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Training Opportunities

The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience: A Bold Journey into the Future!

We know you are eagerly awaiting the launch of the New Leadership Experience for Girls in the fall of 2008. In preparation for the launch, GSUSA is hosting six conferences in locations across the country for volunteers and staff. You'll have an opportunity to preview the first of the new materials that support the New Leadership Experience for Girls. Using these new materials as a backdrop, you'll also consider how we need to engage with girls to bring the new program to life.

You take an inward journey - encouraging deeper introspection - to build your own self-knowledge and self-confidence. By starting with ourselves, we will become stronger and more capable as leaders, advisers and mentors for our girls.

Don't miss this opportunity to Discover, Connect and Take Action. You will sample not only the 'what' of our new programs but also explore the 'how' - and together begin to prepare our Movement to fully embrace the girl-led, experiential, and collaborative New Leadership Experience for Girls.

For more information visit www.girlscouts.org/cloe. Details are on page 20 of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence course catalogue.

Training

Our training programs are designed to provide role-related knowledge and skill development for volunteers. A team of volunteer trainers offers training throughout the council area. The training team is ready to help you and is certain you will find courses that meet your needs.

Registration is required for all classes by calling the Girl Scout Program Center. Register at least one-week prior to the course date and at least two-weeks prior for outdoor courses. The location of the training and a confirmation letter will be sent. Most courses are free; however, payment of courses can be made by credit card. Course fees must be paid at time of registration. If canceled, the office will notify registered participants.

Most facilities used by Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area, Inc. are wheelchair accessible. It is recommended that volunteers with special needs make their needs known when registering so trainers can prepare accordingly.

Leaders Ideas Vision Energy (Leaders LIVE!)
An innovative leader enrichment opportunity will mark its beginning this October. Leaders LIVE! goes beyond the traditional training experience to offer you the chance to explore topics in a relaxed learning environment, sharing ideas and networking with other leaders and service unit members from all parts of the council. Sessions will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on the dates listed below at the Girl Scout Program Center. We'll have a 45-60 minute interactive workshop followed by refreshments and informal discussion.

Refreshments and child care will be provided. To ensure adequate supplies of food and babysitters, pre-register by calling the program center at 920-734-4559 at least one-week in advance.

Girl Scout Basics for Leaders
Leaders and assistant leaders should start out on the right foot by taking Girl Scout Basics for Leaders and the appropriate age level training. These classes are designed to give you the knowledge and skills you need as a leader or assistant leader. At least one leader from each troop must complete these courses.

Girl Scout Basics for Leaders is designed to get new leaders started with troop/group leadership. Includes fundamentals of the Girl Scout program, ceremonies, meeting format, resources, record-keeping. This is required for all troop leaders.

Prerequisites: Orientation conducted by a member of the service team in your community or membership staff person
Please bring: Age level handbook and leader's guide, Safety-Wise, and Volunteer Enrichment Guide (VEG)

April 8, 9 a.m.-noon, Girl Scout Program Center

Age Level Training
At least one leader from each troop must complete the appropriate age level course. These classes are designed for leaders new to the Girl Scout program or have moved to a new age level in Girl Scouting. Training covers specifics about the age level including troop government, resources, program overview, recognitions, and working with that level of girls.

Who needs Age Level Training? At least one leader from each troop must complete the appropriate age level course. These classes are designed for leaders new to the Girl Scout program or have moved to a new age level in Girl Scouting.

Prerequisites: Orientation and Girl Scout Basics for Leaders
Please bring: Age level handbook and leader's guide, and Volunteer Enrichment Guide (VEG)

Daisy Age Level

Brownie Age Level
April 10, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Oshkosh

Junior Age Level
April 24 , 6:30-9:30 p.m., Oshkosh

STUDIO 2B/Cadette

Exploring Trips
Are you planning on leaving the meeting area with your troop? Exploring Trips will give you the information and skills necessary to plan, carry out and evaluate trips specific to the age of girls you are working with. Exploring Trips is highly recommended anytime the troop leaves the meeting area and is required training for trips over 75 miles one way and overnights. This training is a pre-requisite for all of the outdoor training courses. At least one adult per troop/group must have completed this training, not necessarily the leader. This is one of our most popular courses and one that participants frequently say, "I should've taken this my first year as a leader!"

