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Girl Scout Leadership Development Program

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Spring 2008

PROGRAM

The Basics

Q: What is the Girl Scout Leadership Experience?
A: The Girl Scout Leadership Experience engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others, and taking action to make the world a better place.

Q: What are the three keys to leadership and how do they relate to the Leadership model?
A: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. These three keys are defined as:

• 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.

In Girl Scouting, Discover+Connect+Take Action=Leadership. All Girl Scout experiences are intentionally designed to tie to one or more of the 15 national leadership outcomes, or benefits, categorized under the three keys to leadership. The three keys to leadership replace Girl Scouting's "four program goals."

Q: What are the Girl Scout processes?

A: In Girl Scouting, it's not just "what girls do" (activities), but "how" (processes) they do them (activities). 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 Girl Scouts defines these processes:

• 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.

Books

Q: What are the books for girls in the first series of leadership journeys?
A: The first books for girls are all part of the "It's Your World-Change It" series of leadership journeys. This series features one new book for girls at each grade level in Girl Scouting:

Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden
Brownie Quest
Agent of Change (for Juniors)
aMAZE (for Cadettes)
GIRLtopia: Toward an Ideal World for Girls (for Seniors)
Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy (for Ambassadors)

At every grade level, these books place great emphasis on inviting girls to "Take Action" on an issue they care about. The books also contain stories, inspirational material, Girl Scout history, traditions and values, facts and games, and open spaces for girls to fill in their own ideas and memories.

"How to" books have been created for adults corresponding to each of the girl books. These guides for adult volunteers offer plenty of support in carrying out the Girl Scout Leadership Experience including sample sessions to tailor with girls

Q: When will the first journeys be available?
A: All girl and adult books in the It's Your World-Change It! series are slated to be off the press in summer 2008.

Q: How many other journeys will be developed and when will they be available?
A: There will be about three journeys for every grade level by 2010. A second journey series will roll out in 2009, and the third in 2010. Girls at each level will be able to choose the journey that most interests them or do them all.

Q: Will the journeys be translated into Spanish?
A: Yes! Work will begin while the English language books are at the printer this spring and will require several months to ensure accurate and relevant translation of the journeys. The Daisy, Brownie, and Junior journeys (girl and adult books) will be translated first, and are slated for release by the end of October 2008. The materials for the upper grade levels will follow.

Q: How much will the books cost?
A: Girl Scouts of the USA is aware of the importance of being cost-conscious and has worked to provide excellent value. The cost will be finalized very shortly. It is important that every girl has her own book to fully experience the journey.

Q: What will happen to existing badge books, handbooks and STUDIO 2B books?
A: These books remain available and viable Girl Scout resources. Girls may continue using them based on their interests.

As Girl Scouting phases in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, we will be determining which resources might still be needed to supplement the new approach between 2008 and 2010, or which resources might be needed beyond 2010. Information will be provided with advance notice as decisions are made throughout the transition period. Girls will always have a chance to complete existing plans and transition to new materials.

Awards

Q: What new awards can girls earn with the It's Your World-Change It journeys?
A: Girl Scouts at each of the six grade levels have a chance to earn new official awards as they complete steps along the journey. The awards are designed to be worn on the Girl Scout uniform. Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes have the chance to earn several badges along the journey. Seniors and Ambassadors can mark the completion of their journey with a pin or a badge.

The steps for earning the awards are clearly explained in the "how-to" books for volunteers created for each journey. Girls have information about the awards in their books, too. The journey books for girls and adults also have suggested reflection and ceremony ideas related to earning the awards. The goal is to provide opportunities for girls to fully understand the achievement and growth the awards represent.

Q: Can girls still earn badges, apart from journeys?
A: Girls are welcome to continue choosing and earning badges that represent their varied interests. Earning badges is an important tradition in Girl Scouting and it is here to stay! As adults and girls become more familiar with the elements of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, they will even be able to see how the Discover, Connect and Take Action leadership keys can be integrated into earning badges.

Of course, no matter what activities girls do in Girl Scouting, the experience is always best when it incorporates the Girl Scout processes: Girl Led, Learning by Doing and Cooperative.

