Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

1

Frequently Asked Questions

New Program Content from Girl Scouts of the USA

In mid-July 2017, GSUSA is rolling out new Journeys and badges.

JOURNEYS

These new Journeys are adding on to the choices that girls and volunteers already have. Every Journey (whether new or old) is topic-specific, includes hands-on activities, and incorporates Discover, Connect and a Take Action project. Depending upon the content, some Journeys are shorter and some are longer, but they have been made simpler to use and easier to deliver. There will be no physical books for the new Journeys. PLEASE NOTE: The three original Journeys are NOT going away.

As of July 2017, there will be seven Journeys available for volunteers to choose from. They are:

It’s Your World—Change It!

It’s Your Planet—Love It!

It’s Your Story—Tell It!

Outdoor

Think Like an Engineer

Think Like a Programmer

Think Like a Citizen Scientist It’s Your World—Change It!:

Available for purchase in council stores (adult guide and girl book) for Daisy–Ambassador

On the VTK for Daisies only as part of a 15 meeting Year Plan It’s Your Planet—Love It:

Available for purchase in council stores (adult guide and girl book) for Daisy–Ambassador

On the VTK for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior as part of a 15 meeting Year Plan It’s Your Story—Tell It!:

Available for purchase in council stores (adult guide and girl book) for Daisy–Ambassador

On the VTK for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior as part of a 15 meeting Year Plan Outdoor:

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

2

Available on VTK for Daisies as seven sessions in total, which includes two Outdoor badges plus three Take Action meetings and is part of a 15 meeting Year Plan.

Available on the VTK for Brownie and Junior as nine sessions in total, which includes three Outdoor badges plus three Take Action meetings and is part of a 15 meeting Year Plan.

Available for Multi-level for DBJ.

Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador will be available for Back to Troop as PDFs on the VTK. Think Like an Engineer:

Available on the VTK only for Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Multi-level. The Journey is six sessions in total, including three Take Action meetings, and is part of a 15 meeting Year Plan. There is no girl book.

Think Like a Programmer:

Available on the VTK only for Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Multi-level. The Journey is six sessions in total, including three Take Action meetings, and is part of a 15 meeting Year Plan. There is no girl book.

Think Like a Citizen Scientist:

Available on the VTK only for Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Multi-level. The Journey is six sessions in total, including three Take Action meetings, and is part of a 15 meeting Year Plan. There is no girl book.

BADGES For Back to Troop, we will have the following badges:

Daisy Outdoor Art Maker badge: available on the VTK. Also available for purchase as a digital download or hard copy booklet online in the Girl Scout store. Booklets are also available for purchase in council stores.

Daisy Good Neighbor badge: available on the VTK. Also available for purchase as a digital download or hard copy booklet online in the Girl Scout store. Booklets are also available for purchase in council stores.

Girls’ Choice Troop Camping badges for Daisy–Ambassador: available on the VTK. Also available for purchase as a digital download or hard copy booklet online in the Girl Scout store. Booklets are also available for purchase in council stores.

Robotics: Three progressive badges for each level for Daisy–Junior, available on the VTK. Also available for purchase as a digital download or hard copy booklet online in the Girl Scout store. Booklets are also available for purchase in council stores.

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

3

Mechanical Engineering (GoldieBlox): Three progressive badges for each level for Daisy and Brownie available on the VTK only. Not available for purchase.

GENERAL Will the Girl Scout National Proficiency Badges list be updated? The pullout list of the Girl Scout National Proficiency Badges that is in The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting will be updated by Back to Troop and will be available to download from the Girl Scout store. Has there been an updated badge placement chart for the vests/sashes? The Girl Scout Merchandising team is working on the updated diagrams now; they expect to have them ready by the end of August, in time for Back to Troop. What is the policy for girls doing badges outside of their age level? Badges are carefully designed to be developmentally appropriate for girls, and to provide them with appropriate progression and things to look forward to. Therefore, we hope girls will stick to earning the badges for their level, master those skills, and be excited about getting to do new badges as they grow in Girl Scouting. Will Daisies still earn their petals? Yes! These are all additions. Nothing is going away. Will these new Daisy badges be “official” badges, meaning they go on the front of the uniform? They are official. How will Juliettes and individually registered girls get this information? Individually registered girls will be able to purchase badge booklets from their council shops and add them to The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. The adults who support them, and council administrative volunteers, will be able to get PDFs of the program materials and leader’s aids from their councils in late August. By August 25th, all of the new content will be available to councils on the Brand Center as PDFs. Do the new Journey awards physically fit together like the old Journey awards into one big badge? No, they are not in that format. Will all of the three-piece Journey awards go away? No, they will remain for the three original Journeys. That has not changed. Why do all the Take Action awards look the same?

