Investiture and Rededication

An investiture ceremony welcomes new girls or adults into Girl Scouting. It can be a very memorable and meaningful step for girls as they becomes Girl Scouts.  Although a majority of girls will be Daisies when they invest, girls can and do join Girl Scouts at all ages.  An investiture is appropriate for any new members.

A rededication ceremony allows girls and adults who have already been Girl Scouts to reaffirm their commitment to Girl Scouts as outlined in  the Girl Scout Promise and Law and to reflect upon the meaning of Girl Scouting in their lives. 

Investiture and Rededication ceremonies are usually held at the beginning of a Girl Scout year.  Many troops/groups have a joint investiture and rededication ceremony each year.  A ceremony can be anything your girls want it to be.  Formal ceremonies have their place, but my girls once held their ceremony in a maze at Girl Scout camp.  It was one of the most memorable ceremonies the troop ever held.

Here here are some great links:

GENERAL HELP

• Girl Scout Ceremonies

DAISY INVESTITURE

• Daisy Investiture
• First Investiture
• Daisy Investiture

REDEDICATION

• Rededication Ceremony
• Gold Heart Ceremony

DAISY INVESTITURE CERTIFICATES

• Daisy Investiture Certificate
• Daisy First Year Certificate

INVESTITURE/REDEDICATION PATCHES (to be worn on the back of a vest; search for "investiture" and/or "rededication")

• Patch Fun
• Advantage Emblem
• Snappy Logos

Girl Scout Records

I got a call today from a leader asking me how on earth kept track of who did what.  She was trying to do a spreadsheet and was getting lost in her own details.  My answer is that I use G-Scoutmate software. It allows me to track badges and other awards, service hours, and, perhaps most importantly, banking.  When it comes time for me to do my financial reports, I just print out reports from the software, fill in the Council's form with the numbers and voila... done.

As far as badges, you can input requirements done for multiple girls at one time.  I find it useful to flip through the girls' records periodically to see how far away they are from completing badges.  The software update also includes Journeys, although the software makers must have been as perplexed as everyone else where they are concerned.  The Journeys are listed but without requirements so all you can do is mark off if and when a girl completes a particular Journey.  There is no way to track what steps girls are taking along the way.  The bronze, silver, and gold awards likewise have not been updated.  They still have the old requirements contained in the software.

One thing that I like about the program is that you can print off reports that detail every accomplishment a girl has completed.  I do this every time a girl leaves my troop for whatever reason.  Eventually, I will be giving all my girls a copy for use in writing their college applications.  The software can be purchased at your local council office.  For more information, check here: http://www.kscgroup.com/products/gscoutmate.html

A quick search around the web suggests that only G-Scoutmate has even started to generate trackers for the new program.

If you aren't computer savvy, the old standby are paper trackers.  Pinterest has a lot of sources for page trackers.

Feel free to leave a comment and a link if you have a tracking resource.

Badge Areas of Concentration

What was once old is now new again. GSUSA revamped their badge books and one of the components is a set of badges that girls can work on continually as they advance through the years, creating a core set of skills. The core areas to be covered by badge work at each level include the following:

1. Artist
2. Athletics
3. Citizen
4. Cook
5. First Aid
6. Naturalist
7. Girl Scout Ways
8. Outdoors
9. STEM

These nine areas echo some of the old core programs, such as the "Worlds to Explore," which included the World of Arts and People, the World of Today and Tomorrow, the World of Well Being and the Out-of-Doors.

My immediate thought was "thank goodness, something to work on that is NOT a Journey." My second thought was that this list represents a fair representation of the kind of practical skills that all young people should learn. These two positive thoughts led to a third though, namely why do the new Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards require something as useless as the Journeys when they could include a solid foundation of skills in various areas as represented by this list?

The one area that was missing from what I would call the Girl Scout core when this program was rolled out was camping and/or the out of doors. The wide-scale sell off of Girl Scout camp properties when this program rolled out signaled to many leaders a departure from a focus on the out of doors. It took a few years, but not only did the outdoors make an appearance as a core program but so did STEM. 