Q: What is the future of badges?
A: Over the next several years, Girl Scouts of the USA will be updating some of the badges to ensure the learning experiences tie to the national leadership outcomes intended for girls. As new or refreshed badges become available and "old" badges are phased out, girls will have time to transition. They will not "lose out" on activities they have begun or planned.

Girl Scout membership has expressed interest in the availability of badges online and GSUSA is considering and analyzing this possibility. Further information will be available in 2009.

Q: What about local badge activities?
A: Locally created badge activities remain an important way to respond to the interests and needs of girls. By using the Leadership Experience as the "engine" for all programming, Girl Scout councils will be able to begin adjusting local offerings, purposefully planning them based on the leadership outcomes intended for girls.

Q: How do the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards fit into the Girl Scout Leadership Experience?
A: Girl Scouts of the USA is working to update the requirements for earning the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards and new guidelines will be available online in spring 2009. During the transition years (2008-2010), girls may continue earning the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards based on existing standards.

Q: How can Girl Scout councils prepare for the future of the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards?
A: Girl Scout communities eager to begin planning for the updated approach to the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards prior to spring 2009, may note the following:

Grade Levels for Earning the Awards

Bronze Award: Earned by Juniors (4th-5th grade)
Silver Award: Earned by Cadettes (6th-8th grade)
Gold Award: Earned by Seniors or Ambassadors (9th-12th grade)

Anticipated Pre-Requisite Steps

The "It's Your World-Change It" journeys have been intentionally designed to engage girls in a critical thinking process related to identifying and researching issues they care about, developing community networks and creating and implementing plans to take action. Upon completion of the journeys, girls will be prepared to carry out substantial award projects. Based on this, Girl Scouts of the USA anticipates that the journeys in this series will become the prerequisite, at the relevant grade levels, for girls who want to move on to Bronze, Silver and Gold Award projects and ultimately earn the awards.

Options for the 2008-2009 Membership Year:

• Girls may earn the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards following existing guidelines.

OR

• Girls may complete a journey, and then upon release of the new guidelines in spring 2009, begin work toward the Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

Grade Level Specifics

Q: Is there enough program content to provide a meaningful experience for Daisys?
A: Adults guiding Daisies are encouraged to follow the many tips and suggestions in the "how-to" book that accompanies the journey. They will quickly find that with a little imagination, this Daisy journey can extend far beyond the six sample sessions provided in their book. As new journeys continue to be developed, earning the Daisy Petals and using the existing Daisy resources remains an additional option for Girl Scout Daisies.

In addition to the journeys, Daisies will have opportunities to participate in product sale program activities beginning in fall 2008. Guidelines for adults and supplemental program activities for Daisies will be available online in summer 2008.

Q: What will be special for the new Ambassador level? How will girls bridge?
A: The journey for Ambassadors, Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy engages Ambassadors in an advocacy experience. When they have completed the steps to advocacy, they will earn the new Advocate Award created especially for girls at this level. Ambassadors are encouraged to "pass on" some of what they learn on their journey to younger girls. A bridging award will be available for Ambassadors in spring 2009, and girls who begin the Ambassador level in Fall 2008 may earn this award retroactively.

New Membership Levels

Q: What are the new grade levels?
A: The National Board of Directors approved these grade levels in 2006 to provide increased differentiation and advancement as girls experience Girl Scouting. The new levels are effective beginning in fall 2008. Based on local issues, councils may transition to these categories up until fall 2010.

• Girl Scout Daisies
  (Grades K-1)
• Girl Scout Brownies
  (Grades 2-3)
• Girl Scout Juniors
  (Grades 4-5)
• Girl Scout Cadettes
  (Grades 6-8)
• Girl Scout Seniors
  (Grades 9-10)
• Girl Scout Ambassadors
  (Grades 11-12)

Q: How will home-schooled or independently registered Girl Scouts use the journey materials?
A: Girl Scouts who are on their own-and the adults who guide them-are encouraged to network with other Girl Scouts in their communities. One of our three critical processes of the Leadership Experience is cooperative learning and sharing some of the discussions and experiences with others will enrich the journey and provide girls with opportunities to increase team-building and networking skills.

