Category Archives: Troops

The Benefits of Working at Summer Camp!

Written by Rocky – Shadow Rim Ranch Camp Director/Manager 

Oh, hello there! Thinking about working at one of our four Arizona camp properties? We want to share a few reasons why being a camp staff member could fulfill many of your personal and professional goals. 

Working at camp as a Counselor in Training (CIT) or as camp staff will give you more experience than you realize. Regardless of what career you have ahead, a role at one of our camps offers you an opportunity to develop skills that are sure to make you stand out on all future job applications. 

Who you are:

  • A young adult over 18 years of age
  • An outdoor enthusiast who loves nature and spending time outdoors
  • A leader and team player who communicates well with others
  • Excited to lead campers through weeks of fun, skill-building, and learning

Does this sound like you? Then keep scrolling! 

If you’re considering working at camp, you might be at a pivotal moment in your life. You might have just finished high school or are three years into college. Decisions about how to spend your time are getting harder. You want to make sure you’re investing time in a place that will help you learn different skills and prepare for your career, and other goals – a job at summer camp can support precisely this! 

Just imagine your answers to these interview questions after a summer at camp: 

  • Are you a leader? Yeah, you’ve managed and been a role model for 20 campers at once. 
  • Can you be flexible? Oh yeah, you should have seen when a monsoon came rolling in, and we came up with a Rube Goldberg challenge utilizing only cabin items.
  • How organized are you? Well, you’ve planned eight weeks of session schedules, multiple activities and mapped out the programs themselves. So, very organized!

If that wasn’t convincing enough….here are some other skills and benefits you can experience by joining our team!   

Communication

A huge part of camp is realizing how vital communication skills are! Camp roles will teach you the many ways to communicate. You’ll be communicating with campers, learning to communicate well with the camp leadership team, and engaging with parents. Other counselors, parents, campers, your camp director…everyone will be asking you questions and expecting answers. Your communication skills will flourish during your summer at camp. 

Live and work in the great outdoors

You have a whole life ahead of you to choose a career path. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to take a job where you work and live in the great outdoors. The sunsets, the connection to nature, the shooting stars, the storms…. oh, and did we mention the summer tan? Spend the summer not tied to a desk. 

Camp friends

You’ll be housed with your colleagues for over two months and will bond with them in a way that is different from anywhere else. These friendships will last you a lifetime. The end of summer will be the hardest goodbye you’ve had in a long time. 

Work attire? How does tie-dye sound? 

Camp is outdoors! So, don’t expect to wear slacks! Instead,  how about jeans and a camp t-shirt? Or maybe a tie-dyed camp t-shirt? Best. Dress. Code. Ever. 

New experiences

Camp counselors are trained to do multiple things during the summer. You’ll get First Aid/CPR certification. Next, you could be in archery instructor training or learning to run the zipline! Whatever it is, we can guarantee you’ll get to experience what campers sign up for.  

You will carry a tradition 

The Girl Scout Camp experience is bigger than all of us. Some camp traditions predate all of us. Each camp is unique in its traditions, and you can be someone who shepherds them forward, preserving history for the next round of campers. 

The campers are the best

Working with kids will be the most rewarding job you’ll ever have. You’ll become an older sibling to your campers. You’ll lead them in activities and be a role model. They’ll ask you for advice, tell you funny stories, and sing their hearts out when you start camp songs like “Little Red Wagon.” Best of all, you’ll find it rewarding knowing you’re creating memorable experiences for Girl Scouts. 

New Mindset

Camp has a profound effect on everyone who emerges after their first summer. You’ll be more confident in your abilities, open with communication, and perhaps have a new sense of purpose that follows you out of the gates. Camp opens us up to who we are as people, and you’ll be surprised at how happy that can make you. 

Living and Commuting to Camp

Camp staff working at one of our three Northern Arizona camps (Camp Maripai, Willow Springs, and Shadow Rim Ranch) will reside on-site for the entire camp season, late May through early August. Staff will receive a two-hour daily break, a 24-hour weekly break, and will be provided lodging and meals.

