Need ideas to get girl scout troop to Disney PLEASE!

[aprilgail2]

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but you need to check with your Girl Scout Council...the younger girls may not be able to travel that far (generally there are mile limits). Better to know upfront than to have unhappy kids.
Write a travel contract: Behavior, money division, extra funds. Who is going to pay for the adults (the required adults, not the tag a long adults)?

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Our Daisys cant go out of the county- we did take our brownies 2 states away to great wolf lodge though!

I know you didn't ask for opinions, but I also have to ask--"Why" are you planning this trip? How does it fit in with the Girl Scout mission?

Not every trip has to fit in with a "mission"!!

It doesn't have to be a mission or a service project. It can just be a reward for hard work. My daughter's troop uses some of their product sales money for a fun activity every year. Is that not allowed?

Well, IMO, girl scouting is about teaching girls responsibility and one of their big mottos is caring for the community. Most of the opportunites to earn badges at Disney World are also available in some way or form within their own community and would be much more appreciated and useful to their own community than at Disney.

Say they were working on the gardening badge (completely made up badge, I just don't know the names of the badges) Sure, they could go to Disney and do the Living with the Land tour and maybe a special planting session with the gardeners, or they could work in their own community planting gardens for the elderly or at parks or schools. Which do you think is more in line with the Girl Scount way?

And as an individual who supports and donates to local charities and has a DH who has a business who contributes to local events, we would support and give to the community planting project but would not give to the Disney World trip. It's frivilous and a veiled excuse for a fun vacation. That's why it's so important to figure out where your donations are going. Just because a foundation is legit, doesn't mean the people running it are spending the money wisely!!!!

Wow not every second of girl scouts is about caring for the community- after the 100's of hours my girls put in caring for the community I don't see any problem with doing something fun for them!

Our council prohibits ANY money makers besides the Nut and Cookie sales. You also have to get approved to take any girls out of the state (or certain miles) and the girl to adult ratio must be met. Sleeping arrangements are also in the Safety Wise book....many obsticles to cross. I was a leader for 8 years and had to do extra paper work to take the girls out of state (which was only 75 miles away!).
Check with your council before doing anything. A friend of mine held an American Girl Tea Party to raise $ for a trip (they sold raffle tickets to win a doll as well) She had to return all of the $ raised and it was a lot.

Very easy to get around that- have a yard sale or whatever as a group of parnets and just donate the money to the troop-its done around here all the time!

 

[MrsPete]

Our Daisys cant go out of the county- we did take our brownies 2 states away to great wolf lodge though!

Wow not every second of girl scouts is about caring for the community- after the 100's of hours my girls put in caring for the community I don't see any problem with doing something fun for them!

Very easy to get around that- have a yard sale or whatever as a group of parnets and just donate the money to the troop-its done around here all the time!

A scout must be 14 to travel internationally. If you have even one girl who's still 13 at the time of the trip, she can't go. Now, she could fundraise and plan while she's 12, 13 . . . and you could leave literally on her 14th birthday, but that's an iron-clad national rule.

For scout leaders: These rules are all found in Safety Wise. Consult that book before making plans.

You're exactly right about every second not having to be service-based. Something similar: I also sponsor a Christian club at school, and recently we were criticized for NOT being more evangelical, not trying to spread the message of Christ to others and trying to increase the size of the club. That's a very good mission, but it's not OUR mission. Our club is about helping Christian students here at this school meet one another, and it's about helping them navigate their way through the difficult high school years together. We're about connections, not preaching. Some people have a hard time understanding that that's an equally good mission.

Yes, have the parents officially sponsor the fundraiser, then donate to the troop. I hate to skirt the rules, but when the rules are impossible, you've gotta look after your girls.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

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For scout leaders: These rules are all found in Safety Wise. Consult that book before making plans.

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Mrs Pete.... Saftey Wise is no longer published. I belive the new guidelines are in your coucils Volunteer Essentials. Which do seem to vary by council.


