Cadette Essentials Training for Advisors

I'd say that every class of Cadette Essentials I've taught over the last couple of years has had its own personality.  I've had the angry class of 35 who came after me with both guns blazing, the class of 15 who just wanted to talk with each other to work out the issues they were having with their girls, and everything inbetween!

We were a very small group this past week.  Only 3 advisors.  I think we sort of created our own "Journey" thru the topics and what they needed to know.  Who would have thought that the first half hour of a Cadette Essentials would be about the Gold Award?  Well, it was, and I think it was all a whole lot clearer to them, once we were done.  It really helped sort of set the stage for what Cadettes do now, as prelude for what they can do next.

Cadettes is all about leaving Juniors (and meetings that feel like birthday parties!) and really having the girls take the job of running their meetings, making their own decisions and working together.  And in a sense, it's all about getting them ready for Seniors and the Gold Award.  All that work with the little girls combined with their hormones, growing up, and changing bodies comes together!

Three years of Cadettes may seem intimidating, but these girls need to go at their own speed. They may need to have a year of hair, nails and chat to get through, while you think they should be doing badges!  Perhaps this is the year for the aMaze Journey?   It's all about the changes these newbie middle schoolers are going through at school.  And you may have a year where it's all about cookies and camp, where they may feel a connection to the Breathe Journey.  Or maybe it's about the Silver.

As we say in training, take the time. There's no rush!  And when each girl is ready, she'll do her Silver. Or not.  Maybe you'll really have to work with the girls to find out what their passion is, where their interests lie?  Perhaps you've been doing it since the first day of 6th grade, just laying it out there....."wouldn't this be interesting as a Silver Award Project?"  The scribe can even keep a list going. Maybe even brainstorm about issues then, and save it.  It may not fall on fertile minds then, but it may later.

Our group of 3 really walked away with a broader sense of the GS program, I think, and understood the larger picture. I hope!  All 3 were excited for the year, and all 3 wanted the best for their girls.  With that kind of attitude, I bet everyone has a great year!





 

Cadette Essentials Training

Okay, it's true, I LOVE training!  I love delivering it, and I love receiving it!!!

Being an adult trainer is it's own LIA opportunity, just for adults! It's a chance for me to use the leadership tools and knowledge  that I've developed over these many years, as well as to talk about Scouting which is near and dear to my heart.  

But as much as I like standing in front of the class, delivering the message, I think the most fun really comes from hearing the leaders in the room talk with each other.  We had a great session the other night with a small group of 7 leaders for Cadette Essentials.  One woman was a brand new leader! First time ever, and she'll be taking over the bridging Juniors as they become first year Cadettes.  I applaud her, and so did everyone in the class. 

She had great questions, some of which were better directed to the more experienced leaders, and they all chimed in.  Each of those leaders had gems of wisdom to share with her and with each other.  A couple questions really took me aback, as I was a bit appalled at some abysmal behavior of parents and leaders that was being told.  But every leader was nodding in agreement, offering their support and potential solutions. Each of them had a sense of fairness that they shared.  No one was thrown under a bus!

And each of them was looking forward to more Girl-Led experiences with the Cadettes.  No more "birthday party" meetings!  These leaders are ready to move the meeting place, create a group agreement at their first meeting, let the girls vote on whether they want ledger accounting, offer a new form of troop government, and encourage the girls to take advantage of the many opportunities they now have as Cadettes.  Their girls are going to have a GREAT Cadette experience, because they are going to lead their own experience.

Hats off to all you leaders who work so hard to make the experience as robust and fulfilling for the girls as possible!  You rock!

I love Cadette Essentials Training

It's true, I love the Older Girl age group!  So I have a BIG thank you to all of you leaders who survived Daisys, Brownies and Juniors with your girls. You have worked with them, loved them, coddled them and brought them to where they are now:  ready to be a Cadette.

I had a really great training the other night with only 5 leaders.  It didn't feel much like teaching. It felt more like a good chat for 2 hours in uncomfortable chairs at the Program Center.  4 of the leaders are current Junior leaders, so they're looking forward to the next level, getting ready.  And one leader who just jumped back into Cadettes after a long hiatus, to help a troop that lost a leader. She doesn't even have a daughter or granddaughter in the troop. But she does have a big heart, and she's ready to be the no-nonsense leader/advisor that those girls sorely lack.

So it was the 6 of us.  Chatting.  And I have to say, we all learned some things from each other.  And we all walked away with new things to try, new ideas on how to give more to the girls to do, and more courage that it was going to work out well.  

How to handle cell phones at meetings?  Trainer Barb has my favorite answer:  cell phones get switched off and put in a basket as the girls walk in the door.  If one rings out loud, Barb will go over, and text back, "so sorry, at a GS meeting."  She won't read the incoming message, but she'll send an outgoing one. I love it!  So, a leader asked last night, "so, has she ever had to do that?" I don't really know!  And I was at a fundraising luncheon today with 499 other women. The chair of the event said that if she heard a cell phone go off, the cell phone owner would have to pay $100 to get her phone back!!!  I loved it!  Each was a good solution, age appropriate and direct!!

