The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience

Introducing a new way of looking at Girl Scouts

There are some exciting changes coming to the Girl Scout community this fall. The changes, called the New 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 first of the changes when they register their daughters for the 2008-09 membership year.

New 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 New 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.

New 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.

Transforming Leadership Book

Research based and collaboratively developed, Transforming Leadership: Focusing on Outcomes of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience will measure 15 anticipated outcomes of the New Leadership Experience for girls in Girl Scouting. This book is not required for leaders, but it is great information to have in supporting the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

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:

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.

Frequently asked questions