Girl Scout Seniors

It’s Your Journey Choose It!

First Four Meetings

Congratulations on deciding to become a Girl Scout Troop Leader! As you’ve probably heard

in your training already, the Girl Scout National Program Portfolio helps girls build leadership

skills they can use to help make the world a better place. We hope that you find this guide

helpful in getting started.

Inside is an overview of four meetings you can use as you begin to meet with your troop.

We encourage you to read through it before you begin. The sessions are designed to offer

girls a sample of the themes of each Journey series. Then the girls choose which series they

want to start using with the troop, all while promoting a girl-led, cooperative and learning

by doing environment.

Like the sample sessions offered in the Journey Adult Guides, these are just a sample of

what your troop can do. You can substitute other activities to meet the needs of the troop.

Some of these specific troop needs might be based on the size of your group, your meeting

space, and the girls’ interests. Local volunteers such as your Mentor, Service Unit Manager

or other troop leaders can help give ideas and tips for working with girls.

If your troop is getting started

near one of the Council’s product

sales (Cookies or Magazines &

Munchies), you will receive

information and activities to

prepare your girls. These

activities will help the girls

develop the skills they’ll need for

successful sales. Learning by

earning is one of the many ways

girls use the Girl Scout Leadership

Experience to build self-

confidence and leadership skills.

Goal: In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your World Change It Journey. Girl Scout Seniors use positive values as the basis for thinking about how to make the world better for girls.

Today’s Meeting Includes the Following Activities:

Visionary

Envisioning GIRLtopia Through Art

Materials: Large paper or poster board

Markers, crayons or colored pencils

Glue sticks

Post It notes or note cards

Magazines, newspapers, photos, assorted papers

Scissors

Cards with Promise and Law written on them

Optional: Healthy snack

As Girls Arrive: It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. For this meeting, have the girls help prepare the cards for the Visionary activity, by writing each part of the promise and law on index cards. As girls this age rarely get time for socializing in school, this might be a good time to let them catch up with each other before the meeting starts. If they want to talk while they do the activity, that’s ok, and if they don’t finish by the time the meeting is ready to begin, that’s ok too!

Opening Ceremony: If your group is new to Girl Scouts: Bring the girls together in a circle. Practice making the Girl Scout sign. Ask them to say the Girl Scout promise aloud with you, reading it one line at a time and having them repeat it after you. Explain that the Girl Scout Law tells all the good ways that Girl Scouts treat one another and the world, being kind and considerate, friendly and helpful, caring and thoughtful. Let them know that the law is an important part of Girl Scouting that they will learn throughout their time as Girl Scout Seniors. Take turns going around the circle saying your name and something they’d like to do with the group. If your group has been together a while: Ask the girls to open the meeting by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise together. Ask for a volunteer to lead the group in this opening. Then ask the girls to take turns sharing something they’d like to do with the group. Business: This is a good time to talk about any product sales activities, field trip ideas or other info the group needs to discuss or make decisions about. Let the girls know that they will discuss business at every meeting, as they work together to choose what they will do and when they will do it! Visionary: Explain that a visionary is someone who has unsual foresight or imagination. They can use their skils, values or talents to help improve the lives of others. Distribute the Visionary sheets, ask the girls to create their Top 10 list of “visionary” qualities. They could also break into pairs or small groups for this activity. When complete, bring everyone together to share their ideas. (while the girls are working on this, you or an adult helper, can set up for the next activity below). Before you begin the discussion, share these Tips on Talking about Values:

Discussing personal or family values may stir emotions- be sure the team’s ground rules are maintained at all times.(respect myself and others, considerate and caring, be a sister to every Girl Scout etc)

Emphasize that individuals differ, and there are no “right” or “wrong” answers.

Body language says as much as words, stay nonjudgmental in all ways.

If an argument over a value related topic occurs, call a time out for each side to clearly articulate its position.

State clearly that you support everyone’s right to express their values, whatever they may be. *It is best not to share your own personal values(especially related to controversial topics). You can always say something like “Knowing my position may influence you, I’d rather help you figure out your own beliefs.”