Q: How will multilevel groups use the journeys?
A: Let's use It's Your World-Change It! series as an example. Girls at every level will be engaged in taking action. Taking action provides a unifying theme for multigrade level groups so girls at multiple grade levels can have their own grade appropriate journey, yet they will be able to support each other in accomplishing goals. All the journeys encourage girls to share or "pass forward" some of what they are learning and experiencing with other girls. Multigrade groups will offer a wonderful setting for this to happen.

Girl Scout Research Institute

Outcomes and Transforming Leadership

Q: What is Transforming Leadership?
A: Transforming Leadership is helpful in orienting council staff, volunteers, and the general public to the exciting model underlying the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience. It is the next step in Girl Scouting's effort to develop a today's generation of girl leaders.

This publication clearly defines the specific outcomes (benefits) of the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience for girls. It also describes the outcomes for each of the six (6) grade levels within Girl Scouting. For each grade level, the outcome is defined conceptually in developmentally appropriate ways and examples of possible measurable signs that show whether girls are making progress are provided.

This is a pivotal time in the history of Girl Scouting. This new publication will serve as an essential resource now and into the future.

Q: How do I use the Transforming Leadership outcomes reference tables?
A: One way to think of the Outcomes Reference tables is to view them as the Girl Scout equivalent of dictionary entries - reference tools to use as needed. These tables orient the Girl Scout community toward the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience outcomes and can be useful in selecting and implementing program, writing funding proposals, helping volunteers to understand the objectives of Girl Scout program, as well as recruiting girls and volunteers.

For your convenience, the tables have been organized in two easy-to-use formats: the first set of tables "unpacks" each outcome across the six (6) Girl Scout grade levels, and the second set of tables shows all the outcomes by each specific Girl Scout grade level. The first set of tables is useful for showing progression across grade levels. The second set of tables will be useful to anyone wanting to work within a specific grade level.

The outcomes in Transforming Leadership apply both to the new program Journeys, which will be released later this year, as well as to existing Girl Scout program materials. The development of the new Journeys was tied closely to these outcomes.

Q: What is the difference between outcomes and indicators/signs?
A: Outcomes describe the general kind of benefits (behavior, skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, condition, status or other attributes) for participants as a result of involvement in the Girl Scout program. Outcomes are the intended benefits girls should reap as a result of the program. Indicators/signs are specific observable characteristics or changes that represent achievement of a specific outcome at each grade level. On page 17 of the book is a guide to reading the tables. If you select one of the tables to examine, and look across the pieces, you will note the differences between general statements of the outcomes and more specific indicators/signs, which represent what a girl would be doing, saying, or feeling if she had achieved the intended outcomes as a result of involvement in the Girl Scout program. Please note that the indicators/signs in these tables are examples - we are sure you will be able to imagine others.

Measurement tools are being developed by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), in partnership with Girl Scout councils, using Transforming Leadership as a guide.

Q: Wait! I can think of more indicators/signs for each outcome than Transforming Leadership lists. What do I do now?
A: The indicators/signs we include are only a starting point. We are sure you will think of even more! In many cases several indicators/signs would capture the meaning of each outcome. We want to hear your feedback and suggestions, so please contact the Girl Scout Research Institute at: gsresearch@girlscouts.org!

Q: Can we just take indicators on the tables and measure outcomes from them?
A: The signs of outcome achievement are not ready-to-use measurement tools, although they will inform our efforts in developing measurement tools (survey and interview questions, focus group discussion guides, observation check lists, etc.). Now that we have begun to chart the benefits of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience and orient staff and volunteers to those benefits, the next step is to develop these types of measurement tools.

In spring 2008, the GSRI will pilot these instruments in collaboration with selected Girl Scout councils and an external research firm. Stay tuned for more exciting details to come!

Q: My council wants to bring its program offerings in line with the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Does that mean each of our program activities should achieve all 15 outcomes?
A: No single program activity is expected to target all 15 outcomes defined in the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Over time, through accumulated experience, girls will reap the benefits described in Transforming Leadership. Achieving the mission of Girl Scouting -- girls lead with courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place -- is a long-term process.

Keep in mind that the Girl Scout Leadership Experience has three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect, and Take Action. So it is important that program consistent with the new approach incorporates outcomes from each of the three leadership keys. And as we incorporate each of the three leadership keys in program, it is equally important to incorporate the three Girl Scout processes: girl led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing.

