The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience
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In fall 2008, Girl Scouts of the USA launched the Girl Scout Leadership Experience designed to provide girls with expanded leadership opportunities. Whether girls prefer the "front of the room" person in charge style of leadership, or a more collaborative type where they work with others to accomplish shared goals, there is no question that girls benefit from acquiring leadership skills.
Transforming Leadership
Transforming Leadership is a GSUSA publication that defines the specific outcomes (benefits) of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience for girls. The book describes the outcomes for each of the six grade levels within Girl Scouting. The outcome is defined in developmentally appropriate ways for each grade level; examples of measurable signs that show whether girls are making progress are provided as well. Transforming Leadership will help orient volunteers, staff and the general public to the model underlying the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. It is the next step in Girl Scouting's effort to develop today's generation of girl leaders. This is a pivotal time in the history of Girl Scouting. This publication will serve as an essential resource now and into the future.
Transforming Leadership can be purchased from our council retail stores, or downloaded here
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Q: How do I use the Transforming Leadership outcomes reference tables?
A: One way to think of the outcomes reference tables (beginning on Page 23) is to view them as the Girl Scout equivalent of dictionary entries - reference tools to use as needed. These tables orient the Girl Scout community toward the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience outcomes and can be useful in selecting and implementing program, writing funding proposals, helping volunteers and parents understand the objectives of the Girl Scout program, as well as recruiting girls and volunteers.
For your convenience, the tables have been organized in two easy-to-use formats: the first set of tables "unpacks" each outcome across the six Girl Scout grade levels and the second set of tables shows all the outcomes by each specific Girl Scout grade level. The first set of tables is useful for showing progression across grade levels. The second set of tables will be useful to anyone working with a specific grade level.
The outcomes in Transforming Leadership apply to the new Journeys, as well as to existing Girl Scout program materials. The development of the new Journeys was tied closely to these outcomes.
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Q: What is the difference between outcomes and indicators/signs?
A: Outcomes describe general benefits (behavior, skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, condition, status or other attributes) for participants as a result of involvement in the Girl Scout program. Outcomes are the intended benefits girls should reap as a result of the program. Indicators/signs are specific observable characteristics or changes that represent achievement of a specific outcome at each grade level. Page 17 of Transforming Leadership displays a guide to reading the tables. If you look at one of the reference tables, you will note the differences between outcomes, general descriptions of the intended benefits and indicator/signs, what a girl would be doing, saying or feeling if she had achieved the intended outcome that came as a result of her involvement in the Girl Scout program. Please note that indicators/signs in these tables are examples - you will be able to imagine others.
The Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), in partnership with Girl Scout councils, is currently developing measurement tools using Transforming Leadership as a guide.
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Q: I can think of more indicators/signs for each outcome than Transforming Leadership lists. What do I do now?
A: The indicators/signs included in Transforming Leadership offer a starting point. You will think of more indicators/signs that would capture the meaning of each outcome. The GSRI is eager to hear from you, so please provide feedback and suggestions to gsresearch@girlscouts.org.
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Q: Can we just take indicators on the tables and measure outcomes from them?
A: The signs of outcome achievement are not ready-to-use measurement tools, although they will inform our efforts in developing measurement tools (survey and interview questions, focus group discussion guides, observation checklists, etc). Now that we have begun to chart the benefits of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and orient volunteers and staff to those benefits, the next step is to develop these types of measurement tools.
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Q: Girl Scouts of Northern California wants to bring its program offerings in line with the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Does that mean each of our program activities should achieve all 15 outcomes?
A: No single program activity is expected to target all 15 outcomes defined in the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Over time, through accumulated experience, girls will reap the benefits described in Transforming Leadership. Achieving the mission - Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place - is a long-term process.
Keep in mind the Girl Scout Leadership Experience has three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect and Take Action. So it is important that program incorporates outcomes from each of the three leadership keys to be consistent with the new approach. It is equally important to incorporate the three Girl Scout processes: Girl Led, Learning by Doing and Cooperative Learning.
Transforming Leadership Continued
Transforming Leadership Continued expands the discussion of leadership begun in Transforming Leadership with its focus on the three Girl Scout Processes - girl led, cooperative learning and learning by doing. These processes, when integrated with the 15 leadership outcomes detailed in Transforming Leadership, will provide girls with the kinds of experiences that help them become the kind of leaders they want to be.
