Safety

Ensuring the health and safety of girls in Girl Scouting is a cornerstone of the Girl Scout Movement. This includes developing safety consciousness in both girls and adults, as well as training staff, volunteers, and girls to ensure proper supervision, planning to prevent accidents and incidents, and maintenance of program resources.

Safety-Wise is Girl Scouts of the USA's recommendation for safety and activity planning for all Girl Scouts. It includes Girl Scout program standards, basic safety guidelines, activity checkpoints, and information on planning trips with girls. It also addresses group money-earning and budgeting guidelines and special guidelines for camping. A copy is furnished to every troop/group leader, program activity volunteer, and professional staff member. It is updated periodically to reflect the latest in safety considerations and is an integral part of every volunteer and staff training, no matter what the level. Leaders and advisors are encouraged to share it with girls, as they are involved in planning activities.

Girls can work on projects that develop their safety skills and increase their understanding of what it means to be safe. Here are some of the awards that girls can earn:

Girls 6-8:

• Brownie Girl Scout Safety Award
• Brownie Girl Scout Try-Its
• All in the Family
• Safety-Sense
• Travel Right
• Working It Out
• The Staying Safe Patch for Brownie Girl Scouts

Girls 8-11:

• Junior Girl Scout Safety Award
• Junior Girl Scout Badges
• Becoming a Teen
• Caring for Children
• Environmental Health
• First Aid
• Healthy Relationships
• Safety-First
• The Staying Safe Patch for Junior Girl Scouts

Girls 11-17:

• Safety Award for Girl Scouts 11-17
• Interest Projects for Girls 11-17
• Childcare
• Emergency Preparedness
• Outdoor Survival
• Your Best Defense

First-aid Courses

In case of accidents, skill, good judgment, and quick action must come into play. To this end, all adults working with girls are encouraged to attend first-aid courses. Girls have the opportunity to learn about first aid at each program age-level. Formal training in first aid is required for the designation "first-aider."

Check with your local Girl Scout council for a current list of approved first-aid courses and training schedules.