Q: So it sounds like Transforming Leadership can assist our efforts in many ways.
A: Yes! Use the outcomes reference tables in Transforming Leadership when:

• Selecting and implementing Girl Scout program activities
• Writing a grant proposal
• Conducting adult learning
• Recruiting adult volunteers and girls
• And many others - can you think of more?

Q: What are the next steps?
A: The GSRI is currently focusing on:

• Developing and piloting measurement tools that will capture the impact of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience on girls. Initial measures will be shared by October 2008.
• Supporting the work of the 2008 Spring Conferences. Transforming Leadership will be part of the focus at the conferences and every attendee will receive a copy.
• Supporting councils' use of Transforming Leadership in day-to-day activities. Several kinds of support are being planned and a timeline for these will be shared at the Spring Conferences. By fall 2008 an on-line tool stepping participants through how to use Transforming Leadership will be available.

Q: We're excited! How can we let you know about our success in using Transforming Leadership in our council?
A: That's easy! Keep in touch with the Girl Scout Research Institute by e-mail: gsresearch@girlscouts.org . And check our website (www.girlscouts.org/research) and the On-Line Council Network periodically for new developments. When you visit the GSRI web page, be sure to also subscribe to the GSRI e-Newsletter, which will be delivered to your e-mail inbox periodically!

Volunteer Training

Q: How will we prepare our volunteers for the new Leadership Experience for Girls?
A: GSUSA will be producing the following nationally consistent volunteer learning components to support volunteers working directly with girls:

• Volunteer Orientation e Learning module (Spring 2008)
• Leadership Essentials Course (Spring 2008)
• Troop and other Pathways Packets (Spring 2009)

These three components, in conjunction with Guides for Adult Volunteers which accompany Journeys and other program products created by GSUSA, will provide volunteers with all they need to know to successfully work with girls. They will replace the current New Leader Orientation, Leader Basics, and Age Level training.

Troop and other Pathways Packets will contain national operational, financial and general program content, as well as templates for local council customization of policies, procedures and forms.

Q: Is GSUSA expecting councils to implement the Leadership Essentials course immediately, replacing our Age Level courses?

A: We expect that some councils may be ready in Fall of 2008 to introduce the Leadership Essentials course for volunteers. For these councils we are looking at ways to provide 'best practice' sharing among councils for how to transition during the upcoming year. We anticipate that most councils will prefer to pilot the new modules with a limited audience and use the 2008/2009 membership year to develop a long term implementation strategy.

Councils should be prepared to use the nationally produced volunteer learning components, replacing the current volunteer training modules, for the 2010 membership year.

Q: Will all volunteers have to take training again?
A: The Leadership Experience for Girls Program is exciting and new, and we want to ensure all girls have the opportunity to benefit. We urge you to ensure all volunteers working directly with girls complete the Leadership Essentials course and have a thorough understanding of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Q: Will there still be a role for Trainers in a council?
A: Yes! We are shifting our focus from "training" to a much broader focus on "adult learning." In councils today many trainers are facilitating content. In moving to a Learning Support Team we see multiple roles including Adult Learning Facilitators and Coaches. Adult Learning Facilitators may facilitate content face to face, or on-line. Coaches would provide ongoing support particularly to new volunteers, similar to the current Service Unit Consultant role in some councils.

Q: Will GSUSA be providing position descriptions and Learning Courses to support these new roles?
A: Absolutely. Position descriptions for Adult Learning Facilitators, On line Learning Facilitators, and Coaches will be completed by end of Summer 2008.

The course Facilitating Adult Learning will be piloted in the Summer of 2008 and rolled out nationwide in Spring 2009. This course will now be offered at the council level and on-line. A guide to Facilitating Adult Learning will be developed and distributed simultaneously. The course is intended for the key staff and volunteers within a council who have volunteer development responsibilities. After completing the course they will be able to prepare those in all adult facilitation roles at the council. The guide will be given to all adults supporting Adult Learning, and will include the basics about adult learners and how to facilitate that learning for adults. We will also be offering a course on facilitating on-line learning scheduled for Spring 2009.