Transforming Leadership Continued discusses the meaning of the three Girl Scout Processes at each of the 6 Girl Scout grade-levels, providing conceptual and concrete examples of how these processes can be applied - by adults and by girls -- in grade-appropriate ways from Daisy to Ambassador levels. Drawing on the existing literature and working collaboratively with developmental psychologists inside and outside of the Movement, GSUSA has created a tool that will guide adults and girls in creating learning environments that help girls become the kinds of leaders they want to be - a leader who "stands up for her beliefs and values," and "tries to change the world for the better." With girls seeing leadership as "knowing what you believe and putting it into action," Transforming Leadership will help ensure girls not only become the women leaders of tomorrow, but the girl leaders of today. You can download the publication Transforming Leadership Continued here.
Leadership Journeys
Today’s busy Girl Scout volunteers have been asking for easy ways to guide girls through the wealth of experiences that Girl Scouting offers. This fall, those requests will be answered as we launch the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience at each grade level. Easy-to-use companion adult guides will accompany each “leadership journey” and are designed to help volunteers guide girls easily through fun and meaningful experiences. The adult guides will also help volunteers to understand and observe the impact of the program on girls’ lives.
Click here for GSUSA resources for using Journeys including Journey Maps.
What is a Leadership Journey?
A leadership journey is the exciting new way of working with girls in a series of themed activities focused on building specific leadership skills. Journeys generally are designed in a six to eight session framework, and are fully customizable by girls and volunteers. In partnership with girls, volunteers can add outings, celebrations, and explorations that suit the journey’s theme and the girls’ interests. Journeys can be stretched over a Girl Scout year or done over the course of a few weeks or months. While journeys offer plenty of choices for girls, the companion adult guides will provide the “roadmap” volunteers want.
Girls of all ages and from across the country contributed their ideas and feedback to make the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience a reality. Girls said they wanted challenging experiences and an exciting, contemporary “look” for books and awards. They also shared, in no uncertain terms, what “leadership” means to them.
| Summary of the Research Review of Exploring Girls Leadership | PDF (284KB) (w/graphics & color) |
| Full the Research Review of Exploring Girls Leadership | PDF (4.1MB) (w/graphics & color) |
How do these journeys benefit girls?
Leadership journeys intentionally guide girls to be leaders in their own lives and as they grow. Experiences in each journey are tied to the three keys to leadership that are at the heart of the Girl Scout philosophy of leadership:
Discover: Girls understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world
Connect: Girls care about, inspire and team with others locally and globally and
Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place.
How will I know that girls in my group are benefiting from the journeys?
Each adult guidebook describes how the experiences in that journey tie into the national leadership outcomes. Fifteen national leadership outcomes, or benefits of the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience, were identified by Girl Scouts of the USA in tandem with youth development and education experts. Knowing these outcomes, and the “signs” of these outcomes in girls, makes it possible to see the impact you are having on girls’ lives. You will find the outcomes and their signs built right into your adult guide.
Transforming Leadership, a new book published by GSUSA, outlines the Discover-Connect-Take Action framework of the 15 outcomes, and helps adults to understand how girls will benefit from the New Girl Scout Leadership Experience now and in the future. Transforming Leadership Continued outlines the signs and indicators which define how girls gain benefits from the Girl Scout Processes of Girl Led, Learning by Doing, and Cooperative Learning at each of the six grade levels.
What do families get from this new leadership experience?
Families will have the satisfaction of seeing their girls blossom into leaders. And in doing so, girls and their families will gain a new appreciation for the values of Girl Scout awards. They will celebrate earning them in the same spirit as Juliette Gordon Low when she said-
“The awards you work on with others are more fun and better prepare you for being useful…you want to be proud of your badge and feel that you have accomplished something worthwhile.”
The girls in my group are bridging to Girl Scout Ambassadors. How can they prepare?
The national Bridge to Ambassadors steps can be found here.
What about girls bridging to the other levels?
Everything you will need is available at your local GSNC retail store!
- Bridge to Brownie Patch
- Bridge to Junior Patch
- Bridge to Cadette Patch
- Bridge to Senior Patch
- Membership Stars and Discs (Blue, Green, Yellow, White)
- Bridging Certificates for all levels, including Daisy Girl Scouts!
For GSNC store locations go to www.GirlScoutsNorCal.org/store
Visit the store page to download a list of store locations or order form for in-store, fax, phone, or mail-in orders. You can shop 24 hours a day, every day by using our online store.