Chapter 4 : Safety-Wise
In Girl Scouting , the emotional and physical safety and well-being of girls is always a top priority . Here ’ s what you need to know .
Knowing Your Responsibilities
You , the parents / guardians of the girls in your group , and the girls themselves share the responsibility for staying safe . The next three sections flesh out who ’ s responsible for what .
Refer to the Appendix : GSWPA Procedures / Forms for the following :
● Handling Suspected Child Abuse Procedure
Responsibilities of the Volunteer : Girl Scout Safety Guidelines
Every adult in Girl Scouting is responsible for the physical and emotional safety of girls , and we all demonstrate that by agreeing to follow these guidelines at all times .
1 . Follow the Safety Activity Checkpoints . Instructions for staying safe while participating in activities are detailed in the Safety Activity Checkpoints , available from your council . Read the checkpoints , follow them , and share them with other volunteers , parents , and girls before engaging in activities with girls .
The Trip & High-Risk Activity Application must be completed for the following activities : horseback riding stable ( requires staff interview ); hayride ; swimming / water sports ; challenge , ropes or climbing course ( requires staff visit ); target sports ( archery , firearms ); gymnastics facility ; snow sports ( skiing , tubing , sledding ); watercraft / rentals / outfitters ; high-adventure outfitter ; transportation / bus companies ; amusement parks / water parks ; indoor trampoline parks ; indoor skydiving simulation ; caving / spelunking ; and zipline / canopy tours . This list will be updated throughout the year .
Caution : You must get written pre-approval from your council for girls ages 12 and older who will : use firearms ; take trips on waterways that are highly changeable or uncontrollable ; or experience simulated skydiving and zero-gravity rooms .
Warning : The following activities are NOT permitted : potentially uncontrolled free-falling ( bungee jumping , hang gliding , parachuting , parasailing , skydiving , moon bounce / bounce house and outdoor trampolining ); creating extreme variations of approved activities ( such as highaltitude climbing and aerial tricks on bicycles , skis , snowboards , skateboards , water-skis and wakeboards ); hunting ; shooting a projectile at another person , such as paintball ; activities involving motorized vehicles , such as Jet Skis , Go-carts , all-terrain vehicles and motor bikes ; taking watercraft trips in Class V or higher ; zorbing ; or flights in non-commercial aircraft , such as small , private planes , helicopters , sailplanes , untethered hot air balloons and blimps .
2 . Points common to all Safety Activity Checkpoints include : Girls plan the activity . Keeping their grade-level abilities in mind , encourage girls to take proactive leadership roles in organizing details of the activity .