To return to the idea of what was old is now new again, my one complaint on that score is that, unlike Boy Scouts, GSUSA seems to believe that the wheel must continually be reinvented. I would instead argue that the wheel may need polishing and/or updating but the continual upheaval of the core program does little but enrage volunteers and distance those who value the traditions as set down by Juliette Low. That concern aside, I am hopeful that these new core badge programs will form a true core that will allow leaders to all but abandon the Journeys.

FAQs about Girl Scouts

How old do you have to be to be a Girl Scout?

Girls can become Girl Scouts when they enter Kindergarten.

Daisy Girl Scouts (grades K-1 or ages 5-6)
Brownie Girl Scouts (grades 2-3 or ages 7-8)
Junior Girl Scouts (grades 3-5 or ages 9-10)
Cadette Girl Scouts (grades 6-8 or ages 11-13)
Senior Girl Scouts (grades 9-10 or ages 14-15)
Ambassador Girl Scouts (grades 11-12 or ages 16-18)

Independent Girl Scouts (those without a troop) are referred to as IGMS (Independent Girl Members).

College-aged girls may also continue with Scouting by becoming a Campus Scout. Contact your local council for more information.

Are uniforms mandatory?

Absolutely not. At each level, it is best to own a sash or vest, but other items are optional. The new Girl Scout uniform, however, is easily purchased in that it consists of khaki pants and a white polo shirt. For more information see: Buying Girl Scout Uniforms

How much does it cost to be a Girl Scout?

National dues are currently $25. Each troop can set their own troop dues as well, but if there is a hardship, arrangements can generally be made through your local Girl Scout council. No interested girl should feel as if she can't be a Scout because of a lack of money.

Can a boy be a Girl Scout?

Well, yes and no. Girl Scouts was founded and continues to exist to serve the unique and individual needs of girls. Thus boys cannot be Girl Scouts but boys who identify as girls are also welcome.

Adult males over the age of 18 can join Girl Scouts. All troops must have at least one female leader to serve as a role model for the girls in the troop, but men can serve as co-leaders.

Are the Boy and Girl Scouts related?

The two organizations are related only by accident of naming. They are completely separate entities.

What is the Girl Scouts' highest award?

Girl Scout's highest award is the Gold Award. To earn it, a girl must complete the Silver Award or two Journeys and then carry out a service project.

Have another question? Ask me.

The Girl Scout Promise and Law

The beginning of the Girl Scout year is an excellent time to review the foundations of the organization, namely the Promise and the Law. New Daisy troops automatically do this because they are learning them for the first time and their petal project focus on the parts of the law.

After that first year, however, we don't necessarily dwell on the words and their meaning. If you've read some of my previous articles, you'll know that I believe that if you know the Promise and the Law, you know everything you need to know to be a Girl Scout. How you fulfill the promise and follow the law is an individual matter. For now, take a moment to reflect on the words as they were and as they are today.

The 1972 version is the "real" promise and law to me in that those were the decades in which I was a girl Girl Scout. The essence of what is said hasn't changed from the 1972 version, but my tongue still trips over the new words.

The Girl Scout Promise in 1912

On my honor, I will try:
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people at all times,
To obey the Girl Scout Laws.

The Girl Scout Laws in 1912

1. A Girl Scout's Honor Is to be Trusted
2. A Girl Scout Is Loyal
3. A Girl Scout's Duty Is to be Useful and to Help Others
4. A Girl Scout is a Friend to All, and a Sister to every other Girl Scout no matter to what Social Class she May Belong
5. A Girl Scout Is Courteous
6. A Girl Scout Keeps Herself Pure
7. A Girl Scout Is a Friend to Animals
8. A Girl Scout Obeys Orders
9. A Girl Scout is Cheerful
10. A Girl Scout is Thrifty

The Girl Scout Laws in 1920
I have found no evidence that the Promise changed in 1920

The Girl Scout Laws
1. A Girl Scout's Honor Is to be Trusted
2. A Girl Scout Is Loyal
3. A Girl Scout's Duty Is to be Useful and to Help Others
4. A Girl Scout is a Friend to All, and a Sister to every other Girl Scout
5. A Girl Scout Is Courteous
6. A Girl Scout Is a Friend to Animals
7. A Girl Scout Obeys Orders
8. A Girl Scout is Cheerful
9. A Girl Scout is Thrifty
10. A Girl Scout is Clean in Thought, Word and Deed.