How to do even handed ledger accounting?  How much goes to the troop's general operating fund? Should we collect dues?  Sashes or vests for the new Cadettes? Should we buy handbooks for each girl?  How will we know when our girls are ready for their Silver Award Projects?  Can the girls raise extra funds?  Can the troop help fund the project? Can we really do a different troop government?


Great discussion and solutions.  Yes, I love Cadette training!!!  Hats off to all of you Cadette Advisors who are making a difference in middle-schooler's lives.  You are giving those girls the opportunity to grow, learn, make mistakes and discover who they are in the safe GS environment.  


Thank you!  We couldn't do it without you!!!

Girl Role in the Silver Award Project

We talked about the Adult Role last post, so for this one, we'll talk about the girl role.  Again, Karin and Lesley's role description is coming in handy!  Commercial plug:  if you haven't taken the Silver Award Training yet, and your girls are getting ready for this step, DO IT!  It's a couple hours, but truly worth it!

The girls need to.....

Hear the Take Action message; take responsibility for the quality of her project.  Be sure the girls understand that this is not about running a day camp!  This is about identifying an issue in the community that they care about and addressing that need.

Ask for help when needed.  If she's stuck, the girl needs to know that you are a resource for her. You're not there to solve her problem, but to give her clues/leads on where she can look.

Be willing to make mistakes. That's a hard one for many A-type personalities!  But an important skill to learn.  It could be that the girl has found her issue, but missed the mark on how to address it.  Admitting the error, then going back to the central issue and re-thinking it takes support from you.

Educate herself and others on current issues.  As you've heard me say before, start with the ISSUE not the project!  Be a resource for the girl as she examines local issues and picks the one that resonates with her.

Practice public speaking.  Role playing in a safe environment, like Girl Scouts, is a great tool.  Maybe you've already practiced this in your Breathe Journey?  Or maybe the girls have had some practice at school?  Build on what they know, and let them practice.  On whom?  Maybe each other? Maybe a sister Brownie or Daisy troop?  Or maybe with a Senior/Ambassador troop who can make suggestions on ways to improve.  Use your leadership role here to have it be a good experience all around!

Define what leadership means to her.  That's a big one!  Management of time and resources is not the same as leadership, and the girls need to (start) learn that.  They need to learn that leadership is about the big idea, gathering others of a like mind, educating them, and empowering everyone to take action.  Management is about the schedule, agendas and divvying up the work load.  A tough concept for many girls (and adults).  It would be great if they learned it here, so that when they interview with us for their Gold Award Projects, they'll be clear in explaining how they will lead and who they will lead.

Have fun!  This whole Silver Award process needs to be engaging and fun.  I think it helps if the girl is passionate about the issue and project, and while there's work to be done, she's excited and enthusiastic about getting it done.

Great Silver Award Training Class Today!

What a GREAT group of Cadette Advisors in the room this morning for the Silver Award Training.  Karin Carlson and Lesley Finch were aided by Barb Christenson and me as we went through the essentials of the highest award a girl can earn as a Cadette:  the Silver Award.

We hit hard on the concept of "raising the bar", and how a Silver Award Project should not look like a regular "collection service project".  All the leaders in the room were able to shout out service projects that they'd done with their girls, and everyone was really clear on what that was.  The newer part was to talk about how a Silver Award Project is a couple steps up the ladder.

There was great discussion about how a Silver Award Project needs to benefit the community, not Girl Scouts. So while it's nice to want to put on a Brownie Playday, that's not Silver quality, any longer!  And to make it more personal, after the break, Barb asked for topics or issues that the advisors thought the girls might like to pursue.  We posted these around the room, and each advisor went to one and worked with their group to first, write down resources that they might consider pursuing for information and/or partnership on their project.

We came back together and reported back. Then broke into groups to have the group pick JUST ONE resource and choose JUST ONE possible project that could be addressed, and how that might look. 
There was engaged and energetic discussion about the root issue could be addressed.  Several groups reported back, one with a really good task list, another with a really good division of labor among the team members.  And finally, the last one to share had a topic that really didn't have an issue to address; it was just a fun thing to do!  But it didn't benefit anyone, or fill a need in the community. What a great exercise for the girls to go through as well!  It could be that their first idea won't work, so they'll need to re-group and come up with another idea.

We talked about how to use the NEW Cadette Girl Guide as the reference for the Silver Award.  It's much better than the downloads off GSUSA, and it's IN the handbook that the girl will have for 3 years!  Both the girl and the advisor can refer back to it on a regular basis to keep on track.

Lesley ended the training with a reminder to reflect and celebrate!  When the girl(s) finish their project, let them enjoy the success, talk about what they could do better, and relish the fact that they took on a project that was tough, and they accomplished it!  They discovered a need, connected with others to make a change, and took action to make the change a reality.

That's mighty heady stuff, Maynard!