It’s Your Journey Choose It Senior First Four Meetings

SESSION 1

Visionaries and the Girl Scout Law. Before beginning, hang cards with each part of the promise and law next to each other along a long wall or table. Remind the girls that our values define what matters to us, and they are the lens through which we filter our ideas, opinions, and courses of action, just as in Girl Scouts, the Promise and the Law define the values that shapes our actions. Ask the girls “If you had to pick a part of the Girl Scout Law or promise that is most important in your own family, what would it be?” “Think of people you consider to be leaders- in your own life and in the world. How do they live out one of the values represented in the Girl Scout Law?” Next, give the girls 5 or 6 post it notes or note cards and tape. Ask the girls to write down the name of someone they consider a leader- it could be a politician, someone famous, an athlete, musician, someone they know from school, etc. Once they have their cards filled, ask them to hang the cards according to the part of the law that they believe their leader lives out. After everyone has had a chance to hang their cards, talk about why they chose the values they did. Ask the girls “What kind of influence do the people you consider leaders have? Do they use their influence in positive ways? “

Youtopia: Talk to the girls about utopia, a perfect place where everyone had a balance of what they needed. If you could create a perfect world what would be in it?

GIRLtopia: Ask the girls to consider these facts: 0- The number of countries in the world where women’s wages equal those of men 1- Percentage of the world’s assets held in the name of a woman. 2- Percentage of senior management positions occupied by women in business worldwide 50- Percentage of women in the world above age 15 who cannot read or write. 53- Percentage of American 13 year old girls who say they are unhappy with their bodies. 66- Percentage of 15-19 year olds newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa who are girls. 70- Percentage of the 1.5 billion people living on $1 a day or less who are female. 75- Percentage of war fatalities who are women and children

GIRLtopia is your chance to envision a perfect world. What do you imagine? What would be your wishes for girls around the world? Use markers, crayons, magazines, newspapers etc to create a drawing or collage that represents your ideal world for girls. After the girls are done, they can hang their creations and have a gallery showing at the end of the meeting.

Optional: Snack Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group,

when you meet, and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out

snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to

help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout

always leaves a place better than she found it.”

Closing: Friendship Squeeze

Ask the girls to join together in a circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle.

Before breaking for the evening, let the girls know that at the next meeting we’ll be talking about food and where it comes from. Invite the girls to bring in food labels or packaging to help with this project.

Finally, thank the girls for a great first Girl Scout Senior gathering. Let them know that you really look forward to their next time together.

Goal: In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your Planet Love It Journey. Girl Scout Seniors become aware of their place in the global food network as they start to think about where food really comes from and how their choices about food impact Planet Earth.

Today’s Meeting Includes the Following Activities:

Food Favorites

Food Network, Not Just a TV Channel Food Print

Materials: Food items, packaging or labels

Pencils, markers, or crayons

Plain white paper

Food Print Chart, one per girl(see attached)

As Girls Arrive: It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. As girls this age rarely get time for socializing in school, so this might be a good time to let them catch up with each other before the meeting starts. If they want to talk while they do the activity, that’s ok, and if they don’t finish by the time the meeting is ready to begin, that’s ok too!

Opening Ceremony: If your group is new to Girl Scouts: Bring the girls together in a circle. Practice making the Girl

Scout sign. Ask them to say the Girl Scout promise aloud with you, reading it one line at a time and having them

repeat it after you. Explain that the Girl Scout Law tells all the good ways that Girl Scouts treat one another and the

world, being kind and considerate, friendly and helpful, caring and thoughtful. Let them know that the law is an

important part of Girl Scouting that they will learn throughout their time as Girl Scout Seniors. Take turns going

around the circle saying your name and favorite food.

If your group has been together a while: Ask the girls to open the meeting by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and

the Girl Scout Promise together. Ask for a volunteer to lead the group in this opening. Then ask the girls to name

their favorite food.

Business: This is a good time to talk about any product sales activities, field trip ideas or other info the group needs

to discuss or make decisions about. Let the girls know that they will discuss business at every meeting, as they work

together to choose what they will do and when they will do it!

Food Favorites: Ask the girls to pair up or work in small groups to create a mini commercial for the Food Network to

advertise their food favorite (they can use their own favorite food or choose another). Then spend a few minutes

giving each group a chance to perform.

Start a discussion with the girls- “What words or images are used in advertising to influence our food purchases?

What seems right? What seems wrong? What seems real? What seems fake? What do you wish you could find/see

that you don’t?”

