Volunteer Essentials

Chapter 4: Starting a Girl Scout Troop

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. As a troop leader you will watch the girls in your troop grow and develop into young women. Along the way you will meet other volunteers who have similar interests and values. Through it all, you will make memories to last a lifetime.

New Troop Leader Checklist

STEP 1 Register as an official member. Visit girlscoutsem.org and click “Be a Volunteer” on the home page. Follow the prompts and complete all the information. After you are finished, be on the lookout for a very important email from Verified Volunteers. This email contains a link to complete your background check. STEP 2 Within one month of joining Girl Scouts and completing your criminal background check, complete New Troop Leader Training, see pg. 26 for more details. All troop leaders and assistant troop leaders are required to take New Troop Leader Training, the first step of the New Leader Prep Series. This course is conveniently offered in-person and online. To view training opportunities, visit our website at girlscoutsem.org/training or check the current issue of Lead & Learn . STEP 3 The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is a digital tool that can help troop leaders and assistant troop leaders plan meetings, communicate with parents, select Journey and badge plans and track troop finances. Using Google Chrome as your browser, visit girlscoutsem.org and click the MY GS tab. Parents can login and see your year plans and limited troop information. STEP 4 Hold a parent/guardian meeting. Encourage parents to get involved and assist the troop by helping with snacks, transportation, the Fall Product and Cookie Programs and record keeping. Discuss when and where to meet, how often and whether to collect troop dues. A parent/guardian meeting is your opportunity to get to know the families of the girls in your troop and get them interested and involved. If girls will be attending, arrange for a parent, another volunteer or a troop of older girls to do activities with the girls in your troop while you talk with their parents/guardians .

Plan to share the following: Girl Scout Mission, Promise and Law, how girls will have fun and benefit from being in Girl Scouts expectations for girls and their parents/guardians.

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