Girl Scouts River Valleys offers a variety of training opportunities for you to prepare for a safe and fun outdoor experience with your Girl Scouts. Before venturing outdoors, volunteers are required to have the knowledge and experience to lead a safe and positive camping experience.
Online Introductory Camp and Outdoor Training
We require volunteers to take the following online training before leading outdoor activities.
Campfire Fun: Fire Safety and Tips
Campfire Fun is a simple online training focused on fire safety, and is a great precursor to the required Girls Cook Out and Sleep Out training. It’s perfect for volunteers who are ready to have an adventure where girls spend the evening sitting around a fire and telling stories with their Girl Scout sisters.
S’mores & More: Intro to Outdoor Cooking
S’mores & More is the follow-up training to Campfire Fun. This online training will provide you with the basics to lead your girls in their first simple cookout. You can roast marshmallows, make pie iron pizza, or cook hot dogs! You’ll learn safety guidelines, group management techniques, and tips for stick/fork cooking as well as pie iron cooking.
*The above trainings are hosted on Training.GirlScoutsRV.org, which will prompt you to create a username and password. If you have previously completed any training on Training.GirlScoutsRV.org, you may log in using the same username and password. If you can’t remember your password, please contact us.
In-Person Camp and Outdoor Training
We recommend volunteers take the following training as they relate your outdoor activity.
Girls Cook Out
The Girls Cook Out training is for volunteers whose troops are planning on preparing food using outdoor cooking methods and for troops who are reserving our outdoor cooking equipment. It’s best to complete this training while still in the planning stages of your outdoor activity.
In this training, you’ll learn essential outdoor cooking skills including fire building methods, charcoal and camp stove cooking, outdoor dishwashing and sanitation methods, Leave No Trace Principles, basic knots, and jackknife safety. Once complete, you’ll be able to enjoy cooking meals using different fuel sources and equipment safely.
Prerequisite: Girls Cook In Training
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar for training at Girl Scouts River Valleys’ camps during April and May. Your service unit’s outdoor champion or manager may also be offering this training at other times.
Girls Sleep Out
The Girls Sleep Out training is for volunteers whose troops are planning an outdoor overnight activity lasting two to three nights, for troops who are reserving one of our campsites, or for troops using tents. It’s best to complete this training while still in the planning stages of your outdoor activity.
In this training, you’ll learn how to guide girls in planning an overnight adventure of up to two nights and three days sleeping in tents. You will build on the skills from the Girls Sleep In training and gain skills related to program ideas, planning, safety, and addressing environmental concerns related to outdoor tenting. After this training, you will understand what gear is needed for a trip and how to care for and use tents.
Prerequisite: Girls Sleep In Training
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar for training at River Valleys camps during April and May. Your service unit’s outdoor champion or manager may also be offering this training at other times.
Certification Courses
Archery Basic Certification
The Level 1 USA Archery Instructor Certification Course provides volunteers the necessary tools to deliver a high level of safety both on and off the archery range and guarantees that minimum standards for archery instruction are consistently taught. Level 1 Instructors are well prepared to teach beginner archery programs to people of all ages and abilities in a variety of both indoor and outdoor settings. The Level 1 Instructor will learn about range safety, range setup, the steps of shooting, equipment and repair, programs and lesson plans.
In this 8-hour certification course you’ll learn how to accurately shoot a bow, teach beginner archers and manage basic archery program, repair equipment and change lives through archery. Course includes instructor manual. This certification is good for three years.
Prerequisite: Prior experience with archery
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar to register for the Archery Basic Certification offered once in the spring and once in the fall at a Girl Scouts River Valleys camp.
Small Craft Safety – Canoeing Certification
This is the current Safety-Wise requirement for a canoe trip leader. Learn the skills necessary to prevent, recognize, and respond to canoe emergencies, and gain the knowledge to assist a troop in planning and implementing a canoe outing. This certification covers flat water canoeing and is valid for a three-year period.
Please note that this is a safety and rescue certification course, not a canoeing skills class.
Prerequisite: Participants must be experienced canoeists who are prepared to pass a prerequisite canoe skills test demonstrating the following:
- Float or tread water for 1 minute without a life jacket.
- Swim any stroke for 25 yards without a life jacket.
- Swim any stroke for 25 yards while wearing a life jacket.
- Safely launch and control a canoe using the proper strokes while paddling forward and backward, turning, stopping and holding position.
- Paddling will be done solo, either alone in the canoe or with a non-paddling partner to help balance the canoe. When paddling forward and backward steering strokes, such as J-strokes or sweep strokes, must be used to maintain a straight-line course without switching sides or ruddering.
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar to register for the Small Craft Safety Canoeing Certification offered in June at Camp Lakamaga.
Small Craft Safety – Moving Waters Module
After Small Craft Safety Certification, you may take the Moving Water Module for certification to take girls paddling on rivers with Class I and Class II rapids. Training covers river safety and hazards, supervision of paddlers on moving water, and moving water rescues. Certification is valid for three years.
Prerequisite: To qualify for this class, you must have completed and passed the Small Craft Safety Certification class or have current Small Craft Safety Canoe certification.
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar to register for the Small Craft Safety Moving Waters Certification offered in June on the St. Croix River.
Low Ropes Facilitator Course
Low Ropes offers opportunities for troop/groups to participate in group initiative games and low course challenge elements. The Low Ropes course is not meant to be a playground; rather it is a series of outdoor obstacles to help individuals and groups develop self-confidence, physical coordination, leadership, decision-making, problem solving, communication, trust, and teamwork.
In this 8-hour course learn how to safely and properly facilitate the ropes course experience. You’ll learn about name games, ice-breakers, initiatives, trust, spotting, and the elements on the course as well as how to debrief the entire experience. Course includes facilitator guide. This training will allow facilitators to be able to use any Girl Scouts River Valleys low ropes course. Low ropes facilitators need to be 18 years or older.
Prerequisite: Previous knowledge and/or background in team building and low ropes course elements.
Scheduled Training: Check back on our volunteer calendar to register for the Low Ropes Facilitator Certification offered once in the spring and once in the fall at a Girl Scouts River Valleys camp.