Girl Scouts of Camden County, NJ
Your daughter wants to join a Girl Scout troop, but neither one of you knows much about Girl Scouting. Here is some general information to get you started.
For definitions of several terms, visit the official Girl Scout Glossary.
Questions
Q: How does my daughter join a troop?
A: Registration forms will be sent home with your daughter early in the school year. You may return them at your school's back to school night. You may also register electronically on our site.
Q: How do I become a Girl Scout Leader?
A: When your daughter receives the registration form in school, simply check off how you are willing to volunteer. You may also do the same on the electronic registration form.
Q: What levels are there in Girl Scouts?
A: There are five levels in Girl Scouts: Daisies, age 5 or in kindergarten; Brownies, ages 6-8 or in grades 1-3; Juniors, ages 8-11 or in grades 3-6; Cadettes, ages 11-14 or in grades 6-9; and Seniors, ages 14-17 or in grades 9-12. This was obtained from the Girl Scout Glossary.
Q: What are the Promise and the Law?
A: "The credo of Girl Scouting, the pledge that binds us together as members of
the Girl Scout movement."
-Girl Scout Glossary
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Q: What are the four program goals?
A: "The four program goals are the framework for Girl Scout activities, along with
the Girl Scout Promise and Law."
-Girl Scout Glossary
The four goals are
- Developing Self-Potential
- Relating to Others
- Developing Values
- Contributing to Society
For more detailed descriptions of the four program goals, visit this page on the GSUSA site.
A: The uniform pieces are displayed here on the GSUSA page.
Q: Where could I purchase a uniform?
A: Uniforms may be purchased online here
at the GSUSA Shopping Mall or at the council shop. The phone number of the council
shop is 856-795-1560 and phone/credit card orders are available. It is located at 40
Brace Rd. in Cherry Hill, NJ.
However, you may also purchase items at other local stores such as Boscov's of Moorestown
Mall, Boscov's of Echelon Mall (Girl Scout supplies coming soon), Stone's Camping World,
or JC Penney of Cherry Hill Mall.
Q: Is there a camp for Girl Scouts in our area?
A. Yes. Our camp is Camp Inawendiwin, located in Tabernacle, NJ. Every
summer, six weeks of camping are available. Your daughter can attend day camp there.
There are three 2-week sessions available. Each session will have a sleepover
on the second Tuesday of the session. Resident camp is no longer available at Camp
Inawendiwin.
The camp has several facilities that can be rented, including cabins like Lakeside or
Sequoia, tents, or acorn shelters, which are screened mini-cabins built on tent platforms.
For photos, visit the Camp Inawendiwin Page.
For more information on Camp Inawendiwin, visit the council's website.
Our area's other council (Girl Scouts of the
South Jersey Pines) also has summer camp programs available. For more
information, visit this
page on their site.
Q: What is the Service Unit Team?
A: The Service Unit Team is a group of leaders who also assist in the management and the running of the service unit. For more information about our Service Unit Team and specific jobs, see the Service Unit Team page.
A: This depends on the troop. A troop may meet once a month or twice a month.
A: Some troops meet after school, but others meet in the evening, depending on when the leaders are available.
A: As girls get older, meetings are longer. Daisy Girl Scout meetings would be about one hour long. Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts might meet for about two hours.
A: Troops may meet in a room at their school or at a member's home.
Q: What is the cost of participating in Girl Scouts each year?
A: Girls and adults pay $7 in national dues per year. There are also troop dues, which vary from troop to troop.
A: The cookie sale is held from mid-January to mid February. It lasts about 4 weeks.
A: Girls sell cookies to help raise funds for their troop and council and also for the National organization. Cookie sales also teach important business and money skills to girls.
Q: How do girls earn recognitions?
A: There are several kind of recognitions. In Daisies, girls study the areas of the Promise and Law to earn Daisy Petals. In Brownies, girls complete four actvities related to a ceratin subject to earn a Try-It. In Juniors, girls complete six activities to earn Proficiency Badges. In Cadettes and Seniors, girls complete seven activities, including a service project, to complete Interest Project Awards. There are other recogntions as well. Juniors can earn Signs, which are combinations of badges and activities, Junior Aide, which is earned through helping other girls, and the Bronze Award. Cadettes may earn From Dreams to Reality, the Cadette Challenge, the Cadette Girl Scout Leadership Award, and the Silver Award. Seniors may earn the Career Exploration Pin, the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award, the Senior Girl Scout Challenge Pin, and the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. There are also Religious Recoginitions for girls.