The heart of Girl Scouting is our indispensable volunteers who make it all possible!

A volunteer serves as a partner and role model for girls. Whether you volunteer at meetings, go on field trips, or become a troop leader, the time you devote will help inspire today’s girls to become tomorrow’s leaders. Get inspired by our volunteer stories! Check out all the different ways to have fun at Girl Scouts.

Because volunteers contribute their time and skills in many ways, there are several Adult Awards that are available to recognize their efforts.

Each year, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois has the opportunity to recognize those volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of the girls served in our council. There are so many deserving individuals, and we are lucky to have such active volunteers and staff who work hard every day to serve as positive role models for girls.

Congratulations to our very dedicated volunteers! Click here to view our outstanding volunteers for 2020!

Let’s get ready for another year of Girl Scouting by renewing your Girl Scout membership early. Early renewal takes place from May 1 – 22, 2020.

All re-registering girls will receive a T-shirt and patch. All re-registering adults will receive a T-shirt. Renew your membership by May 22, 2020 to receive these incentives.

Inspire her with comforting experiences in challenging times!
In challenging times, our Girl Scout grit shines the brightest. That’s why we’re prepared to be a source of consistency for you and your girl when you need it most.

As we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic together, we’re working hared to ensure your girl has access to the Girl Scout experience she knows and loves in a way she can access right now. And as things continue to evolve and change, we’ll continue to adapt to meet her needs.

We know many of the things she was looking forward to are canceled right now, but Girl Scouts is still happening. From home and online, for as long as she needs to she can

• Keep the Girl Scout experience going and stay connected while earning badges through online activities with the Sparkle & Shine Girl Scout Home Edition.
• Participate in live virtual events and safe service projects that keep her engaged and inspired.
• Gain tangible, innovative problem-solving and life skills.
• Grow confidence in her outdoor skills and learn how to champion for the environment.
• Expand her imagination through hands-on activities.

The best part is that every experience and skill we can offer her right now will help her continue to be successful at school and in life when it’s time for us to all come together again.

Because while we have to remain physically apart right now, connection is more important than ever.

Whether your troop has shifted to virtual meetings, or everyone’s decided to postpone all activities for the time being, your Girl Scout still has the option to earn badges on her own at home. Parents who’ve relied on their troop leaders as their go-to for badge work—did I just hear a sharp intake of breath from you all? Not to worry! Badges aren’t as complicated as they might seem. We’ll walk you through the steps you need to take to help your girl earn a badge, from the very basics (What’s a badge anyway?) to how to customize activities to suit your girl. You can do this—we’ll show you how!

What’s a Badge?

Is there something your girl is passionate about, or has always wanted to try? Chances are, there’s a badge for it! Badges are a great way for girls to explore their interests and learn new skills. Every program grade level has their own set of badges and awards that girls can work on. Generally, each badge connects to a specific subject matter (like coding, first aid, or animal habitats) and enables girls to become proficient in that topic. Note that Girl Scout Daisies earn petals and leaves in addition to regular badges.

Side Question—What’s a Patch?

Also known as “fun patches,” these are given to Girl Scouts for participating in fun events, activities and other Girl Scouting-related programs. Unlike badges, girls don’t usually need to fulfill any requirements to get a patch. (FYI, patches always go on the back of the uniform.)

How Can I Help My Girl Earn a Badge?

Just like how a badge is broken down into separate steps, follow these to help your girl earn hers.

1. Pick your badge. Girls can work on any badge that piques her interest! For a rundown of all the badges available for your girl’s age, head to the Award and Badge Explorer. You can filter your results by grade level and topic (like STEM, outdoors, life skills, entrepreneurship, etc.) and see what your girl will learn as she works on each badge.
2. Review the steps. Every badge has a specific number of steps that a Girl Scout needs to complete; after she’s completed those steps, she’ll have learned the skills to earn the badge. Daisy petals, leaves, and badges typically consist of three steps (to account for their developmental age), while badges for Girl Scout Brownies and older consist of five steps.
3. Decide on your activities. If you look at the badge requirements for the badge you’ve picked, you’ll see that each step has three different activities to choose from. Your girl just needs to complete one activity for each step. So that means five steps, five activities in total. If your girl isn’t jazzed about any of the activity options, feel free to brainstorm an alternative. As long as that alternate activity fulfills the criteria for that step, you’re fine!
4. Get your badge. While all our council shops are closed until further notice, you can always order badges online and have them shipped directly to your home. Badges should be placed on the front of the uniform—wear ‘em with pride, Girl Scouts!