FABULOUS TRAINING NIGHT

WOW! Last night there were 24 enthusiastic, excited Cadette leaders in the room for Cadette Essentials.  All but a couple were starting their first year of Cadettes with their 6th graders.  Most had completed at least one Journey at the Junior level.  Over half had girls who completed the Bronze Award.  All were looking forward to the Cadette Journey experience and the Silver Award process.

WOW, again!  What a difference from the first Cadette Essentials I taught, not that long ago, where no troop had taken a Journey, only a few troops had transitioned to the new requirements, and few troops were embracing the GSLE (Girl Scout Leadership Essentials) model.

NOW, the purposeful leadership, the letting it be girl led and the Journey leadership experience are part of everyone's lexicon! PLUS, everyone was ready for the new red Cadette Guide that has the new badges, all the awards for this age group, Silver Award requirements and other great GS information.  It's a shame that all these binders aren't available right this moment, but I don't think that's going to stop any of these leaders.  The suggestion was made to just start a Journey, and when the Girl Guides become readily available, start using them.  Yes!

We also talked about how they have THREE years of Cadettes. There is NO RUSH to get a Journey and a Silver Award done in the first 10 minutes!!!  Depending on age and maturity, it could take a good half to full year to get the girls up to speed with Cadette life.  New government structure, new ledger accounting (if they choose it), new LIA opportunities, new leadership role, etc.  Let the girls decide was the mantra for the training.  We leaders provide the structure and support to let this happen.

Of course, everyone knew that it wouldn't happen over night!  It's a process, and since this is Girl Scouts, I'd ask how to measure this?  I'm sure everyone would have said that the best measure would be when the leader sits in her chair in the back of the room, and watches the girls lead the meeting, make strong decisions and take the lead.

Truly, I am so proud of these leaders and wish them every success with their girls.  A big thank you to them for their enthusiasm and commitment. And thank you to all our volunteers who provide such great support for all our Cadette girls.  It just does my heart good!

LIA - Leadership in Action

“…to teach is to learn twice…”

I just saw this aphorism posted on the old Orco Block building off the 55 freeway.  There is surely some truth to the statement.

As a trainer, I am supposed to have a really good knowledge of the subject I’m to teach.  But I don’t know everything!  And I don’t really KNOW it until I’ve taught it several times.  To the content of what I teach, I add in the discussion information from each class, the great ideas and the failures.  So when I go to teach again, I am not only teaching the syllabus, but I am re-learning the information I’m teaching, adding in new tidbits as I learn them.  Teaching certainly reinforces what I’ve learned!

Isn’t that what the Leadership in Action (LIA) is all about?  We ask our Cadettes to identify a team of Brownies who are working on the same Leadership Journey.  Using the Breathe Journey as an example, the girls take some of what they’ve learned for Breathe (experiments, facts, fun crafts, etc.) and figure out how to teach it to the younger girls.  They learn it twice!  Once when it was new, and then again as they teach the Brownies. What great reinforcement!

And what a great way for these Cadette-aged girls to use their leadership skills!  These little Brownies LOVE the older girls!  The older girls are there only for them, paying attention, focusing their efforts and having successes. It’s a win-win situation!

I would be remiss if I didn’t say, don’t forget to reinforce this with the girls. Be sure to take the time after they’ve completed the LIA to talk about what the girls discovered about them selves, how they connected with the younger girls and how taking action makes a difference.  Be sure that they see the value of using what they’ve learned to help others…..so that they make the world a better place!  

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to the first post on my brand new blog! Still working out the kinks, mostly on my end, as I learn to use the widgets and great tools that Google has to offer. So here goes….

Being a Cadette Trainer has its ups and downs! There’s nothing like hearing “I did what you said, and it worked!” or “I used the idea that other woman was talking about, and my girls loved it! We’ll do it again!” And it warms my cockles to hear, “we like the training so much the first time, we came back to do it again and learn more!” Truly, I am more of a facilitator. I have a training format to follow, but the real blood and guts, in the trenches comments come from you leaders.

Most of you own a Cadette girl, and many of you are facing the same challenges with your daughter and her troop mates. They are a squirrely bunch of incoming 6th graders, 7th graders in a fog, and then 8th graders getting to know who they are a bit better. So social, and so about snack and chat in 6th grade. Most of them don’t have email accounts and phones, yet, but they will, and as a leader and troop, you’re all going to be working toward making the changes that come as these girls grow up.

And they’re going to change. They’ll get hair in funny places, body changes in shape and dimension, and their hormones will just be raging. School will be both fun, hard and boring. Those happy little chatty girls will change into monosyllabic responders. Yep, they’re a different kind of challenge, all right!!!!

So, in this blog, I’m hoping to provide a forum for questions and answers. Resource for info and a way for all of you to share info with one another. It’s my first try, and I hope it works!

It will also be a place for me to post info gleaned from training, any new program pieces that I hear about from council, and maybe even some fun photos of Cadette events. I’m hoping it will be fun and productive for all of us.

  -  Ann