By Ga Ming West, Marketing Coordinator

What an exciting time of the year! Troops are starting back and brand new adventures await! At Girl Scouts, we’re all about building girls of courage, confidence, and character by engaging them in the process of leadership. An important component in helping girls achieve their goals is connecting with them and allowing girls to share their stories and experiences. Your Girl Scout Troop meeting is the perfect environment to create a warm and welcoming space for girls to be their best selves. If this is your first troop meeting, don’t sweat it, you’ve got this! If you’re a returning leader, keep reading for a fun new take to keep your meetings fresh and fun! Here are six components that will help you structure your meeting and kick-off your Girl Scout year!

1. Start Up (5 minutes)

Plan activities for girls as they arrive so they have something to do until the meeting beings. It could be as simple as coloring pages (for younger girls) to writing in a journal or enjoying the time to talk.

2. Opening (5-10 minutes)

Troops can decide how to open their meetings but most begin with the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and then add a simple flag ceremony, song, game, story or other activity planned by the girls. For all ages, consider a Kaper Chart and let the girls pick their Kaper before the opening.

3. Business (10-15 minutes)

Taking attendance, collecting dues, making announcements, and planning an upcoming event or trip are all things to do during this stage of the meeting. This is another great time for girls to take the lead, especially as they get older!

4. Activities (30-40 minutes)

Activities depend on what the girls want to do and what the troop
is currently working on. Use the meeting plans found in the Volunteer Toolkit to find activities that are designed to fit easily into this part of your meeting or ask a parent volunteer to lead an activity that ties to a petal or badge the troop is working on.

5. Clean Up (5-10 minutes)

Girl Scouts should always leave a place cleaner than they found it!

6. Closing (5-10 minutes)

Just like the opening, troops may decide how to close the meeting but many close with the Friendship Circle.

And that’s it! Feel free to change up the structure to best fit your troop’s needs. Tell us – how do you structure your troop meetings?