Q: Can our current Trainers deliver the new Leadership Essentials course without being "re-trained"?
A: Yes. Trainers who completed the Instructor of Training Course would have participated in sessions on adult learning, therefore they should be able to successfully deliver the new course.

Q: What is happening with the adult recognitions?
A: The Adult Recognitions booklet is under revision. The pins will still be available until at least 2010 during this period of transition.

History of the Core Business Strategy and the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience

The new millennium brought on many changes for girls and young women in the United States. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) recognized these changes and knew that in order to remain relevant to the lives of twenty-first century girls, it needed a shift in strategy.

Core Business Strategic Priorities/Transforming the Girl Scout Movement

In 2004-05, teams of individuals from across the Movement, using the Strategic Learning Model as their guide, developed a strategy to propel the Movement forward. Implementation of this strategy and the work that supports it will continue over the next decade and centers on five priorities:

-Develop the world's best leadership experience for girls
-Develop a flexible, state-of-the-art volunteer management system
-Establish a thriving culture of philanthropy
-Create an efficient and effective organizational structure
-Reestablish the Girl Scout brand as compelling and contemporary

The Girl Scout community is hard at work addressing our Core Business Strategy's call for a major transformation centered on building the world's best leadership experience that ties activities to outcomes, provides differentiation for girls from kindergarten through high school, and offers flexible pathways for today's diverse and busy girls and volunteers.

With input from girls, the Girl Scout community, and youth development experts, a team of national and council staff spent 2005 determining key elements and outcomes for the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. This model was finalized in 2006 and then slated, by the National Board of Directors, for first-stage implementation in fall 2008.

The Multiyear Transition Period
The transition has been set up as a multiyear process so that councils can balance national action plans with local needs, making choices as needed to reach the Movement's goal of providing girls with a unified Girl Scout experience by fall 2010. GSUSA wants to reassure councils and members that the transition period extends through 2010. Fall 2008 marks the beginning of the transition to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. GSUSA is providing guidance on managing membership and program over the next several years with specific attention to:

-New Membership Grade Levels
-Changes to Registration Forms
-New Program Resources and Awards
-Existing Resources and Awards
-Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards
-National Outcome Strategies
-Preparing Adults for Change
-Girl Scout Pathways
-Uniforms

GIRL SCOUT LEADERSHIP MODEL
This model provides the design for what girls do in Girl Scouting and defines the intended benefits to girls in the form of 15 national outcomes. The model illustrates how adult support strengthens girls' experiences, and highlights each element that must be in place to create a positive impact on girls' lives.

Processes

• Girl-Led
  Being 'girl-led' means just what it sounds like: Girl Scouts encourages girls to help drive the planning and decision-making as much as possible.
  
  
• Cooperative Learning
  Through cooperative learning, girls work together toward shared goals in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration. Girls can learn a lot from each other by working in groups.
  
  
• Learning by Doing -or- Experiential Learning
  Girls can gain fuller meaning from each experience by being hands-on, having the opportunity to reflect on what they have experienced and accomplished, and applying their insights to what they do next.

The New Membership Grade Levels
Girls say it is important to be with other girls their age and, currently, they get bored by too much repetition. Girls identify with social groups based on grades. Research also found that girls learn best and have the most fun when they are with the right developmental/social grouping.

The new grade levels, approved by the National Board, address the charge of intentionally creating differentiated Girl Scout experiences that mirror girls' developmental needs:

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

The grade-level groups provide 'leadership levels' for girls as they progressively 'step forward' through the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Girl Scout Pathways
A pathway is the way girls and adult volunteers join Girl Scouting. They can choose from several pathways, including a troop setting, destinations, a short-term opportunity, a day or resident camp, a special interest topic or event, or a virtual online connection.

Leadership Journeys
Journeys represent the experiences Girl Scouts engage in to achieve leadership outcomes. A series of leadership journeys, accompanied by new resources and new awards, is being created for each Girl Scout grade level. Each journey engages girls in exploring a theme through a series of linked experiences that, together, form a whole greater than any one journey activity. Each journey is tied to national "Discover, Connect and Take Action" leadership outcomes.

The journey concept grew out of an approach many councils already use informally as they weave activities and events around existing Girl Scout resources and awards to better suit their members' needs and interests. The concept also builds on the rich tradition of linked Girl Scouting efforts like 'program trails.'