Camp staff working at our Phoenix day-camp (Parsons Leadership Center) have the option to reside at camp or commute daily to the property, providing a flexible opportunity for metro Phoenix candidates. Commuting staff will receive breakfast and lunch, and resident staff will receive lodging and meals. When applying, please specify which option interests you. 

Learn more and apply for our current summer camp positions at one of our four beautiful Girl Scout camp properties located in Phoenix, Prescott, and Payson. 

Troop Leader Spotlight: Jenny Chavez

Rising Phoenix

Troop 290

Years as a Troop Leader: 8

What inspired you to become a Troop Leader?

I enjoyed spending quality time with my daughter, and what better way to spend some additional time with her than through Girl Scouts?! I’ve enjoyed watching her interact with the other girls, have fun, and make memories. It’s special to share these experiences with the girls– teaching them and learning from them as well.

What kind of activities do you do with your troop? What is their favorite thing to do?

Our troop has a great balance and likes to participate in different activities. Our favorite types are crafts, giving back to the community whenever possible, and going out to camp! 

What kind of service projects have you done with your troop?

In the past, our troop has volunteered at different community events. For example, we have placed flags on Veterans’ graves for Veterans Day and sang Christmas carols for our friends at Phoenix Manor Senior Community.

Tell us about a volunteer moment that stands out to you. 

During our last “in-person” Christmas carol event in December 2019, we had planned crafts that our older girls taught and then served cookies and cocoa to the senior residents at Phoenix Manor. Each troop in our neighborhood sang two songs, and our whole neighborhood closed the show together with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”  

What made this event special is that it was completely girl-led. They planned and executed it, and it made me so proud to see them confident in their abilities and manage it almost all on their own! They have learned so much, and it makes me feel good to know that I was a part of their journey. 

What advice would you give other Troop Leaders?

I would advise leaders to try their best to manage their time; even being a Troop Leader a few hours a week makes an impact. As you grow as a leader, you’ll learn where to invest your time, and it will be enriching. 

What do you wish someone had told you as a new Troop Leader?

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.  There are oodles upon oodles of resources for badge work and meeting ideas from our Council. A few resources are GSACPC’s Leaders Facebook Group page and the council website, YouTube, and Pinterest.  

Help is just a click or phone call away, and someone is always willing to offer help. 

What would you like others to know about volunteer opportunities with the Girl Scouts?

We need more adults to become leaders so we can make more impact in the lives of girls. They’re the future! 

Why is it important to your troop to participate in the GS Cookie Program? 

Because it helps girls learn so many life skills. One of the main and important skills they learn is setting a goal and finding the way to achieve it. 

Selling cookies also helps our entire organization succeed. From the camp properties to the girl programs, and down to the individual troops – all Girl Scouts benefit from the program as proceeds stay local. 

What are your troop’s cookie-selling tips and tricks? 

Our troop loves colorful and creative posters. We’ll get creative and add puns, create themes, or make them funny to call attention. We also make posters with photos of the cookies to make it easier for customers to shop. While out boothing we also encourage the girls to keep it professional and polite, and people respond positively to that.

What is the most inspiring moment you have experienced as a Troop Leader?

There are honestly a few moments I remember often. One that stands out is when our girls made a seven-course meal at an outdoor overnight camp trip. Every leader, troop, and girl had a job to do, and we executed it and had fun at the same time! I was so impressed. The girls have learned many skills that show in everything they do, leadership, being independent, confident, and being a team player. 

Girls can do anything!!

Girl Scout Nosebag Lunches

Have you ever heard the term “nosebag lunch” when going to Girl Scout camp or an outdoor program? That’s probably because the nickname dates to 1927. Here is the definition:

nosebag lunch (nōz′băg′ lŭnch)

n.  A bag lunch. The term comes from when a bag of oats was placed over a horse’s muzzle to eat. Commonly carried on hikes or outings.

With that in mind, Girl Scouts took the term and applied it to bagged lunches. They applied the name to when girls packed their own personal “nose bag” in a bandana, a paper or plastic bag, etc. The term grew and was even included in the 1963 Girl Scout Brownie Handbook. The handbook stated for girls to “carry something munchy, something crunchy, something juicy, something sweet, nothing squishy, nothing squashy, nothing sticky, nothing soggy.”

