ORGANIZING A TROOP
Progression & Girl Planning
Progression
Progression is a common sense principle. We do it in all areas of our life. For example, skiing. You don't just jump on to the most dangerous slope. You start slow and progress as your skills and confidence grow. Eventually, you reach the big slope. All that training and practice (progression) pays off! You are confident and ready to take on the challenge.
An example of progression in Girl Scouting can be found in camping. You would never take a group of young girls camping their first week of Girl Scouts! You might follow the progressive steps below:
Neighborhood outings and walks
A group overnight at a Leader's house.
Working on age level camping and outdoor awards.
A "campout" in a Leader's backyard
A one night overnight at a Neighborhood campout.
Refer to Safety-wise whenever you are planning an activity. It will help insure you are following the guidelines of progression.
Girl Planning from www.girlscouts.org
"One of the basic threads running throughout the Girl Scout program is that of girl/adult partnership. To grow strong, girls need to be partners in decision-making from the very beginning — whether choosing from a list of activities as a Daisy Girl Scout or making sure the trip has enough adult supervision for Senior Girl Scouts."
"As the leader, your goal should be to act increasingly as a facilitator, enabling girls to experience more opportunities for planning, decision-making, leadership, and yes, even failure. Adults who understand and make a conscious effort to facilitate these experiences help build Girl Scouts. Where Girls Grow Strong."
The Role of the Adult in Girl Planning is different at each level as the girls mature and gain new skills. It can not be emphasized enough how important the concepts of progression and Girl Planning
Daisy Girl Scouts
Give 2-3 choices.
Hold mom and me events.
Hold family and me events.
Have direct adult supervision.
Match each girl's ability to activities.
Ask girls and parents what they do at home.
Brownie Girl Scouts
Screen choices before voting.
Discuss implications before voting.
Facilitate "Guided failures."
Have guided budgeting.
Take into account the physical and mental differences between first and third graders.
Have guided group evaluations.
Oversee simple tasks.
Junior Girl Scouts
Take into account the developmental differences between 4th and 6th graders.
Step back; guide.
Input 50 percent of the time when girls are at the 6th-grade level.
Encourage girl/adult partnership.
Cadette Girl Scouts
Use role modeling (very important).
Act as a facilitator; give guidance.
Let girls make mistakes and learn from them.
Allow girls and adults to function on an almost equal level.
Senior Girl Scouts
Let girls make mistakes and learn from them.
Mentor girls.
Be a facilitator and partner.
Download this more detailed sheet on the Girl/Adult Partnership.
Next up: Calendar Planning