While engaged in the new Girl Scout journeys, girls and volunteers are encouraged to add on outings, celebrations, in-depth explorations or anything else that meets their interests, time, and resources.

Coming in fall 2008: Leadership Launch Journeys
The first journeys planned for fall 2008 are referred to as Leadership Launch Journeys because they kick-off the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience and serve as a 'launch pad' for future experiences in Girl Scouting.

Each launch journey presents a central theme that ties to the three keys of leadership -Discover, Connect, and Take Action - and places special emphasis on choosing and implementing related 'Take Action' projects. These journeys deepen girls' understanding of what it means to be a leader at each progressive level of Girl Scouts.

The launch journeys are made up of 5-8 sessions (total sessions vary by level) and are intended for local customization. Journeys can be done in a variety of Girl Scout Pathways, including stand-alone, short-term experiences.

A print resource for each level will bring the journey to life for girls and incorporate important elements of Girl Scout history and tradition. Girls will earn official awards to display on their vests or sashes during each journey. GSUSA is mindful of the need to be cost-conscious with all new product offerings. Councils will preview the launch journeys in spring 2008 and can begin using them in fall 2008.

Existing Resources and Awards
Throughout the multiyear transition period, no girls will lose out on experiences, projects or awards they have already started. Girls at every level can continue to use all available existing materials as new resources are developed and phased in. Adults are invited to use their best judgment to assist girls in choosing projects that are appropriate for their grade level. Existing program resources will continue to serve as supplements to the new materials through 2010.

Highest Awards in Girl Scouts
The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards remain the culminating leadership awards, and are an opportunity for girls to put the 'Discover, Connect, Take Action' leadership philosophy in motion. Based on the resolution adopted by the National Council in 1990, GSUSA recognizes 'in perpetuity the designation Girl Scout Gold Award as the highest award to be earned as a girl member.' GSUSA suggests that girls are eligible to complete their Girl Scout Gold Award any time between 10th and 12th grade, as Girl Scout Seniors or Ambassadors. GSUSA will update the requirements for the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards for release in 2009, and will provide a transition period for girls to meet the updated requirements. GSUSA is now seeking input on both the grade-level standards and requirements for these highest awards.

The ultimate goal is to lift up these awards as pinnacles of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Working together with councils, we will increase the prestige of these awards and honor as never before the girls who demonstrate their leadership while earning them.

Facilitator Guides
Girl Scout volunteers have asked for "ready-to-go" materials for use with girls, which is why GSUSA is creating detailed facilitator guides to accompany each leadership journey. These resources will guide volunteers step-by-step through their journey with girls, and will make the use of girl-led, cooperative, and learning by doing techniques easier than ever to implement. In addition, facilitator guides will show volunteers how journey experiences are intentionally tied to achieving specific results - or national leadership outcomes. Together, the new materials will assist girls and adults to bring the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience to life.

Adult Learning
To round out the information volunteers will have in Facilitator Guides, GSUSA is developing online and live learning modules for adults. These will give Girl Scout volunteers insights into the Girl Scout leadership philosophy (Discover + Connect + Take Action = Leadership) and will help them apply it - with the processes - in partnership with girls to create the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Symbols of Belonging: Uniforms and Awards
Girl Scout uniforms and awards unite Girl Scouts around the world as a sisterhood of leaders. In the tradition of updating these important symbols of belonging periodically, the National Board of Directors approved a new policy, for implementation, beginning in fall 2008. Girls will wear their vests and sashes with their own white shirts and khaki pants, making it easier for more girls than ever before to show their pride as Girl Scouts!

Uniform Policy Adopted by National Board of Directors, August 2006
Required elements:

• Girl Scouts at each level will have one official uniform item (e.g., tunic, vest, sash) for the display of official pins and awards. This uniform item will be required when girls participate in ceremonies or officially represent the Girl Scout Movement.
  
  
• The official dress code will unite girls as Girl Scouts. Girl Scout Juniors and older program age groups will wear solid white shirts and khaki pants or skirts with their official uniform item, which will be required when they participate in ceremonies or officially represent the Girl Scout Movement. Brownies and Daisies may still wear full uniform ensembles.
  
