Volunteer Essentials Will Be Your Guide— the Official “User Manual” to Delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
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Dear GSGLA Volunteer: Welcome to Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA). Thank you for your commitment to helping girls discover their power and use it for good. For 107 years, Girl Scouts has served as an inclusive place that champions ambition in girls and adult volunteers. By choosing to give of your time and talents to GSGLA, you are not just taking a stand for girls—you are taking action to make the world a better place. You are shaping girls into young women who are unafraid to dream big and lead the change they want to see in the world. As a volunteer, your efforts will help girls to think creatively, act boldly and set impressive goals. The volunteer experience at GSGLA is unique in that it’s transformative for both girl and volunteer—because building girls of courage, confidence, and character begins with volunteers who demonstrate these same qualities. Throughout your adventures, GSGLA’s Volunteer Essentials will be your guide— the official “user manual” to delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. This vital resource will support you in creating a fun, safe, and impactful environment that helps girls thrive. Our staff are here to lend a hand and support you in this endeavor. It is an honor to partner with you as you provide an opportunity for every girl to feel a sense of belonging to community, to practice bravery, and to have pride in herself. I look forward to our partnership and to see the amazing growth each girl will experience, thanks to your support. Yours in Girl Scouting, Theresa Edy-Kiene Theresa Edy-Kiene Chief Executive Officer 2019-2020 VE – Rev. Jan. 2020 2 We are Girl Scouts 6 The Girl Scout Advantage 8 Connect Online 10 Girl Scouting as a National Experience 11 What Girl Scouting Does for Girls 11 Fun with Purpose 12 Who Can Join Girl Scouts—and How 15 Girl Scouts’ Organizational Structure 16 GSGLA Service Centers and GSGLA Stores 16 Supporting our Mission 22 Adult Learning Opportunities 24 Leader Training Progression Steps 24 We Appreciate our Volunteers 29 Understanding Your Role as a Girl Scout Volunteer 30 Steps to Becoming a Leader 30 MyGS Member Community & Volunteer Toolkit 32 Looking at a Sample Troop Year 35 Understanding How Many Volunteers You Need 36 Screening and Approval of Adult Volunteers 38 Forming your Troop Committee 39 Registering Girls in Girl Scouting 42 Your GSGLA Support Team 44 Meeting with Girls for the First Time 45 Holding Troop Meetings 46 Changes in Troop Leadership 46 Uniforms 49 Arranging a Time and Space for Girl-Led Meetings 53 Understanding Healthy Development in Girls 54 Creating a Safe Space for Girls 60 Managing Conflict 61 When Sensitive Topics Come Up 63 Supporting Girls with Special Needs 65 Keeping Girls Engaged with Girl Scouts 67 Getting Started with the National Leadership Program through Journeys 68 The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting and National Proficiency Badges 69 Emblems and Patches 77 Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards 77 Other Initiatives and Opportunities 78 Girl Scout Traditions and Celebrations 78 Knowing Your Responsibilities 82 Computer/Online Safety 85 Using Safety Activity Checkpoints 86 Understanding Which Activities are Not Allowed 87 High Risk Activity Guidelines 87 Transporting Girls 89 Standard Safety & Emergency Procedures 95 Girl Scout Additional Activity Insurance 98 Providing Emergency Care 99 Procedures for Accidents 102 GSGLA Emergency Management Plan 103 2019-2020 VE – Rev. Jan. 2020 3 Establishing an Account 104 Troop Money 108 Special Events and Money Earning Activities 112 Understanding the Girl Scout Cookie Program 116 Collaborating with Supporters 125 Using Journeys and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting in Their Travels 127 Letting Girls Lead 130 Trips 131 Trip Guidelines 133 Involving Chaperones, Drivers and First-Aiders 134 Staying Safe During the Trip 136 Seeking GSGLA Permission 136 Camping 139 Camp Safety and Security 140 Travel 142 Girl Scout Destinations 143 Resident Camp 145 Day Camp 146 Basic Properties Information 147 1. Inclusiveness Statement 149 2. Being an Appropriate Role Model 149 3. Membership Conditions 149 4. Recruitment 149 5. Becoming a Volunteer 150 6. Disqualification 151 7. Placement 152 8. Appointment 152 9. Reappointment 153 10. Benefits and Services 153 11. Training 153 12. Recognitions 154 13. Confidentiality 154 14. Dismissal 155 15. Resignation 157 16. Dispute Resolution 157 17. Conflict of Interest 159 18. Uniforms 160 19. Contracts and Agreements 160 20. Troop Treasury 161 21. Private Inurnment/Private Benefit 161 22. Debt Collection 161 23. Social Media 161 24. Accident/Incident Management 162 25. Troop Transfers 163 26. Smoke-Free/Tobacco-Free