We managed to raise $2,500 per girls working within the "impossible rules" So I don't find them that difficult!

 

[stacieps]

A scout must be 14 to travel internationally. If you have even one girl who's still 13 at the time of the trip, she can't go. Now, she could fundraise and plan while she's 12, 13 . . . and you could leave literally on her 14th birthday, but that's an iron-clad national rule.

I think I've disagreed with you on this in the past . . . right now on the GS USA website it offers multiple "destinations" trips internationally (Costa Rica) to girls 13 or older. So 14 is not the national age rule.

Actually just found this on GS USA website under Global Travel Toolkit ("Exploration: The Girl Scout Guide to Global Travel")

To participate in a Girl Scout international trip you must:
Be a registered Girl Scout (Cadette or older)
Travel as/with a group
Have at least two accompanying adults on your trip
Have prepared for an international trip by taking shorter trips with your group (Girl Scout Progression)
Get approval from your Girl Scout council
Submit all the required forms


So it appears that the rule is that you must be a Cadette to travel internationally with your troop. A cadette is 6th grade so could be 11 years old.

I know my troop received council approval at that age: I took my troop on 2 cruises (one to Bahamas when they were 13, one to Mexico when they were 11).

 

[MrsPete]

Mrs Pete.... Saftey Wise is no longer published. I belive the new guidelines are in your coucils Volunteer Essentials. Which do seem to vary by council.

Yeah, I forgot the new name -- it's a function of having been around so long.

 

[MrsPete]

I think I've disagreed with you on this in the past . . . right now on the GS USA website it offers multiple "destinations" trips internationally (Costa Rica) to girls 13 or older. So 14 is not the national age rule.

Actually just found this on GS USA website under Global Travel Toolkit ("Exploration: The Girl Scout Guide to Global Travel")

To participate in a Girl Scout international trip you must:
Be a registered Girl Scout (Cadette or older)
Travel as/with a group
Have at least two accompanying adults on your trip
Have prepared for an international trip by taking shorter trips with your group (Girl Scout Progression)
Get approval from your Girl Scout council
Submit all the required forms


So it appears that the rule is that you must be a Cadette to travel internationally with your troop. A cadette is 6th grade so could be 11 years old.

I know my troop received council approval at that age: I took my troop on 2 cruises (one to Bahamas when they were 13, one to Mexico when they were 11).

Yeah, I remember discussing it before, but here's National's policy: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/global/travel.asp. Says 14-17. Councils are supposed to be able to make safety rules more stringent (to fit their personal circumstances), but they're not supposed to "ease up" on standards.

 

[Glenn]

Several yrs ago a relatives boy scout troop raised money by recycling. All the families & relatives saved aluminum cans. The troop also adopted 2 local parks. Several times a year they cleaned the parks. The cans went to the troop, anything else that could by recycled was. The local chamber of commerce provided things like bags, gloves & munchies. The chamber also made a donation for the troops visit to Washington DC. The project did help the community because the park district didnt have much available to clean the parks, maybe only twice a yr.

 

[aprilgail2]

So it appears that the rule is that you must be a Cadette to travel internationally with your troop. A cadette is 6th grade so could be 11 years old.

).

My daughter was a Cadette in 6th grade and she was 10!

 

[TyTysMommy]

I think its absolutely ridiculous that the original poster came on here asking for help from those who wanted to give fundraiser ideas and she is hit with long rants about how people's personal views think this is immoral. If you want to be the moral police, go to a board where people ask questions about morals. If you want to hate, go to a haters board and leave us alone. Nobody was asking whether you think her actions are moral or not. It is for her, her troop's families, and her council to decide..not YOU!

Can't we leave the drama off of these boards please!

 

[TyTysMommy]

My daughter was a Cadette in 6th grade and she was 10!

Girl Scouts goes by grade level, not age. So your girl can be 11, 10, or whatnot.