This back-to-school season, parents across Northeast Texas are preparing to balance school schedules with after-school activities. With a large majority of households with both parents employed, and a growing number of single-parent households, the demand for time is increasingly challenging.
Recognizing the essential function that after-school activities like Girl Scouts provide for girls – including social-emotional skills and leadership development – Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) has made it even easier for busy working parents and stay-at-home parents alike to volunteer and engage in meaningful experiences with their daughters.
For over 100 years, parent volunteers have played a pivotal role as troop leaders or volunteers in the Girl Scouts experience, providing members with an all-in-one support system to help them grow.
Girl Scouts is designed to be girl-led, meaning that at all ages, Girl Scouts work alongside their troop leaders to build programming for the year. The girls select the badges and activities that pique their interests, and the troop leader’s role is to guide them through.
“Our troop leaders and volunteers shape the experience for our Girl Scouts, and we want to make sure they have all the tools they need to focus on what’s most important: their girls,” said Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. “Our volunteer base looks a lot different today than it did 10 years ago, as do our programs. Whether you are a working mom or stay-at-home dad, were a Girl Scout yourself or are entirely new to the organization, our new tools ensure that you can lead your girls through meaningful activities – spending less time planning and more quality time with the girls in the troop.”
The Girl Scout volunteer experience in 2019
Updates to the Girl Scouts volunteer experience include:
- Updated Volunteer Toolkit – a digital resource through which troop leaders can plan the troop’s calendar, communicate with parents, access activity plans, manage the troop’s budget, and log member journeys and achievements
- New checkout kits – programming boxes complete with all materials needed for various programming activities (STEM, outdoor adventure, flag ceremonies, etc.)
- New-leader fast-track curriculum – special resources for first-year troop leaders
- GSNETX support staff – a full-time team dedicated to helping new troop leaders through their first meetings
- Jumpstart – an online tool to help co-leaders facilitate meaningful troop activities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
Just as the organization’s badge programs are evolving to meet the needs of 21st century girls, so are the resources the organization is providing to troop leaders and volunteers.
“This year, we worked on a series of robotics badges. And that is not my area of expertise,” said Nikki Hall, a local troop leader. “But by going online and seeing all the resources available, I was able to find ways to bring robotics to life and make it more engaging.”
GSNETX hopes these efforts will lead to even more people volunteering to make an impact in the lives of local girls. Interested in learning more? Go to gsnetx.org/volunteer to see how you can help make a difference in the life of your daughter and other girls in your area.
