Girl Scout of San Gorgonio - 2020
Club FAQ
Updated Sept 18, 2020
What are the clubs?
Clubs are a virtual experience via
online meetings that gives girls an opportunity to expand any girls’
Girl Scout experience. They are theme based around specific
interests. Every week girls will participate in a virtual group
meeting that supports them learning more about the main theme. At
times we may have a variety of people presenting on this topic
including the girls in the club, business professionals or the primary
leader of the club.
How do I register?
You can register by completing the
online form at: https://girlscoutsgssgc.wufoo.com/forms/pf6fsub0ifi27n/
What are the fall the themes and when
do clubs meet?
- Career Exploration (For Grades 6-12): Thursdays @ 3:30pm
beginning 10/8/20
- Service Learning (For Grades 6-12):
Thursdays @ 5:00pm beginning 10/8/20
- Entrepreneurship (For Grades 2-5 & 6-12): Fridays @ 5:00 pm
beginning 10/9/20
- Girl Scout Life (For Grades 2-5):
Wednesdays @ 3:30pm beginning 10/7/20
- Outdoors &
STEM (aka STEM in the Outdoors) (For Grades 2-5): Tuesdays @ 3:30pm
beginning 10/6/20
- Daisy Club (For Grades K-1):
Fridays @ 3:30pm beginning 10/9/20
I heard there was an option to participate in the Girl Scout
Entrepreneurial Program (Fall & Cookies) as part of a club – how
will that work?
This is correct. The Girl Scout Entrepreneurial Program is an
integral part of most Girl Scout experiences and each club will offer
a path to participation. Girls in traditional troops will be
encouraged to sell as part of their traditional troop; however, as a
group they will learn about setting goals and the other outcomes
related to this program. The Girl Scout Entrepreneurial Program
(selling cookies) is not the primary focus of any of the clubs
(including entrepreneurship). The fall sale is an online sale this
year; as the cookie season approaches, we will determine the pathway
available to our club participants, which will include girl input.
How much does it cost to participate?
The recommended
dues is $45 per club (the 6 month period). This does not cover the
full cost of the program; clubs are also partly being supported by
grants. Families are being encouraged to pay some dues to
participate. The recommended amount for girls in moderate or upper
income brackets is the $45 club dues (one time amt) to allow for more
funding for those who are in lower income brackets. If this is a
deterrent to anyone for whatever reason still register to participate
and we can work out the dues.
What does the $45 dues cover?
The $45 covers direct
program costs (supplies) including the badges girls may earn and
probably a patch we will develop either as clubs or individual clubs.
If the $45 is a deterrent to girls participating there are options in
the form to waive the dues. The dues are not due at the time you
sign-up. We are uncertain on what we will do for “collections.”
However, at any time let us know if this is a hardship or you don’t
see the value of the experience for your daughter and we will mark you
as “paid”. The club leaders have no idea of the status of payment of
those in the club. The dues do not cover the true cost of
operating this program.
How can you pay the dues?
The dues can be paid using the
same wufoo you use to sign up. It can be done during checkout. The
dues can be paid by any method – if the club dues are a hardship we do
have grant funds to cover; but you can use Juliette Credits,
Cookie/Nutty Dough, Troop loot (if the girls vote on this), or of
course credit card. You do not need to pay when you register as with
troop dues we will discuss these in our welcome email and give you the options.
I heard there were 6 week clubs too – what are those?
The
6 week clubs are a taste of the longer club experience as it is only 6
meetings. Girls will participate in theme based meetings but will not
have the same deep dive into the topic as we get with a longer club
experience. If this shorter experience is of interest to you watch
our Program Newsletter for registration information and start dates of
these experiences. Most of these experiences will be partnerships
with schools. The cost for the 6 week club dues is the same as 99% of
the dues go towards the welcome/closing kits.
To sign up for the newsletter: https://girlscoutsgssgc.wufoo.com/forms/w6id7zb10aylun/
Or to express interest in a specific 6 week club fill out the club
form: https://girlscoutsgssgc.wufoo.com/forms/pf6fsub0ifi27n/
What other supplies will be necessary to participate in the
clubs?
We are finishing our supply lists as we speak. The
STEM club has the most supplies required due to the experiments
planned; however many of the supplies are regular household items that
families with kids have such as crayons, scissors, tape, paper, etc.
Each club has a welcome packet that will include some specialty items
like a journal if needed. The goal is to keep cost down for families
while still providing a fantastic experience for the girls.
How long are meetings?
Meetings are 1 hour & 15
minutes. They start with a gathering activity for girls 10-15 minutes
prior to the start time for those who arrive early.
When and how often do we meet?
Girls will meet for a
period of 6 months weekly. We understand there are times when girls
will miss meetings and that is okay. If the meeting is integral to
earning a badge information will be given to the girls on what was
missed so they can do that learning on their own.
Why for 6 months?
Clubs are designed to offer girls a
chance to interact with other girls and be able to dive deep into the
topic of interest to them. We want girls to learn communication
skills, expand their social circle, rise above with leadership
opportunities and set a firm foundation in good health habits and
self-care techniques. To do this effectively there needs to be a
certain number of meetings.
Does this online really work for Girl Scouts?
We have
talked for over a decade in Girl Scouts about offering virtual Girl
Scouting. Some councils (including ours) have done a variety of
different times of program over the year. The pandemic has really
required us to be innovative and meet our girls where they live. This
new way to serve girls is going great. As an older person I see the
value in in-person interactions and miss it terribly; our younger
generation as always is much more adaptable. We are finding that with
them the outcomes we strive for in Girl Scouts are coming through in
this new way of programming. Long-term the clubs will always be
online; it is the design of them. They may eventually include an
in-person optional event; however, the ability to meet with and really
get to know girls from different areas is an integral outcome for the clubs.
