Parent Email - Start of the Year

Girl Scout 

verb

Being a Girl Scout is something you DO, and it is an EXPERIENCE that no girl should miss!

I've been remiss on my posting lately, and I apologize. Writing this blog and providing resources for other girl scout leaders is a sincere passion of mine. 

Unfortunately, my mother passed away from stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, femur and heart this past week. It has been a whirlwind of caring for her, funeral arrangements and settling her affairs. 

I did come across an email that I used at the beginning of the year and wanted to share it with you all. It's personalized for my troop but it's a pretty good template and the verbiage is really well put together. I hope some of you find it helpful. 

Girl Scouts 2016-2017 *Important*

Hello! It is that time of year again...school is starting.  AND....Girl Scouts is coming back to your regularly scheduled programming!!  I am very excited to be seeing your girls again regularly (or to begin seeing them, if they are new!) and cannot wait.  SO. I wanted to send out a quick email - even though I know we, as a group, are terrible at emails lol.

I wanted to apologize for my lateness in this email - It's been half written for weeks.  My mom (as most of you know) is very sick with stage 4 lung cancer, and last week, we discovered it had metastasized further, to her heart.  She was given 3-6 weeks to live.  I did end up flying out to Minneapolis again to tend to her, and spend time with her, and have plans to do so again in Sept.  This may interrupt girl scouts at some point, but I am confidant that our parent volunteers will be able to step up and get us through. 

We have a really exciting year coming up - our Daisy's and Brownie's have a lot on their docket!  We will discuss them more in depth at our first meeting - September 6th - but I wanted to give a quick overview.  Our Daisy's will be working out of the girls guide for Daisy's and our Brownies will be working out of the girls guide for Brownies.  We will do TWO really fun events this first half of the year.  1.  A day trip here in town to the Poplar Grove Plantation.  They have fantastic educational programs for us to choose from.  This will cost about $7 per girl, plus a patch if we decide to get a patch for it.  This event will be open to all scouts, parents, and family members.  2.  An overnight trip to the Asheboro Zoo.  Melissa (our second in command) and any other parent who would like to will help me design some fun events for this overnight.  We will plan to leave town around 7 or 8a on a Saturday, and return around dinner time on a Sunday.  We'd like this to happen in October or November.  This event will be open to ONLY registered scouts and registered volunteers, due to constrictions regarding insurance, and girl scout policy.  The cost for this will be around $35 per person, and that will cover food, admission to the zoo, hotel stay, and transportation.  If we would like the girls to receive a badge for this event, there would be an additional $0.75 - $1.50 added.  
The reason for two trips - one overnight, one day trip - is because we have a variety of girls who span different ages, and may be at different places in terms of how comfortable they are in leaving mom and dad.  I want EVERY girl to be able to have a great experience so I did a lot of research to find a great day trip here in town.  I think we will be very pleased with Poplar Grove Plantation.

We are planning on meeting weekly this year, Tuesdays, from 6p to 7p.  Please reach out to me ASAP if you have some major conflict with this day or time.

The first meeting of the year will be September 6th, in our regular meeting place.  This will be our *parent* meeting, so each girl will need at least one parent present for this meeting.  If you cannot make it, please reach out to me and we can work on alternate arrangements.  Since we joined together mid year last year, none of us have been through this meeting together in the past, but I think you will all enjoy it.  I will have a calendar to hand out, a parent letter that will over our troop standards - and these are just generic guidelines - all of you and all of your girls are simply wonderful people!

We will talk about the various roles that need to be filled and availability for all of you to help.  I handled most of them last year, and I will absolutely handle any of them that need to be done, but any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Snacks should once again be pretty simple.  As far as I know, none of our new girls have allergies.  If someone has a new allergy, or anything that would interfere with what type of snack was provided, please reach out to me and I will make sure it is listed in the parent letter.  This year, you will also have the opportunity to opt out of your snack day(s).  If you choose to do this, you will need to make a $10 contribution to the troop, and I will make sure snack is provided.

As our girls age, we will continue to encourage them to lead their own activities, meetings, etc, as that is one of the cornerstones of girl scouts.  As such, we will continue to allow girls to pick a badge and lead a meeting.  We will have a little bit more constriction as to what they can pick due to use working out of the girls guide, but please encourage your girl to do this if she is interested.  What happens is, your girl chooses a topic/badge.  She works with you (or other parent, or adult in her life) to design activities for the troop to do that meet the requirements for the badge.  I can meet with you to help with the planning, and guide your girl as well.  It has been a lot of fun for the young women who elected to do this last year.

