“You can have Good Program without Girl Planning….but you can’t have Good Girl Scouting.”

Girl Planning should be part of Everything you do together, especially as girls get older! But it’s essential to Girl Scout Travel! When planning a trip you’ll use lots of girl planning techniques…make simple choices…come to consensus…be independent….brain storm….discuss…make a plan…do research….budget…take polls…fundraise…divide and conquer… and take turns leading!

What is Girl Planning?

Girl Planning is what makes Girl Scouts’ experiences unique!  Every trip can be a stepping stone, teaching the girls just a little bit more about the skills they will use for life – taking care of themselves, making decisions, evaluating their growth and working together for the common good, learning how to plan ahead, and how to evaluate what worked and what didn’t.  Girl planning means making choices, making mistakes (sometimes) and making group decisions.  Girl Planning means that the troop adults help girls choose and organize their own activities, solve problems as a group, and the girls take charge of the results.

Try not to do anything for the girls that they can do for themselves. Keep encouraging them to do more. Your job as a troop/group leader is to plan ‘how to help the girls’ plan’.  The more you can stick to safety-wise numbers of adults the more likely it is that girls will get to do more for themselves.  (Leaders’ Role in Planning with Girls: See Safety-Wise pp. 24-25 for more details.)

What does girl trip planning look like?

To begin Girls and Leaders work together on a vision & purpose for travel. For the San Francisco Bridging trip the purpose is to bridge to Cadettes! For other trips you may come up with other goals.  Girls discuss the idea of a trip, where to go, figure out the purpose for going and talk about how to get there. Girls and leader consider options and decide on destination.  Girls and leader discuss possible activities, costs, food, money, schedules & responsibility.  Girls and leader determine trip budget. Girls and leader set up a planning timeline and talk about the trip to parents.

As the planning progresses they refine details together. Girls and leader refine purpose of trip, decide on money earning projects to close the gap between savings and plans, they work on a trip schedule together, come up with equipment needed lists together and meals & snacks,  personal packing list who will bring what, how troop will travel. Girls need the experience of seeing just how far money will go and how to make choices. Have the girls work on exploring the cost of chartering a bus in comparison to the cost of private cars, camping in comparison to staying in motels, eating out in comparison to preparing their own meals.

Have the girls gather information on places to go, things to do and see. Check out the state tourism departments, libraries and do web searches. Each girl will feel better about the outing if she knows her ideas have been considered, even if they aren’t chosen. Be prepared to help them along asking leading questions and by pointing out other options they may not have considered.

Finally together they get the plans on paper and turned in to council. Leader and girls finalize itinerary and budget.  Leader and girls complete safety and risk management planning. Girls and leader write up a packing list and write a code of conduct if necessary. Involve the girls as much as possible from start to finish.

Make it fun!

There are some fun ways to vote on different choices. One way is to brainstorm the choices on a paper or poster and let each girl come up and put a sticker next to her 1 or 2 top choices. You can choose all the ones with the most stickers or just pick the one winner.

Or break girls into buddy groups. Have each group pitch an idea and share the pros and cons of doing it before the group votes. This can help them understand other perspectives and give each girl a chance to be heard and allows several girls be leaders.

Get a little silly and vote with a part of your body…like elbows up for yes! Point toes for no!

Pass around a “talking stick” to give everyone a chance to express an opinion.

Tips for Challenges to Girl Planning

Girl planning takes lots of time! I found it often took 3-4 meetings to research, discuss and choose what we wanted to do….when I could have weighed the possibilities and made a decision so easily myself!!  The process is so important though. Take the time to do it right.

There will be roadblocks along the way. Some of the problems may come in the form of different personalities in the group that will make coming to consensus and coming up with ideas difficult:
The overwhelmer – She jumps up and down. She waves her hand in front of your nose and shouts.  She needs: Adult recognition. She wants your attention and acknowledgement. The more you resist, the harder she’ll try.  Always sit next to her. When she overwhelms you, put your arm around her. You can call on someone else. Say “let’s let Susie do it this time.” Give her something specific to do before an activity. Let her hold something.

The negative girl or group – She/they need choices.  Ask yourself, can I give up what I’ve planned and do something else? Try saying “Okay! I’m willing to do something else. What will it be?” and “Let’s change moods first!”  Say “Let’s try this for a little while and then we’ll do something else!”

Cliques and other problems – First talk about it. Sit in a circle. Have each girl, in turn, complete the sentence “Right now I feel…” Then the sentence (each in turn) “I can help by…” then the sentence (each in turn) “Next time I will…”  Write down the “Next time I will…” sentences on a large piece of paper. Now make a troop agreement about it. Keep it posted. Remember that… It is important to acknowledge the problem.  Also try… Have each girl sit between two girls they don’t know well. Having each girl pick a friend, then they pick someone they don’t know well. When cliques all vote the same all the time try taking votes with eyes closed or writing down and submitting votes privately.

A quiet group – Start a list for them. ”Here are some things we can do. Out of these, what would you like to do?” Maybe they are shy. Ask them to write down their suggestions, gather them later share them with the group.  Try some mixer games to help them feel comfortable in a group. Sometimes breaking into smaller groups will help quiet or shy girls contribute.

The “I can’t-er” or the “I don’t know-er” – Don’t argue with her. Try saying “Oh-oh, here come the I can’ts. Let’s get them all out.” Have them list her/their “I can’ts” and the reasons why they can’t. Listen. Maybe she really can’t, and you can help. Then, try saying, “But if you could what would it be like?” If she says “I don’t know” ask her to imagine as many “coulds”, or to draw a picture of a “could”. Always respond to an “I can’ter” with your full attention. Sit down so that you are at eye level.  Ask, “and if you could what would it be like?” Help her to see alternatives.  (from Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Council)

Planning a Trip – Ask Some Questions!

Whether the trip is a day hike or a cross-country trek, the basic steps of trip planning are essentially the same. It’s true that as the locale gets farther away, the itinerary more complex, and the trip of greater duration, the details become richer and more complex, but planning every trip—from a day-long event to an international trek—starts by asking the following:

What do we hope to experience?

Who will we want to talk to and meet? What will we ask?

Where are we interested in going?

When are we available to go?

Will everyone in our group be able to go? Are others invited?

Are there physical barriers that cannot be accommodated?

What are visiting hours and the need for advance reservations?

What are our options for getting there?

What’s the least and most this trip could cost?

What can we do now to get ourselves ready? What skills do we need?

What tools and equipment do we need?

How will we earn the money?

What’s the availability of drinking water, restrooms, and eating places?

Where is emergency help available?

What safety factors must we consider?

What program goals or awards are we working towards?

What general activities will each patrol/group be responsible for?

What to wear and bring? Appropriate dress and supplies – girl vs. troop to bring.

What rules apply on this trip? Gum? Money? Bedtime? Electronic Devices? Cell Phones? Behavior? Consequences?

Who will need to help the troop accomplish our goals? Volunteers? Specialists?
(from Let’s Go! our girl scout guide to Trips and Travel and Volunteer Essentials)