Parents
There is more than one way to be a Girl Scout.
Dollars and Cents - How much does Girl Scouting cost?
Here's how you can help your daughter get the most from Girl Scouting:
Welcome to Girl Scouting!
We're delighted your family has joined our worldwide sisterhood for girls! Girl Scouts of Western North Carolina Pisgah Council welcomes all families, and we need your participation to make Girl Scouting a treasured part of your daughter's development. Through our program, your girl will grow in courage, confidence and character while making the world a better place. She will have opportunities for leadership development, take steps to find her own voice, and thrive in a supportive environment of sister Girl Scouts and positive adult role models.
Why Girl Scouts?
Girl Scouting has a lasting impact on girls. It provides them with values, leadership development, diversity awareness, life skills, and community connections that last a lifetime.
- Values - Girl Scouts is a values-based organization. Girls who express a strong commitment to the Girl Scout Promise and Law are most likely to make positive moral decisions throughout their lives.
- Leadership Development - Opportunities exist at all levels for leadership development - from the youngest girls to the oldest ones. At each program age level, girls take on increasing leadership roles and responsibility for their own actions.
- Diversity Awareness - The Girl Scout Promise and Law provide a moral compass for girls and teach them to respect one another and the differences that define individuals and cultures.
- Life Skills - Girl Scouts develop the courage, confidence, and character to succeed in their adult lives.
- Community Connections - Community service is at the core of the Girl Scout program, and girls of all ages strive to make the world a better place.
There is more than one way to be a Girl Scout.
Girls join Girl Scouting:
- as part of a troop or group whose members decide and choose activities together.
- as an individual Girl Scout, known as a Juliette, working on badges and incentives, signing up and going to summer camp, enrolling in a leadership course, doing a service project, working with a troop of younger girls, or taking part in any number of activities that appeal to her during the year.
Here's how you can help your daughter get the most from Girl Scouting:
Be involved with your Girl Scout
Take an hour and get involved! You'll become a part of your girl's life and will enjoy watching her grow as a leader, as a member of a team, and as a girl. While the girls are first in Girl Scouting, it's a lot of fun for grown-ups too!
Support Her Troop
A successful Girl Scout year depends on cooperative and involved parents. The most active, vibrant troops have regular involvement by parents. When everyone contributes a part, the girls gain. All parents are required to sign a Parent Contract, agreeing to abide by Girl Scout rules, and to commit to at least 3 hours/year of volunteer support to their daughter's troop:
- Sponsor her Girl Scout troop through your business or church. Sponsors can provide almost anything from a meeting place, financial assistance, or a van for an outing.
- Attend one or two field trips and help with the transportation
- Buy groceries for camp outings, or bring snacks for a troop meeting.
- Offer to make troop phone calls, copy or translate materials. Any skills you have can help the troop!
- Help at a troop meetings throughout the year. You can provide activities, or be a program resource to broaden the girls' experiences with your expertise.
- Attend all parent meetings.
- Help by being the troop's cookie manager, treasurer, first aider, or outdoor trained adult.
- Join the troop leadership team.
Volunteer
Adult volunteers are the driving force behind Girl Scouting. Without them, the Girl Scout program would be impossible to sustain. Adult volunteers serve in a variety of positions, such as troop leaders, registrars, and trainers. They are given training, support, and help to make their volunteer contribution one that is personally meaningful. Volunteers build skills, share talents, meet other adults with common interests, try new experiences, have fun, and spend quality time with their daughters and her friends. Your troop is a volunteer. You can support her and your daughter by making a difference in the life of a girl, and discover the possibilities as an adult volunteer. You can:
Work with Girls
- Be a mentor to girls and guide them as they explore their interests and learn about possible careers.
- Work as a troop leader or advisor, leading and advising girls as they grow strong.
- Lead a workshop and help girls learn a skill you're passionate about.
Reach out to the Community
- Be an advisor to girls working toward their Girl Scout Gold or Silver Awards.
- Act as a Media Coordinator for your county/area and communicate with local media to gain publicity for Girl Scouting in your community.
- Be a translator and assist with outreach to non-English speaking communities.
- Work on a Council committee such as the property or fund-development committees.
Develop Your Leadership Skills
- Plan activities, coordinate training and fund raising, and serve as a liaison with community organizations.
- Organize or direct events for the Girl Scouts and potential members.
Share Your Special Skill or Interest
- Serve as a troop outdoor trained adult and lead a camping trip
- Lead enrichment trainings for the council.
- Act as a troop first aider.
- Be your troop's cookie or nut manager.
Volunteer opportunities are open to both women and men in Girl Scouting. For more information on adults in Girl Scouting, call us 828-252-4442, or e-mail info@girlscoutsp2p.org
Dollars and Cents - How much does Girl Scouting cost?
Membership: Yearly dues to be a Girl Scout are $12 for both girls and adults. These dues go to the Girl Scouts of the USA, the national organization, and are paid by girls or parents themselves. Membership dues pay for accident insurance for members, program research, new resources, training, and services to local councils.
Program Fees: Nominal programs fees are charged for council-wide events. Fees vary depending on the activity troops/girls select. In order to make Girl Scouting accessible to all girls, fees are kept low and subsidized by council funds.
Troop Dues: Girls, along with their leaders and parents, decide how much and how often they will pay dues to the troop treasury. The amount varies from troop to troop. Troop dues are paid by girls and parents, and typically cover supplies, badges, patches, and field trips. Some troops prefer girls to earn at least part of their troop dues by doing chores at home.
Parent Contributions: Parents may be asked to pay a portion of a special event or project cost that is not met by the girl's own efforts. The amount would vary depending upon the amount of money in the troop treasury and the costs of the troop plan. Troop leaders discuss the idea and costs with parents before finalizing the plan.
Nut and Cookie Sale and troop money-earning projects: A portion of the money girls earn through the annual nut and cookies sales is kept in the troop treasury. Girls, along with their leaders, decide on the need for additional money-earning projects. Troops consider these projects when regular meeting dues and product sale proceeds are not enough to cover the cost of all of their activities and plans.
If finances are a barrier:
Girl Scouting is for all girls, regardless of financial resources. Financial assistance is available for events, workshops, training courses, and camps. Financial assistance forms are available on the council website at www.girlscoutswnc.org.
The Asheville Service Center Council & Shop is located at 64 WT Weaver Blvd. in Asheville (near UNCA).
Shop hours are:
Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Fridays 8:30-12:00 Noon
Girl Scout Grade Levels
Daisy - Kindergarten-Grade 1
Brownie - Grades 2-3
Junior - Grades 4-5
Cadette - Grades 6-8
Senior - Grades 9-10
Ambassador - Grades 11-12
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.
