Arranging Meetings with Parents / Guardians or a Friends-and-Family Network
A parent / guardian meeting , or a meeting of your friends-and-family network ( as encouraged in many of the leadership Journeys ), is a chance for you to get to know the families of the girls in your group . Before the meeting , be sure you and / or your co-volunteers have done the following :
● For younger girls , arranged for a parent , another volunteer , or a group of older girls to do activities with the girls in your group while you talk with their parents / guardians ( if girls will attend the meeting , too )
● Practiced a discussion on the following : Girl Scout Mission , Promise , and Law ; benefits of Girl Scouting for their daughters , including how the GSLE is a world-class system for developing girl leaders ; all the fun the girls are going to have ; expectations for girls and their parents / guardians ; and ideas of how parents and other guardians can participate in and enrich their daughters ’ Girl Scout experiences
● Determined when product sales ( including Girl Scout cookie activities ) will happen in your council ; parents / guardians will absolutely want to know
● Determined what information parents should bring to the meeting
● Used the Friends and Family pages provided in the adults guides for many of the Journeys , or created your own one-page information sheet ( contact information for you and co-volunteers and helpers , the day and time of each meeting , location of and directions to the meeting place , what to bring with them , and information on how to get Journey resources — books , awards , and keepsakes — and other merchandise like sashes , vests , T-shirts , and so on )
● Gathered or created supplies , including a sign-in sheet , an information sheet , permission forms for parents / guardians ( also available from your council ), health history forms ( as required by your council ), and GSUSA registration forms
● Prepared yourself to ask parents and guardians for help , being as specific as you can about the kind of help you will need ( the Journey ’ s Friends and Family pages will come in handy here )
Registering Girls in Girl Scouting
Every participant ( girl or adult ) in Girl Scouting must register and become a member of Girl Scouts of the USA ( GSUSA ). GSUSA membership dues are valid for one year . Membership dues ( currently $ 15 ) are sent by the council to GSUSA ; no portion of the dues stays with the council . Membership dues may not be transferred to another member and are not refundable . Scholarships are available to assist girls with the $ 15 membership dues .
Pre-registration for the upcoming membership year occurs in the spring . Girls are encouraged to register early to avoid the fall rush . Early registration helps ensure uninterrupted receipt of forms and materials from the council , helps girls and councils plan ahead , and gets girls excited about all the great stuff they want to do as Girl Scouts next year . The Girl Scout grade level is determined by the current membership year beginning October 1 .
Lifetime membership is available at a reduced rate . A lifetime member must be at least 18 years old ( or a 17-year-old high-school graduate ) and agree to the Girl Scout Promise and Law .
You ’ re free to structure the parent / guardian meeting in whatever way works for you , but the following structure works for many new volunteers :
● As the girls and adults arrive , ask them to sign in . If the girls ’ parents / guardians haven ’ t already registered them online , you ’ ll want to email or hand out information so they can do so . If your council uses paper registration forms , you can pass them out at this time . Check with your