Daisy/Brownie/Junior
April 10, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Oshkosh
April 12, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Clintonville Library

Exploring Extended Trips
STUDIO2B/Cadette/Senior
This course will provide specifics on planning Extended Trips. Girls are encouraged to attend STUDIO 2B/Cadette/Senior Exploring Trips with their advisors! Witness the girl/adult partnership in action!

OUTDOOR TRAINING
By council policy, outdoor training is required of adults who will be accompanying groups of girls on outdoor excursions. All outdoor training is hands-on and designed to help adults work with girls planning their own outdoor activities. (Planning menus, purchasing groceries, building fires, cooking, and cleaning up afterwards are examples of activities girls do for themselves, not what leaders do for girls). GSUSA policy reminds us that Daisy Girl Scouts are only allowed on overnight camping trips with family members. Register and make payment at least two weeks prior to course. All outdoor classes listed below will be held at Camp Winnecomac.

Troop Events in the Outdoors and Camping
This training is required for day or overnight activities that require participants to utilize any outdoor skills (such as fire building, use of jack knives, etc). Required for overnight use of established facilities (cabins and tent-cab units) at council or non-council operated sites as well.

Prerequisites: Exploring Trips
Please bring: Participants will receive a list of items to bring
Course fee: $20 for program materials

April 12, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
April 26, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.-CANCELLED
May 17, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tent, Trip and Travel Camping
This training is required for any type of tent camping trip which requires participants to establish their own site (pitching a tent, platform tents, Leave No Trace camping, etc.).

Prerequisites: Exploring Trips, Troop Events in the Outdoors, and Troop Camping
Please bring: Participants will receive a list of items to bring
Course fee: $20 for program materials and includes an overnight in a tent

May 17 from 5 p.m. to May 18 at 12:30 p.m.

First-Aid/CPR Courses
A certified First Aider/CPR person is recommended for all troop/group activities and is required by council policy for overnight trips and camping experiences. Volunteers are asked to send a photocopy of their certification cards to the program center. The recommended courses are: Adult CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillation) and First Aid. Many of these courses are offered throughout the community and might also be offered by your employer. In addition to those resources, we also offer the following options:

American Red Cross Chapters
For registration, course dates, times and fees, contact the Red Cross or visit their website.
East Central Wisconsin (Oshkosh), 920-231-3590 www.ecw-redcross.org/community.html
Neenah-Menasha Chapter, 920-722-2871 www.nmredcross.com

"One-Day" Special: First Aid & Adult CPR/AED for the community

Service Team Training
Get plugged in, charged up and ready to shine! Basics and more for service unit team members! Topics include leader recruitment and orientation, developing awesome events, PR for your unit, organizing fall and spring registration, setting goals, functioning as a service team member and more. Come for fun, food, and learning and be prepared to be energized! Payment must be made when registering.

Leader in Training
Leader in Training (LIT) is available to Girl Scouts who have completed grade nine. LIT involves taking an eight-hour group leadership course and working with a mentor in a Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or Cadette Girl Scout Troop. Girls receive a LIT pin after completing the course. Working with the mentor over a 5-8 month time period for a minimum of 25 hours earns the LIT patch. Program Aide Training is not a prerequisite for LIT, but it is helpful. Scheduling the course will be determined by class size. For more information, contact the volunteer manager at the Girl Scout Program Center, 920-734-4559 or 800-924-1211 or email training@gsfra.org

Interfaith Adult Religious Emblems Training
For any adult who would like to work directly with Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish youth to help them achieve their religious award. Participants will break into age and faith specific groups to review the content of the curriculum. Materials will be available for you to sue and purchase. To register or for more information, contact Vernita Green at 920-235-2702 or email vng4613@sbcglobal.net

Self-Studies
Girl Scout Basics for Leaders and age level training (Daisy, Brownie, and Junior) are available in a self-study format. This format is for volunteers who cannot attend regular classroom training or those who prefer a self-paced program. Each course will take three to four hours to complete.

