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Girl Scouts’ dreams are our dreams. A Girl Scout builds a better world—just as Girl Scouts have been doing for over a century. With programs coast-to-coast and around the globe, everyone can find their place in Girl Scouts and start creating the world they want to see.
Girl Scout Volunteers 
Girl Scout volunteers make up a dynamic and diverse group. Whether you’re a recent college graduate, parent, retiree, or, really, anyone—of any gender, who is 18 years or older and has passed their council’s screening process—with a sense of curiosity and adventure, your unique skills and experiences have the power to change lives. With you as their mentor, Girl Scouts will grow and thrive.
Girl Scout members and volunteers are united by the values in the Girl Scout Promise and Law and their shared commitment to embrace leadership in all forms. Each member agrees to follow Girl Scout safety guidelines and pay annual membership dues. Volunteers and adults also have the option to purchase a Lifetime membership .
Girl Scout Grade Levels
Young people can join Girl Scouts at any point from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Girl Scout Daisy (grades K–1)
Girl Scout Brownie (grades 2–3)
Girl Scout Junior (grades 4–5)
Girl Scout Cadette (grades 6–8)
Girl Scout Senior (grades 9–10)
Girl Scout Ambassador (grades 11–12)
Inclusion
Girl Scouts has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we welcome and embrace individuals of all abilities and backgrounds in our wonderful sisterhood.
Inclusion is at the core of who we are; it’s about being a sister to every Girl Scout and celebrating our unique strengths. This means that each Girl Scout needs to be able to feel seen for who they are and what they bring to the group.
Part of the important work you’ll do as a volunteer is modeling friendship and compassion for your Girl Scouts, and showing them what it means to practice empathy. By treating all Girl Scouts with kindness and respect, you can nurture an inclusive troop environment.
A critical component of inclusion is that everyone is able to participate. When scheduling, planning, and carrying out activities, carefully consider the needs of everyone involved, including school schedules, family needs, financial constraints, dietary requirements, religious holidays, and the accessibility of appropriate transportation and meeting places.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE)
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) is our research-based impact model that describes what members do in Girl Scouts, who they do it with, how they do it, and how they benefit. When planning your year, make sure you’re implementing all parts of the GSLE regularly.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience was designed to include a variety of fun and challenging activities to help Girl Scouts learn, grow, and thrive. These include activities associated with:
- National Program Portfolio (badges, awards, and patches)
- Outdoor and camping experiences
- Community service and Take Action projects
- Field trips and events
- Girl Scout Cookie Program
The GSLE also emphasizes supportive relationships, seen in how volunteers care for the Girl Scouts they lead—encouraging their creative thinking, honoring inclusion, and nurturing a safe space overall. As a result, Girl Scouts develop positive relationships with their peers and feel a sense of belonging. When Girl Scouts feel supported and safe, they’re more likely to achieve the five GSLE outcomes described below and, ultimately, reflect the Girl Scout mission.
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience draws on three unique processes that encourage Girl Scouts to try new things, write their own stories, and develop the skills and confidence to say, “I know I can do this!”
- Girl-led. Girl Scouts take the lead, no matter their age. From selecting badges to organizing activities, they gain confidence while following their dreams.
- Learning by doing. Participatory activities are fun for members of any age, but they also help Girl Scouts feel empowered to shape their own experience.
- Cooperative learning. Girl Scouts experience firsthand that teamwork, respect, and collaboration can fuel them through any challenge that comes their way.
As a volunteer, you’ll draw on these three processes as you lead Girl Scouts.
Naturally, “girl-led” at the Daisy level will look very different from girl-led at the Ambassador level. What’s most important is that your Girl Scouts make decisions about the activities they’ll do together and make choices as they’re doing the activities together. As they learn from their successful and not-so-successful tries, they gain confidence.
All Girl Scouts should have the opportunity to lead within their peer group. By the time they’re Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors, they’ll be using the leadership skills they’ve developed to take on more ownership of their activities, mentor younger Girl Scouts, and take action to make the world a better place.