  
• The adult uniforms will be a scarf worn with the membership pins for women and a tie for men. The scarf/tie and membership pins will be worn with navy blue business attire.

Available elements:

• Girl Scouts at the Daisy and Brownie levels will continue to have a full uniform ensemble available.
• Girl Scouts in high school will also have a scarf, uniting them in the WAGGGS tradition.
• GSUSA will continue to develop and offer a range of appealing casual wear for girls and adults.

The 10 Best Things About the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience

1. Thousands of girls of all ages-from across the country-have contributed ideas, points of view, projects, and reactions on everything they'd like to see in the program. Girls have told us about the kinds of challenging experiences they want; the "look" that will attract them to the books and awards; and what "leadership" means to them.

2. Teams of youth development and education experts-including Harvard Family Research Project, Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, National 4-H, the Search Institute, and several universities-have partnered with Girl Scouts to identify 15 national outcomes. Defining these outcomes makes it possible to determine how Girl Scouting impacts girls' lives.

3. When volunteers begin using these national outcomes, they will see how experiences relate to the impact of the program. With nearly a million volunteers focusing on and striving together to achieve these outcomes with girls, the consistency and clarity of the experience will give the adults in our Girl Scout community a renewed sense of purpose.

4. Girls will receive a new book with a new look at each level, a book that they will be glad to call their own. In the book, they'll weave together their own thoughts and experiences with the unique Girl Scout philosophy of leadership where girls will:

• Discover: Understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world;
• Connect: Care about, inspire and team with others locally and globally;
• Take Action: Act to make the world a better place.

5. Detailed and easy-to-use facilitator guides, corresponding to each of the girls' journeys, make it easier than ever for volunteers to guide girls. Just by following the guides, volunteers will be coaching girls on fun and meaningful journeys-all the while intentionally tying activities to outcomes. At the end of the day, the journeys still leave plenty of room for customization-as volunteers and girls tap into their own imaginations!

6. Girls at every grade level will have new awards to earn and display proudly on their vests or sashes. Each award marks their accomplishments as girl leaders and also reminds them of the experiences they had earning it.

7. Girls and their families will gain a new appreciation for the awards and what earning them really means. They will value them as families did back in the early 1900s-and celebrate earning them in the same spirit of Juliette Gordon Low when she said: "The awards you work on with others are more fun and better prepare you for being useful... you want to be proud of your badge and feel that you have accomplished something worthwhile."

8. Each level provides Girl Scouts with their own unique and fun way to accept the challenges of their leadership roles. At each level, they are given opportunities to gain new skills and new reasons for climbing to the next level.

9. Across the country-and around the world-Girl Scouts will be united by their efforts to take action and make the world a better place.

10. Through the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience, we are tying outcomes to funding opportunities-proof for funders that Girl Scouting develops leadership skills in girls.

Challenges and Suggestions

Girl Scout Daisies
Currently not enough program content is available to manage the Daisy Girl Scout experience as a two-year experience. What about girls who use the existing Daisy materials in 2007-2008 as kindergarteners-what would they do as first-grade Daisies in 2008-2009?

SUGGESTION: GSUSA encourages the following approach to the Girl Scout Daisy level:

• Girls who are in kindergarten in 2007-2008 are Girl Scout Daisies, using the existing program resources as they learn the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Councils continue to supplement this with local programming.
• When these girls enter first grade in 2008-2009, register them as first-grade Daisies, enabling them to participate in the Daisy launch journey which lays the foundation for their next leadership steps as Girl Scout Brownies. Councils choosing to register these first-graders as Brownies in 2008-2009 should consider that the Girl Scout Brownie launch journey is being created especially for second- and third-graders.

Girl Scout Cadettes
Given that sixth-graders may fall into either elementary or middle school depending on their school district's grade structure, troops and service units might want to continue registering sixth graders as Girl Scout Juniors.

SUGGESTION: GSUSA recommends that girls entering sixth grade in 2008-2009 register as Cadettes so they can enjoy the new Leadership Journey for this level. Early adolescence can be a challenging time in girls' lives. The new grade grouping and leadership journey is designed especially to address girls' progression through the early stages of adolescence, ultimately preparing them for the next phase of life and the next phase of leadership in Girl Scouting. Depending on school districts and other local issues, councils may need to use 2008- 2009 to work with troops and service units on adjusting membership practices. The multiyear transition allows for the option of taking some extra time as necessary to move membership to the new levels.