Is it Okay to Earn Badges That the Rest of My Troop Isn’t Working On?

In short, yes, it is! Many families and troops are trying to figure out how to best incorporate Girl Scouting into their new routines, so it’s likely that more girls will be earning badges on their own for the time being. If you’re concerned about working on a badge that your troop leader might already have plans for in the future, simply connect with them first and double-check.

Where Do I Find Badge Resources?

Girl Scouts offers a few different resources to help you and your girl complete badges:

• GSCI Girl Scouts at Home Edition
• Girl Scouts is offering a few badge requirements as free downloads

Even when circumstances prevent them from meeting up in person, girls can still explore the wide world around them by learning new skills and earning badges.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. 2020 marks 50 years of Earth Day.

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary.

Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.

You bring the power of Girl Scouting to girls—thank you, volunteers!

Things may look and feel very different right now, but what hasn’t changed is the out-sized impact you continue to have on girls’ lives. When you take the lead as a volunteer, girls discover that they too can take on leadership roles and change the world.

That’s why National Volunteer Month is so near and dear to our hearts. Every April, we celebrate the powerful, life-changing contributions our volunteers make to Girl Scouts all year long. No matter what the world throws at us, you are the ones who keep the Girl Scout spirit strong—and whatever you bring to Girl Scouts at this time, your efforts are incredible and appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Additionally, every year on April 22—Girl Scout Leader’s Day—we give extra kudos to you. Troop leaders: we love you, and we’re forever grateful to you for being the role models girls look up to, especially in challenging times like these.

Teaching Essential Skills for a Lifetime
A well known component of Girl Scouting is the Cookie Program, the largest girl-run business in the world. Once a year, Girl Scouts around the country venture into the entrepreneurial world to learn business and financial skills and earn money to fund their Girl Scouting goals. Through “learning by earning,” Girl Scouting aims to empower girls through the development of five essential skills: goal setting, money management, people skills, decision making, and business ethics.

The Girl Scout Research Institute set out to understand the extent to which Girl Scouts actually develop these five essential skills, as well as to examine the specific ways girls benefit from their participation in the Cookie Program. Survey responses from 1417 Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts representing various regions of the country provide compelling evidence that girls do benefit from the Cookie Program through development of these essential skills.

Key Findings
Overall, a majority of Girl Scout “Cookie Entrepreneurs” develop the 5 essential skills.
85% of girls developed Money Management skills, reporting that they had developed budgets, taken cookie orders, and handled customers’ money.

83% of girls developed Business Ethics, learning to fulfill promises to customers, keep true to the Girl Scout Promise and Law in their business dealings, and consider how best to contribute to their communities with their earnings.

80% of girls developed the Goal Setting skill, learning how to set sales goals relative to action plans and to create a set of objectives with their team to reach their goals.

77% of girls developed the Decision Making skill, learning how to work as a team to develop a basic business plan, deciding when and where to sell cookies, and reaching agreements on what to do with the money they earned.

75% of girls developed People Skills, learning to talk, listen, and work with different kinds of people while selling cookies.

Learning the 5 essential skills has a positive impact on girls’ lives.

• Significantly, more than half of girls (55%) achieved all 5 skills.
• Girls who developed the 5 skills were more likely to report that they learned new things while selling cookies that will help them in school and other areas of their life than girls who did not (93% vs. 63%, respectively).
• Overall, girls reported that selling cookies was fun (96%). Learning by earning made it even more fun. Girls were more likely to report cookie selling was fun when they developed the 5 skills than when they did not (98% vs. 90%, respectively).
• Even though the vast majority of Girl Scouts were eager to sell cookies next year (95%), those who had achieved the 5 skills were even more eager than those who did not (95% vs. 90%, respectively).
• Specific Girl Scout experiences can make the difference between achieving and not achieving the 5 essential skills.
• Girls who attended troop or group meetings about selling cookies, practiced how to sell Girl Scout cookies with their friends and family, and worked toward the Cookie Business and Financial Literacy badges developed more goal setting, decision making, money management, people, and business ethics skills than girls who had fewer or none of those experiences.

Cookie season is here, and you’re feeling proud of your Girl Scout troop for rocking their goal setting conversation and committing to a cookie goal that’ll power their weekend camping trip this summer. But before your girls break out their order forms, there’s another group you need to rally: your troop’s parents and caregivers.

That doesn’t sound difficult—after all, most troop families want to be supportive—but what happens when you have parents who see the cookie program as just another task on their lengthy to-do list rather than an entrepreneurial experience for their cookie boss?

