When girls guide or teach others, they act as mentors. As mentors, Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors gain experience by sharing skills, testing knowledge, and trying out new leadership roles. For the girls being mentored, it means a chance to be with and learn from teens — some of their favorite people!
Mentoring Awards include Leader in Action, Program Aide, Counselor-in-Training I & II and Volunteer-in-Training. By earning these awards, girls in grades 6-12 can deepen their understanding of what leadership development means and get excited about guiding others.
The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors includes descriptions of the Mentoring Awards girls can earn at their grade level:
- Cadettes earn Leader in Action (LiA) (Requirements found in the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting)
Cadettes earn Program AideThe PA leadership opportunity is designed to help Cadette Girl Scouts discover their talents in mentoring and leading younger children, gain the confidence knowledge and expertise needed to guide younger girls, and prepares them to hold future leadership positions within and outside of Girl Scouting. Specifically, PAs are girls who become proficient in a specific area of interest and share their specialized knowledge with younger girls in a troop or group setting.
Eligibility:
Cadette Girl Scout Program Aide: Any registered Cadette Girl Scout in grades 6-8.
Council-wide training opportunities will be posted here as they become available. These Program Aide Trainings will also be advertised in the Program Chat Newsletter as they become available.
Other Program Aide Trainings may be organized on the local level for girls in a specific area. For more information, please contact program@girlscouts-ssc.org.
Seniors and Ambassadors earn Volunteer-in-Training (Formerly known as leader in training)
The VIT leadership opportunity is designed to help Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts discover their talents in mentoring and leading younger children, gain the confidence, knowledge and expertise needed to guide younger girls, and prepares them to hold future leadership positions within and outside of Girl Scouting. Specifically, VITs are teen girls who have an interest in mentoring who through training acquire the skills and confidence necessary to guide a group of younger girls, and hold future leadership positions within and outside of Girl Scouting.
Eligibility:
Any registered Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout in grades 9-12.
Training Requirements:
VIT Training: Designed to foster the development of basic leadership skills and to give girls a basis for working with younger girls. Topics include basic understanding of Girl Scout program, developmental characteristics of younger girls, and the role and responsibilities of the Volunteer in Training. Additionally, participants will learn how to select, plan, and present age-appropriate activities and use problem-solving strategies.
Internship Requirement:
Once the VIT selects the grade level with which she would like to work, has taken the trainings and completed required paperwork, she can either locate a troop/group in her local area with whom she would like to work or she can obtain council assistance. She must then work with the same troop/group on an ongoing basis and commit at least 4-6 sessions of service to her assigned troop/group.
Council-wide training opportunities will be posted here as they become available. These Volunteer in Training trainings will also be advertised in the Program Chat Newsletter as they become available.
Other Volunteer in Training trainings may be organized on the local level for girls in a specific area. For more information, please contact program@girlscouts-ssc.org.
