After a wonderful summer of camping, traveling, and outdoor adventures, school is back in session. And, that means that our new Girl Scout year has begun, and we're excited to keep the fun times coming!Here are 6 things that will help GSWPA Troop Leaders get ready for troop meetings and other Girl Scout adventures:
- Make sure you’ve renewed your membership. Keep the Girl Scout party going! If you haven't already, take a few minutes renew your membership so you can get started on your plans for the upcoming Girl Scout year! And, please be sure all girls in your troop are also renewed before Oct. 1.
- Update your troop information. Please help us make sure our troop opportunity catalog information is up-to-date, so that we can help connect more girls to Girl Scouting! Whether you have open spots in your troop, or are no longer accepting new members, please fill out the Troop Opportunity Catalog and Information Update Form with your current troop information.
- Set up your Volunteer Toolkit. The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is a web app that is accessible from any device. Get access to planning tools and resources to get the most out of every troop or group meeting. If you aren’t currently using the VTK to plan your Girl Scout activities, you’re missing out on this super helpful tool!
- Plan the troop’s calendar year.
- Email parents with one click.
- View the troop roster, renew girls’ membership, and update girls' contact information.
- View Daisy through Ambassador Journeys and badges (to plan for troop meetings), including prepopulated tracks for younger and older Multi-Level troop groups (K–5 and 6–12).
- Customize meetings by troop year with other badge and Journey options.
- Explore individual meeting plans that show a breakdown of every meeting, including a list of materials needed and editable time allotments for each activity within a meeting.
- Record girls’ attendance at meetings and their badge and Journey achievements.
- Add council or custom troop events to the troop’s calendar.
- Enter the troop’s finances (depending on the council’s process).
- Easily locate resources both national and local council resources, such as Safety Activity Checkpoints.
If you are a Troop Leader that has renewed your membership and role for the 2018-19 year, you can access the VTK now to begin planning for the new year. You will also be able to view or print any plan you created last year. - Gear up to head out. Planning any outdoor activities this year? Be sure to check out the Safety Activity Checkpoints, and register for an upcoming Outdoor Skills Training if you haven’t yet completed one.
And, be sure to check out this collection of online videos to help you introduce girls to the joys of the great outdoors, covering everything from campsite setup to camp cookery. - Review council news. Check out our most recent editions of Patched In to make sure you're up-to-date on council activities, programs, and news.
- Fund the fun with MagNut. Build up your troop’s funds at the beginning of the year through the MagNut Program. These magazine, nuts, and candy products are perfect for stocking stuffers! Find out how the MagNut Program can help your troop shine!
As always, we're here to support you! Reach out by calling 800-248-3355 or email customercare@gswpa.org.
Have a great Girl Scout year!