Including these elements will ensure a
quality troop experience. This experience
can vary in length, to complement the needs
of busy girls, families and volunteers.
Refer to the Appendix: GSWPA Procedures/Forms for the following:
Volunteer Position Summary and Requirements- page 104
The sample sessions in the Leadership Journey adult guides will give you ideas about how to plan and hold
successful troop meetings that allow girls to Discover, Connect, and Take Action as they have fun with a purpose.
(See the “Girl Scouting as a National Experience” chapter of this handbook for more on the three processes.)
Many volunteers find it helpful to think of meetings having six parts, as outlined below, but feel free to structure
the meeting in a way that makes sense for you and the girls.
As Girls
Arrive
Start-up activities are planned so that when girls arrive at the meeting they have something to
do until the meeting begins. For younger girls, it could be coloring pages; teen girls might jot
down a journal entry or just enjoy a little time to talk.
Opening
The opening focuses the meeting and allows girls to start the meeting. Each troop decides how
to open their own meeting—most begin with the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and then add a
simple flag ceremony, song, game, story, or other ceremony designed by the girls. Girl Scout
Brownies, for example, might create a new tradition by skipping in a circle while singing a song.
Ceremonies, even when brief or humorous, make Girl Scout time special. The Journey adult
guides contain ideas about openings that correspond to Journey themes.
Business
Troop business may include taking attendance, collecting dues, making announcements, and
planning an upcoming event or trip. This is a good time for girls to take turns leading, especially
as they grow up! (Some troops may move the business portion of the meeting to an earlier or
later slot.)
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