Money earning for the year starts soon.  Our bank about has about $325 in it right now, and I will have the current, exact total at the parent meeting.  Girl scouts, as a whole, has 2 fundraising campaigns the girls do throughout the year.  One is the fall product sale, which is nuts, candies, and magazines, and the other is our cookie sale.  As a troop, we will participate in both of these.  The reason for that is because if we participate in both campaigns, we can do outside fundraising as well, such as a bake sale, or car wash.  Fall product sales are not as well known as cookie sales, and I don't want ANYONE to get nervous or worried about the amount their daughter sells.  It is important that our entire troop makes an effort, but I don't care if they sell one $6 tin of nuts, or $500 worth of nuts. Each effort is equal, and all will be recognized for a job well done.  Cookies are easier to sell, but also can be a pain (LOL).  I get it - please dont feel pressured.  Something I'd like to touch on in the parent meeting, then again before cookie sales, is booking a large amount of booths.  Its much easier to sell at booths than it is to go door to door, and every booth has at least 2 girls at it so its sometimes more fun as well.

Cookie sales are where troops garner the largest amount of their funds - our previous cookie sales are responsible for funding everything we did last year, as well as the remaining balance in our account this year, so it really is a very important fundraiser for the girls.

Something I'd like all the parents to consider is a money earning project in the month of September or early October.  I was thinking something like a bake sale or car wash.  We could even do both.  These would go to bring down our costs for our two events this fall.  If there is anyone who would like to take on planning these with me, please let me know.  We will also have girls involved in the planning as well.  The *biggest* thing we need to consider is WHERE to have these things.  Church is often a great place for a bake sale - so if someone is a member at a church, that may be something to look into.  We can also cold call companies, such as ACE Hardware, or Trader Joe's and ask if we can have a bake sale near their entrance.  Please take a few minutes and think of any connections you may have or ideas you have, so we can talk about them at the parent meeting. 

In closing - LOL - that's all I have for now.  Please, again, let me know ASAP if you cannot attend the parent meeting Sept. 6th, and please reach out to me through email, text, facebook, or phone if you have any questions or concerns - I am almost always available.  I am looking so forward to spending time with your little ladies again this year - Yay girl scouts!

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Did you like/use this - was is beneficial to you? Please comment and let me know!

                 

Parent Email - Start of the Year

Girl Scout 

verb

Being a Girl Scout is something you DO, and it is an EXPERIENCE that no girl should miss!

I've been remiss on my posting lately, and I apologize. Writing this blog and providing resources for other girl scout leaders is a sincere passion of mine. 

Unfortunately, my mother passed away from stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, femur and heart this past week. It has been a whirlwind of caring for her, funeral arrangements and settling her affairs. 

I did come across an email that I used at the beginning of the year and wanted to share it with you all. It's personalized for my troop but it's a pretty good template and the verbiage is really well put together. I hope some of you find it helpful. 

Girl Scouts 2016-2017 *Important*

Hello! It is that time of year again...school is starting.  AND....Girl Scouts is coming back to your regularly scheduled programming!!  I am very excited to be seeing your girls again regularly (or to begin seeing them, if they are new!) and cannot wait.  SO. I wanted to send out a quick email - even though I know we, as a group, are terrible at emails lol.

I wanted to apologize for my lateness in this email - It's been half written for weeks.  My mom (as most of you know) is very sick with stage 4 lung cancer, and last week, we discovered it had metastasized further, to her heart.  She was given 3-6 weeks to live.  I did end up flying out to Minneapolis again to tend to her, and spend time with her, and have plans to do so again in Sept.  This may interrupt girl scouts at some point, but I am confidant that our parent volunteers will be able to step up and get us through. 