It’s Your Journey Choose It Senior First Four Meetings

SESSION 2

Food Network, Not Just a TV Channel: Begin by asking the girls, “How many people, animals, and resources of Earth- the sun, water, and air- go into getting our food for us?” Ask the girls to choose a favorite food they’ve talked about today(or one ingredient in a food) and then together, tell the story of the web of interactions that brings that food to our table. They can make educated guesses, but they must tell the whole story. If they are having trouble, start them off with a suggestion like “Start with what the sun did for it or what water did for it and move forward through all the steps that let this food reach it’s final destination. Ask for a volunteer to help write down the steps, or have each girl write down the step she shares. If they get stuck, you can give an example like this:

Say your favorite food is an orange. Who planted the seed that became the orange tree? Who decided what kind of seed to plant and how? Where? Maybe in Florida? Who tended the tree? Was it treated with pesticides? Fertilizers? Artificial or natural? When the tree produced fruit, who picked it? Who tasted it? Packed it? Shipped it? Who unloaded it at the store? Priced it? Displayed it for you? Who bought it? How does it taste?

After the girls have completed their food network story, ask the girls, what ideas are you starting to have about how decisions along our food networks impact health- the health of the environment and our own? Food Print: Set up a chart or use the copy attached for each person. Introduce the activity by saying something like “Thinking about our food network helps us think about the impact our food choices have on the environment. Let’s dig deeper. What is the food print of our favorite food?’

As the girls plot out where their foods come from, they may need to make some educated guesses for the moment. Encourage them to be curious! If they have access to the internet(many teens can work wonders with their phones!), the girls might be able to gather some facts right now. When the girls has made a stab at charting out five or six ingredients, ask the girls to estimate the food print for each item, using this very simple rating:

My state/region=1; U.S.= 2; Other Country=3

Let the girls know there are good ways of estimating food miles, such as the website eatlowcarbon.org, but for today, our simpler chart is just fine. The main idea to take in here is that the farther food must travel to reach you, the greater the food miles involved and the bigger the food print left behind.

Let the girls share their results, How much comes from our own region? What foods seem to have the highest food print? What could we be eating to be more local?

Optional: Snack Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group, when you meet, and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than she found it.”

Closing: Friendship Squeeze Ask the girls to join together in a circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for a great Girl Scout gathering. Let them know that you really look forward to their next time together.

FOOD INGREDIENTS WHERE FROM RATING*

*my state/region=1, U.S.=2, other country = 3

Goal: In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your Story Tell It Journey. Girl Scout Seniors become aware of

their place in the global network of women and girls. Girls learn the meaning and importance of being their own

best friend.

Today’s Meeting Includes the Following Activities:

Moving Into Your Social Style

Putting a Value on Friendship

Friendship Role Play Friendship Pins/Swaps

Materials:

Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

Index cards or post it notes

Beads, assorted sizes and colors

Pins, boon doggle, or elastic thread

Optional: Snack

As Girls Arrive: It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. At this meeting invite the girls to set up the materials for the friendship pins they will be making later. As girls this age rarely get time for socializing in school, so this might be a good time to let them catch up with each other before the meeting starts. If they want to talk while they do the activity, that’s ok, and if they don’t finish by the time the meeting is ready to begin, that’s ok too!

Opening Ceremony: If your group is new to Girl Scouts: Bring the girls together in a circle. Practice making the Girl

Scout sign. Ask them to say the Girl Scout promise aloud with you, reading it one line at a time and having them

repeat it after you. Explain that the Girl Scout Law tells all the good ways that Girl Scouts treat one another and the

world, being kind and considerate, friendly and helpful, caring and thoughtful. Let them know that the law is an

important part of Girl Scouting that they will learn throughout their time as a Girl Scout. Take turns going around the

circle saying your name and something you like to do with friends.

If your group has been together a while: Ask the girls to open the meeting by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and

the Girl Scout Promise together. Ask for a volunteer to lead the group in this opening. Then ask the girls to name

something they like to do with friends.

Business: This is a good time to talk about any product sales activities, field trip ideas or other info the group needs

to discuss or make decisions about. Let the girls know that they will discuss business at every meeting, as they work

together to choose what they will do and when they will do it!

Moving into Your Social Circle: Let the girls know that they’ll now explore their view of themselves- through a

simple game that lets them consider their preferences in social situations. See attached for instructions.

