BellaOnline Forums Family Girl Scouts Considering being a leader

Hi everyone. I am new here. My daughter was a Daisy Scout for two years. Then my husband left me, we had to move out of our house, and we live in a new area. So my daughter's life has been upside down and so has mine. We also have a lot of new challenges to face. Anyway, after we moved I tried to get her in a Brownie troop in the area, with no luck. My daughter LOVES being a scout and she is sad that we haven't found a troop yet. I found out that at her school alone, there are 9 girls in second grade waiting for a troop. I am considering offering to be a troop leader. I was a scout myself for 10 years and I've also been a substitute school teacher (so I have experience with both scouts and dealing with groups of children). But before I do that, I would like to get some input on time commitments, etc. Like I said, I am a single mom now, I work full time, and I have a lot on my plate. I would hate to volunteer and then find out it's more than I can chew. I am sure that I can carve out some more time to make this happen (especially since things slow down for me at work and in my personal life in the fall and winter months). Please let me know what you think about leading. How much time does it really take? Do you run into expenses that you didn't count on (I am on a tight personal budget). Is there anything you can tell me that can help me with this decision? Thank you in advance! I look forward to hearing from you.

I was a Cub Scout leader, and I found it took me about 4 hours a week to do a good job. There was a two hour meeting, and then the planning took about another two hours. I loved it and would not change a thing. You get to see so much growth in children.

I don't think the expenses were terrible. Plan inexpensive activities. If you want to do something that is more expensive, plan it for the future, and ask parents to contribute.

When the boys got older and became Webelos, we had each family choose a badge or activity and teach it during one meeting. Each family took that meeting, and they were responsible for activities and supplies. Those were great meetings.

I'm glad that you are carefully considering whether the time involved matches the time that you can commit. Honestly, when you find a person who so carefully thinks things out, that means that they are more than ready.

Thank you Connie! I am leaning towards volunteering. It looks like I will only need to run two, 45-minute meetings a month and do some basic planning. I can easily squeeze in that time plus 4 hours of planning a month (and there seem to be a lot of online resources I can draw from). I am thinking about planning around the brownie badges and organizing activities that will help them earn the badges. A good goal like that will give me an outline to plan around I think. Plus, the girls will be able to measure their progress. Thanks again!

i am indian and i haven't any idea about it.

Hi Scubaroo and welcome to BellaOnline.

I think being a Scout Leader is a wonderful way to help the youth grow and learn. There is a lot more than just occupying time for the girls -- it gives them training for life situations and helps them grow spiritually.

I often helped the troop leader when my daughter was in Girl Scouts. I helped the girls work on earning their badges. Not only did the girls enjoy it and learn new things, but I felt good knowing I was part of their learning experiences and helped them along their path in life. It was wonderful to see the look of joy and pride on their faces when they learned and earned those badges. To see a child feel good about themselves is a wonderful thing.

Here is a PDF file which will be helpful in making your decision: Brownie Leader Supplemental Guide

I wish you all the best.

I've been a Girl Scout leader for over 20 years. I enjoy it very much! But it does take time to do it. I'm a very detailed, organized person so I love the paperwork and record keeping. Find a co-leader who can help you and then you'll only have half the work to do! We meet every week for an hour and the troop leaders get together once every 3-4 wks. to make plans. There is also a service unit mtg. once a month to attend and you will need to take trainings. Most of them are online now. There are never enough volunteers so thank you for considering it!

I do all of the planning for my troop, as my co-leader has a crazy unscheduled life that would drive me nuts if I left it to her to plan. The bulk of my planning ivolves going to the supermarket or craft store to get the necessary items for our activity. I would make a yearly meeting chart. Plan what you want to do at each meeting and then fill in the specifics the week before. Forty-five minutes is not really enough time, in my opinion, especially if you are going to do something that involves mess! Get parent volunteers to your meeting to help out, too, along with a good co-leader. Good luck!

I totally agree that 45 minute meetings are not long enough to get much done. I also don't like only meeting twice a month but that is just my quirk. Don't forget to ask the girls what they want to do before you make too many plans.

[quote=Scubaroo]Hi everyone. I am new here. My daughter was a Daisy Scout for two years. Then my husband left me, we had to move out of our house, and we live in a new area. So my daughter's life has been upside down and so has mine. We also have a lot of new challenges to face. Anyway, after we moved I tried to get her in a Brownie troop in the area, with no luck. My daughter LOVES being a scout and she is sad that we haven't found a troop yet. I found out that at her school alone, there are 9 girls in second grade waiting for a troop. I am considering offering to be a troop leader. I was a scout myself for 10 years and I've also been a substitute school teacher (so I have experience with both scouts and dealing with groups of children). But before I do that, I would like to get some input on time commitments, etc. Like I said, I am a single mom now, I work full time, and I have a lot on my plate. I would hate to volunteer and then find out it's more than I can chew. I am sure that I can carve out some more time to make this happen (especially since things slow down for me at work and in my personal life in the fall and winter months). Please let me know what you think about leading. How much time does it really take? Do you run into expenses that you didn't count on (I am on a tight personal budget). Is there anything you can tell me that can help me with this decision? Thank you in advance! I look forward to hearing from you. [/quote] go for it it's one of the best thing you can do