Troop Orientation This customizable training is for Girl Scouts River Valleys volunteers at the troop level who have completed registration and onboarding. There are four pages in this training: Introduction to Girl Scouts River Valleys Overview of Your Responsibilities Introduction to Your Program/Grade Level Next Steps Select Your Troop Role*Traditional Troop LeaderCo-op Troop LeaderJuliette MentorTroop Fall Product ManagerTroop Cookie ManagerTroop VolunteerSelect the Level of Your Troop* Daisies Brownies Juniors Cadettes Seniors Ambassadors Introduction to Girl Scouts River ValleysGirl Scouts 101 Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is over 2.7 million strong—1.9 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe girls can change the world! Girl Scouts River Valleys (GSRV) is one of 112 Girl Scout councils across the United States that spans Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Our council is divided into 152 geographically-based service units, which are run by dedicated volunteers working to deliver the Girl Scout experience in their immediate area. Your service unit is your local contact and often has its own websites, events, and leader meetings for local troops. Contact us to get the lowdown on your service unit. See our How Girl Scouts Works article to learn more.You're Not Alone! Your service unit's troop mentor is like a BFF who you can call upon whenever you have questions. Your service unit's treasurer will help with all the nitty-gritty aspects of managing your Girl Scout finances. And, your service unit manager is there to help with...well anything! Troop volunteers are background-checked adults who help with the little things. If you choose to participate in the Cookie Program or Snacks & Magazines sale, we strongly recommend recruiting a troop cookie manager and/or a troop fall product manager to help you out. And of course, we're here to provide direct support to you for anything and everything!You're Not Alone! Your service unit's troop mentor is like a BFF who you can call upon whenever you have questions. Your service unit's treasurer will help with all the nitty-gritty aspects of managing your Girl Scout finances. And, your service unit manager is there to help with...well anything! And of course, we're here to provide direct support to you for anything and everything!You're Not Alone! As a troop cookie manager, you can reach out your service unit's cookie manager with most questions and to get local help. And of course, we're here to provide direct support to you for anything and everything!You're Not Alone! As a troop fall product manager, you can reach out your service unit's fall product manager with most questions and to get local help. And of course, we're here to provide direct support to you for anything and everything! Overview of Your ResponsibilitiesBe Inclusive Girl Scouts has truly been, and will always be, a movement for ALL girls—a place where girls can, must, and will feel safe to explore their potential, learn new skills, make lifelong friends, and tap into their potential to be leaders. See our Being Inclusive article to make sure you create an environment that is welcoming for all girls.Create a Positive Atmosphere How you work with girls, the atmosphere at meetings, and your interactions with each girl can affect her behavior and self-esteem. Create a positive atmosphere by: Being prepared Establishing ground rules Establishing meeting agendas Reinforcing positive behavior Being a role model Being supportive and interested Letting girls learn by experience Read more about these steps in our Creating a Positive Atmosphere article.Prevent and Handle Conflict It’s not uncommon to notice behaviors like bickering and inappropriate language use in a troop—no matter the age of the girls. See our Preventing and Handling Troop Conflict article to learn about common challenges and common solutions for handling conflicts with girls. Adhere to Policies and Standards River Valleys volunteers can find volunteer policies in our Volunteer Essentials guide, including Safety-Wise, which outlines safety standards for Girl Scouting activities. Safety is of the utmost importance, so be sure to bookmark our Health, Safety, and Using Safety-Wise article to reference before engaging in activities with girls.Manage Your Finances and Keep Good Financial Records As a steward of your troop’s money, you have a wonderful opportunity to teach girls about budgeting and money management. Don't let managing finances intimidate you—reference our Earning and Managing Troop Money article throughout the year as you: Establish an account Collect troop start-up fees Earn money through product sales Participate in supplemental money-earning projects Record and report finances Help families apply for financial assistance And more! Manage Your Finances and Keep Good Financial Records You have a wonderful opportunity to teach your Juliette about budgeting and money management. Don't let managing finances intimidate you—reference our Earning and Managing Troop Money article throughout the year as you: Earn money through product sales Participate in supplemental money-earning projects Record and report finances Apply for financial assistance (if applicable) And more! Just keep in mind that, unlike traditional troops, Juliettes do not open Girl Scout bank accounts. Instead, Juliettes have Juliette Program Credits (JPCs) which can be used for all the same things as troop checking accounts.Communicate! Communication is key to the success of your year, so be sure to set expectations around it. Family meetings are excellent ways to keep girls and adults on the same page. We recommend holding a family meeting to kick off your year, to begin Cookie sales, and to wrap up your year. Communicate! Setting family expectations and proper communication is crucial to the success of co-op troops. Be sure to discuss how you and your fellow leaders are splitting tasks and attending troop meetings. Family meetings are excellent ways to keep girls and adults on the same page. We recommend holding a family meeting to kick off your year, to begin Cookie sales, and to wrap up your year. Try appointing one or two of your co-leaders to maintain regular contact with your service unit. We also recommend appointing a lead for the Cookie Program and Snacks & Magazines to ensure communications around these sales are streamlined.Communicate! Communication is key to the success of your year, so be sure to sure to set expectations with your Juliette and any involved adults. Family meetings are excellent ways to keep girls and adults on the same page. We recommend holding a family meeting to kick off your year, to start Cookie sales, and to wrap up your year.Communicate! Communication is key to the success of the Cookie sale! Work with your troop leader to host a Cookie family meeting in December—this is a great way to get girls and adults on the same page and excited for the sale.Communicate! Communication is key to the success of the Snacks & Magazines sale! Troop leaders often hold a family meeting at the beginning of the year—work with them to make sure Snacks & Magazines is on the meeting agenda. Communicate! Your troop or Juliette needs you to participate as much as a possible! Keep the communication flowing between you and your troop leader, attend troop meetings, attend family meetings, and offer to help out with chaperoning or other activities when you can. About DaisiesDaisy Dynamics Daisies (grades k-1) have a ton of energy and love to move around, dance, and be in nature! Daisies can be encouraged to express their creativity by making things with their hands–just keep in mind that they are still developing their fine motor skills. At this age, girls are concrete thinkers and focused on the here and now; this means you can show instead of tell. To learn more about effectively working with your girls, see our Daisy Behaviors and Group Dynamics article.Daisy Leadership Daisies know how to follow simple directions and respond well to recognition for doing so. It’s important to be specific and offer only one direction at a time. Let Daisies lead by being a moderator and letting girls make informed choices. Let your girl(s) plan as much as possible, giving them the freedom to solve problems on their own. