Volunteer Training

Welcome! We're thrilled to have adults like you who are willing to give their hearts, energy, and time to serve our girls. Check out the information below to learn about our volunteer training opportunities. If you have any questions about volunteer training, please email us . The Training and Support team is here to help!

Click Here for the Quick Guide to Program/Events Registration

GSEP’s New Leader Learning Path

New leader training is available through gsLearn. You can access gsLearn by logging into your MyGS account. Click on the gsLearn button to see the trainings available there.

GSEP’s New Leader Learning Path – Required

This interactive, on-demand training will familiarize you with the basics of being a Girl Scout leader.

GSUSA Volunteer Toolkit Tutorials – Recommended

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

These tutorials will help you use the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) to easily create your troop meetings, manage your troop, and even plan out the whole year!

Troop Finance Basics – Recommended for Troop Treasurer

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

This 1-hour webinar will help you to take charge of your Troop's finances! In Troop Finance Basics, leaders will:

Review the responsibilities of the Troop Treasurer role
Develop an understanding of GSEP's financial policies and procedures
Explore best practices for troop money management

Troop Travel Basics – Recommended for Troop Trip Leader

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

This 1-hour webinar is a crash course in troop travel! In Troop Travel Basics, leaders will:

Define progression and readiness factors for girls as related to trips
Learn the troop trip approval process
Learn the steps to plan, implement, and evaluate a trip ot overnight with girls

Overnight & Outdoor Training

Indoor Overnight Skills

Required
Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

This 2-hour course is required to take girls on an overnight trip where they will stay indoors at a modern facility (i.e. hotels, resorts, or museums).

Learn progression and guidelines of overnight experiences
Understand how to incorporate the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Be able to instruct girls and adults on appropriate gear
Learn how to pack accordingly

We offer a 2-hour in-person session, scheduled throughout our council or a 2-hour Webinar available from your own computer.

Indoor Overnight Skills is a pre-requisite for Basic Outdoor Skills.

Basic Outdoor Skills

Required
Pre-requisites: Indoor Overnight Skills
Fee: $35

This course is required to take girls on an outdoor overnight trip, to do camping activities like fire-building, or to stay at a GSEP property. Held at one of the GSEP camp properties, this course will prepare volunteers to:

Work cooperatively with girls to plan and carry out a camping trip
Apply the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to outdoor programs
Learn proper fire-starting methods and fire safety
Learn how to prepare a meal outdoors

Due to both seasonal weather conditions and summer camp occupancy at our properties, this course is typically scheduled in April, May, September, and October. Basic Outdoor Skills is a 20-hour, hands-on overnight course. Certification is valid for 5 years.

Recertification/Exemption

Recertification is available for volunteers who have completed Basic Outdoor Skills in the last five years and attended Indoor Overnight Skills. Click here to take the recertification test.

Exemption is for volunteers who have extensive camping experience in the last five years. You must have completed Indoor Overnight Skills to qualify. Please submit the Basic Outdoor Skills Experience Qualifications to the Training department via email. Once approved for exemption, volunteers will be asked to complete the Recertification test.

First Aid & CPR Training

First Aid and CPR training is required of the adult acting as the primary first-aider for a Girl Scout troop or troop activities when specified in the Safety Activity Checkpoints.

Medic First Aid/CPR/AED

GSEP currently offers First Aid and CPR training throughout the year. The course instructs participants through topics including rescue breathing, adult, junior, and pediatric CPR, and emergency care skills for infants, children, and adults.

We are currently offering a blended-course, with course content completed on-line, followed by a Remote Skills Verification (RSV) session. For the RSV, all necessary equipment is shipped to the participant’s home, and the participant connects with the instructor through an on-line portal. Participants must have an internet-connected device with camera.

Certification is valid for 2 years.
Pre-requisites: None

Alternative First Aid/CPR Certification Options

First Aid/CPR courses are often offered through local community providers. Prior to enrolling, be sure to verify which providers and courses are acceptable. A list of GSUSA- approved First Aid/CPR Providers can be found here.

