New Leaders
We want you to have everything you need to provide a wonderful Girl Scout experience for your girls. This page provides guidance as you begin your Girl Scout Leader Journey.There are resources and help with questions you might have.Check out the links below. For further assistance, please contact AdultLearning@GSEIWI.org.
How to Start a New Troop
Activities for Girl Scouts would not be possible without the thousands of adults who volunteer their time to give girls the best Girl Scouting experience possible. Below is a checklist to help your start a new troop.
- Submit your volunteer registration and application form. Your Service Unit Director or Regional Membership Manager can help you with this if you have not already done so.
- Register and complete the appropriate adult learning sessions (training) for your position. There are 3 courses that are required for you to become a Girl Scout Leader. These courses will give you everything you need for a successful year. New this year - all 3 of the required courses are available as online learning sessionsl Click on the links below to get started with your online training.
- Orientation: (password:discover) required before you meet with girls
- Getting Started: required before you meet with girls.
- Leadership Essentials: (password: discover) required within the first 2 months of meeting with girls.
- A leader mentor will be assigned to you by your Service Unit Director or Regional Membership Manager. This is the person who will help you through your first year as a new leader. She will be able to answer your questions and give you tips and tricks for a successful troop year.
- Find out about your local service unit meeting from your Leader Mentor or Service Unit Director and plan to attend the meeting.
- Here are the next steps for getting your troop up and running. You will get additional help with these steps at Getting Started Training and from your Leader Mentor:
- Find a co-leader or assistant leader to help with leading the troop. Your School Organizer or Regional Membership Manager will be able to help you.
- Your Leader Mentor or Regional Membership Manager will help you plan a parent's meeting to gain support from the families in your troop. This is an important first step.
- Work with your co-leader to plan your first troop meeting.
- Consider what is needed for a troop meeting site and secure a consistent meeting space.
- Open a troop checking account. You may also want to consider getting a debit card for your troop account so that you can utilize our online registration options. You will learn more about the $25 start up funds given to each new troop when your attend Getting Started training.
- Complete and collect registration forms and registration fees for girls who will be in your troop. Your School Organizer or Regional Membership Manager can help you with this step.
- Work with your girls to plan year-long activities and events.
- Don't forget to check out all of the leader resources on our website.
- Be sure to sign up to receive the VINE (Very Important News Enewsletter). It will keep you updated throughout the year. This will also ensure that you will continue to receive the Steps of Support (SOS) publication that is emailed out 4 times to first year leaders.
These courses are available in your local area in small group settings if you would prefer . You can register online for one of these small group trainings through eBiz.
Our Adult Learning webpage lists all of the adult learning courses available as well as what courses are required for specific activities such as camping, overnight troop readiness and travelling with girls. Volunteer Essentials also gives additional information about learning opportunities.
Start by doing what's necessary,
then what's possible,
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