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article.Daisy Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Daisies wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Daisy Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Daisy uniform.About BrowniesBrownie Dynamics Brownies (grades 2-3) have lots of energy and need to run, walk, dance, be social, and play outside. Brownies are continuing to develop their fine motor skills and can be encouraged to express themselves and their creativity with their hands. Girls at this age are concrete thinkers and focused on the here and now—try asking questions to gauge their understanding of concepts. To learn more about effectively working with your girls, see our Brownie Behaviors and Group Dynamics article.Brownie Leadership Brownies want to help others and appreciate being given individual responsibilities for a task. Let Brownies lead by being a moderator and letting girls make informed choices. Let Brownies plan as much as possible, giving them the freedom to solve problems on their own. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article.Brownie Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Brownies wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Brownie Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Brownie uniform.About JuniorsJunior Dynamics Juniors (grades 4-5) are experiencing a lot of activity, intellectual growth, new friendships, deepening relationships, and discoveries about the world and the inner self. Juniors love to act in plays, create music, dance, and grow their friendships. You can encourage girls at this age to express themselves through writing, choreography, and other types of outlets. To learn more about effectively working with your girls, see our Junior Behaviors and Group Dynamics article. Junior Leadership Juniors are able to participate in all steps of planning activities and carrying out tasks. Let Juniors moderate discussions, decide how they want to plan, and set goals. Girls that are not helping with the planning tend to lose interest fast. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article. Junior Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Juniors wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Junior Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Junior uniform. About CadettesCadette Leadership Coach Cadettes to lead their own planning, decision-making, learning, and fun. This ensures that girls are engaged in their learning and experience leadership opportunities as they prepare to become active participants in their local and global communities. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article.Cadette Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Cadettes (grades 6-8) wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Cadette Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Cadette uniform.About SeniorsSenior Leadership Mentor and cheer on Senior girls while being careful to not take over. You’ll want to act as a guide and resource for girls as they plan their own complex projects. Seniors should be doing most of their goal-setting and planning. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article.Senior Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Seniors (grades 9–10) wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Senior Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Senior uniform.About AmbassadorsAmbassador Leadership Ambassadors are maturing into active, conscientious adults. Girls will want varying degrees of direction and advice, but they’ll mostly be counting on you to be their biggest advocate. Ambassadors should be setting their own goals and planning their own activities. For more, see our Letting Girls Take the Lead article.Ambassador Uniforms Uniforms provide unity among Girl Scouts and a feeling of belonging to a worldwide sisterhood. Girl Scout Ambassadors (grades 11-12) wear a uniform in ceremonies, when officially representing Girl Scouts, and when they just want to share their Girl Scout pride. See our Ambassador Uniform Guide to learn about key patches, pins, insignia, and their placement on the Ambassador uniform.Troop GovernmentYou are expected to use the processes of girl-led, learning-by-doing, and cooperative learning in all Girl Scout activities. Using a democratic form troop government is one way to implement these processes because it gives girls the opportunity to lead their own planning, decision-making, and fun! See our Troop Government article to learn more.Highest AwardsEarning one of our Highest Awards gives girls the chance to do big things while working on issues they care about. These are awarded to Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador girls who display leadership while engaging in projects that benefit their communities. Learn how to guide your girls through earning their Highest Awards! Next StepsStart Planning Your Year! Start by heading to our Troops section to learn about the resources available to you, such as Journey books and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, River Valleys Planning Guides, and The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK). Then, check out our troop leader checklist to see your year at a glance. Lastly, check out River Valleys’ blogs, which contain weekly posts on a range of topics that will help you have fun with your troop and volunteer news.Start Planning Your Year! Juliettes can do nearly everything a traditional troop can do. Use our Troops section to learn about the resources available to you such as Journey books and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, River Valleys Planning Guides, and The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK). Then, check out our troop leader checklist to see your year at a glance. Our All About Juliette Girl Scouting article outlines what Juliettes do and how they are different from regular troops. Lastly, check out River Valleys’ blogs, which contain weekly posts on a range of topics that will help you have fun with your troop and volunteer news.Start Planning Your Year! Check out our troop cookie manager checklist to see your year at a glance. Start Planning Your Year! Check out our troop fall product manager checklist to see your year at a glance. Start Planning Your Year! Check out our troop volunteer checklist to see your year at a glance. Questions?Congratulations on completing the troop orientation! 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