We have a really exciting year coming up - our Daisy's and Brownie's have a lot on their docket!  We will discuss them more in depth at our first meeting - September 6th - but I wanted to give a quick overview.  Our Daisy's will be working out of the girls guide for Daisy's and our Brownies will be working out of the girls guide for Brownies.  We will do TWO really fun events this first half of the year.  1.  A day trip here in town to the Poplar Grove Plantation.  They have fantastic educational programs for us to choose from.  This will cost about $7 per girl, plus a patch if we decide to get a patch for it.  This event will be open to all scouts, parents, and family members.  2.  An overnight trip to the Asheboro Zoo.  Melissa (our second in command) and any other parent who would like to will help me design some fun events for this overnight.  We will plan to leave town around 7 or 8a on a Saturday, and return around dinner time on a Sunday.  We'd like this to happen in October or November.  This event will be open to ONLY registered scouts and registered volunteers, due to constrictions regarding insurance, and girl scout policy.  The cost for this will be around $35 per person, and that will cover food, admission to the zoo, hotel stay, and transportation.  If we would like the girls to receive a badge for this event, there would be an additional $0.75 - $1.50 added.  
The reason for two trips - one overnight, one day trip - is because we have a variety of girls who span different ages, and may be at different places in terms of how comfortable they are in leaving mom and dad.  I wantEVERY girl to be able to have a great experience so I did a lot of research to find a great day trip here in town.  I think we will be very pleased with Poplar Grove Plantation.

We are planning on meeting weekly this year, Tuesdays, from 6p to 7p.  Please reach out to me ASAP if you have some major conflict with this day or time.

The first meeting of the year will be September 6th, in our regular meeting place.  This will be our *parent* meeting, so each girl will need at least one parent present for this meeting.  If you cannot make it, please reach out to me and we can work on alternate arrangements.  Since we joined together mid year last year, none of us have been through this meeting together in the past, but I think you will all enjoy it.  I will have a calendar to hand out, a parent letter that will over our troop standards - and these are just generic guidelines - all of you and all of your girls are simply wonderful people!

We will talk about the various roles that need to be filled and availability for all of you to help.  I handled most of them last year, and I will absolutely handle any of them that need to be done, but any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Snacks should once again be pretty simple.  As far as I know, none of our new girls have allergies.  If someone has a new allergy, or anything that would interfere with what type of snack was provided, please reach out to me and I will make sure it is listed in the parent letter.  This year, you will also have the opportunity to opt out of your snack day(s).  If you choose to do this, you will need to make a $10 contribution to the troop, and I will make sure snack is provided.

As our girls age, we will continue to encourage them to lead their own activities, meetings, etc, as that is one of the cornerstones of girl scouts.  As such, we will continue to allow girls to pick a badge and lead a meeting.  We will have a little bit more constriction as to what they can pick due to use working out of the girls guide, but please encourage your girl to do this if she is interested.  What happens is, your girl chooses a topic/badge.  She works with you (or other parent, or adult in her life) to design activities for the troop to do that meet the requirements for the badge.  I can meet with you to help with the planning, and guide your girl as well.  It has been a lot of fun for the young women who elected to do this last year.

Money earning for the year starts soon.  Our bank about has about $325 in it right now, and I will have the current, exact total at the parent meeting.  Girl scouts, as a whole, has 2 fundraising campaigns the girls do throughout the year.  One is the fall product sale, which is nuts, candies, and magazines, and the other is our cookie sale.  As a troop, we will participate in both of these.  The reason for that is because if we participate in both campaigns, we can do outside fundraising as well, such as a bake sale, or car wash.  Fall product sales are not as well known as cookie sales, and I don't want ANYONE to get nervous or worried about the amount their daughter sells.  It is important that our entire troop makes an effort, but I don't care if they sell one $6 tin of nuts, or $500 worth of nuts. Each effort is equal, and all will be recognized for a job well done.  Cookies are easier to sell, but also can be a pain (LOL).  I get it - please dont feel pressured.  Something I'd like to touch on in the parent meeting, then again before cookie sales, is booking a large amount of booths.  Its much easier to sell at booths than it is to go door to door, and every booth has at least 2 girls at it so its sometimes more fun as well.

Cookie sales are where troops garner the largest amount of their funds - our previous cookie sales are responsible for funding everything we did last year, as well as the remaining balance in our account this year, so it really is a very important fundraiser for the girls.

Something I'd like all the parents to consider is a money earning project in the month of September or early October.  I was thinking something like a bake sale or car wash.  We could even do both.  These would go to bring down our costs for our two events this fall.  If there is anyone who would like to take on planning these with me, please let me know.  We will also have girls involved in the planning as well.  The *biggest* thing we need to consider is WHERE to have these things.  Church is often a great place for a bake sale - so if someone is a member at a church, that may be something to look into.  We can also cold call companies, such as ACE Hardware, or Trader Joe's and ask if we can have a bake sale near their entrance.  Please take a few minutes and think of any connections you may have or ideas you have, so we can talk about them at the parent meeting. 