Putting a Value on Friendship: Now that the girls have their preferences and comfort levels in more general social

situations, get them talking about what’s most important to them in their friendships. You might say “Now that you’ve

seen how your social styles vary, it’s important to see how what we value in friendships may also vary.”

It’s Your Journey Choose It

Senior First Four Meetings

SESSION 3

On a chalk board or white board write the following question “What do you value most in a friendship?

Then, give each girl 3 index cards or post it notes and a pen/pencil and invite her to write a word or phrase on her

cards that best describes what she values most in a friendship. Ask for a volunteer to collect the cards and tape them

to the chalkboard. If some values were chosen by more than one girl, they can be taped down in one row to show

how often they were valued in the group.

Now ask the girls to look over the friendship values. Start a discussion by acknowledging that there are likely some

values the girls hold but that didn’t come to mind to all of them when they filled out their cards. Ask Which values

were most desired? Why do you think they ranked so high? Which values listed are not at all important to you(such

as sense of humor, intelligence, athletic interests) How many values listed echo the values of the Girl Scout Law? Do

you see how these values are worthwhile for all friendships and for sisterhood in general?

Wrap up the discussion by saying something like: “When you’re aware of what you value in friendships, you can

better understand why a friendship may not be going the way you’d like.”

Friendship Bracelet/Swap: Give the girls some time to create their own friendship bracelet or pin swap. Ask for

volunteers to help set out supplies. Give each girl enough supplies to make one item for herself and one to give a

friend.

Optional: Snack

Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group, when you meet, and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than she found it.”

Closing: Friendship Squeeze

Ask the girls to join together in a Circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for a great Girl Scout gathering. Let them know that you really look forward to their next time together.

Moving into Your Social Circle Game

Gather the girls together and ask that they stand one behind the other, single file, in the middle of the room, all facing

the same way. Explain that throughout the game, they will step to the right or left depending on how they feel about

the instructions you call out. Let them know there’s no right or wrong way to respond. What they do simply lets them

learn more about themselves.

Then call out the scenes and instructions below, one set at a time. If time allows, invite the girls to create their own

scenarios and take turns calling them out.

1. You’re at a large party. Step to the left if you feel energized, step to the right if large parties drain your

energy.

2. A woman approaches you in a coffee shop to ask about the yummy-looking dessert you’re eating. Step the

left if you’re comfortable talking to someone you don’t know, step to the right if talking to someone new

makes you uncomfortable

3. You’re visiting a new city by yourself. Step to the left if you’re wishing you’d traveled with some friends, step

to the right if you’re having a great time.

4. You’re working on a group project at school. Step to the left if you are taking a lead in moving the project

forward, step to the right if you’re happy to follow along with the decisions of your teammates.

5. You’re on the soccer field and your teammate just scored. Step to the left if you’re screaming and trying to

life her in the air, step to the right if you’re running past and giving a quick high-five.

When the girls have run through all the scenes, have them take a look where they are standing. Explain to the girls,

these are extreme scenarios but those who landed on the left side of the room may tend to be more outgoing, and

those who landed on the right side of the room may tend to be more reserved. There’s no right way to be and rarely

does anyone react in the same way to every situation.

Let the girls know, people’s personality, character, and actions are more important than whether they show them in

an outgoing way or a reserved way. In fact, the greatest leaders are comfortable with variety and diversity of any

type. They are skilled at relating to all types of people!

Goal: In this session, girls will choose the journey they want to work on first. Girl Scout Seniors discover what they care about and team up for a great adventure!

Today’s Meeting Includes the Following Activities: • Journey Quiz • Stamp of Approval • Tally Up the Votes! • GS Taboo Game

Materials: • Journey Quiz(one per girl) • Small stickers, markers, or crayons

• Voting Ballots(see attached) • Optional: Snack

As Girls Arrive: It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. For this meeting, as girls arrive, invite to try out the Journey Quiz. Their answers might be helpful for when they vote later on in the meeting.

Setting up the Voting Station: Hang the vote sheets on the walls low enough that the girls can see them. Place stickers or markers nearby. Or you might decide that the girls could sway the votes if they are not sure about choosing differently than their friends. Set up a system for secret ballots: use slips of paper with the three journeys listed(attached). Have girls use a pencil marker or sticker to indicate which Journey they choose. Fold the paper, and drop in the ballot box! You or a helper could arrive a few minutes early to get this station ready. Or perhaps a couple of girls who arrive early could assist in setting it up.