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

4

By creating one design for each grade level, people will be able to see at a glance how many Take Action projects a girl did as she progressed through Girl Scouts. Would a girl earn multiple Take Action awards? One for each Journey they do? Yes.

Will girls be able to earn the LIA award when working with younger girls on the new STEM

and Outdoor Journeys?

Yes.

How will the new Journeys impact the Summit Award and its prerequisites? Girls will still earn the Summit Award once they have completed ANY three Journeys for their grade level, including the new Journeys.

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

5

Designs of all Awards and Badges by Level

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

6

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

7

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

8

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT

What is the Volunteer Toolkit?

The Volunteer Toolkit (or VTK) was designed to support K–5 troop leaders in planning and delivering a troop meeting to girls. The intent was to consolidate resources into one digital tool to save troop leaders time and assist them with Year Plans, meeting agendas, and troop management.

Why don’t administrative volunteers, including council trainers, have access to the VTK?

The VTK was designed to support K–5 troop leaders in planning and delivering a troop meeting to girls. VTK access is granted at the troop level because it is intended for troop leaders.

When will administrative volunteers, including council trainers, have access to the VTK?

Access for additional audiences is something we’re considering for the future. We recognize that administrative volunteers (trainers, service unit managers, troop mentors, event directors) need additional information in order to support troop leaders. In the meantime, councils have a VTK demo site that they can share.

When will parents of individually registered girls have access to the VTK?

Access for additional audiences is something we’re considering for the future. In the meantime, councils will have PDF resources of the new program content to support parents of individually registered girls.

Can VTK users view program content for grade levels besides their own? Older girls need to see younger girl content, especially for LIA.

VTK users can access all program content on the VTK for all levels. Go to “Meeting Plan,” click “Replace this Meeting,” and you’ll be prompted for search categories, including grade level.

How will the new CSA content coming out in July be available on the VTK?

New CSA Content coming out in July 2017 will be displayed as PDFs on the Resources tab.

When will Year Plans and meeting plans for CSA be available on the VTK?

We’re in the process of identifying the best way to support volunteers and girls at the CSA levels. In the meantime, all CSA troop leaders have access to the VTK. They can still use the troop management features as well as the Resources tab. They can also use the Finance tab if it has been activated by their local council.

Will there be a calendar option in the VTK for older girl leaders to populate themselves?

All volunteers, including CSA, can add a custom activity to the Year Plan. It is shown in a list view rather than a calendar view.

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

9

Where can I find VTK tutorials or guides?

There are tutorial videos in the Resources section of VTK. We are looking to update these resources in the coming year.

Is VTK available for Multi-level troops?

Yes—this enhancement went live in Fall 2016.

I’m having trouble using VTK; I’m receiving error messages.

We suggest contacting your council for support.

When will the VTK launch at my council?

Please contact your council for details.

When will the Finance tab be activated, and when will councils be able to view the reports?

Each council makes a local decision about when to activate the Finance tab. The Finance tab is a way for troop leaders to submit their end-of-year financial report to their council. Parents have a “read only” view of this data. Councils receive individual troop reports, as well as an aggregated report of all troops in their council.

How do I access the VTK?

If your council moved to the new web platform, you’ll find the link on your council web page. Look for “MyGS Sign In” in the upper right—click on that and select “Volunteer Toolkit.”

Why can’t I view my Year Plan for the upcoming membership year? Example: My troop bridged from Brownie to Junior and now I want to view/add the Junior Year Plan options.

Year Plan change over in the VTK is around July 1, depending on where in the week the date falls. At that time, Year Plans for 2016–2017 will be archived and the 2017–2018 Year Plans will become available. Archived plans can still be viewed by troop leaders; they cannot be edited, however.

