Make a Difference Become a Girl Scout Leader

Interested in leading a Girl Scout troop? See the list of FAQs below. Training for new leaders is on 10/17 at 7 pm in the Wells Cafeteria- this will go into specifics and share ideas. Brewster Girl Scouts need your help! If they don't have enough leaders, they will not able to place all the girls. 

"95% of volunteers say they make girls lives better with Girl Scouts (and that makes them happy)" See what else leaders have to say on this volunteer video. 

Frequently Asked Questions about being a Girl Scout Leader 

1) What is the process of becoming a Girl Scout Leader in Brewster?

We hope to gather all prospective leaders for a brief orientation in early September. Next, you will sign up for Volunteer Essentials, which is a required course for all leaders. This course is designed to present the topics of: Girl Scout philosophy, program goals, diversity and pluralism, and Girl Scouts of the USA’s guidelines, as well as outlining the national and local council structure. You will also undergo a background check which has a small fee.

Volunteer Essentials is offered as a webinar, and is approximately two hours long. Brewster is part of the Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson Council, so you will go to their web site to sign up for an upcoming course. (http://www.girlscoutshh.org) It is free.

2) Is there any additional training required?

All troops should have at least one leader who has First Aid and CPR training. Ideally all troop leaders will have it. Troops are not allowed to attend camp and certain other activities if they do not have a First Aid/CPR certified leader on hand. Council periodically offers low-cost courses and there are usually other opportunities closer to home. As your girls get old enough to camp, leaders also must attend Indoor Overnight Training (webinar) and Outdoor Overnight Training (in person).

Council offers the first aid and CPR training periodically, for approximately $25 which is the best price I have found. This is a full day course. After your initial certification, you need to attend a refresher course every two years, which is about a half day in length. However, in order to qualify you have to complete the refresher before your current certificate expires.

3) Where do troops usually hold their meetings?

Most troops use the school facilities, usually the cafeteria. This involves contacting the school, which will need a list of all your meeting dates for the year as well as a list of all the girls in your troop. As of 2017-2018, the request needs to be completed online. On meeting days, parents need to send their daughters to school with a note releasing them to you. The Brewster Library has a community room which also makes a great meeting place. Troops have also used the Elks Lodge and St. Lawrence. Some leaders hold the meetings in their homes. Most troops meet twice a month, but many choose to meet just once a month. When, where, and how often is at the discretion of the leaders.

5) Where do I find ideas for our meetings?

While Voluteer Essentials provides important info, it doesn’t address the nuts and bolts of meetings. Each level of scouting has a “Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting” which features a lot of ideas. The Daisy level guide includes all the materials you need to help the girls earn their petal patches. There is also a Journey program for each level, which includes three patches. Each Journey has its own guide. Brownies begin working on Skill Building badges and Legacy badges, and there are guides available for these as well. Pinterest can be a great resource for finding ideas, and there are a lot of great leader blogs online as well. The Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson website also features a page of activities to help girls earn patches that are exclusive to our council. If you prefer, you can do ‘fun patches’ which can be found for almost every possible area of interest. MakingFriends.com offers a huge assortment of fun patches; looking there might give you a good idea for activities.

It’s helpful to create a routine. We begin by saying the Girl Scout Promise, and then quickly review our Kaper Chart, which lists tasks and the names of who’s responsible for them. Then we go into our activity, which is determined by whatever patch or badge we’re working on. We end with the Good-bye Squeeze.

Pinterest is an excellent resource for ideas. But your best advice will likely come from current leaders. Leaders meet once a month, to learn about upcoming events and discuss issues related to scouting. These gatherings are also a great opportunity for you to meet with other leaders and get advice.

6) What other activities are available for Brewster Girl Scouts?

The Brewster service unit organizes several activities every year. Popular events for the younger girls include the Daisy Egg Hunt, Princess PJ Party, the Halloween Fair, and the Daddy-Daughter Dance. In addition, the Heart of the Hudson council organizes events. Many events are held nearby at Rock Hill in Mahopac. Recent Daisy programs included Mini Bakers and Mini Einsteins. Past Brownies programs have included Letterboxing, First Aid and Snowshoeing. Programs are also available for older girls.

Service is also an important part of scouting. Each year many troops collaborate to create Thanksgiving baskets for local families, and in the spring, they participate in Bob Palmer Day, by placing flags on veterans’ graves at area cemeteries. Individual troops also create their own service projects based on what the girls want to improve in their community. Many troops also take field trips to local businesses and attractions.

7) What are the costs involved in joining and starting a troop?

The registration fee is $25 per year for girls and $25 for adults. Leaders must register; parent registration is optional but recommended. Eventually your troop will earn money from cookie and fall product sales, but to begin you will need to estimate the cost of materials and collect dues from the parents. It’s also easier if you calculate the cost of the uniforms, collect the money from the parents, and place one large order. The closest Girl Scout store is in Pleasantville, and it’s fun to go and browse. But I have found that they are frequently out of stock on needed items, especially at the start of the year. It’s easier to order online.

8) How many girls should I have in my troop? Should I have a co-leader?

Troop sizes and leader configurations vary greatly. The size of your meeting space should also be taken into consideration. For example, the Brewster Library’s room can only comfortably accommodate 8-10 girls, but the JFK cafeteria is significantly larger. You also need to look at the Council’s required girl/adult ratios for trips, events and meetings. Most troops have more than one leader, which makes it easier to manage the responsibilities of planning meetings, managing money and communicating with parents. Identifying an organized, reliable mom to take on cookies is also a good idea; as a leader, you’d have some involvement but it’s also a good idea to hand it off to a non-leader. If you have a mom who wants to help but can’t lead, cookies and fall products are a great way to involve her. At least one troop has 20 girls, but average size is probably closer to 10. You get to decide how many girls to take based on your own comfort level, but be aware that most troops decrease in size as the girls get older.