High School Membership
Ambassadors (11th-12th grades) are a brand-new level for young women in Girl Scouts. How will it be different then the experience of Senior Girl Scouts (9th-10th grades)?

SUGGESTION: GSUSA recommends that girls entering 9th or 10th grade in 2008-2009 register as Girl Scout Seniors. These girls will develop their vision of the world as they try out the new Senior Leadership Launch Journey, supplementing it with the array of existing resources. Girls in 11th and 12th grade are future-driven and can apply their leadership to setting a new, and possibly global, course-as Girl Scout Ambassadors. GSUSA invites girls entering the 11th and 12th grades to become the first 'Girl Scout Ambassadors' in the 2008-2009 year. In addition to completing-or even beginning-their Girl Scout Gold Award, they will try the new Ambassador
Leadership Journey. Ambassadors may also choose from the array of existing offerings for teen Girl Scouts, while they partner with GSUSA to shape their special Ambassador roles in Girl Scouting.

Multilevel Groups
In some places around the country, multilevel groups are working really well-serving girls from kindergarten through high school. What happens to them in the new level groupings?

SUGGESTION: Keep going! Diverse girls benefit greatly through opportunities to 'give and get' from each other at different levels. All of the girls can be engaged in exploring what it means to be leaders based on the Girl Scout philosophy: Discover, Connect, Take Action. Just ensure that plans do not always rely on engaging 'older' girls as 'helpers' of younger girls. Teens need opportunities to network in their own peer group and participate in challenges especially for their level.

Multigrade Groups
Within one Girl Scout level, there could be two to three grades of girls represented. How are troops or groups best set up-single grade or multigrade?

SUGGESTION: When volunteers and logistical considerations (transportation!) make it possible, it's great for girls who are 'slightly' older/younger to benefit from each other. There are several ways to manage this experience. For example, Girl Scout Juniors are fourth- and fifth-graders. The fifth-graders could assist their younger peers on the 'Leadership Launch Journey' while having some 'break out time' to plan their Girl Scout Bronze Award project.

Homeschooled Girl Scouts
In some areas of the country, homeschooling is very popular. What Girl Scout level would homeschooled girls participate in?

SUGGESTION: GSUSA trusts councils, in partnership with families, to assist every girl to have the Girl Scout experience that is best for her. As a general practice, girls say it is important to be with their 'social peers'-groups that share the same developmental characteristics.

Individually Registered Girl Scouts
When girls do not have time to belong in a troop or the logistics of meeting times and places get in the way, they might choose to register 'individually.' What changes might need to be addressed for these girls to participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience?

SUGGESTION: Individually registered girls can participate in any pathway. The vision is all girls and adults join Girl Scouts immediately upon paying their $10 membership dues and accepting the Girl Scout Promise and Law. They then decide which pathway(s) they'd like to participate in. They can participate in any or all pathways, and regardless of which pathway they participate in they are all Girl Scouts!

Awards
While Girl Scouting undergoes this major transformation, girls might find themselves with 'last year's' tunic/vest/sash and 'this year's' new award items.

SUGGESTION: With so much change and transition under way, GSUSA invites councils to assure membership that all new awards will come with placement guidelines. Some specific examples of what uniforms and awards might look like during transition include:

• Girl Scout Daisies might earn and place petals on their tunics as kindergartners in 2007-2008 and go on to earn and add the new awards, which can have a special place on that same tunic, as first-graders in 2008- 2009.
• Girls who are fifth-grade Juniors in 2007-2008 might wear their vests into sixth-grade Cadettes in 2008-2009, completing their Bronze Awards and/or choosing to try out the premier Cadette Leadership Journey.

The above are just two examples of what our transition to the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience might mean for girls. Many more 'What If' situations are sure to arise. Keep moving toward having every Girl Scout engaged in the new Leadership Experience by fall 2010. By then, girls will be able to proudly and uniformly use the vests/sashes and awards designated to show that they belong to a sisterhood of leaders.