of course this is all open ritual type things....bridging ceremonies that are similar to innitiations and to becoming and alum etc.
anyways i am an elementary education major so im looking forward to the experience! :)

yay for girl scouts...and yummy girl scout cookies too...lol

Thanks for the advice! I have already been thinking of my time in Girl Scouts and I remember amazing times, camping, learning to tie knots, etc. There was the girly stuff and the outdoorsy stuff too...
i think that alot of little girls and young ladies spend too much time inside watching tv and not enough time making lifelong friends and learning things they will carry with them in life,
so looking back on my experiences i realized i might be able to make a difference for some young girls as well..

i plan on making events that tailor to everyone's interest...this is of course if i pass the interview...im very excited!!!

ill be sure to keep all that you said in mind...THANKS!!!
:D

Scout since 1960!
Leader since 1970!

Thanks Rhombi Moon Star! You're great for doing this. Girls really need a positive outlet in this day and age, and the Girl Scouts fill that need. :)

Re: Girl Scouts
 

I was a "Professional" Girl Scout for little over a year back in the early 90s. Most likely, the person you are going to interview with has a job similar to the one I had. I recruited adult volunteers and then trained them to be wonderful Girl Scout Leaders. Unless things have changed, the Field Director/Consultant (that's what we were, not sure if the title is still the same) is jumping for joy that a non-mommy is interested in being a leader.

Don't worry so much about the interview. I usually wanted to know why the person was interested in being a leader (to keep out the wierd-os), what kinds of experiences they've had in the past working with girls and what they like to do in their spare time (usually an indicatation of what they would do with the girls). I would also try to get an idea of how much time they could TRULY commit on a weekly basis. Some people under estimate the time comittment it takes, and then would end up dropping out or doing a half-assed job, which, was, of course really bad for the girls. Unless the Council is overflowing with adult volunteers (highly unlikely) you will probably get placed. Be honest about what your expectations are, what you are looking for from the experience and how much time you have to give. Expect to go through a back ground check (pretty standard issue for anyone working with children now a days--or it should be)

In addition, don't worry if you have never done anything like that before. The National GS office provides excellent leader training, so you will be able to take advantage of that.

One word of caution, FDs have quotas they have to meet for new troups started, number of girls served, etc. Some are more concerned about their numbers that the girls having a good experience with Girl Scouts. If your contact is like that, and I hope she is not, don't let her pressure you into taking the troup by yourself with the promise that "the mommies" will help out. You need a FIRM committment from someone to be your co-leader or the leader (if you would prefer to be the assistant). Let me tell you, it is hard to say no when you have 30 little girls bouncing off the walls in front of you excited about the posibility of being a girl scout!

Whew! Didn't mean to write a book! Let me know if you have questions. I know of at least 1 other former professional Girl Scout around GC that might be able to help you as well! ;)

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

I have a lot of fond memories from scouting...my mommy was my troop leader for a few years, and I went up to Junior scouts. This is a really awesome thing for you to do - I think it would be cool if they paired you with a junior troop because the mommies are very out of touch with juniors sometimes. ;)

Re: Re: Girl Scouts
 

Your right about her jumping for joy...she seemed very excited on the phone and was telling me about troops in my area that needed someone.

I cant wait! you guys have been a great help! thanks for all the great advice and good wishes....

GeekyP, I would LOVE juniors...i had the most fun when i was a junior..but i will go where i am needed :)

ill keep all of you updated! :D

THANKS!!!!!! ;)

I was a little brownie. Even though I hated getting dressed in my uniform every Tuesday was it (?) for school (just because it took so long), it was a cool experience... have fond memories of camping. Good luck!

Yeah Girl Guides!
 

That's really random that there's someone else out there who's interested in becoming a leader as well! I've tried to contact the girl scouts in London to see if I might be of use to them but no reply yet :( Best of luck through the interview, i'm sure you'll do well and be sure to keep us posted! I would love to know how this works out for you

PS: I also love the similarities b/w girl scouts and sororities too! :D

Hi there! I know I'm contributing my piece a bit late, but I'm a HUGE fan of the Girl Scout Organization - I was active from when I was 4 until... well, I'm actually still involved! I work at a Girl Scout camp in the summer, and can see first-hand what an impact this organization can make on girls - it's great!

Good luck! I will definitely be helping out a troop once I get more permanantly settled - but it's a great organization and will be lucky to have your enthusiasm!

I was a brownie when I was in the first grade,
maybe kindergarten. But that was it for me.
My sister was a girl scout for a couple of years.

I'm not sure how I feel about the organization.
What are they teaching young girls these days?
I'm just curious b/c I have no connection with
it whatsoever.

You ladies are GREAT!

thanks for all the encouragement...

i will be sure to let you know how it goes.


shopgirl, i havent been in it in a while either, but the ideals of the girlscouts remain unchanged. alot of the things that are taught, are how to make girls confident, individuals who are assertive and productive.

there is a girlscout webpage, for the life of me i cant find it! but ill post it when i can :)


:D

I was a girl scout from brownies up through cadette (Daisy's didn't exist at that point). My whole family was involved with scouting with my father being a boy scout leader and my mom being a volunteer and co leader of the brownie troop. I loved being a girl scout and hope to contact them once I'm done with grad school to see where I can volunteer - even if I don't have kids of my own.

Some of my favorite memories were the camping trips we did. Also, see if you can get a penpal exchange going with some Girl Guides overseas or at least with a Scout Troop in another state. That was a lot of fun being able to write letters (okay now emails) and learning about someone my age but with a whole different cultural experience.

My biggest suggestion would be to try to get the parents involved as much as possible with the troop. Especially see if you can get the moms to each volunteer at one event or meeting per month minimum. That way you're not always doing things by yourself

The national website is: www.girlscouts.org

BTW, I'm a lifetime member in the GSUSA. :)

I'm a lifetime member, who earned their Gold and Silver Awards, and is now an assistant leader!

Thanks for helping the next generation of women leaders!

My sister (also a KD) is a Daisy Troop Leader because her daughter is in the troop. Actually, they have moved up to Brownies now (1st grade)..seems like there's more of a commitment, but my sister is a fulltime mom.

One of the things that my sister has done is DELEGATE. She made at least 3 other mothers commit to be "co-leaders" and yet another mother is in charge of arranging the snacks (which is rotated among all the moms).

It's a lot of effort, but worth it! :)

BTW, there are probably some Yahoogroups or other listservs for troop leaders - you might want to look into that.

Good luck!