The term now is used loosely across different Councils. 

Want to pack your own 1963-inspired nosebag lunch? Here’s how:

Try to include a balanced meal – a protein sandwich, vegetable munchies, thirst quencher (fruit), and something sweet for a dessert. Pack heavy things on the bottom, light ones on top, and avoid “squishy” things that will ooze and/or leak. If you are traveling far or hiking for a long time, note that fragile fruits such as peaches and pears will not survive. Be aware of the weather and things that will melt. Tip: potato chips tend to have a low survival rate!

Once you have that sorted, here are some no-cook recipe and snack ideas:

(Ants) Bugs on a Log

Fill ribs of celery with peanut butter or cream cheese and top with raisins or nuts

Cereal Necklace

Using a piece of string or yarn, pipe the string with bits of cereal rings

GORP

An acronym for “good old raisins and peanuts” or trail mix, GORP is an easy and fun snack to put together. Customize it with things like salted peanuts, dried cranberries, dried fruits, granola, and different seeds or nuts! 

The information above is brought to you by the GSACPC History Committee and the Barbara Anderson Girl Scout Museum. If you would like to learn more about Girl Scout history or schedule a visit to the museum, please visit girlscoutsaz.org/museum

NEW MyGS Account is Here

Girl Scouts released a new member management portal as part of the My GS community of online member resources and introduced several new updates making it easier than ever to manage your household’s Girl Scout memberships and keep track of your Girl Scout experiences – from troop participation, activity and event registrations and more!

Some of you may have caught the email from Girl Scouts Dec. 6-8 inviting you to reset your password and welcoming you to the system, others may have missed it. We understand. Emails can land in Junk folders or simply get lost in today’s crowded inboxes. The password reset link expires four days after the email is received. But it’s ok, you can still get started.

Simply click on ‘My GS’ in the top right corner of this web page and follow the system-provided prompts and guidance. Of course, if you have any trouble, be sure to reach out to our Council Staff Teams. As always, we’re here to support you every step of the way! Just email reghelp@girlscoutsaz.org, call 602-452-7030 or text 844-317-9041 (note, we recently switched to a new toll-free number for texts).

My Account makes it easier than ever to manage your household’s Girl Scout memberships and keep track of your Girl Scout experiences. With so many new features, we’re choosing to highlight just a few like:

  • The *NEW* Household Summary View: A scrollable list of all current and inactive Girl Scout members in your household along with troop affiliations and the status for all household memberships – renewing your girl has never been easier!
  • A *NEW* Event Dashboard: A scrollable summary of upcoming events and activities for your household.
  • The *NEW* Troop Summary View: There to provide you with a quick look at basic information on the troops that your household members are a part of!
  • The *NEW* My Account Menu: Ready to take to you pages like My Household, My Troop, My Profile, My Events where you will be able to find more details and information – beyond the summary views on your landing page—and where you’ll go to update and edit your member account information! 

Of course, there’s more but we wanted to save a few surprises for you to find. Be sure to check it out! We think you’re going to like what you find. Have fun exploring!

A Troop Leader’s journey in Authentic Girl Scout Leadership

This blog is written by Girl Scout Volunteer, Troop Leader, and Authentic Leadership Community (ALC) member Kate Allen. ALC is centered around the principles of Authentic Girl Scout Leadership, formerly known as Leadership from the Inside Out. “We are committed to helping you discover, unlock and develop your leadership superpowers so that you can guide and empower your girls as they grow into leaders themselves.” 

When I first began my journey as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, I remember pouring through the GSACPC website for clues about getting started. During my search, I came across materials called Leadership from the Inside Out (LFIO) booklets. The four booklets of this volunteer leadership curriculum cover the topics of Circle, Ceremony, Reflection, and Co-generational community. 

They profoundly resonated with me. I read and learned about Girl Scout Circles, the many Girl Scout Ceremonies and traditions, the role of storytelling, and the multi-generational approach to Girl Scouting. 

