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Girl and Adult Partnership

The heart of Girl Scouting is the partnership created when adults facilitate activities to help girls learn how to voice their opinions, plan their own activities, make decisions, and take action. Through this process, girls direct the government of their own troop/group and develop leadership and management skills they will need as adults. Girls learn to voice their choices about activities, finances, trips, and program opportunities and often decide their plans by voting. Girls who actively engage in troop decisions often take more interest and ownership in their troop’s plans and activities. The role of the adult leader/advisor is to guide girls in decision-making, not to make the decisions for them.

Many opportunities exist for adult volunteers who want to make a difference in a girl’s life. Girl Scout volunteers may make a commitment to provide leadership for a troop/group of girls or help facilitate activities with a short-term commitment that fits their lifestyle. Volunteers must be 18 years or older. They may be women or men, parents or non-parents, and may be working or not. In fact, Girl Scouts welcomes professionals who may wish to volunteer after experiencing a recent job loss or downsizing. Professionals who volunteer may, in turn, use their Girl Scout experiences as a substantive addition to their resumes while job-hunting.