What does Girl Scouting offer teens?
Adolescence is a challenging time when girls are striving to assert
themselves as individuals and yet are quite consumed with conforming
to the norms and standards of their peer group. For many young women,
Girl Scouting provides a non-threatening forum for self-discovery
as well as social, emotional, and intellectual growth.
As a Cadette Girl Scout (grades 7-9) or Senior Girl Scout (grades
10-12), teens have the opportunity to:
* Travel – International
and national "destinations" are
annual events sponsored by other councils that
give girls the opportunity to travel, gather
together with new friends to have fun, build
memories, and test new skills and talents. Offerings
can range from dog sledding to scuba diving,
from starting a business to working in an archeological
dig. Every year brings new surprises and girls
can apply to participate more than once.
* Explore Wisconsin Outdoors – Summer
camps offer special tripping and adventure opportunities
for girls that prefer to test their survival
and fitness powers. Rock climbing, canoeing the
Boundary Waters, rafting, kayaking, and sailing,
are just a few of the challenging choices available
to girls. High school teens can even participate
in high adventure programs sponsored by other councils
statewide.
* Develop new interests – Recognitions
at this level require girls to develop skills,
explore technology, give service, and check out
careers in interest areas.
* Make new friends – Whether
it's in the same community or across the world,
teen Girl Scouts have many opportunities to expand
their circle of friends in experiences that are
offered beyond the troop setting.
* Perform Community Service – Teen
Girl Scouts can continue to build upon the tradition
of community service they began as younger Girl
Scouts. The emphasis now moves from collecting
food to coordinating a community-wide drive to
build awareness about hunger, where they take
a pro-active approach to solving local problems.
* Develop Leadership – A
great array of leadership opportunities are available
to girls. Some of these opportunities include:
The Counselor-In-Training (CIT) 4-level program is for girls
who just love the out-of-doors and want to learn how to teach younger
girls in a residential camp setting.
The Junior Counselor (JC) program is for girls who love
working with girls in an out-of-doors setting, but prefer to return
home at the end of the day.
The Program Aide training prepares girls to lead workshops
for younger girls in specific areas of interest like science and
general badge work.
The Youth Leadership Council prepares girls to work cooperatively
and in a team environment to coordinate a council-wide community
service project, explore ways to promote Girl Scouting in the community
and give direction to the council on issues that affect the teen
membership.
The Silver Award is the highest award that a Cadette Girl
Scout (grades 7-9) can achieve. Attainment of the award requires
a girl to explore careers, develop skills and expertise in a special
area of interest, give service to the community, develop a set of
personal values and learn more about herself, and complete an extensive
community service project.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement that a young woman
can earn in Girl Scouting. It involves five requirements, each of
which helps girls develop skills in leadership, career exploration,
self-discovery, and service.