In order to complete a self-study course, you will need access to a Safety-Wise, Volunteer Enrichment Guide (VEG), and a leader's age level guide. The self-study courses can be picked up at the program center. You may also download self-studies online. GS Basics for Leaders, Brownie Age Level Training, and Junior Age Level Training are available for download in PDF format below. (Be patient, some files are large.)

GS Basics for Leaders Self-Study (PDF)

Brownie Age Level Training Self-Study (PDF)

Daisy Age Level Training Self-Study (PDF)

Daisy Self-Study Question Packet (PDF)

Junior Age Level Training Self-Study (PDF)

The question packets must be completed and returned to receive credit for the course.

On-Line Training

Basics for Leaders Online Training
(Part one of Basics for Leaders)

This web-based orientation covers basic information about Juliette Low, the Promise and Law, the 4 Program Goals, girl/adult partnership, safety, and pluralism. It is located in a special section of the Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) website.

• Go to http://training.girlscouts.org
• Select the Basic Orientation training module-it is the only one available right now
• You will now be asked to log in. If this is your first time on the training site, click "Register"
• Fill out the form and complete the registration process
• Select the state your council is in (WI) and then the council itself (Fox River Area)
• Click "Finish," then "Click here to continue." This will take you to the first page
• If you are already registered, click in the user name field and enter your user name and password in the password field. Click on "Login." This will take you to the first page.

Each part of the training is marked by a different daisy. Click on the topic/daisy you wish to complete and follow the prompts. Watch the bottom right part of your screen for prompts to all the pages and steps. You may have to scroll down to see these. Upon completion of a section, you will be returned to the welcome screen and the petal for the completed section will be colored in.

Upon completion of all 9 sections, you will receive a "congratulations" by email. This may take a couple days. You can bring in your training card to have it signed or request one from the office if you do not have one.

Proceed to Basics for Leaders, Part 2

This can be done as a self-study by getting a packet from the program center, printing it off our Web site or by taking a one-hour classroom training. Once there are enough people that have taken the online part, the group will be contacted about taking part 2 as a self-study or in a classroom training. You may choose to immediately go ahead and do it as a self-study. Otherwise, a date for a classroom training will be set based on the participants' and trainers' availability.

GS Basics for Leaders 1-Hour Self-Study (PDF) (631K)

Training Opportunities

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES

CBT Winter Jamboree
Jan. 26, 2008, Camp Birch Trials Resident Camp, Irma, WI
Needed: volunteers to chaperone and assist with activities. Transportation will be provided from the Girl Scout Program Center in Appleton.

ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES

Information Processor
Compile surveys, reports and evaluations, and record keeping. Needed on an on-call basis for a variety of projects. Projects vary and take place largely at the Girl Scout Program Center Monday through Friday.

At-Home Projects Support
Collating, stuffing, labeling, etc. Projects will be boxed for you to work on at your convenience in your own home.

Club GS Facilitator
Lead a 20-60 minute program once a week at lunch or after school. Read lesson prior to session, set up, lead the program and clean up. Materials are provided.

Game On! A Girl Scout/Boy Scout Thing! Facilitator
Lead a 60 minute values-based afternoon or evening program once a week. Create lesson prior to session, set up, lead the program and clean up. Materials are provided. This program is in collaboration with Boy Scouts of America.

Troop/Group Leader or Co-leader
Work with girls to develop self-potential, relate to others, develop values, and contribute to society through community service. The time needed varies and is flexible.

School Coordinator
Maintain Girl Scout membership within the appointed school or service unit. Time needed varies and is flexible.

Special Events Coordinator/Assistant
Organize or help with event set up, site/facility reservations and/or program delivery. Time needed varies. Volunteer for one or more of the 60+ events planned each year.

Shop Inventory
Help with our end of year inventory in our Council Shop. Typically takes place the first full week of January. Time is flexible.

'Camp Guy' Helper
Girls age 14 and up are needed to help out at the program center and camp properties. Projects could be lawn, prairie or building maintenance, including, but not limited to, seed collection or plant control.

Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Advisor
Help and advise girls to create cool programs. The YAB is an awesome leadership opportunity for girls 11-17. Group meets monthly.