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Training Essentials

Welcome to the Adult Learning & Volunteer Services Department at Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio! We want you to succeed and have fun doing it. That’s why we offer amazing training opportunities for you to invest in your growth as a leader and mentor.

Through our Training Essentials, Enrichment Training and Outdoor Program classes, you will learn how to maximize the Girl Scouting experience. By participating on line or during hands-on workshops, you will increase your confidence and learn new skills.

We offer a variety of courses designed to fully support your leadership journey. Visit our Event Calendar to find these amazing courses near you. Invest in yourself…you’ll be glad you did.

Can't find the class you need? Nothing being offered in your area? Submit a Training by Request and the Adult Learning Department will do their best to schedule a class.

On October 1, 2019, GSUSA and GSSGC will roll-out new volunteer training on a new interactive and engaging learning platform. It’s an exciting change! Our required volunteer online classes will be available on the training platform, along with an ever-expanding selection of enrichment classes and micro, “bite-sized” learning options.

If you need assistance accessing any of the classes or supplemental materials, please contact customercare@gssgc.org or call 1-800-400-4475

Log into your myGS account to access gsLearn

We know that training is critical to a successful volunteer experience, and for that reason, we are continually adding to our training portfolio. Check the event list and gsLearn, our e-learning site, regularly.

All trainings are available to all members and some are designated to be taken by volunteers serving in specific roles in the Council. Details are provided in the training descriptions.

30-days

The following trainings are required to be completed within the first 30 days of your appointment as a Coleader of a troop.

GS101

GS101 is a 45-minute, self-paced online orientation to Girl Scouting. Completion of this course within 30 days of appointment as a coleader is required along with Leader Orientation and Troop Financial Management to maintain troop compliance.

GS101 Course

Be sure to select San Gorgonio as the Council to receive credit.

 

New Leader Orientation

Leader Orientation is a one-time training that is required for all new leaders starting or taking over a Girl Scout troop in San Gorgonio. This orientation will cover the specific policies, standards and guidelines Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio holds to each troop. Completion of this course within 30 days of appointment as a coleader is required along with GS101 and Troop Financial Management to maintain troop compliance.

 

Troop Financial Management

Coleaders and Troop Helpers assist girls as they both earn and manage money as an integral part of their Girl Scout Leadership Experience. A Girl Scout group is responsible for planning and financing its own activities, with adult guidance. This training will inform you of San Gorgonio financial policies, managing troop finances, girl planning and reporting requirements. Completion of this course within 30 days of appointment as a coleader is required along with GS101 and Leader Orientation. This course and GS101 is required of troop helper in charge of troop treasury within 30 days of their appointment to the position.

 


 

60-days

The following trainings are required to be completed within the first 60 days of your appointment as a Coleader of a troop.

First Aid/CPR

An adult certified in both American Red Cross (or equivalent as determined by GSUSA in Safety Activity Checkpoints and Volunteer Essentials) First Aid and CPR MUST be present for all organized Girl Scout activities. This standard also includes traveling as a troop/group.

First-aid/CPR training that is available entirely online does not satisfy Girl Scouts’ requirements. Such courses do not offer enough opportunities to practice and receive feedback on your technique.

Participants will learn to respond to breathing/cardiac emergencies in adults and children, and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Instruction includes how to recognize and respond to sudden illnesses and injuries, such as: bleeding control, burns, shock prevention, and fractures. Upon completion, participants receive a 2-year certificate in First Aid and 2-year certificate in Adult, Child CPR/AED.

Visit our Event Calendar to find classes in your area.

Guide to Using Volunteer Essentials

Volunteers like you are critical in helping Girl Scouts continue to be the premier leadership development organization for girls. Volunteer Essentials is a vital resource that will support you in providing a fun, safe, and impactful Girl Scout experience. As you inspire girls to reach their greatest potential, you will experience joy and friendships that will bring out the best in you, too.

This video journey through Volunteer Essentials will assist you in locating vital information needed to provide the best possible Girl Scout Leadership Experience for your troop.

Check back in November 2019 for an updated video for the new Volunteer Essentials!


 

90-days

The following trainings are required to be completed within the first 90 days of your appointment as a Coleader of a troop.

Volunteer Tool Kit (VTK) Tutorial

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is a web-based app that you can access from your desktop, tablet or phone. Focus on fun! Streamline planning and troop management while keeping families in the loop. This tutorial will show you how to navigate the different tabs, utilizes the resources available to your troops advantage and provide a smooth planning tool that will keep your troop on track. Gone are the days of last minute “winging it” planning. The VTK will help you and your girls plan their badges, journeys, activities and track their attendance and earned awards.

Learn how this fully customizable digital planning tool can save you time and energy all year long, so that you can focus on unleashing the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ in her, ensuring she has every opportunity she deserves to build a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure. 

There are VTK Tutorials available for the Troop Leader, Administrative Volunteers as well as Caregivers for Indiviudal Register Members (IRM's or Juliette's) available on the gsLearn site!


 

90-days-no

The following training is required to be completed within 90 days of your appointment as a coleader of a troop as well as no later than 90 days after beginning a new grade level.

