The new Guides and Journeys have several opportunities to explore travel at the different Girl Scout levels. What have you done with your troop? Please share in the comments which badges and journeys have travel components. I’ve linked to some planning guides that break down which badges and journeys work on different interest areas:
- Leadership
- Healthy Living + Creativity (photography, first aid, learning about other cuisines and being an adventurous eater all fit with travel)
- Outdoor Awareness + Environmental Stewardship (travel fits well with environmental exploration, especially in the senior badge set)
- Financial Education (budgeting for travel)
- Global Citizenship + Girl Scout Sisterhood (travel fits well with this one)
- Community Service + Volunteer (finding ways to give back when you travel)
- Celebrating Success
- Summer Fun
Daisies – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-daisy/
Brownies – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-brownie/
Juniors – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-junior/
Cadettes – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-cadette/
Seniors – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-senior/
Ambassadors – http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/get-involved/volunteers/troop-leaders/planning-guides/planning-ambassador/
Girl Scout travel is an ideal way to offer girls leadership opportunities. Encourage girls to choose one of the three series of National Leadership Journeys. The Journey’s theme will give girls a way to explore leadership through their travels. Use the adult guide to incorporate activities and discussions that help girls explore the Three Keys to Leadership (Discover, Connect, and Take Action) as they plan their trip and eventually travel. Tying your trip to the topic of a Leadership Journey is a cinch. For example, if Cadette girls have chosen MEdia, before their trip they can read online newspapers from the area to which they’re traveling—and evaluate when they arrive how well the media reflects the realities there. If Senior girls are using SOW WHAT?, they can plan to observe agricultural practices in other parts of the country or around the world. Ambassadors using BLISS: Live It! Give It! can build a trip around dreaming big—and empowering others in their community to
dream big, too. If girls also want to complete skill-building badge requirements as part of their trip, they can. The most obvious example is the Senior Traveler badge, which fits perfectly into planning a trip. In addition, girls can explore other badge topics, depending on the focus of their trip. For examples, Cadettes can explore the food in other regions or countries for their New Cuisines badge, Seniors can find out about international business customs as part of their Business Etiquette badge, and Ambassadors can work on their Photography badge while documenting their trip. Be sure to visit the “Girl Scouting as a National Experience” chapter in this handbook to find out more about the three exciting series of Journeys and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. To ensure that any travel you do with girls infuses the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at every opportunity, limit your role to facilitating the girls’ brainstorming and planning—but never doing the work for them. Allow the girls to lead, learn collaboratively, and learn by doing (and by making mistakes). All the while, however, provide ideas and insight, ask tough questions when you have to, and support all their decisions with enthusiasm and encouragement!