In closing - LOL - that's all I have for now.  Please, again, let me know ASAP if you cannot attend the parent meeting Sept. 6th, and please reach out to me through email, text, facebook, or phone if you have any questions or concerns - I am almost always available.  I am looking so forward to spending time with your little ladies again this year - Yay girl scouts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like/use this - was is beneficial to you? Please comment and let me know!

                 

What should NEW leaders know? PART 1

Girl Scout 
verb

Being a Girl Scout is something you DO, and it is an EXPERIENCE that no girl should miss!

My posts thus far have largely been cultivated from my own on the job training, and gained knowledge, as well as research I have done online and in person.  *I* decided to try something a little bit different.  I created a google form, and asked leaders across the nation to contribute to it.  It had four (4) questions.  They were:

• What is the #1 thing you wish you knew as a new leader?
• What kind of leader resources would you find most useful?
• What is something you want to ask other leaders anonymously?
• Is there anything else you'd like to note here?

I received over 100 GREAT responses to this and am compiling them for general use for new leaders, seasoned leaders - really any volunteer that is looking for answers. THIS particular post is going to be what new leaders should know - part 1. 

The first season of scouting as a leader can be very hard.  I spent my entire girlhood as a girl scouts, and still was completely unprepared for the politics between moms, with dealing with difficult guardians, with knowing what exactly the service unit or council was there for - a slew of things.  So I want you to know - when you are there, in the trenches, and its not the unicorns and butterflies you imagined, there are many many MANY seasoned leaders out there that are rooting for you, cheering for you, and standing behind you.  We all want you to succeed.

Some answers were repeated time and time again by seasoned leaders, and I will highlight that when discussing those points!  Without further ado, here are the first couple of things that all NEW leaders should know!

1. How much time I would invest in it.
1. This one was repeated over and over again - it was included in probably 20-25% of the answers.  And I concur - it is SHOCKING how much time you invest.  But what is MORE surprising? Realizing that it doesn't (usually) even feel like work.  For many leaders, molding and guiding little ladies in their endeavors is a passion, and girl scouts is the perfect outlet.  You are intimately involved in the lives of your girls, becoming a mentor, a confidante - someone they trust. Someone they enjoy. So yes, it is time consuming. Sometimes it's a complete time suck.  But it is VERY rewarding.  You will find that you love your girls, and they love you.
   
2. Something else that came up was - I wish there was something for just average leaders.  But here's there thing.  There is NO SUCH THING as 'just an average leader.'  So maybe your girls don't earn EVERY SINGLE badge.  Or maybe you just don't have it in you to spend more than an hour planning meetings each week - pinterest just isn't your friend, and so you show up, the girls have fiun and you call it good.  Maybe you don't sell eleventy billion cookies, or go camping every weekend.  That doesn't make you average, or sub par.  As long as you love your girls, and work hard to make girl scouts a great experience for them, you are an amazing leader, and YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH.
   
2. How to keep everything organized.
1. Every leader does this differently.  My current set up is this: 
   
2. As you can see, my method is not the most organized.  I am a person who struggles with ADHD, and I find it easiest to have everything at my fingertips - when I find my focus waning, I can choose another item to work on easily.  Basically, I prefer to have all of my girl scout stuff in the same area, and then I choose what I need.  I have a 'craft corner' as well, and each week, I stuff what craft stuff I need into my scout bag to take to meetings.  THIS MAY NOT BE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU LOL!!  Something other leaders have mentioned finding great success in is using a bag meant for scrapbooking supplies, or (oddly enough) hair dresser or cosmetology supplies.  Something that looks something like this:
3. In the end, you'll need to figure out what works for you.  It will be a process.  It may take some time. Be patient with yourself, and try a few things out. You'll get there.
   
3. The more you let scouts get involved with the planning of meetings and camping early on, the more leadership skills they will gain. 
1. Girls of ALL ages are great planners.  The very young girls often need some guidance but they are ABSOLUTELY able to plan meetings and events, and to have some self empowerment in terms of decision making.  I DO find that with younger girls, it is easier for them to process it if you present an 'either or' choice.  Such as we are going to do such and such petal next week - we can do *this* activity OR *this* activity, and ask them to choose which to do.  I have a blog post on event planning with younger girls and how to help/guide them and to empower them to lead.  You can see that post here!  As girls get older, you can hand the reins over more and more to them until you are in the back seat and they are driving the meeting planning.
   
