SENIORS

Senior Girl Scouts, simply called Seniors, are Girl Scouts in early high school; 9th (ninth) and 10th (tenth) grades.

Senior Girl Scouts are in grades 9-12 or are between 14-17 years old. They can pursue common interests at bimonthly meetings or participate in council-wide events, resident camps. They also learn leadership skills with groups of younger girls as a Senior Program Aide, Leader-in- Training, Counselor-in-Training or Senior Girl Scout Troop Assistant. Recognitions for these achievements can be displayed on the Senior Girl Scout's vest or sash.

Senior Girl Scouts determine what areas they will explore, how they will explore them, and in what manner their group, troop or session will be run. They can work on their council's annual cookie sale, interest projects, service projects, Gold Award projects, and can participate in Leadership Institutes and other national and international events and workshops.

GIRLtopia: Toward an Ideal World for Girls

Girl Scout Seniors will embark on a leadership journey that encourages them to look into the life realities of girls living all over the world. During their journey they are asked to imagine what an ideal world would look like. A world that would unfailingly respect the needs, values, and interests of people everywhere.

One step to completing this journey is to create a work of art to symbolize the ideal world. The journey concludes with a Take Action Project that could move the real world closer to the girls’ vision of the perfect world.

The girls’ book is divided into four sections with three of the sections based on the Girl Scout leadership keys:

Why GIRLtopia sets the stage for the journey
Discovering YOUtopia asks the girls to explore their ideal selves
Connecting Toward GIRLtopia helps the girls explore how they care about and team with others.
Taking Action on Your Vision lists the steps of a Take Action Project and the tools needed to execute their project.

During their journey, girls have the option of earning the Senior Visionary Award. This award is earned by completing three steps:

Create It: The girls create a unique vision and artistic representation of an ideal world, and then share it with others. Not all girls are fond of art projects; however, girls can complete a simple project, such as writing a poem and sharing it with friends. Other girls may choose to do something more elaborate. Each girl decides for herself how simple or complex her project will be.
Guide It: Guide a mini-discussion or group activity that engages other girls in thinking about visionary leadership. This step builds on leadership topics presented in the girls’ GIRLtopia book, ranging from how to make decisions that are ethical to creating their own Girls’ Bill of Rights.
Change It: Do a Take Action Project that moves the world (or a community) one step closer to being ideal. The third step will help the girls develop a meaningful Take Action Project that will help them think globally but act locally on issues that concern girls.

The facilitator guide, How to Partner With Girl Scout Seniors On GIRLtopia, includes eight sample sessions offering ideas on how to help the girls think globally, related activities, reflection questions for group discussion, optional scenarios, and coaching tips that will enhance the journey.

The GIRLtopia journey is a wonderful resource for Girl Scout Seniors to discover the different issues facing girls throughout the world and what steps they can take to address these issues to make the world, and their own communities, a better place for all people.