A couple of years into my volunteering, I was invited to participate in a retreat hosted by the GSACPC Authentic Leadership Community (ALC). A retreat was just what I wanted at the time, so I said yes. That retreat became a pivotal moment for me as a Girl Scout Volunteer. It genuinely helped me grow and understand my place as a leader, which eventually led me to become a core facilitator for ALC. 

Together, with many generations of wisdom included in this circle, ALC updated the LFIO booklets. Our conversations were accompanied by ceremony, traditions, and authentic, vulnerable, open-hearted storytelling. We updated the booklets to reflect the work that volunteers do today and studying our work month after month, gathering information, sharing, and deepening our individual and collective stories in new ways. In addition to revising the existing LFIO material, we discerned the desire for a fifth section: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), considered through the lens of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The fruit of this collective effort to rework the LFIO material will be shared in the coming months with GSACPC Volunteers: Authentic    Girl Scout Leadership (AGSL). 

Working through this curriculum with the ALC team has allowed me to try out the concepts with my troop. As my multi-level troop tries things out, I notice them taking a new interest in one another and their shared time. Our circle time gives a ritual framework that they can lead themselves. Their stories about what interests and engages them became a framework for planning troop meetings and ceremonies. Learning Girl Scout traditions like song-singing and skits not only empowers girls in my troop to be brave but gives the girls a common language for their sisterhood. Learning how to witness and honor the experiences of others while having a safe space to give voice to their own experience is how my girls have learned the vital concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are the concepts that will challenge and attempt to heal our world. 

The girls in my troop are becoming go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders in ways I didn’t anticipate, and that is the curriculum’s magic. As a Troop Leader with AGSL at her fingertips, I feel empowered to empower my girls to lead the way on their journeys as they discover, connect, and take action to make the world a better place.

With this empowerment, I invite Girl Scout Volunteers to consider deepening their relationship with this work. You can start by reading the new booklet or asking yourself how you translate your authenticity through Girl Scouting for your troop. Attend a workshop or offerings from the Authentic Leadership Community to experience this work.

Want to learn more about our work or joining ALC? Email us and let us know!

5 Skills Every Girl Scout Cadette Should Know

Whether you’re a first, second or third-year Girl Scout Cadette, there are some badges we think all Cadettes should know! Check out the list below to see which badges made the list and how you can earn them, too! With Girl Scouts at Home, you can add these badges to your summer list and earn them in no time!

  1. How to Treat Wilderness Injuries: What do you do if someone breaks a leg while you’re hiking in the mountains? Or how do you help someone who has nearly drowned on a boat trip? This badge will help you research injuries and talk to an expert on how to help in these situations.
  2. Find Common Ground with Others: Sometimes we make our differences so big we can’t see past them. But when you get to know people who aren’t exactly like you, you often find that they care about many of the same things you do and that you can find common ground—not by sacrificing or changing what you think, but by being open to other perspectives. This badge helps you listen to opinions that sometimes differ from yours.
  3. Understand Your Digital Footprint: The internet is a powerful tool! You can chat with friends, research school projects, play games, watch videos, or listen to music. The downside is that you leave information about yourself with every screen tap and click of the mouse. This badge teaches you to think carefully about the kind of information you are sharing every time you visit a website or use an app.
  4. Learn How to Think Like a Citizen Scientist: Scientists study nature and conduct research to better understand how it works. They use what they learn to create solutions that help people, animals, and the environment. To learn new things and do research, scientists use a process called the scientific method, which you’ll learn a little more about!
  5. Utilize Outdoor Cooking Skills: Over time, Girl Scouts have learned to cook great food in a variety of ways … in cardboard box ovens, on tin can buddy burners, and even on hot rocks. While earning this badge, you’ll try another technique – making orange cakes and cooking them in orange shells! 

Girl Scouts are resourceful, and this can look like continuing your journey on your own, even when away from a troop setting. Explore all available badges and make your own plan with the Badge Explorer!