The cookie program is a team effort, and adult support plays a major part. Here are a few ways to motivate any apprehensive parents in your troop.

Hold a cookie-specific meeting for parents and caregivers.
Even if you discussed the cookie program at your first parent meeting, make time to reconnect with troop adults. Hold a cookie parent meeting. Discuss how the cookie sale will operate, tasks for parents, deadlines for what is due when, skills the girls learn by participating, and how the girls want to spend the troop profit. Parents were more than happy to help their girls build these skills.

Your troop parents will likely have more questions about what’s expected of them and their girls, so be sure to review all aspect of the program. You can also let parents know at the meeting that you’re looking for some extra support.

Share your troop’s goal and how they’ll get there.
Open the conversation by outlining the goal or experience the girls are working toward, and talk about the girls’ decision-making process and that you’re proud of their ability to work as a team. When people ask why they’re selling cookies, they can say ‘we’re building a butterfly garden’ or ‘we have a camping trip we’re hoping to take.’” Families are much more supportive if they know where the cookie proceeds go; the same goes for customers and other members of your community!

Once you’ve shared your troop’s vision, let the adults know what the goal means for their girl. Open communication with the parents is key to a successful troop cookie sale.

Outline the immediate and long-term benefits of the cookie program.
Explain that the profit from the cookie program funds the rest of the year’s badges, programs, and events, and other activities and trips the girls have discussed. Remind them that the cookie program is not about the cookies or the money. Parents love to hear how the sale works—the girls set their own goals! We purposely set low and high goals so the girls can reach some but work hard for others. Once parents hear how hands-on the sale is for their daughters and how they’ll learn how to make change and speak to customers and work as a team, they’re much more willing to participate in the program.

Stress the five skills girls learn from the cookie program set them up for success in school, extracurricular activities, and beyond; helping parents and caregivers understand the big picture goes a long way in building the support you need.

Learn more about cookies! Explore the various resources that can help everyone . . . troop leader resources, girl resources, and parent resources.

Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a New Year of Happiness in a World of Peace!

Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, a time for family gatherings and holiday meals.  A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.  A time for us to give back to our fellow man, as well as your community.

At Girl Scouts of Central Illinois we are so fortunate to have awesome volunteers that help us move our mission in Girl Scouting forward. We could not do what we do with girls without our volunteers.  Being a volunteer adds a tremendous amount of value to what we are accomplishing with our girls and program.

There are as many reasons to serve as there are people who serve. Volunteering is not just an altruistic act. It’s an opportunity to advance in all areas of your life.  Here are a few of the things you can gain when you give your time and yourself:

• Connect with your community.
• Share your skills and gain new ones.
• Develop self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Meet new people from all walks of life.
• Promote a worthwhile organization or cause that is important to you.
• Feel needed and valued.
• Experience something new that you may not otherwise be able to do.

We give thanks for all our volunteers, past, present and future. We appreciate you opening your heart and sharing your time and talent with our organization. Our volunteers are our shining stars! You truly do make a difference in the lives of girls.

Volunteering for the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois can be so rewarding and at the same time giving a girl the gift of your talents to help her become the leader she will be now and in the future.

This is big: new Girl Scout Journeys and badges are coming your way!

When girls, parents, and volunteers tell us what they want to do most, we listen. We’re always evaluating—and enhancing—what girls do, how they connect, and how they grow as Girl Scouts. And then, in true Girl Scout fashion, we take action to keep our program relevant and engaging.

This year, we added new Journeys and badges in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and the outdoors. Plus, we’re highlighting awards in global awareness and advocacy.

• Nine cybersecurity badges for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassadors where girls learn about the inner workings of computer technology and cybersecurity and apply concepts of safety and protection to the technology they use every date.
• Three Space Science badges for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador where girls explore topics such as the universe and their place in it, properties of light, and inspiring careers in space science.
• Think Like a Citizen Scientist, a Girl Scout Leadership Journey, for Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, and Multi-age level also girls to practice observation techniques, collect data, and share their findings with real world scientists through an online network.
• Eighteen Coding for Good badges allow girls to learn the basics of coding but also provides girls with opportunities to use their skills for good.
• Twelve Outdoor High Adventure badges designed for girls to explore nature and experience exciting outdoor adventures. These are the first Girl Scout badges that members can earn by choosing one of two self-directed paths.
  • The first set of badges is Trail Adventure – for example Cadettes choose between a 3-mile trail run or a trail hiking challenge.
  • The other badge gives girls the choice between Snow or Climbing Adventure – for example Brownies choose between cross-country skiing or rock climbing on a climbing wall.

Learn more about the 42 New Badges!