Is there training for the VTK?

Aside from the video tutorial videos, there is no formal training for the VTK. We encourage councils/service units to use the VTK demo site to share VTK functionality with troop leaders at volunteer events and service unit meetings. There are also VTK promotional flyers for councils to share with volunteers and parents.

Can co-leaders of the same troop access the VTK?

Yes! VTK access is granted at the troop level, so all troop leaders/co-leaders have access to the same account. Because this is at the troop level, any edits/changes made by one leader will apply to and be visible by all the other leaders—so coordination between leaders is important.

If I have a Multi-level troop, can all leaders view the VTK?

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

10

Yes. VTK defaults to the program level identified at the time of registration; it’s based on the troop number. If one large troop is working in patrols at the grade level with just one troop number, one VTK account is to be shared amongst all troop leaders.

Will a Journey leader guide be printed for the new program content, or do they have to use VTK?

There are no printed leader guides for the new Journeys being released in July 2017. Volunteer resources in support of the new Journeys are available via the VTK.

Are volunteers able to upload their own resources to VTK?

No, Volunteers can’t upload their own resources to VTK. However, they can add a custom activity to the Year Plan. For example, if there is a field trip to the fire station or they’re attending a council event, these items can be added to the troop Year Plan. Troop leaders can also edit and customize an existing meeting plan as needed. For example, if they wanted to add something or adjust the time needed for various agenda items, they are able to do that.

How do I find a list of what is available in VTK? I don’t always know what things are called.

Go to the “Resources” tab and click on “Meeting Overview” to see an alphabetized list.

Are there plans to make VTK an app?

There are no immediate plans, but we hear this is a need. In the meantime, VTK is designed to be mobile responsive so it can be viewed easily on a smartphone or tablet.

How will administrative volunteers who are planning service unit events or day camps access the new program?

Program PDFs are being shared with council teams in order to support staff and volunteers with program planning.

Did you say a Multi-level option is coming to VTK?

Multi-level access in VTK has been active since Fall 2016. What’s new in July is Multi-level curriculum for K–5. The new Multi-level Journeys include activities that can be adjusted up or down for grade level to streamline the prep and planning for a K–5 Multi-level troop.

Can you mix Journey and Badge Year plans? Can Year Plans be customized? Can I add/remove options or rearrange content?

Yes—there are a couple of options! The troop leader can create a custom Year Plan and add whichever meeting plans (badges/Journeys) they wish. The troop leader could also select a Year Plan, such as the badge plan, and swap in/out different badges from the Meeting Plan library. They can also add Journey meeting plans as well.

Will the new Multi-level Year Plans include meeting lessons where both age levels can do the lesson together, or do the two age groups needs to be led separately?

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

11

The new Multi-level content is designed to be done together, adjusting the difficulty of activities based on the grade level of the girls.

Is the VTK available to all councils?

By the end of the summer, the majority of councils will be live on the VTK. Please check with your council for details.

VTK doesn’t seem to work on Firefox. Do I need to use a certain browser?

VTK works best on Chrome, but it should work on all browsers.

When will the VTK be updated with the new program content?

Mid-July. We’ll communicate a VTK release date once we finish testing.

Can VTK be used for someone who leads 3 different troops?

Yes! The troop leader can toggle between troop accounts.

Will the VTK be available for Multi-level past K–5?

All Multi-level troop leaders can access the VTK, but the new Multi-level content is for K–5.

Can Multi-level leaders build a Year Plan with the “old” Journeys/badges?

Yes! The leader will need to add meeting plans per grade level that she has. (Daisy + Brownie, for example.) The new Multi-level content is the only integrated Multi-level curriculum we have at the present. However, leaders are welcome to leverage the existing materials and create their own Year Plan.

VTK only had two of the three Journeys available. When will it have all three of the original journeys?

The third Journey is being added for Daisies now. We’ll consider adding it for Brownie/Junior next year.

STEM

Why is there no new STEM program for older girls?

We started with younger girls because that is our largest membership. However, we are committed to offering new program to older girls—we know how important it is!

When will the older girl STEM Journeys be available?

The Engineering Journeys, as well as robotics badges, will be delivered to councils and VTK in mid-summer 2018.

