Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has developed a training plan that:
- Seeks to develop learning opportunities that focus the volunteers on helping girls achieve the fifteen national outcomes, and
- Respects volunteers’ limited time by reducing the number of required learning modules, and
- Encourages continuous learning.
Thus GSUSA has created a national Operational Guide to Volunteering for Girl Scouts: Volunteer Essentials. It is customizable for each council so that council specifics can be added. It is replacing Directions and will be entirely Web based. There is no training required on it. It is easy to follow and comprehensive, so much so that we can now remove Troop Leadership Course (TLC) from the Volunteer Training Plan. Volunteer Essentials is intended to encourage ongoing learning. It says in the document: “Read what you need now, and come back to it when you’re ready for more.” It will be officially rolled out in January 2010, and we will no longer schedule TLC training after that.
How & Why
In her blog post, Volunteer Services Manager, Heather Givens, explains why we've shifted to Volunteer Essentials and what makes it the very best guide for all Girl Scout volunteers. Read her post now.
Web Access to Volunteer Essentials
Volunteer Essentials is an entirely Web-based publication. Each chapter has its own Web page making the content easily searchable and allowing keywords like "Girl Scout Leadership Experience" to be linked to the page with more detailed information. Additionally, you can download the PDF of each chapter from the bottom of that chapter's Web page. Happy learning!
Table of Contents
Introduction to Girl Scouts
Chapter 1: Sharing Your Unique Gifts
- Evaluating Your Skills
- Taking Advantage of Volunteer Learning Opportunities
- Getting Feedback on a Job Well Done
Chapter 2: Girl Scouting 101
Chapter 3: Program - What Girl Scouts Do
- The Girl Scout Leadership Experience
- Girl Scout Processes
- A Journey Awaits
- The Highest Awards in Girl Scouting: Girl Scout Bronze, Silver & Gold Awards
- Badges, Try-Its, Pins and More!
- Other Initiatives and Opportunities
- Girl Scout Traditions: Pass It On!
Chapter 4: Engaging Girls at All Levels
- Understanding Healthy Development in Girls
- Creating a Safe Space for Girls
- Creating an Atmostphere of Acceptance and Inclusion
Chapter 5: Staying Safe - Always!
- Knowing Your Responsibilities
- Knowing How Many Volunteers You Need
- Providing Emergency Care
- GSCTX Policies & Standards
Chapter 6: Taking Trips and Hosting Events
- Taking Trips with Girls
- Facilitating Girl-Led Trip Planning
- Obtaining Council Permission for Trips
- Transporting Girls
- Hosting an Event
- Getting Back Together After Your Trip or Event
Chapter 7: Managing Group Finances
- Establishing an Account
- Money Earning Basics
- Understanding Financial & Sales Abilities by Program Level
- Selling Cookies (and Other Great Stuff)
- Additional Group Money-Earning
- Collaborating with Sponsors and Other Organizations
Documentation
In order to document your record and test your knowledge use the Volunteer Essentials Review. After answering the questions on this review please turn it in to your Service Unit Director. The Service Unit Director will forward it to the Volunteer Services Department and your GS record will be updated.