Helping Animals During Crisis Is Important to Girls

It’s in the Girl Scout DNA to help in a time of crisis. In fact, over 62% of K-5 girls (surveyed by GSUSA in April) want to do community service activities, and 72% want to do activities that help their community. That’s why one of the first at-home program opportunities we put together for girls once COVID-19 social distancing was in effect was a Guide to Helping Others, a summary of ideas and opportunities to serve the community safely. Not surprisingly, some of the most exciting projects in our Council have been around helping animals!

Animal-related Girl Scout badges are commonly completed. They include the Brownie Pets Badge, Junior Animals Habitats Badge, Cadette Animal Helper Badge, and Senior Voices for Animals Badge. And our Council offers the PetSmart Paw Patch in partnership with PetSmart Charities, which is one of our most popular patch programs (10,000 patches have been earned and distributed in the last two years!).

While the badges and patches are a fun way to engage girls in pet care, advocacy, and veterinary careers, girls have leveraged these opportunities to give back to their community. Most girls, when completing the badge and patch requirements, conduct pet care supply drives, volunteer at local shelters, and make pet toys, sew blankets, and pillows.

Supporting animals is a special and unique way for girls to be of service in this time of need – as many girls love animals, they quickly see how pets are important members of our communities, and this helps fill a gap when animals aren’t top of mind for all adults during this pandemic directly affecting people.

So far during the pandemic, girls have earned the Girl Scout Pet Badges and PetSmart Paw patch through several exciting service projects:

We’re proud of how girls are taking charge and caring for Arizona—feeling inspired, too?

>>Join or renew to continue the fun

>>Earn your Pet Badge or PawPatch

>>Choose a way to help others

>>See more virtual Girl Scout opportunities

Girl Scout Summer Adventures Proves to Be a Virtual Learning Success

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, all students – those who didn’t finish the recent school year in-class to those who will start school for the first time – face a very different set of circumstances than previous years. School administrators express that more than ever, mental, emotional, and social preparedness is paramount.

To address the pandemic’s impact on education in Arizona and replace in-person programs canceled due to social distancing guidelines, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-pine Council (GSACPC) partnered with ASU Prep Digital to create a unique, online program for K-12 girls this July.

The new program, “Girl Scout Summer Adventures,” is structured so girls can connect socially and emotionally during this time of isolation and support their formal education at the same time. It’s all about setting girls up for success by enriching their socially-distanced summers at home and helping them prepare for the coming school year. Through the program, which is tailored to each grade level, girls are working with new friends, having fun, and tackling new skills through age-appropriate activities and experiences.

The four-week pilot leads girls through a choose-your-own-adventure journey exploring life skills, STEM, entrepreneurship, and outdoors. With a mix of live and recorded sessions and downloadable content, girls have been able to go at their own pace and on their schedules. The program is guided by GSACPC program staff and licensed educators. And since Girl Scout programming complements academic curriculum, participants in grades 7-12 have had the opportunity to earn free summer school credit.

 “As an organization that positively impacts academic achievement for girls, we feel an obligation to innovate our program model so we can continue to support girls during this monumental time when their education is in upheaval,” said Christina Spicer, GSACPC Deputy Director.

Thanks to a long-standing history with ASU Prep Digital– the local accredited online high school affiliated with Arizona State University– once the pandemic began impacting schools, GSACPC rapidly went to work to develop the Summer Adventures program in partnership with the school.

GSACPC was also able to coordinate special, behind-the-scenes live visits for girls by tapping into some of their other dedicated partners. From business owners, arts and culture organizations, to VIP visitors, session experiences have included Q&As with female role models like Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to cooking class with a pro chef and touring an observatory.

Parents and guardians are praising the quality of the program:

A parent who is also a teacher noted, “It is an impressive amount of planning, organizing, and implementing! Both my daughters are excited about the line-up for their [grade] levels, and I hope to sit to the side for a lot of it, too! One of their material boxes arrived in the mail today, and I’m in awe of the badges and journeys incorporated and provided. You should all be commended for creating such a professional, age-appropriate, packed-with-fun program.”

A longtime Troop Leader shared that she has never seen such excitement from girls in her troop, “Six of my [Troop’s] Girl Scouts registered for the Summer Adventures program, and they are having so much fun! They send me pictures and talk to me about all the exciting projects they’re doing.”