 

Grade Level Expertise

Daisy Troop Support Guide
Leading Daisies means your role will be hands on and full of laughs. The girls are young and will need your help to plan meetings, figure out what programs they want to do, and plan trips. Working with girls can bring many joys, including developing a personal relationship with each girl in your troop, building new adult friendships through the sisterhood of Girl Scouts, receiving appreciation and thanks from parents and, most importantly, knowing that you are shaping the future by working with a girl today. This guide will introduce you to the unique world of Daisies, the Promise and Law, the Petal Program and so much more.

Check back soon for Daisy Troop Support Guide Training 

Brownie Troop Support Guide
There are so many things to do in Girl Scouting that are made just for Brownies! From earning badges to going on their first camp-out, Girl Scout Brownies have a great opportunity to make new friends and try new things. Girl Scout Brownies need to learn that they can lead, make decisions, and be helpful. The girls are the doers, the planners, and the implementers of
their activities.

Check back soon for Brownie Troop Support Guide Training 

Junior Troop Support Guide
Want to meet a real-life superhero? Just talk to a Girl Scout Junior who wakes up every day ready to play a new role. Juniors are explorers when they go camping for the first time. They're CEOs when they market and sell cookies. They're scientists when they perform energy audits and go on nature walks. And they're product designers and writers when they earn their Innovation and Storytelling badges. Not to mention change-makers, big-idea thinkers, and future leaders. Superheroes, indeed! At this age, Juniors are beginning to develop leadership skills, test boundaries, pursue their own interests, and navigate the world as a somewhat independent person.

Check back soon for Junior Troop Support Guide Training 

Cadette Troop Support Guide
For Girl Scout Cadettes, your role as leader is moving from primarily leader role to that of a mentor and advisor. You will do less of the planning as the girls will begin to do more with your guidance. Cadettes can be an especially trying group as they learn to navigate from being a “kid” to a teenager. One minute they can’t wait to play with bubbles and the next they’re too cool for it- life is changing at a rapid pace and they are just trying to figure it all out.

Check back  soon for Cadette Troop Support Guide Training

Senior & Ambassador Troop Support Guide
For Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors, your role as leader is that of Advisor. You will do less of the planning as the girls will begin to do more with your guidance. Adolescence is a time of rapid physical, cognitive, social and emotional change. Girls will exhibit behaviors that can be challenging and bewildering to not only you, their families and their friends, but even to the girls themselves.

Check back soon for Senior & Ambassador Troop Support Guide Training 

 


 

whats-next

If you’d like to start experiencing the outdoors with your troop and will be planning overnights of more than 24 hours, then you’ll need Basic Outdoor Training. Is your troop interested in pursuing the Higher Awards available to Juniors and above, then we have Bronze, Silver & Gold Award Workshops. If travelling the globe is an aspiration or bridging over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is part of the troop plans, than Extended Troop Travel and Extended Troop Travel-Bridging Juniors are the classes for you.

Higher Award Workshops

Bronze Award Workshop
This training is highly recommended for leaders who want to guide their girls through the Bronze Award, the third highest award a Girl Scout can earn.  Includes how to choose a Bronze Award project, project examples, mandatory paperwork and integrations of Journeys and badge work.  Leaders will also learn the difference between a community service project, a required take-action project and, ultimately, the Bronze Award project

Silver Award Workshop
This training is recommended girls who would like to work towards their Silver Award, the second highest award a Girl Scout can earn, and the leaders who want to mentor and guide them through this process.  Includes project examples, mandatory paperwork and integrations of Journeys and badge work.  Participants will also learn the difference between a community service project, a required take-action project and ultimately, the Silver Award project.

Gold Award Workshop
This training is required for girls who are interested in working towards their Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, as well as their parents and mentors are encouraged to attend who will help guide girls through this process.  Includes project examples, mandatory paperwork and integrations of Journeys and badge work.  Participants will also learn the difference between a community service project, a required take-action project and ultimately, the Gold Award project.

Visit our Event Calendar to find classes in your area.

 

Basic Outdoor Training

This training is required for anyone who will be spending 24 hours or more with their girls. Class must be taken a minimum of 60 days in advance of your scheduled event or activity. Class will include cooking, safety, leave no trace, policies and procedures, GSSGC requirements for overnight stay, trip preparation and planning for outdoor activities. This is a blended learning class with an introduction to the outdoors available on demand as a prerequisite followed by an 8 hour hands on portion to be completed at an appropriate site. Both sessions must be completed prior to any overnight experiences and at least 60 days prior to the planned overnight experience.

Visit our Event Calendar to find classes in your area.

 

Troop Travel

Extended Troop Travel – Bridging Juniors
This is a required training for all adults who plan to attend any Council sponsored Bridging activity with their Junior troop that exceeds mileage limits or is more than two nights. Class includes money earning and goal setting, budgeting, itineraries, travel procedures, packing, and travel etiquette. Must be taken by all leaders participating in the experience and completed 3 months in advance of planned trip.

Extended Troop Travel
This is a required training for all girls and adults who plan to travel internationally or for trips more than three nights. Class includes money earning and goal setting, budgeting, itineraries, travel procedures, packing, and travel etiquette. Learn about currency exchange and how to stretch your money in a foreign country.  We also discuss practical travel concerns: Will my cell phone work in a foreign country? What cities have the highest incidents of pickpocketing? Are there any health or safety precautions I need to be aware of? This course must be taken a minimum of 6 months in advance.

Visit our Event Calendar to find classes in your area.

 

Interested in being on the San Gorgonio Council volunteer training team?

Fill out this interest form.