Leader Basics > Council Trainings & Certifications

Council Trainings & Certifications

You want to see kids happy, confident, strong, and ready to succeed. We want the same things for you as a volunteer! We know you’ve got a lot of questions about Girl Scouts and we’re ready to help you along the way. We offer personal coaching, online learning, peer mentoring, and a searchable website to find what you need when you need it. When you’re ready, join us for volunteer training. Most training events are clustered on the calendar for late spring and fall.

Trainings by alphabetical listing

Archery Training | This USA Archery Level 1 course certifies volunteers to take Girl Scouts onto archery ranges for target sports practice. Who: Any interested volunteer. Length: 8 hours (4 online and 4 in person). Location: Rotates between GSNWGL camp properties. Valid: 3 years. Required: For hosting archery activity.

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention | Prepares supervising adults of Girl Scout youth to recognize, respond to, and report concerns of child abuse and neglect. Additionally, supervising adults will be empowered to prevent abuse by learning Girl Scout recommended practices, policies and procedures. Who: All volunteers. Length: 1 hour. Location: gsLearn. Valid: Every two years. Required: All volunteers.

Cookie Program Training | Attend each January to prepare to guide girls in the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world! Who: Troop Cookie Managers and Troop Leaders. Length: 60-90 minutes. Location: Local service area meetings. Valid: 1 year. Required: For participating in the Cookie Program.

First Aider Training | Secure your Adult & Pediatric CPR/First Aid/AED certification from the American Red Cross, which is the foundational safety course for all troop activity beyond the troop meeting room. Who: Any interested volunteer. Length: 6 hours (3 online and 3 in-person). Location: Rotates between GSNWGL service centers and properties. Valid: 2 years. Required: For most Girl Scout activities, if not provided by others at your activity destination.

Please see the First Aid section of Safety Activity Checkpoints for the list of GSUSA-approved training organizations. GSNWGL partners with the American Red Cross to host safety training. If you miss a council-hosted training, search here https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class for course options near you. Search for: Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED-BL-r.21 (blended learning with both online content and classroom time) or Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED-R.21 (all classroom time). More advanced courses may also be reviewed and accepted. Online-only courses are not accepted. If you receive CPR/First Aid/AED training from another organization or your employer, please send a copy of your training certificate to info@gsnwgl.org.

Fall Product Program Training | This friends-and-family sale of nuts and chocolates provides troop start-up funds every autumn. Who: Troop Fall Product Program Managers. Length: 60-90 minutes. Location: Zoom or local service area meetings. Valid: 1 year. Required: For participating in the Fall Product Program.

Highest Awards Training | Learn the steps of earning Girl Scouting’s prestigious Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. Who: Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador volunteers, parents, and Girl Scouts. Length: 60-90 minutes. Location: Zoom. Valid: No expiration date. Required: For Silver, one volunteer is expected to complete two gsLearn courses: Silver Award Overview (course 1) and Silver Award Requirements (course 2). Aspiring Silver Award Girl Scouts and their leaders are encouraged to attend the Silver Award webinar. For Gold, webinar attendance or review is required for aspiring Gold Award Girl Scouts. See all expectations and support resources here.

Low Ropes Course Training | Get instruction on how to lead low ropes course challenge activities for girls. Who: Any interested volunteer. Length: TBD. Location: Rotates between GSNWGL camp properties. Valid: TBD. Required: For hosting low ropes course activity.

New Leader Orientation | Get ready to lead! Discover what Girl Scouts is all about and what Girl Scouts do. Then plan your six steps to start or restart a troop. Who: new Troop Leaders and Assistant Troop Leaders who are starting a troop or continuing a troop. Length: 2-3 hours (2 hours online, 1 hour virtual live meeting). Location: gsLearn and Zoom. Valid: No expiration date. Required: For volunteers newly placed in a troop leader or assistant troop leader role, before hosting the first troop meeting.

Outdoor Champion Training | A train-the-trainer course for volunteers excited to champion the value of outdoor experiences and teach outdoor skills to volunteers and girls in their service areas. Who: Any volunteer with interest and lots of camp out experience. Length: 8 hours. Time frame includes observing or apprenticing a training, plus two hours of facilitator training and gsLearn course knowledge check. Location: Rotates between GSNWGL camp properties. Valid: No expiration date. Required: For outdoor enthusiast volunteers who wish to host Outdoor Education training events in their service area.

Outdoor Education Training | This hands-on course prepares volunteers to teach girls “The Girl Scout Way” of outdoor skills, including campfire safety, campfire cooking, outdoor dishwashing, basic knots, basic knife skills, and basic site safety. Who: Any interested volunteer. Length: 6 hours. Location: Rotates between GSNWGL camp properties. Valid: No expiration date. Required: For outdoor campfire or outdoor camping activity.

Plan with a Pro | In this free, virtual one-on-one session, you’ll meet with a Girl Scout staff member who will guide you through planning a troop meeting that’s fun, engaging, and rooted in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Your staff partner will ask thoughtful questions to understand your troop’s unique dynamics and help you walk away with a clear, customized plan—and the confidence to lead it. Who: Any interested volunteer. Length: 30-60 minutes. Location: Zoom or phone. Valid: No expiration date, repeat as frequently as needed. Book through Support on the Go.

Service Area Team Member Meetings | Leadership volunteers who help organize service area events, support troop volunteers, and keep Girl Scouts visible in their community come together for idea sharing and planning. Who: Service Area Team Members. Length: 90 minutes. Location: Zoom. Valid: No expiration date.

Service Unit Training | Build a strong service unit of dedicated volunteers who work together to support the success of Girl Scouts in local communities. Who: Service Area Team Members. Length: 1-2 hours. Location: gsLearn. Valid: No expiration date.  

Volunteer Toolkit Training | There’s more than one way to learn how to use the Volunteer Toolkit, a digital assistant available to troop leaders and assistant troop leaders, and shared with caregivers! Discover quick and easy troop meeting agendas and resources that you can customize for your troop or Juliette Girl Scout when you review the gsLearn courses, videos, or help links within the VTK. Review this page.

What … Girl Scouts Do | Be ready for the next age and stage of Girl Scouts with this review of age-appropriate activity and behaviors. There is one unique course for each program grade level, Daisies through Ambassadors. Multi-level troop leaders may select the comprehensive course What Girl Scouts Do for access to all six levels, where you may select the ages you work with and get all the content within a single course. Who: Any volunteer. Length: 45-60 minutes. Location: gsLearn. Valid: No expiration date.  

Wilderness First Aid Training | Learn advanced skills from the American Red Cross to be used in emergencies when help from professional first responders may be far away. Who: Any volunteer. Length: 16 hours. Location: Rotates between GSNWGL camp properties. Valid: 2 years.

Need leadership tips for working with kids and the activities they want to do?

Look in gsLearn

Log into MyGS and find gsLearn courses of interest in the Content Library. Find a wealth of information, advice, and encouragement in gsLearn. Who: Any volunteer. Length: Varies. Location: gsLearn. Valid: No expiration date.

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