To make the program accessible to all girls, a fee was not required to participate. A donation of $100 for the full 4-weeks was suggested, but families were able to determine how they could support the program. GSACPC hoped to serve 250 girls through the July pilot session, and 416 girls are currently registered.

“ASU Prep Digital helped us learn how to offer Girl Scout programming within a Learning Management System. We look forward to using this knowledge as we continue to adjust our program delivery model to meet the needs of girls,” said Spicer.

With this success underway, GSACPC plans to continue assessing how programs like this might catalyze deeper partnerships with all local schools to support formal education outcomes for girls, especially as school districts are looking at their plans for returning safely to the classroom.

How Girl Scouts Helped Me Help Others

I have been a Girl Scout since first grade, 12 years to be exact. I am now entering my sophomore year in college, and everything I learned as a Girl Scout has helped me tremendously in every phase of life. Thanks to Girl Scouts, I learned how to communicate effectively and put others before myself. This has helped me not only when applying to jobs and colleges, but I have also been able to use these skills for things such as building friendships and growing my inner confidence. Girl Scouts has offered me some incredible experiences; my troop has traveled to London, Italy, France, New York, and Costa Rica. Along with being able to travel the world, I have completed my Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, the highest awards in Girl Scouting, which require tackling community issues and sustainably serving the community.

Earning my Gold Award, in particular, was something that I worked extremely hard at, and I am incredibly proud of completing it. My project, Dream for Dresses, focused on the 29,537 homeless children in the Arizona Public School systems who cannot afford the luxury of new clothes for the start of school. At the beginning of this project, I focused on creating dresses for young girls, as they are primarily the ones whose confidence suffers the most when it comes to appearances. As I began, however, I also wanted to gather clothes for boys and organized a clothing drive as well. Per the Curvilinear Model of Self-Esteem, achievement in school is at its lowest efficiency rate when self-esteem is low. The goal of my project was that through new clothes, these children would gain the confidence they needed to raise their achievements in school, as they are the future.

As mentioned before, there are 29,537 homeless students in the Arizona public school systems alone. On a national level, the number is significantly larger: 1.3 million. While my project impacted those locally, I hope that my project and its presence on social media will inspire others to do the same everywhere. While I am in Rhode Island attending the University of Rhode Island, I plan to continue to help the homeless youth here and create awareness on the East Coast.

My new commitment to Girl Scouting has been helping a younger troop with not only their Girl Scout Cookie sales but also with holiday bazaars, earning badges, and their Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards. Last March, during my Gold Award, I invited them to collaborate with me, offering training and tips for their future service projects. I taught the girls how to sew and put the dresses together and shared why I chose this as my Gold Award project, and they too became passionate about helping students. So much that they agreed to continue my project, and so I donated all surplus supplies to them.

The truth about Girl Scouts is that it shapes women into strong individuals who have the power to change their community. Girl Scouts gives girls confidence and strength to take on the world and be successful in any endeavor.
 

Kaya Evans is a Gold Award Girl Scout and GSACPC Alum. She currently attends the University of Rhode Island with hopes of becoming an occupational therapist.  

Girl Scout Alum Chef O’s Girl Scout Cookie Inspired Recipe

As troops get into a new routine of meeting virtually, we’d like to share with you some activity ideas to try out! It’s great to host virtual meetings after working on badge work, to wrap up a week, and just for fun socializing! Hosting for the first time? Refer to this check list first. 

On Virtual-GS, we’ve included Resources to Meet Virtually – which lists free video and audio-conferencing tools for troop meetings. There are also chat and collaboration apps and additional low-cost tools. Once you’ve selected which virtual meeting resource works best for you, try these meeting ideas: 