4. What the SU was, how they can help and that they had monthly meetings.
1. Your SU is your service unit and they are an extremely valuable resource for you!  Sometimes in onboarding, the information you receive isn't as comprehensive as it maybe could be.  A service unit is a subdivision of your council that includes girls, volunteers, parents, and community members.  It serves as a unit within the community to work together to achieve community and scouting goals.  Your service unit has a variety of roles they fulfill.  They recruit girls and volunteers, provide training, host activities and have a series of administrative duties, such as monthly meetings and identifying delegates.  You as a volunteer are expected to participate in your service unit, whether that is by volunteering on your SU, attending monthly meetings, attending trainings or even just networking.  Your SU is the go between with YOU and your girls, and the council.  Something that *I* think, and was reiterated to me by my membership specialist, was that leaders sometimes feel an overwhelming disconnect with their service unit.  This is nothing short of tragic.  But it is so easy to change - many leaders aren't completely aware of all of the help, training and service that a SU can provide, and knowledge is power.  When I posed this sentiment to my membership specialist, this was her response: "I think it starts with you and me and sharing this info with others.  I know that change is a hard pill to swallow for many of our volunteers (and council employees) across GSUSA, but if we can let go of how things used to be, sometimes we can share the joy of positive energy that makes the difference.  We can be the change we want to see."  And really, isn't that the crux of it? WE CAN BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE.  If you have any other questions or need information regarding your service unit, please please PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me.
   
5. I wish I knew how much flexibility there was, and there is no one *right* way to do everything.
1. This is so so so important for new leaders.  YOU can take the reins.  The girls can take the reins.  Things do NOT need to be completed just as described in the journeys, or girl guides.  You have such leniency - many of the books in girl scouts offer a specific way to complete the steps to a badge. And this is a perfectly acceptable way to obtain your badges.  However, sometimes you might come across something and think, wow that's lame. OR think, wouldn't it be so much cooler to do something like x,y and z? And that's the beauty of girl scouts.  You can change it up as much or as little as you like!  And remember, there is NO one *right* way to do anything - as long as you meet the general requirements, you have plenty of flexibility and empowerment to something your troop genuinely enjoys.  Some of the ways we completed our Daisy work is here.  Some of the ways we completed Brownie work is here.
   
6. There were MANY comments from leaders who are clearly frustrated and exasperated, to the effect of parents not wanting to help, not reading correspondence, and a general feeling of uselessness for them.
1. I think it is important to speak to this.  Please don't underestimate your parents.  Sometimes, parents suck. They just do - that's the reality of it.  You don't know their lives, and there may be more going on than what meets the eye.  Or maybe they truly just suck.  Either way, you don't know, so do yourself a favor and assume and err on the side of forgiveness and understanding.  Now - it is SO important to be clear and succinct when dealing with your parents.  Give them clear, and easy to understand expectations at the beginning of the year.  You can see the parent letter I use here.  Parents are your greatest resource during the scouting year.  There are a lot of roles that they can fill - cooking mgr, fall product mgr, treasurer, drivers, etc.  The most important thing to remember when dealing with your parents is that sometimes they just don't know how to bridge the gap.  They may want to help, but not a the level or capacity they *think* you expect. They may not want to step on toes. They may not even realize you *need* help!  What I find works best in terms of parent involvement is to jot down what I need from parents.  My current list looks like this:
• Fundraising Ideas
• Drivers for overnight
• Outdoor Skills training
• Brownie lead
• Daisy lead
2. My way to approach this is to select TWO (because someone may say no, or fall through) parents that I feel will be able to help out in these areas.  I selected more involved parents for the leads, less involved for the fundraising ideas.  I will approach the primary person for each of these roles on my list, and privately (in person or on the phone) speak with them, and basically implore them to help lol.  I am honest, and let them know that I can't do it all (no matter how much I'd like to) and that their participation will offer a more rounded, easily enjoyed experience for our girls, and that is really everyone's goal.  This approach allows parents to see roles in a smaller light, and makes them less overwhelming. It's pretty easy to say yes when someone comes to you and says, listen, I need 5 age appropriate fundraising ideas in 2 weeks.  Can you take some time to jot some down? To that same point, it is pretty easy to turn someone down when they say, I really need you to chair the troop fundraising. Parents WANT to help - they just need guidance.  Also, remember to make sure you are IN PERSON (if possible) or on the phone.  It is much harder to say no when presented with having to turn a person down to their face. 
3. The other conflict leaders frequently experience is trouble in paradise.  Dissent, disapproval, frustration or any other number of emotions you may encounter with the parents of your girls.  A resource my own council gave me, and that I find SO incredibly helpful is the F.A.I.R. method when talking to parents.  
4.  I have expounded on this previously in my blog, and you can find further information on this method here.
5. Lastly, if you are being harassed, threatened, demeaned, bullied, etc by parents, and are unable to self resolve it, please please PLEASE reach out to your council. They will step in and help you.  Trust. I have personal experience with it, and if you have questions on my experience, feel free to email me!
   
