Troop Leader Blueprint for an Amazing Year

Your Blueprint for an Amazing Troop Year

New troop year? Bring it on!

Keep your troop going strong with these specially adapted badges, Journeys, and activities for virtual and safe in-person meetings, as well as current COVID-19 guidelines and resources. We’re here to support you as you help your troop thrive.

Program Ideas and Adaptations

Power a fun-filled troop year with this curated selection of badges, Journeys, and activities to help you throughout this troop year.

Select a grade level

Daisies

Brownies

Juniors

Cadettes

Seniors

Ambassadors

Multi-Level

Training and Planning Tools

Local Support and Training

Online Learning for Troop Leaders, Troop Support Volunteers, and Service Unit Volunteers is available in our Volunteer Learning Portal. Start exploring these training materials and resources to make this troop year easier.

We'll be adding additional trainings to the Events Calendar throughout the year, so make sure to check the "Volunteer Training" Program Theme filter.

New Leader Great Start Series: Part 1 & 2: Set your troop up for success in the virtual/hybrid world. Register here.

Have questions for GSNorCal staff? We'll be hosting drop-in Q&A Zoom sessions every Tuesday from 5:30-6:30 PM with representatives from Community Partners, Membership Experience, Product Program, Program & Outdoor Program, Retail, and Volunteer Support ready to hear your thoughts and answer questions in real-time. Register here.

Meeting Planning Tools

Check out these tried-and-true resources from fellow troop leaders who successfully adapted their meetings for in-person-safe and virtual settings.

Getting Started: Virtual Meetings

Virtual Troop Meeting Agenda and Activity Ideas (PDF)
Preparing For Your Virtual Meeting (PDF)
Managing Your Virtual Meeting (PDF)
Virtual Troop Meeting Etiquette for Girls and Caregivers (PDF)
Virtual Troop Meeting FAQs and Tips (PDF)
Virtual Troop Meeting Template | PowerPoint | Google Slides
Safety Activity Checkpoints 2019-20 | Virtual Troop Meetings (PDF)

Meeting Facilitation

Don't forget to check out the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK), the comprehensive digital tool that provides access to resources like meeting plans and badge & award requirements! Learn more by visiting our Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) webpage. Ready to get started? Launch the VTK now!

Planning Activities

These volunteer-generated ideas can you help adapt to any meeting environment. You can also visit the program level pages above to view adaptations for specific badges and journeys.

Girl Scouts may not be able to meet in person, but we can all participate in amazing Girl Scout events—online and in real time. Join for a specific event like a Facebook/Instagram Live or a series of Virtual Troop Meetings. You can share these activities with your girls/families or encourage them to register as a troop. With some GSUSA-hosted events, your girls may even meet Girl Scouts from across the United States.

Additional Troop Activities

Adopt a Sloth as a Troop by participating in the 2020 Fall Take Action Program. Your troop can safeguard a future for these amazing animals by adopting a sloth! 100% of all proceeds from the Sloth Conservation Foundation adopt-a-sloth kit go towards funding their in-field sloth conservation programs. Troops who have 100% of troop girls send 15+ emails plus have $1,000 in total sales will choose a sloth to adopt PLUS receive sloth socks for each girl.

Planning In-Person Meetings/Events

Stay up-to-date on the requirements for your county as well as updates and guidelines to returning to safe troop activities by checking GSNorCal's Coronavirus Updates regularly.

Connecting with Families

Need help staying connected with your troop? Here are some resources to help you and your girls stay connected while apart:

Pro Tip: To keep your girls and families engaged with Girl Scouts in between troop meetings, challenge them to check out our Girl Scouts at Home webpage for family-friendly, no-troop-required fun!

Looking for tips and tricks from other troop leaders? Connect with other Girl Scout volunteers by joining our online communities:

GSNorCal Facebook Communities »
Share ideas, ask questions, and connect with other GSNorCal members on Facebook.

The Trailhead »
GSNorCal's volunteer support blog for inspiration, ideas, and tried-and-true tips.

COVID Guidelines

Check our council’s current COVID guidelines before planning any troop activities.

Stay up-to-date on the requirements for your county as well as updates and guidelines to returning to safe troop activities by checking GSNorCal's Coronavirus Updates regularly.

GSNorCal COVID-19 Guidelines and Checklists:

gsZoom Accounts

When you can’t meet in person, gathering virtually through Zoom keeps your Girl Scout sisterhood strong!

gsZoom Account Activation

GSUSA has worked up an amazing deal for discounted accounts with Zoom ($36!) for our volunteers to ensure you have the tools you need to keep Girl Scouts going!

Just fill out the GSNorCal Zoom Activation form to request your discounted account. We will process the responses weekly on Wednesday afternoons, so note that it may take up to a week to receive your account. At that point, you’ll receive an activation email with further instructions to complete the process. gsZoom accounts are valid through July 2021, can host up to 500 participants, and do not have the 40-minute time limit.

Are you a new troop leader? If you're a new troop leader, GSNorCal will be providing you with a gsZoom account to help get you started. Please wait to hear from us before filling out the GSNorCal Zoom Activation form.

Using your gsZoom account to host troop meetings is a breeze! The account settings have already been tailored to ensure the safety of our girls, and the account can only be used for Girl Scout activities, as outlined in the user agreement.

Request Your Account

Already have a Zoom account for Girl Scout use? Use the email associated with that account in the form if you’d like to have it moved over to a gsZoom account. The activation email you receive will walk you through that process.

Questions? Contact info@gsnorcal.org for more information.

Zoom Trainings

Learn how to lead and manage virtual Girl Scout Meetings Using Zoom by watching GSUSA's Zoom For Girl Scouts Training Videos. The video playlist offers short videos on these topics:

Setting Up Zoom
How to Schedule a Meeting
Set Up for Success
Meeting Co-Hosts
Interaction and Engagement Tools
Meeting Management
Breakout Rooms
Annotation White Boards

Zoom Backgrounds

Share some Girl Scout spirit in every Zoom Meeting using the Virtual Background feature. To download the Zoom Backgrounds below, simply right-click the desired image, select "Save Image As...", and click "Save". Then open Zoom, select Virtual Background, and add the image.

For instructions on how to set up backgrounds on Zoom, visit the Zoom Help Center.