  • Start with a check-in – To start the meeting, pose a question to the group and invite each participant to take a turn responding. For your first virtual meeting, consider keeping the topic light – What is your superhero name, and what powers do you have? As the girls become more accustomed to the practice, include more in-depth topics that allow the girls to express their concerns and feelings. The questions can also relate to the focus of the meeting. For more suggestions, check out this article.
  • COVID-19 Time Capsule – Long Creations has developed free time capsule digital downloads “for fellow families with children living through this difficult time.” Individuals can use them to document their personal experiences during what will become a landmark event in history. Send to your troop ahead of a meeting and allow girls to share their thoughts, feelings, and time capsule creations during your virtual meeting.
  • Pen Pals – While this activity is typically delivered through USPS, and done with pals who are far away from each other, modify this activity for troops to connect on a smaller scale! Troop Leaders match girls as Pen Pals within a troop, with another troop in your neighborhood, or other Girl Scouts across the state! And a simpler alternative to postal service is to set up the pen pal system via email. To find a pen pal troop within our Council, connect with other leaders on Facebook.  Girls can then share stories during a troop meeting and leaders can share suggestions about what to write about. 
  • Play games together – games like charades, Scattegories, Kahoot app trivia, and Minute to Win it make fun group interaction online.
  • Take a virtual field trip together – Visit Exploring the World Wide Web on Virtual GS and view the different museums that are offering virtual tours! Girls can also choose to explore a popular travel destination like the Great Wall of China, National Park like Yellowstone, or country through Google Earth virtually and share the screen to travel together. 
  • Stay @ Home Challenge – invite girls to report on how they are earning points to earn the patch. If the activities required crafting something, invite girls to share what they did. 
  • Earn the Safety Award for your level – most of these awards focus on being prepared. Refer to your level Girl Scout Guide Book for the activities.
  • Plan Community Service – Now is a great time for girls to be thinking about giving back to their community in safe and responsible ways. Make cards and notes for first responders, learn some songs together and make a video to send to your local nursing home, or brainstorm sustainable changes you can make to earn your High Awards. Start with a brainstorm during your next meeting, and then get down to planning in future meetings. For ideas, reference our Girl Scout Guide: Helping Others During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Show & Tell – no matter the age, sharing something they love gets the girls comfortable speaking online, and it’s an excellent way to practice listening and being open-minded to others’ ideas.
  • Scavenger Hunt – Create fun and friendly competition by providing a list of items for the girls to find at home within a time limit. Girls can quickly go off-screen to find the item and return to the meeting with the thing they found. Prizes can be picking the next activity, being a virtual assistant for the next meeting, or something unique to your troop!
  • Karaoke Battle – girls create a list of karaoke songs they like to sing. Depending on the size of your troop, divide girls into pairs or small groups, and have them practice their song (tip: this is seamless when using breakout rooms feature in Zoom). Then, come back together to perform for the group as a whole. 
  • Unconventional Fashion Show – use recycled items around the house to make new fashions! Items can be newspapers, magazines, tissue paper flowers, garbage bags, sheets, (toga party anyone?), or anything else that sparks creativity. Then, everyone struts their wares at the end, or at the top of a future meeting (like show & tell!).
  • Free Chat Space – at the end of the meeting, consider leaving the video connection open for girls to visit with each other. Spending time with their friends is the best part of Girl Scouts.

First Time Virtual Meeting Checklist

Thinking about hosting a virtual troop meeting? This checklist is a great place to start! You’ll realize it’s easy as pie, just like planning for one in-person and with the virtual tools we share, you’ll quickly learn how easy it is to get started! 

How to set up a virtual troop meeting:

Determine the virtual meeting tool the troop will use to meet. See Resources to Meet Virtually on the Virtual-GS page for our recommendations. 
Next, contact your families to confirm that everyone has internet access and the comfort level to connect online. Many tools have multiple ways to call into a group meeting, including just through the cellphone and not using a computer. 
 Plan to keep the first gathering short and focus on the relationship more than a group activity or badge content. Once everyone is comfortable, you can plan more ambitious agendas. 
Treat the first virtual meeting as you would with any first meeting; set up expectations and ground rules, such as not using the chat log for side conversations during the meeting.
Create a schedule that works with families and girls, and provide agenda items, so they know what to expect and plan for! This gives girls something to look forward to as well.
Collaborate! Work with families and the girls to get ideas and feedback on what the girls would like to do! 

Now that you’re ready to host your first virtual meeting, check out these fun Virtual Troop Meeting Activity Ideas!