The Girl Scout Promise in 1972

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God,
My country and mankind,
and to live by the Girl Scout Law

The Girl Scout Law in 1972

I will do my best:
to be honest
to be fair
to help where I am needed
to be cheerful
to be friendly and considerate
to be a sister to every Girl Scout
to respect authority
to use resources wisely
to protect and improve the world around me
to show respect for myself and others through my words and actions

The Current Girl Scout Promise

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.

The Current Girl Scout Law
Adopted in 1996

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place,
and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

The History of Girl Scouting

Girl Scouting began in the United States with Juliette Gordon Low, who was born on Oct 31, 1860. After meeting the founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, while on a trip to England, Juliette felt that girls in the United States deserved the same group structure.

Girl Scout historians recount the tale of a phone call made by Low in which she is believed to have said, ""I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!"

That night, March 12, 1912, Juliette's niece and namesake, Margaret Daisy Gordon, was the "first" member of the first troop in America, which began under Low's leadership in Savannah, Georgia.

Growth in the girl scouts grew at an astounding rate. In 1912, Low's troop had 18 members. By 1920 there were 70,000 girl scouts across the US. By 1930 this had grown to 200,000. The organization--Girl Scouts of the USA-- was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950, and by 1957, there were 3 million Girl Scouts. Today there almost 4 million Girl Scouts, and the organization remains strong.

The American Girl Scout organization belongs to a worldwide association of Girl Scouts and Guides. Over 80 countries worldwide have some sort of Girl Scout or Girl Guide organization. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) owns and operates four world centers that are open to anyone who is a WAGGGS member.

Ding Dong! Girl Scout .... Nuts?

Did you know that Girl Scouts have a fall product sale? Cookies are generally sold around the country in the spring months. In the fall, however, girls hit the streets to sell things like calendars, Hot Cajun Crunch, Honey Roasted Peanuts, Peanut Squares, Chocolate Covered Almonds and Mint Melt-Aways, which are nothing like Thin Mints, so don't get your hopes up. Some of the items are usually packaged in holiday tins so that you can purchase items for gifts (delivery is before the holiday season begins, for that purpose.

Like the cookies, different areas of the country are supplied by different companies (Trophy Nut and Dayton Nuts are two suppliers used around the country; see the links). If Hot Cajun Crunch isn't on an order form in your area, then you're likely to see things like Deluxe Pecan Clusters, Peanut Butter Dreams, Island Fruit Mix, Peanut Brittle, Mint Trefoils (also not like Thin Mints), Honey Roasted Peanuts,  Peanut Squares, Trail Mix, Mixed Nuts, Gummi Bears, Chocolate-Covered Raisins, Chocolate-Covered Almonds, and Chocolate-Covered Pretzels. Some councils also offer QSP magazine subscriptions.

Unlike the cookie sale where there is a flat-rate for each box, the items in the fall product sale vary in price from $3 to $10. Like cookie sales, the nut/calendar/melt away sales teach the girls responsibility, goal setting, and people skills. Girls also receive incentive awards including things like participation patches, t-shirts, stuffed animals, and books.

Money earned through this sale is used by the troops to fund troop activities and by your local Girl Scout Council to fund large-scale activities and projects such as facility maintenance, equipment purchase and maintenance, financial scholarships for needy girls who want to be in Girl Scouts but can't afford dues, event fees, and/or uniform and insignia costs.

I know, I know. Girl Scout Nuts, doesn't have the same ring as Girl Scout Cookies. When that little Brownie knocks on your door, however, give her a break; it's not her fault the cookies aren't available until the spring!