7. Girls sometimes have a SHORT attention span - be prepared, and be flexible to keep them engaged.
1. My last piece of advice for this post is about keeping those little ladies involved.  This is pointed more towards the smaller girl scouts, but it can sometimes happen with older scouts as well. Just be flexible and understanding - they are generally very excited to be at girl scouts and to be with their friends and sometimes have a hard time reining that in.

That's all for today's post.  It is only PART 1, and there will be more to come.  I hope, as a new leader, you found this information useful.  I hope more seasoned leaders read along, nodding and also found something useful here.  If you have anything to add, or a different method for any of this, please comment on this thread and SHARE!

Remember - Girls can do anything they set their minds to...especially when given the right opportunities!

Code of Conduct

Girl Scout 
verb

Being a Girl Scout is something you DO, and it is an EXPERIENCE that no girl should miss!

As we begin to enter a new school year, we begin to prepare for the next troop year.  You may have already checked out our Sample Parent Letter for use at your first meeting, and this post is another little bit of house cleaning to get out of the way.

Whether you are a bright, doe eyed first time troop leader, skipping in your field of daisies, thinking, "Code of conduct? My girls would never need something like that!?!", or a leader who has been in the trenches and is looking for something to use to lay down the law from the start, this post is for you!

Find your copy HERE

Why should you utilize a code of conduct?

Girl scouts is fun. So much fun. And so very worth every step of planning, organization and frustration you might encounter.  Planning is important, though.  Which is why I LOVE this code of conduct. Laying out a code of conduct at the beginning of the year gives everyone a firm set of expectations.  Girls are more aware of what is expected, and parents are as well. It also gives you something to fall back on and point towards if someone is not upholding their end of the agreement. 

I like to hand this out with a copy of the promise and the law so parents, and girls, alike, can see how they track together.  I refuse to believe that *ANY* parent, guardian, or girl, enters into a membership with the GSUSA, with the expectation of causing trouble, or having un-Girl Scout like behavior.  But sometimes, poor choices happen.  

We are guiding girls through life's journey, and they are still small. And still learning.  Sometimes they won't make good choices.  Sometimes they won't be good friends. Sometimes they wont be respectful.  Sometimes they make mistakes.  This is something we, as leaders, should expect. It doesn't make her bad. Or naughty. Or any other negative connotation that *may* pop through someone's head when witnessing kids and teens make mistakes.  This agreement will give you something to gently point towards when reinforcing good choices and behavior and correcting poor choices and behavior.  

Parent's are ALSO guiding girls through life's journey, and they are not perfect.  Some parents just aren't interested in facilitating a good relationship between their girl and her girl scout troop.  This is *very* rare in my experience, and your council and service unit are great resources to help with that situation.  Some parents just don't know what is expected or needed from them.  And some parents just get a little over zealous, or emotional with things or situations that involve their girl scout.  After all - she is their daughter, and the apple of their eye. :D  All of these different situations will make use of the parent aspect of this agreement.  If you find yourself in a position to ask a parent to correct some type of behavior, it will strengthen your request, and give you a concrete point to fall back on.  

Lastly, leaders devote ungodly amounts of time towards their troops.  They work endlessly, through a labor of love.  They spend their own money. They invest their time and hearts.  We may be unpaid, voluntary leaders, but girl scouts is undeniably and inextricably entwined in our lives.  Periodically, or as needed, reading through the commitment you make to your girls can renew your energy, embolden you as a leader, and offer a pick me up when you are in down in the trenches.

I LOVE this code of conduct, and I use it as is - however, you may find yourself wanting to tweak it, or modify it a bit to perfect it for your troop.  As I often say - my form is your form - grab a copy of this form HERE or email me at Danielle.Poenisch@Hotmail.com, (Or just use the contact me form in the right hand column of this blog) and I can shoot you the original, editable doc so you can make it work perfectly for your troop too!

Let me know and leave a comment if you like this idea, or if you have an argument against this idea - I love to learn more about other opinions, and hear more suggestions!