Juniors - Keeping their interest for Cadettes - part III

But what if YOU've had enough?  What if the thought of taking these happy Juniors to Cadettes and having to deal with those  hormonal, moody, enthusiastic, know-it-all girls to the next level is overwhelming?  What if your daughter is gung-ho and you aren't?  How can Cadettes keep your interest and keep you in Scouting with a happy heart.....


What if you've had enough of the same old thing?  I'd say this is a great opportunity for you to MAKE A CHANGE as well.  Turn it over to the girls, and let them do it.  Instead of worrying all the details, let them.  Let them make safe mistakes in a safe environment.  Let them take charge of their own Girl Scouting experience.  


Yes, I know, this won't happen overnight!  But you have 3 years of Cadettes, so start now!  As a 4th quarter Junior, give those girls some reins.  Use language that lets them know they've earned the opportunity to lead meetings, if they aren't already.  Let them make choices, and emphasize that they get to do it all in Cadettes.  The girl chooses how she would like to participate in Scouting.


One of the things we talk about in the Cadette training is, how to make it more girl led?  How to have the leaders (now advisors) sit back and let the girls figure out what they want to do. This is a HUGE step for many, and they are often just amazed at how much the girls WANT to have the girl led experience. One leader said her daughter was so excited, that after the first girl/parent meeting, she took her new Cadette Guide Book to bed with her, so she could write down more ideas of what she wanted to do for the year.  Another leader said it was scary!  This leader wanted to be in control and determine what was going to happen.  She vowed to change, because she understood that the more the girls became engaged in doing it themselves, the more they would want to stay in Girl Scouting.


How about combining with another troop?  Instead of being the 01 for 8, become the 02 for 15 or more.  Work with the 01 to find the place that fits you and how you want to participate.  One leader talked about how after two troops merged, she didn't need to be an 01 or 02, but still wanted to participate.  So she became the Silver Award Advisor for all the girls in the troop. What a great way to still be involved!  That way, if not every girl was working on the Silver, there was an adult who could host meetings outside the regular troop meetings and work with the Silver girls.  


Maybe you want to be the camping Mom?  So get trained!  Only take on the 2 or 3 camping trips a year.  Perhaps you're the one who can work out a training schedule for skills the interested girls will need to do the camping AND participate in Cadette O Rama.

How else could you support the troop without burnout?  Or perhaps a better question is, how can you step away for a while or forever, and keep your daughter involved?  Are there other adults that you can ask to help?  Is there training you can take to teach you some new skills?  Or can you participate within your service unit to do some "group think".  Instead of each Cadette troop doing the same thing separately, partner up!  Have the 3 troops work together.  Encourage the girls to work cooperatively, taking leadership pieces as they learn by doing to accomplish their task.  This could be for one event or activity a year, or for more.

Girl Scouting offers all sorts of opportunities for leadership for the girls AND the adults.  Sometimes we have to ask for help, and sometimes we just have to go out and find it.  


Stay tuned for the last post of this series....

The Silver Award - Another View

I’m still thinking about the Silver Award, but this time from the adult perspective….

What is your adult role?  What should you be doing to support your girls as they get ready for their Silver Award work?

First, take the Silver Award Training Class offered by Council.  This will provide you with some great information as well as a chance to chat with some other advisors.

Second,encourage the girl to think critically and outside the box.  Binkys for babies, neo-natal caps for preemies and Daisy Play Days are not sufficient projects on their own!  Work with the girls to start on page one of the new Silver Guidelines (in their NEW Cadette Girl Guide).  Don’t start with the end, start with identifying the issue and working from there.

Third, cheerlead!  Support her work.  Encourage her thought process.  Provide assistance as asked, but really put it back on the girl to go find the answers.  You can help locate the resources, but then back away, and let the girls do the exploring.

She might get stuck!  Answer her questions or help her find those who can provide the information.  You might suggest avenues that she might not be aware of, and you can help her to access these new pathways.

And finally, you are her troop leader, and while you can certainly take the training and act as her advisor, I would also encourage the girl to identify an advisor for her project.  Perhaps there is a troop parent who can take the training and act as the advisor?  Or perhaps this is something that your co-leader would want to take on as her job?  And truly, if only a few of your girls want to earn the Silver, having an outside advisor could work really well.

Who says Moms don't know best?

"My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother."
--Wilma Rudolph
American track and field athlete

You parents and leaders have enormous power over these Cadette girls. And I mean that in the best possible way.

You are their role models, among other things(!), and you are who these girls look to for advice, information and approval, whether they want to admit it or not.  You are the one that wants to keep them safe, and still encourage them to Discover the world around them.

If Wilma Rudolph's mom hadn't been so encouraging, so positive and so sure that her daughter could succeed, would Wilma have just accepted the doctor's decree, and sat in a wheelchair for the rest of her life?  It sounds like her Mom made certain that Wilma knew that SHE COULD DO IT!  The Mom couldn't do it for her, Wilma had to do it for herself.

Isn't that the role that we leaders/advisors/guides play in our girls' lives?  We are here to let them learn how to do it for themselves, how to work together and how to take a leadership role to make the world a better place. The more we let them, support them, the more they can do!