Please note Girl Scouts has different goals than online school. Our
focus is on the interactions, shared leadership (girls and adults),
and group discovery which leads to learning.
Will my Girl Scout be in a club with girls of different
grades?
Yes, hopefully. It will depend on who signs up.
Girl Scouts has found that leadership is easiest for girls to learn
and do when girls are different grade levels; however, they also need
to be within ranges. Our clubs will be based on blended levels; which
means broken into the following grade groupings: K-1; 3-5; 6-12.
There will be opportunities for girls to be only with other girls
there level. Meaning if you are in a 6-12th grade club there will be times
when the middle schoolers are together and the high schoolers are together.
What if my daughter wants to volunteer with a younger group?
Please email programcoordinator@gssgc.org
so we can contact you when and if that opportunity comes available.
The email should come from the girl and she might consider including
how she thinks she can help and with which club.
Will the girls earn badges and recognitions?
Depending on
the club will depend on what they work on. Girl Scout program is good
quality program and therefore we will weave parts of the badge
requirements into the clubs as it is appropriate.
Can my Girl Scout also participate in a traditional troop at the
same time?
Yes, we encourage girls to continue
participating in a traditional troop that gives a rich Girl Scout
experience. The clubs are designed to expand girls experience in a
specific area such as exploring what time of career is of interest to
them? Or if owning their own business is right for them? Or what
does it mean to really live the Girl Scout law especially in the
global diverse world we find ourselves living in?
What if I am an individually registered Girl Scout?
Clubs
do not change your status as an individually registered Girl Scout.
Girls can participate and earn badges on their own while still
participating in this program. Think of it as a really really really
long event
What does it mean that clubs are grant supported?
Everything we do in Girl Scouts even those that are primarily
volunteer run have hidden costs associated with operating a business.
This is true even as a non-profit business. There is a budget
associated with the clubs that assumes girls will pay some of the
direct costs and that our funders will cover the in-direct costs and
some of the direct costs. GSSGC would like to ensure all girls can
participate so some of the funding is earmarked for girls who would
not be able to participate without support. Having said all that
depending on the amount of funding received and the funders specific
focus will depend on how much each of the clubs will be supported. In
addition to grant funding; we also have some individual donors that
would like to support or girls to ensure they get robust interactions
with other girls especially during these times. However, some of
donors also see the value in girls interacting with girls from
different geographic areas or backgrounds. Regardless of the funder
we have evaluations that we will ask the girls to complete (not only
because of the funder) and we would love to get quotes, feedback and
pictures from parents to provide to our funders.
What if the dates/times don’t work for us?
At this time
staff is limited and we can’t accommodate additional dates/time. If
you would like to be notified when we start the 6 week clubs to see if
that time works for you please complete this form
to get our monthly newsletter. You can also email customercare@gssgc.org to
give specific feedback or recommend the date and time of your choosing.
Another option, we are working to find volunteers. If you are
interested in leading a club at a specific date and time please email
programcoordinator@gssgc.org
and we can work with you to ensure you have the program materials and
all the support you will need to lead one of the groups on your own.
It will include training, meetings outlines, a support network and more.
To sign up for the newsletter: https://girlscoutsgssgc.wufoo.com/forms/w6id7zb10aylun/
Or to express interest in a specific 6 week club fill out the club
form: https://girlscoutsgssgc.wufoo.com/forms/pf6fsub0ifi27n/
What if my kid hates her club?
We don’t think this will
happen but we do ask that if your daughter is having a hard time with
the experience she is having that she talks to the club leader (with
your help). Girl Scouts is girl led and every girl gets a voice. We
are also a very adaptable organization. However, ultimately girls are
not being held hostage they can choose to leave their club experience
at any time.
How big are the clubs?
We found that 12-20 girls is the
optimal size for what we are trying to do. It allows everyone to fit
on one screen in a platform like Zoom and still have the images large
enough for the girls to interact Clubs may be smaller than this based
on interest but this is the optimal size.
Why haven’t you said zoom?
This summer we used zoom and
band quite successfully as our platforms of choice. We plan to still
use band but are looking at a couple other options for the online
video portion.
What if the club I want is full?
Unfortunately staff is
limited and we could not offer an unlimited number of spots. We will
be adding long and short-term clubs as we find volunteers. If you
completed the online form and marked that the club you wanted is full
we will contact you if additional space becomes available or a new
club is formed.
If you are interested in leading a club at a specific date and time
please email programcoordinator@gssgc.org
and we can work with you to ensure you have the program materials and
all the support you will need to lead one of the groups on your own.
It will include training, meetings outlines, a support network and more.
What if I want more than one club?
At this time space in
clubs is limited so we encourage girls to only sign up for one experience.
Can I volunteer?
Volunteers are the backbone of our
organization. We are actively seeking volunteers for a variety of
positions to work alongside the staff so we can offer more
opportunities to girls. The positions Include the following:
- club leads (leads and coordinates the program – must be
background screened and cleared)
- monitors (2nd
background screened adult who monitors the chat window)
- presenters (attend one meeting and present on a specific topic
you are knowledgeable about)
If you are interested in leading a club, monitoring, or being a
presenter please email programcoordinator@gssgc.org
and we are ready to work with you. Please note for the club leads we
will provide you with the program materials and all the support you
will need to lead one of the groups on your own. It will include
training, meetings outlines, a support network and more.network and
more.