Leadership Development

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Earn your LiA (Leader in Action) Award by actively assisting Girl Scout Brownies on their journey, sharing your savvy and talents with them. You can also earn the ViT (Volunteer-in-Training) award by mentoring a group of younger girls; or the Program Aide (PA) award for becoming proficient in a specific area of interest and sharing this knowledge with younger girls in a troop or group setting.

Program Aide (PA)

To earn the Cadette Program Aide, a sixth-, seventh-, or eighth-grade girl:

  • Earns one LiA award.
  • Completes a council-designed Program Aide leadership training course. For information on upcoming Program Aide trainings, please contact mcenteno@girlscoutsnyc.org.
  • Works directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. This might be assisting girls on journey activities (in addition to what she did for her LiA), badge activities, or other sessions. She might work with a group at their meetings, camp, or during a special council event.

The Program Aide Leadership Training Course is Divided into 6 topics. The topics include:

  • The Leader in You: Girls will be able to describe themselves as leaders – in their lives and in the world. Specifically, Program Aides will describe or demonstrate examples of their own leadership.
  • The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE): Girls will understand what the Girl Scout Leadership Experience means and how it helps girls become leaders in their daily lives—and in the world! Specifically, Cadettes will be able to identify the three keys, explain what leadership means to them, and express what leadership could mean to younger girls.
  • Girl Development: Girls will learn how younger girls develop physically and emotionally. Cadettes will come to understand how the needs, interests, and capabilities of younger girls can change. Program Aides will begin to think about how younger girls can be leaders in their lives based on their developmental characteristics.
  • Group Dynamics: Girls will be have an increased ability to manage groups effectively. As leaders in their lives, Program Aides will begin to think about how they can be leaders in the world as they spend time with groups of younger girls.
  • Journeys: Girls will know that leadership journeys are a key part of the GSLE, that a journey is a coordinated series of activities grouped around a theme, and that each journey ties to Girl Scouts’ 15 national outcomes. Specifically, Program Aides will be able to facilitate journey activities with younger girls.

Volunteer In Training (ViT)

The Volunteer-in-Training (VIT) award is for Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors who would like to mentor a Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or Cadette group outside of the camp experience. If a girl has completed ninth grade, she is eligible to earn this award. A Volunteer-in-Training project needs to span a three-to-six-month period. To earn the Volunteer-in-Training award, a girl:

  • Finds an adult volunteer mentor who is currently the volunteer for a group of girls at the level she’d like to work with. This volunteer will help her through her training and internship, and she’ll help the volunteer with her group of girls for a three-to-six-month period.
  • Completes a council-designed Volunteer-in-Training leadership course. For information on upcoming VIT trainings, please contact mcenteno@girlscoutsnyc.org.
  • Creates and implements a thoughtful journey project that lasts over four or more sessions. Volunteers-in-Training might also help younger girls with a Take Action project. The Volunteer-in-Training is responsible for designing, planning, and evaluating the activities. If a girl is passionate about a topic such as art or technology she could design the activities around this topic.

The VIT Leadership Training Course is Divided into 8 topics. The topics include:

  • The Leader in You: Girls will be able to describe themselves as leaders – in their lives and in the world. Specifically, Volunteers-in-Training will describe or demonstrate examples of their own leadership.
  • The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE): Girls will understand what the Girl Scout Leadership Experience means and how it helps girls become leaders in their daily lives—and in the world! Specifically, Volunteers-in-Training will be able to facilitate activities intentionally aimed at meeting outcomes – fun with purpose.
  • Girl Development: Girls will learn how younger girls develop physically and emotionally. Volunteers-in-Training will come to understand how the needs, interests, and capabilities of younger girls can change. Volunteers-in-Training will be intentional about helping younger girls becomes leaders in their lives.
  • Group Dynamics: Girls will have an increased ability to manage groups effectively. As leaders in their lives, Volunteers-in-Training will begin to think about how they can be intentional leaders in the world as they spend time with groups of younger girls.

Leader In Action (LiA)

Girl Scout Cadettes can earn their LiA award by working with a Girl Scout Brownie troop. Each Journey series has the opportunity for middle school girls to influence, share and teach younger girls to earn this special leadership award.

  • In the It's Your World- Change It! series - Cadettes explore the maze of relationships while helping Brownies with their Brownie Quest to earn their LiA award.  
  • In the It's Your Planet- Love It! series  - Cadettes have air, Brownies have water. Cadettes earn their second LiA by bringing the two elements together.
  • In the It's Your Story-Tell It! series - Cadettes share their media savvy while helping Brownies explore their World of Girls Journey to earn this LiA award.

For more information on the LiA (Leader In Action), please consult the Girl Scout Cadette Journey books and the Cadette Girls Guide to Girl Scouting.

See the Teen Leadership Newsletter for information on upcoming teen events.