Opening Ceremony: Start the discussion by inviting the girls to say the Girl Scout Promise together. You might tell the girls, “Before we begin to talk about and choose our journey, let’s start our meeting with the Girl Scout Promise just like we have been doing at our meetings.”

Talk to the girls about all the fun things they’ve done together so far in Girl Scouts. Allow each girl to talk about something she liked about what they’ve done so far in your meetings or something they hope to do with the group.

Investiture: Your first order of business for this meeting is to talk about and plan your troop investiture ceremony. An investiture is when new members say the promise and commit themselves to the Girl Scout Movement. There are no formal requirements for this ceremony, but it typically includes an opening, the group recites the promise and the girls receive their Daisy Girl Scout pin. Often family and friends are invited to share in this special tradition.

Here are some tips for working with the girls to plan a ceremony:

It’s Your Journey Choose It

Senior First Four Meetings SESSION 4

1. Devote sufficient time to planning the ceremony. Good ceremonies have a clear purpose and enrich the meaning and mood of the ceremony.

2. Use Journey adult guides and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to help girls plan their ceremonies.

3. Take safety precautions when using candles or fires, or when the girls construct bridges or platforms. Refer to Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints (available through your council) for specific advice.

4. Add personal elements to traditional ceremonies. Use favorite poems, songs, stories, and sayings, or have the girls write something new.

5. Consider the role of colors and symbols that the girls might use in their ceremony. 6. Observe flag etiquette when the girls hold flag ceremonies.

When working with girls at this age level, you might find that you need to decide most of the logistics but with your help the girls can make decisions about whether to offer refreshments, choosing a song or poem, or displaying some of their work. Once you know when and where the ceremony will be, and what support you will need, be sure to share that information with troop parents so everyone is prepared and feels welcomed.

You can find inspiration online or via Pinterest or by asking other leaders in your service unit. SU Facilitators, Recognition Committee or a GSWNY Program staff member can also be a good resource when looking for ideas.

It’s Your Journey Choose It!: Let the girls know that we’re ready to start a Girl Scout Journey but first we have to choose it! Explain to the girls that a Journey is an adventure we’ll have together during our Girl Scout activities. Each Journey focuses on different topics, and we’ll also earn badges, go on field trips, make art projects, play games have lots of fun! Remind the girls about all the exciting things they can do in each of the journeys:

• What is my ideal world? Through the Girltopia journey, girls discover their values and then partner together to discover the importance of creating opportunities for girls locally and globally.

• What’s your food power? Girls will learn about food networks, sustainable foods and living the life of a

locavore. They will even get a chance to whip up some delicious food when they work on the Sow What journey!

• Mission Sisterhood invites girls to discover the value of friendships, beauty, healthy habits and how

sisterhood starts with themselves and spirals out to change the world.

Give your stamp of approval: It’s time to give your stamp of approval. Invite the girls to vote for the one(s) they most want to try out first. Explain how to vote, based on your set up earlier. If you gave them more than one sticker, they can divide their votes based on multiple interests. Or the girls can draw a heart or star or a smiley face on the sheet for the Journey they want to vote for. The Journey with the most votes will be the one the troop begins.

Tally up the votes! : Once all the girls have had a chance to put their stamp on the journey they chose, count up the votes for each one. Once the votes are tallied, the winner can be announced, but also let the girls know, there will be opportunities to choose to learn about other topics, so if their first choice was not selected, there will be times when

the troop will do other things that are of interest to them(Learn more about the world, take field trips, do art projects, play games, and earn badges!

GS Taboo: A girl picks a card and tries to get the group to say the top word or phrase without using any form of the word or any of the words listed below it. Can compete in teams or play just for fun with the group. See attached for cards.

Closing: Friendship Squeeze Ask the girls to join together in a circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for another great Girl Scout gathering. Let them know that you are really excited to begin the Journey they chose tonight, and congratulate them for working together as a team!

Optional: Snack Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group, when you meet, allergies and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than she found it.”

GIRLTOPIA SOW WHAT

MISSION SISTERHOOD

GIRLTOPIA SOW WHAT

MISSION SISTERHOOD

GIRLTOPIA SOW WHAT

MISSION SISTERHOOD

GIRLTOPIA SOW WHAT

MISSION SISTERHOOD

GIRLTOPIA SOW WHAT

MISSION SISTERHOOD