Progression is a concept we love to talk about here at Girl Scouts—it’s a huge component of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, after all. But…what does it actually mean? And how do you make sure you’re doing it right? Let’s break it down.
What We Talk About When We Talk about Progression
The main feature of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is that it’s girl-led. That means that girls should have a say in everything they do, whether that’s picking which badge to earn or planning the entire itinerary for an international troop trip (It’s possible!). Will your newly formed Daisy troop be able to research activities, budget for supplies, and lead the meeting themselves from the get-go? It’s pretty unlikely, but that’s exactly where progression comes into play.
Progression enables girls to acquire the necessary skills to become competent leaders, fearless outdoor enthusiasts, and adventurous travelers. Girls start at a baseline (What can they do now?) and practice the skills they need to get to the next level (What do they want to be able to do?). As girls progress towards higher levels of complexity and difficulty, they’ll also take on more and more responsibilities.
Progression and a Troop Leader’s Role
As a troop leader, your role is to consider your girls’ individual abilities as you explore, plan, and guide your troop’s activities. For younger girls, that means you’ll play more of an active role in presenting choices and helping girls discover their interests. For older girls, you’ll step back to allow girls to take the lead and provide guidance and coaching when needed.
By the time they bridge to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors, your girls will be the primary decision-makers and assume the majority of responsibility for their troop. (You’ll never leave completely, but you’ll be sitting back and marveling at the extraordinary leaders you’ve helped nurture!)
Progression in Practice
Because progression can sometimes seem fuzzy in practice, here’s an example of how it could look at each program grade level. You’ll notice what girls are able to do, and what role you can play.
Choosing and earning a badge
Girls’ RoleTroop Leader’s Role
Daisy/Brownie
Express their interest areas
Vote on this or that choices
Carry out assigned kapers
Considering girls’ interests, come up with a list of two or three badges
Plan activities for girls to do
Identify where girls can take the lead
Junior
Break out into small groups to brainstorm ideas, present their ideas to the larger group, decide how they want to make a final vote
Decide which activities they’ll do to earn the badge
Ask questions to guide the decision-making process: Does the troop have enough money? Do we have enough time? Does everyone feel comfortable doing this activity?
Help girls generate ideas for activities they could do
Cadette
Research badge options
Use resources like Girl Scouts River Valleys’ activity plans, Volunteer ToolKit, or Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to plan troop meeting activities
Observe the planning process and direct girls to resources
Senior/Ambassador
Decide on badges and badge activities
Consider troop budget as they plan
Plan and lead troop meeting
Provide input when asked
Pose open-ended questions to deepen girls’ involvement and engagement
But how exactly do you go from girls expressing their ideas to them then taking those ideas and coming up with a fully fleshing meeting plan? Well, let’s go through the framework:
In the beginning, you’ll be doing the majority of the planning and work (With girl input, of course!)
Then, work your way to planning alongside your girls. Show them how you go about planning a meeting. Incorporate questions so they get a sense of how you think through problems. So, you could say, “We agreed to set aside $25 for this activity. Would we have enough to go to the museum to earn the Space Science badge? How much does going to the museum cost? If we don’t have enough money, what could we do instead?”
With that scaffolding in place (i.e. Here’s what we need to consider when planning), step back and let girls take the reins. Be ready (but not too ready, since you want to give them space to try out different things and make mistakes) to step in to support if they need assistance.
Finally, step alllll the way back and let girls do it by themselves.
So, while your Daisies might not be able to balance the troop budget and reach out to a potential guest speaker for your troop meeting now, there’s a clear pathway to get them there. And when your Girl Scouts reach that pinnacle of doing it all by themselves, know that you were instrumental to their success. Way to go, troop leader!
Written by:
Lily Yu –Lily is a Program Resource Specialist at River Valleys. She earned her BA in comparative literature and Japanese from Hamilton College and has a background in publishing and advertising. Though she wasn’t a Girl Scout growing up, Lily is making up for lost time as a volunteer and troop cookie manager for her daughter’s Brownie troop. In her free time, she enjoys going for long walks, reading, and spending time with her family (And rescue dog, Neil!).
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