And finally, when a variety of activities, supportive adults, and the three Girl Scout processes are combined, Girl Scouts demonstrate the five GSLE outcomes:
- Strong Sense of Self. Girl Scouts have confidence in themselves and their abilities and form positive identities.
- Positive Values. Girl Scouts act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.
- Challenge Seeking. Girl Scouts learn to take appropriate risks, try things even if they might fail, and learn from mistakes.
- Healthy Relationships. Girl Scouts develop and maintain healthy relationships by communicating their feelings directly and resolving conflicts constructively.
- Community Problem-Solving. Girl Scouts desire to contribute to the world in purposeful and meaningful ways, learn how to identify problems in the community, and create “action plans” to solve them.
One last tip: Tuning in to what interests your Girl Scouts and sparks their imaginations is much more important than completing all the activities on your list. Projects don’t have to come out perfectly—in fact, it’s a valuable learning experience when they don’t—and Girl Scouts don’t have to fill their vests and sashes with badges. What matters most is the fun and learning that takes place as they make experiences their own—so don’t be afraid to step back and let your Girl Scouts take the lead.
To learn more about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, view our training on gsLearn.
Reflection
Reflection is the necessary post-activity debrief that reinforces what’s been learned and gives Girl Scouts the confidence they need to make connections between the activities your troop tries and future challenges they might face.
Keep in mind that reflection does not need to be a formal process, though you can kick-start the conversation with three simple questions: 1) What? 2) So what? and 3) Now what?
First, go over the “what” of the activity. For example, ask:
- What did we do today?
- What part was your favorite?
- If we did it again, what would you want to do differently and what would you want to repeat?
Next, move to the “so what.” You might ask:
- So, what did you learn by doing this activity?
- So, what did you learn about yourself?
- So, what did you learn about your community (or environment, school, or others) that you didn’t know before?
- Why do you think this activity was important?
- What key learning can we take with us?
For the “now what?” say something like:
- Now that we’ve done this, what would you like to do next?
- Now that you know [thing learned] about yourselves, what would you like to try next?
- Now that we’ve completed this Take Action project, what could we do to make sure it continues to have impact?
- Given this experience, what’s more of a priority to you now?
- What are you curious to learn more about?
- Where would you like to go?
- Who would you like to meet?
This form of reflection, or however you choose to reflect with your Girl Scouts, is a powerful component of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. It helps girls carry with them what they’ve learned throughout the rest of their lives.
Progression
Although elements of the program—like outdoor expeditions or learning entrepreneurial ventures—are consistent across all grade levels, Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors won’t be doing the same activities as Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors. But with your support, Girl Scouts will be ready for what comes when they get there!
Girl Scout programming is designed to be progressive and it’s what makes Girl Scouting fun and effective! By building on the knowledge and skills they gain year after year, your Girl Scouts’ confidence will grow exponentially, and they’ll be eager to try new things and take on new challenges. As a volunteer, you will cultivate a supportive, nonjudgmental space where your Girl Scouts can test their skills and be unafraid to fail.
Keep in mind that progression drives success for your troop and consider that it is not about grade or age, but experience. Click on the following links for outlined suggestions that will help you determine when your Girl Scouts are ready for their next outdoor challenge, their next troop trip, or their next cookie selling challenge.
The Girl Scout Program: National Program Pillars
Girl Scouts' four Program Pillars—STEM, Life Skills, Outdoors, and Entrepreneurship—form the foundation of the Girl Scout program.
STEM. Girl Scouts are naturally curious and have a strong desire to help others. Whether they’re building a robot, developing a video game, or studying the stars, Girl Scouts become better problem-solvers and critical thinkers through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and gain the confidence to turn their ideas into breakthrough inventions to help others.
Life Skills. Girl Scouts’ life skills programming equips girls with practical skills and tools that foster financial literacy, civic engagement, and community service. It’s programming that helps them discover that they have what it takes to raise their voices as community advocates, make smart decisions about their finances, and form strong, healthy relationships—skills that inspire them to accept challenges and overcome obstacles, now and always.