How do the recently announced cybersecurity badges fit into the new program?

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

12

The cybersecurity badges will fall under the Computer Science focus area. They will be rolled out in stages. DBJ badges will be available in Summer 2018, while CSA badges will be available in summer 2019.

Are the Journey and Take Action awards separately awarded?

The Take Action project is a key element of completing a Journey. Although volunteers can give the girls the STEM-specific award after the third meeting IF THEY WISH, the Journey has not been completed until the Take Action project is done.

Can you give more details about the GoldieBlox kits?

First, please note that we have changed the name from Engineering badges to Mechanical Engineering badges. We did this because of feedback from administrative volunteers and council staff members on our program rollout webinars.

Mechanical Engineering Badges (GoldieBlox)

Girls do need a kit in order to complete the badge requirements.

There are two kits, one for Daisies and the other for Brownies.

The Daisy kit is called Making Things Move. The Brownie kit is called Making Things Zoom.

The kits include the parts for the badge activities. They do NOT include the physical badges that girls will put on their uniform.

Each kit can be used by 12 girls and can be used again and again.

Each kit contains all the parts to do all three badges. So, for example, a Brownie troop of 12 girls would need one kit. With that one kit, they would be able to do the activities to earn all 3 badges. Same thing for Daisies.

The kits will be sold online in the Girl Scout Store and will cost $99.

They will not be sold in council shops at this time.

The kits will be in the Girl Scout Merchandising warehouse on 8/30.

Here are the names of the kits and badges:

Brownie Making Things Zoom Kit

Fling Flyer Design Challenge

Leap Bot Design Challenge

Race Car Design Challenge Daisy Making Things Move Kit

Board Game Design Challenge

Roller Coaster Design Challenge

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

13

Model Car Design Challenge

Are robotics kits available on the website?

No. And, in fact, kits are not required!

The robotics badges were designed to be “unplugged.” That means that girls do not need a kit to earn the badges; they can do the badge requirements with common household objects. (Of course, if you have robotics kits, you can certainly use them!)

How about including more traditional sciences?

We are focused right now on building out the current STEM areas (engineering, computer science, outdoor STEM) for all six grade levels. We will add different science focus areas in the future.

What about the older girls who are not interested in STEM?

Our girls join Girl Scouting with a huge variety of interests! Girls who want to earn Journey

awards but are not interested in STEM can do the new Outdoor Journey, or they still have our

award-winning classic Journeys from which to choose.

Are the STEM Journeys being written for older girls? Rather than hold off on release of the new badges and Journeys until all six levels were complete, we opted to roll the new content out in segments. So, next we will be developing new badges and an Engineering Journey for CSA, aiming for a release in time for the 2018 membership year, next summer. Can we volunteer to test the version for the older girls? When we test our new badges and Journeys, we reach out to councils and always look for a good geographic, economic and cultural mix for those pilots. Councils then reach out to troops in their jurisdiction. If you’re interested, let your council know.

OUTDOOR

Will existing badges now be part of the new Outdoor Journey? Each Outdoor Journey is be comprised of existing badges to build outdoor skills, the new Troop Camping badge, and a new Take Action award for all six grade levels. Are the Outdoor badges and Take Action awards separately awarded? Girls earn the Outdoor badges and get a badge for each one. Then they complete a Take Action project and earn the Take Action award. To make this a true Journey experience, we encourage girls to earn the Outdoor badges in the suggested sequence and do them in close succession. This will allow girls to build on their skills as they complete each badge, all of which will prepare them to develop and successfully complete their Take Action project.

Released on 6.22.17

Revised 8/1/17

14

Is there anything new for CSA girls other than the new camping badges?

Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors will also have new Outdoor Journeys, so new ways to earn

their Silver and Gold Awards.

What about the older girls who are not interested in the Outdoors?

Our girls join Girl Scouting with a huge variety of interests! Girls who want to earn Journey

awards but are not interested in the Outdoors can do the new STEM Journey, or they still have

our award-winning classic Journeys from which to choose.

Will girls be able to earn the Journey badges as stand-alone badges without having to work on a Take Action project? Yes, girls may complete the Outdoor badges alone. However, they will not complete the Outdoor Journey without creating and completing a Take Action project.