Environment 163 27. Alcohol and Substance Abuse 164 28. Harassment 164 29. Child Abuse 164 30. Sex Offenders 166 31. Weapons and Fireworks 167 32. Legal Action against GSGLA 167 2019-2020 VE – Rev. Jan. 2020 4 Welcome to the great adventure of Girl Scouting! Thanks to volunteers like you, generations of girls have learned to be leaders in their own lives and in the world. We know you’re busy and need to be efficient with your time. For that reason, Volunteer Essentials is an online reference at girlscoutsla.org for you to use as needed. When you have a question, simply look up the topic in the Table of Contents or Index, and you’ll find your answer. Think of Volunteer Essentials as your encyclopedia to Girl Scout volunteering: It’s here when you need it, but there’s no need to read it all today. This document is customized for our Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles council (GSGLA) and contains Policies, Standards and Procedures. Therefore, it supersedes the National Guidelines. Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) is one of the 112 Girl Scout councils (geographic areas) that make up our national organization, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). GSGLA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves nearly 47,000 girls in partnership with more than 25,000 adult members and volunteers throughout the diverse communities of Los Angeles County and parts of Kern, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. GSGLA is the largest girl-serving nonprofit agency in Los Angeles, preparing girls for a lifetime of leadership through access to key experiences, connections, and programs in entrepreneurship, life skills, outdoors, and STEM. Our administrative headquarters is located at 1150 S. Olive St., Los Angeles. GSGLA service centers and Girl Scout stores are located in Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Woodland Hills, Inglewood, Long Beach, Upland, and Arcadia. In addition, GSGLA owns two mountain camp properties, where beginning to advanced campers may spend a day, week, or longer in the outdoors. The most popular camp activities include horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, archery, and adventure/challenge courses that include high ropes courses, climbing walls, and zip lines. GSGLA also owns 10 outdoor program centers where girls are able to experience day camps, troop meetings, day or overnight events, and fun in the outdoors. Girl Scouts’ mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. In partnership with committed adult volunteers, Girl Scouts prepares girls for a lifetime of leadership through access to experiences, skills, and connections. The inclusive, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space where girls can try new things, develop a range of skills, take on leadership roles, and just be themselves. Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program that unleashes the inner G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk taker, and leader) in every girl. Girl Scouts embraces girls of all abilities, backgrounds, and heritage, with a specific and positive philosophy of inclusion. Each girl—without regard to socioeconomic status, race, physical or cognitive ability, ethnicity, primary language, or religion—is an equal member of Girl Scouts. You can stay up-to-date with council news and opportunities by reading our various email newsletters and staying connected with us online: - Website: girlscoutsla.org - Facebook: facebook.com/GSGLA - Twitter: @GirlScoutsLA (https://twitter.com/girlscoutsla) - Instagram: @GirlScoutsLA (instagram.com/girlscoutsla) - YouTube: youtube.com/user/GirlScoutsLA) - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/girl-scouts-of-greater-los-angeles - GSGLA Blog: blog.girlscoutsla.org 2019-2020 VE – Rev. Jan. 2020 5 Girl Scouts was founded in 1912 by trailblazer Juliette Gordon Low. We are the largest girl-serving organization in the United States and a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), a sisterhood of close to 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries. Map of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles’ region and property locations 2019-2020 VE – Rev. Jan. 2020 6 Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We are the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, and experts on their growth and development. On my honor, I will try: To serve God* and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. *Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word “God.” Note: This disclaimer appears in the National Leadership Journey adult guides, but not in the girls’ books. It is included here as a reminder to you, as a volunteer, that it’s your responsibility to be sensitive to the spiritual beliefs of the girls in your group and to make sure that everyone in the group feels comfortable and included in Girl Scouting.