Outdoors. Girl Scouts have been building outdoor confidence and skills for over 100 years! They do this through a variety of outdoor adventures like camping and nature-focused badge work that have them spending time outdoors and developing a lifelong appreciation of nature. This appreciation sparks Girl Scouts’ desire to take action as environmental stewards in their community and beyond.
Entrepreneurship. Starting with the iconic Girl Scout Cookie Program and including Girl Scouts’ fall product program and a series of entrepreneurship badges, this pillar instills and nurtures an entrepreneurial mindset in girls. It fuels their curiosity and confidence as they learn the essentials of running their own businesses and how to think like entrepreneurs.
Important Differences: Patches, Badges, and Awards
Patch, badges, and awards are designed to give Girl Scouts different leadership-building experiences, all while they have fun!
Patches are about sparking interest. Often called fun patches or participation patches, Girl Scouts receive them for participating in a special event or activity, like troop activities, events or activities that are part of council-sponsored programs… It could even be a trip to the zoo. Patches are worn on the back of a Girl Scouts’ uniform.
Badges are about skill building. When a Girl Scout earns a badge, it shows they’ve learned a new skill, such as how to make a first aid kit, build and test a toy race car, or take great digital photos. Badges may even seed a future career. Badges are worn on the front of a Girl Scout’s uniform.
Awards are about deepening understanding. Whether they’re focused on leadership, service, or earning the Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award (Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards), by earning an award, Girl Scouts show their commitment to growth and making a meaningful impact. Awards are often pins and worn on the front of a Girl Scout’s uniform.
Other Important Differences: Community Service and Take Action Projects
As your Girl Scouts look for meaningful ways to give back to their community, you can help sharpen their problem-solving skills and expand their definition of doing good by discussing community service and Take Action projects. Both projects serve essential needs, but at different levels.
- When a Girl Scout performs community service, they are responding to an immediate need in a one-off, “doing for” capacity. In other words, they are making an impact right now.
- Through Take Action/service learning, Girl Scouts explore the root causes of a community need and address it in a lasting way; they truly make the world—or their part of it—a better place.
If your troop members want to pursue their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, they’ll develop a Take Action project on an issue that’s close to their hearts. To make Take Action projects even more impactful for your Girl Scouts, set time aside for them to reflect on their projects. When they take time to internalize the lessons they’ve learned, they’re more likely to find success in their future projects—or anything else they put their minds to.
Traditions, Ceremonies, and Special Girl Scout Days
Time-honored traditions and ceremonies unite Girl Scout sisters and the millions of Girl Scout alums who came before them—around the country and around the globe—and remind them how far their fellow trailblazers have come and just how far they’ll go.
A few of those extra special days, when you will want to turn up the celebrations, include:
- Juliette Gordon Low's birthday or Founder's Day, October 31, marks the birth in 1860 of Girl Scouts of the USA founder Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia.
- World Thinking Day, February 22, celebrates international friendship. It is an opportunity for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to connect with each other and explore a common theme around the world.
- Girl Scouts’ birthday, March 12, commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization's first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. It is part of the annual Girl Scout Week celebration!
Whether they’re working on a new badge, making new friends, or closing meetings with a friendship circle, your troop won’t want to miss out on Girl Scouts’ treasured traditions, ceremonies, and special Girl Scout days. We embrace fresh perspectives and innovation from our rich cultural legacy. We continuously review norms and traditions evolving over time to ensure they are relevant and equitable. Sometimes that may involve modifying or sunsetting traditions to make way for new ones.
Highest Awards
The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards honor Girl Scouts who become forces for good and create a lasting impact in their communities, nationally and around the world.
As your Girl Scouts discover the power of their voices, they’ll want to take on an issue that is close to their hearts and meaningful to them. Encourage them to turn their ideas into reality by pursuing Girl Scouts’ highest awards.
- The Girl Scout Bronze Award can be earned by a group of Juniors.
- The Girl Scout Silver Award can be earned by Cadettes, either individually or in a small group.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award can be earned by Seniors and Ambassadors. Girl Scouts work individually to earn this award.
