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TRAINING

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest offers courses throughout our jurisdiction to provide leaders and volunteers with the necessary skills to provide the best program opportunities for girls.

All required volunteer trainings must be renewed every three years with the exception of First Aid & CPR certification which is renewed every two years.  

gsLearn Now Available  Announcing a new, mobile-friendly, learning platform now available to all adult Girl Scout members (current Girl Scout membership required).

Access gsLearn by logging in at www.gsdsw.org/MyGS. 

REQUIRED TRAININGS

Successful Leader Learning Series (online only)

The "Successful Leader Learning Series" is an online interactive set of modules designed specifically for all new troop leaders. 

New Leaders must complete this series within 60 days of registering as a leader.

Access the "Successful Leader Learning Series" by logging into your MYGS Community through www.gsdsw.org/MyGS. 

  • gsLearn is now available for all registered members.
  • Must be registered for the current Girl Scout membership year to access gsLearn.
  • Each module in the "Successful Leader Learning Series" is about 30 minutes long and may be paused and resumed at your convenience.
  • The modules included are "The Girl Scout Way", "The Girl Scout Leadership Experience", "Well-being & Development", "Understanding Troop Operations", and "Getting Your Troop Outdoors".

Click here to view our Leader Guide to Success.

Questions? Contact info@gsdsw.org

 

Renew Leader Training

Renewing your leader training just got easier.

Simply complete the "Successul Leader Learning Series" on our online learning platform, gsLearn. You may access gsLearn by logging into the Volunteer Toolkit under MyGS at www.gsdsw.org. Read above "Successful Leader Learning Series" for more details.

Questions? Contact info@gsdsw.org

Level Training

Do a deep dive into the specifics of the Girl Scout grade level you are leading.

Grade-level training must be completed within 90 days of registering as a leader.

This session usually takes 2.5 hours to complete in person. To register for an upcoming session near you please visit our online event calendar at www.gsdsw.org. If none is available near you please contact info@gsdsw.org. 

Here is some of what you will learn.

  • Learn the basics of how to lead your specific grade-level group.
    • Daisies- Kinder & 1st Grade
    • Brownies - 2nd & 3rd Grades
    • Juniors - 4th & 5th Grades
    • Cadettes - 6 - 8th Grades
    • Seniors - 9th & 10th Grades 
    • Ambassadors- 11th & 12th Grades
  • Discover the resources available for you as a volunteer leading them.
  • Connect with the characteristics that girls in this level exhibit and how to best work with them.
  • Take action by going through scenarios on how to ensure your troop is girl-led.
Troop Money Basics

COMING SOON!

Learn about how to start, change, close your Girl Scout bank account, financial troop managment and annual troop finanical reports in this training. 

Required for any volunteer who is plans to handle troop or service unit money.  Must be taken within 90 days of taking on that role. 

Access the "Troop Money Basics" by logging into your MYGS community through www.gsdsw.org/MyGS. 

Basic Troop Trips (online)

Prepare yourself and your Girl Scout troop to go beyond your regular meeting space including short day trips, overnight trips of up to 2 nights away.  This FREE training is approximately 45 minutes long and available online.  

BEGIN LET'S GO! BASIC TRIPS 301 WEBINAR HERE. You must complete the KNOWLEDGE CHECK to receive credit.

Extended Troop Trips (online)

Required for troops going on trips 3 nights or longer in duration.  This session is about 45 minutes long and available online.  

BEGIN THE LET'S GO! FARTHER! EXTENDED 302 WEBINAR HERE.  You must complete the KNOWLEDGE CHECK to receive credit.  

Outdoor Troop Camp Training (in-person)

Required for troops going camping.  This course is a full 8 hour day and in person.  Price per person is $35.  Please refer to our online event calendar for a session near you.

Click here for more resources on the outdoor experience for Girl Scouts (optional).  

First Aid & CPR Certification (in-person)

Troops are required to have at least one First Aid & CPR certified volunteer present at any and all troop trips. Certifications must be offered by chapters of the American Red Cross, National Safety Council, EMP America, American Heart Association, or EMS Safety. Council will regularly offer these trainings for your convenience. Please refer to the online event calendar for future listings near you. 

MORE LEARNING (OPTIONAL)

Tips for Troop Leaders
Raising Awesome Girls

Raising girls to be happy, healthy, and successful is simpler than ever with help from Girl Scouts. As the largest leadership development organization for girls in the United States, we're proud to be a thought leader for all parents raising up the next generation of girls and young women. From knowing how much to help with her homework to navigating sensitive issues in the news with your family, we've got everything you need to raise girls with confidence.

Click here to access a library of topics on Raising Awesome Girls. 

Outdoors

Now it’s even easier for Girl Scout volunteers to introduce girls to the wonders of the outdoors. Whether you’re a camping pro, or just starting out, you can help girls of all ages have a positive experience in the great outdoors.

Click here for Outdoor Resources including videos.

 

Event Planning

Whether planning a troop or service unit event, there are details involved. To make it easier for our volunteers, Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest has created the following resources.

Event Planning Guide

Style Guide for Volunteers

Sample Event Budget

Sample Event Flyer

Sample Event Evaluation

VIDEO tutorial explaining the Event Planning Guide

 

Online Workshops for Learning (O.W.L's)

About once a month, Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, hosts an online webinar for learning on a different topic.  All the recordings are then uploaded to our council youtube account. For future O.W.L.'s please refer to our  online event calendar .

Click here to access our list of recorded O.W.L.'s.

For Service Units

All trainings for service unit positions and position descriptions may be found on gsLearn which is available to all adult Girl Scout members with current membership.

Mission Connections is a webinar series provided by GSUSA for volunteers who support other volunteers with the goal to connect with our lead volunteers across the Girl Scout Movement to enhance our ability to deliver the best female leadership development program in the world. 

 

Questions?  Contact info@gsdsw.org

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