Starting a Girl Scout Troop – or Not

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When I was in third grade, my mom signed me up for Girl Scouts. The experience was a great one, even more than just the access to all of those cookies. I learned a lot about life, did some volunteer work, and – my favorite part – went camping often. It was a wonderful way to learn more about myself and become a better person. So, when my sister was in second grade, my mom enrolled her in Girl Scouts. I loved it so much when I was involved that I signed up as an assistant troop leader for my sister’s Girl Scout troop. I’ve always had a passion for teaching and love working with kids, so it was a great fit for me.

My middle daughter is about the same age as I was when I started in Girl Scouts. So I thought it would be fun to start a troop. My girls would be able to meet up with other kids, get a better look at the world around them, and have fun in the process.

Boy, was that more than I expected.

As I’ve been looking into starting this troop, I’m learning what all goes into it. On top of buying the uniforms, books, patches, and other needs just for my girls to be involved, there’s also the running of the troop. Trips have to be paid for, so fundraisers must be had. Cookies need to be sold, so I would have to set up troop-wide sales. I would need to recruit girls, as well as volunteers. I would have to run the actual meetings. There would just be so much to do.

I’m still debating on whether or not I’m going to follow through on this. I may try and find an already-established troop, though it looks like there aren’t any in my area. I have several responsibilities on my plate as it is; I’m not sure if I can take this on and do it well.

Make sure that you know what all is entailed in a new project. If you have a few irons in the fire already, determine whether or not you can take on something else. (I’m a fan of pros and cons lists.) You always want to know that you have the mental bandwidth – as well as the time – to tackle whatever you’re considering. Sometimes that means getting rid of something that maybe you wanted to do. Just prioritize. Once you have the ability, pick up something that you may have had to put on the back burner.

AJ Jewell

AJ Jewell

Amber "AJ" Jewell started at BigPromotions.net in 2016 as a part-time admin assistant, quickly moving to be the 'Duchess of Flow" - making sure that the office is flowing smoothing. AJ is also an award-nominated author, homeschooling parent of three, an avid reader, and a college student.
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