Every Girl Scout can earn our Highest Awards. Learn how to get started!
*Journeys are being retired on October 1, 2026, but Girl Scouts who have already completed the Journey prerequisite or are already working on their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award can continue uninterrupted. The Journey prerequisite will never expire. Any completed Journey will count, even after Journeys are retired.
Girl Scout Travel
Girl Scouts encourages members to try new things and explore the world, both inside and outside of their usual troop meetings. Traveling as a Girl Scout is a more engaging experience than traveling with family, school, or other groups because Girl Scouts take the lead. They’ll make important decisions about where to go, what to do, and take increasing responsibility for the planning of their trips. During this process, they will also build their organizational and management skills—skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Girl Scout travel is built on a progression of activities, so members are set up for success. Daisies and Brownies start with field trips and progress to day trips, overnights, and short trips. Juniors can take their adventures farther with extended trips. And Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can travel the U.S. and then the world. There are even opportunities for older Girl Scouts to travel independently by joining trips their council organizes or participating in GSUSA’s travel program, Destinations. Learn more about group travel online!
Travel and Girl Scout Program Connections
It’s easy to connect eye-opening travel opportunities to the leadership training and skill building your troop is doing! Girl Scouts can use their creativity to connect any badge skill into an idea for travel. For example, they learn about foods from a variety of regions and countries in the New Cuisines badge, which would connect well with a trip focusing on agriculture, culture, and sampling tasty foods! There are plenty more examples, such as the Senior Traveler badge, Eco Camper, Photographer and, of course, all the financial badges that help Girl Scouts budget and earn money for their trips.
Want to include Girl Scout traditions in your trip? Look no further than the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia! Your troop also has the chance to deepen their connections to Girl Scouts around the world by visiting one of the WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) World Centers, which offer low-cost accommodations and special programs in five locations around the world. Many councils across the U.S. also have properties to rent to traveling troops, or programs traveling troops can join—check out this map! And if your troop is looking to stay closer to home this year, ask your council about council-owned camps and other facilities that can be rented out, or programs they may have planned for troops.
As your Girl Scouts excitedly plan their next trip, remember to limit your role to facilitating their brainstorming and planning, never doing the work for them. Share your ideas and insights, ask tough questions when you have to, and support all their decisions with enthusiasm and encouragement!
Planning Troop Adventures
Contact your council as soon as you start thinking about planning a trip to find out more about their approval process for overnight and extended travel. They will also likely have training programs that will raise your confidence as a chaperone.
Planning Overnight Adventures
Girl Scout travel starts with day trips. Learn more through the Field Trips & Travel course on gsLearn or by reviewing our Day Trips Checklist.
Contact your council as soon as you start thinking about planning an overnight trip to find out more about their approval process. They also likely have training programs to boost your confidence as a chaperone.
Not sure where to begin? Check out the Girl Scout Guide to U.S. Travel. This resource is designed for Juniors and older Girl Scouts who want to take extended trips—that is, longer than a weekend—but also features tips and tools for budding explorers who are just getting started.
Once Girl Scouts have mastered planning and embarking on trips in the U.S., they might be ready for a global travel adventure! Global trips usually take a few years to plan, and the Girl Scout Guide to Global Travel can guide you through the entire process.
Safety First
If you’re planning any kind of trip—from a short field trip to an overseas expedition—the “Trip and Travel” section of Safety Activity Checkpoints is your go-to resource for safety. Your council may also have additional resources and approval processes that can be found in Safety Activity Checkpoints.
© Copyright 2009–2026 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved. All information and material contained in Girl Scouts’ Volunteer Essentials guide (“Material”) is provided by Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) and is intended to be educational material solely to be used by Girl Scout volunteers and council staff. Reproduction, distribution, compiling, or creating derivative works of any portion of the Material or any use other than noncommercial uses as permitted by copyright law is prohibited, unless explicit, prior authorization by GSUSA in writing was granted. GSUSA reserves its exclusive right in its sole discretion to alter, limit, or discontinue the Material at any time without notice.
