Core Strategy

Since first reading about the new journeys, I have been intrigued by what they’re all about and how they’re going to impact our troop’s focus.

In the past, most of our troop meetings were spent working on Try-Its. This was fun and the girls did learn through the activities, but in the back of my mind I was always questioning how this tied into leadership skills. (At the Brownie Girl Scout level, a “leader” was the girl who led the flag ceremony or chose the songs.) And the concept of “girl-led” meetings was somewhat confusing, because there wasn’t much specific information about how to teach the required skills. However, when I picked up my copy of Agent of Change (Junior level), I began to see a new side of Girl Scouts. By the time I had read through the entire leaders’ manual and girls’ handbook, I was singing with joy!

To me, this particular journey is all about making the world a better place through the empowerment of our young women. So far, our troop has discovered that power is neither good nor bad—it just is. We can use it to influence others in a positive way or we can contribute to the opposite. Bottom line—we have a choice!

The materials themselves are very well written and developmentally appropriate, the activities are fun and easy to prepare for, and there’s great background information in the leader manual. As a busy mom, I don't have a lot of time to plan or prep, so the “lesson plans” are a great resource and a fabulous starting point. They can stand alone or I have the option of adding to them.

I’m please to report that, over the course of the coming year, the girls in our Girl Scout Junior troop will be taking more responsibility in the running of meetings. And with each success and “aha!” moment, I envision myself moving further into the roles of resource and mentor. This is the strength that lies within the new journey materials, a strength that was missing before.

—Teresa Woods, Girl Scout Troop Leader