Note: Pricing and expiration dates differ among providers.

The following healthcare providers may also serve as First-Aiders without taking additional training: physician, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, paramedic, military medic, and emergency medical technician.

Caution: First Aid and CPR training that is available entirely online, without a hands-on component does NOT satisfy Girl Scouts’ requirements. Several organizations offer a partially online course, with a hands-on skills assessment. Such courses may be accepted as meeting the recommendations. Email us for support.

Add your certifications to your GSEP record

Click here to digitally submit a copy of certification cards/certificates to the GSEP training department.

Volunteer Enrichment Training

These are specialty topics which cover a wide variety of subjects. Search the title of the training or “Enrichment” using the Event/Program Registration portal for a listing of upcoming topics.

Let us know if you have any ideas for trainings!

Service Unit Manager Training

The Service Unit Manager role is vital to the success and support of service areas throughout our council. To best equip our SUMs, we've devloped a non-sequential series of trainings, offering relevant seasonal content when it matters most.

SUM Training: Set for Success

Recommended
Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

This 2.5-hour in-person session is offered to service unit managers in the late summer and fall months. This beginning-of-the-year course will help you start your year off with confidence. Here is just a snapshot of some of the topics we'll cover in the training:

Seasonal expectations of the Service Unit Manager (SUM)
Delegation
Building your team
New leader orientation
Planning your year

SUM Training: Maintaining Momentum

Recommended
Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

This 2.5-hour in-person session is offered to service unit managers in the winter and early spring months. This mid-year course will help you tackle the end of the year with confidence. Here is just a snapshot of some of the topics we'll cover in the training:

Seasonal expectations of the Service Unit Manager (SUM)
Planning effective meetings, conflict resolution, and recruitment/retention
Service Unit atmosphere and volunteer retention
GSEP's policies and procedures for troop support

Service Unit Event Management

Now Available Online!

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: Free

Service Unit Event Management training is designed for volunteers who are interested in planning and implementing events for a Service Unit. It is helpful for anyone planning a service unit event, and is required for Service Unit Camporee Directors. This course will give volunteers the tools and information necessary to develop events ranging from partial days to weekend long

Nature Enrichment: Fun and Games in the Great Outdoors

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: $3

Outside is the perfect place to experience new things and make new friends. Learn a wide variety of outdoor (and indoor) games and activities which require little or no preparation or equipment. Get your girls outside!

Volunteer Enrichment: Citizen Science - Backyard Bird Count

Pre-requisites: None
Fee: $3

The Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb 14-17, 2020. Come learn how to get your troop involved! We’ll learn the basics of bird identification, how to report your count, and make sure you are ready to get your troop involved in their own Citizen Science project.

We’ll explore some of the Journey content for Daisies- Juniors, and we’ll also discover how older girls can participate. This is a fantastic opportunity to get your troop involved in real science.

Council Course Schedule

For a complete list of available courses, view our Council Courses Schedule.

Online Tutorials

Volunteer Toolkit Video Tutorial - The Volunteer Toolkit is a troop management tool that allows leaders to access badge and Journey requirements, create year plans, and manage troop communications. This resource can save you lots of time and effort! Learn where to find the VTK, and see an overview of the VTK functions, followed by a demo on how you can use it.

Troop Travel Basics Webinar - This 1-hour webinar is a crash course in troop travel! In Troop Travel Basics, leaders will:

Define progression and readiness factors for girls as related to trips
Learn the troop trip approval process
Learn the steps to plan, implement, and evaluate a trip ot overnight with girls

Troop Finance Webinar - This 1-hour webinar will help you to take charge of your Troop's finances! In Troop Finance Basics, leaders will:

Review the responsibilities of the Troop Treasurer role
Develop an understanding of GSEP's financial policies and procedures
Explore best practices for troop money management

Are you an expert in your field and feel you could teach a valuable course to Girl Scout volunteers? If so, we want to hear from you! Email memberservices@gsep.org.

WebTemp_JOIN_Lead-like-a-GirlScout_170x240