There are so many great badges to earn in the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting! Each one helps you learn something new. Sometimes, though, we want to go a little deeper. Try a little harder. Learn to be a leader. Make a difference in our communities. Maybe we even want to grow in our Faith or learn about a new Faith. There are awards for all of these things!
My Promise, My Faith
Everything in Girl Scouting is based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The Girl Scout Law includes many of the principles and values common to most faiths. Girls of all grade levels can now earn the My Promise, My Faith pin. This pin, which girls can earn once a year, complements existing religious recognitions and allows all girls to further strengthen the connection between their faith and Girl Scouts. A girl earns the My Promise, My Faith pin by carefully examining the Girl Scout Law and directly tying it to tenets of her faith. Requirements for this pin are included in The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting for all levels.
Bishop Award
Troops that hold their meetings at a Methodist Church qualify for this award. Download the form and send the completed form to GSAwards@bdgsc.org.
Religious Recognitions
Religious recognitions are created by national religious organizations/committees to encourage the spiritual growth of their youth members and reinforce many of the values integral to Girl Scouting. While My Promise, My Faith helps girls connect Girl Scouting with their faith, the religious recognitions programs help girls grow stronger in and learn more specifically about their faith.
Each religious organization/committee develops and administers its own program. The To Serve God religious recognitions brochure shows the religious recognitions that have been created by various faith groups. You can find this brochure, a video that explains the religious recognitions programs, and other resources for collaborating with the faith community at P.R.A.Y. Publishing.
Teen Mentoring Awards
As a Girl Scout Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador you can gain leadership experience by sharing skills, testing knowledge, and trying out new roles by mentoring younger girls. For the girls being mentored, it means a chance to be with and learn from teens—some of their favorite people!
Teen Mentoring Awards include Program Aide, Counselor-in-Training I and II, and Volunteer-in-Training. You can find descriptions and requirements for these awards in your Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
Program Aide Pin
The Cadette Program Aide (PA) Training is the perfect place to start if you want to mentor younger girl scouts. By earning this award, you’ll gain a basic understanding of how younger girls learn, how to make the journey’s fun for your sister girl scouts, and how to create high-quality experiences.
To earn the Cadette Program Aide, a sixth-, seventh-, or eighth-grade girl:
- Earns the Leader-in-Action Award (LiA award).
- Completes a council-designed Program Aide leadership training course.
- 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, day camp, or during a special council event.
- Resource: LiA Documentation Form
Counselor-in-Training I and II
Love Camp? Help create those same memories for a new generation of Girl Scouts by earning you’re Counselor-in-Training (CIT) award!
To earn the Counselor-in-Training Award, a girl:
- Takes a Counselor-in-Training leadership course, designed by her council, on outdoor experiences.
- Works with younger girls over the course of a camp session.
Once you’ve reached the Ambassador level, you can also take your mentoring training a step further with the CIT II Award.
To earn the Counselor-in-Training II award, a girl:
- Earns her CIT I award. (prerequisite)
- Girls complete CIT II training course.
- Works with younger girls over the course of at least one camp session while focusing on increasing her skills in one specific area—such as riding instruction, lifeguarding, or the arts.
Volunteer-in-Training
Mentoring girls at camp is so fun and rewarding, but there are so many other ways to be there for your sister Girl Scouts. If bugs and creepy crawlies aren’t your thing, consider earning the Volunteer-in-Training (VIT) Pin. By earning this award, you’ll be able to lead activities in any Girl Scout setting except for at camp. If you’ve completed ninth grade, you’re 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.
- 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.
Torch Pins
The Torch Pin recognizes girls who serve in a leadership role in their community. You can earn this award three times; as a Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador. Complete one journey at your current grade level and serve a one year term at your school, church, library, town council, or in any other community leadership role.
- The Cadette Silver Torch Award
- The Senior Silver & Gold Torch Award
- The Ambassador Gold Torch Award
Community Service Bars
Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts Community Service Bar (Outside of Girl Scouting)
The Girl Scout Community Service Bar can be earned once at each level.
• Suggested Organizations:
1. American Red Cross
2. Local libraries
3. Hospitals
4. Town recreation programs
5. Churches
6. Animal shelters
7. YWCAs/ YMCAs
8. Schools
9. Museums
• Examples: Volunteering at a veterinary hospital, soup kitchen, YMCA, day care, clothes drive, cemetery clean up, etc.
Service to Girl Scouting Bar (Inside of Girl Scouting)
Service to Girl Scouting Bar The Service to Girl Scouting Bar can be earned once at each level.
• Examples: Assisting a Brownie Troop; helping sort the Cookie Cupboard; organizing troop meetings; run a Girl Scout event workshop station, helping council with event/project prep, etc.
Each Service Bar requires 20 hours of service. Remember to obtain the required signatures. Download Community Service Log. You must download and complete a Community Service Log before submitting this form. Click the link and save the PDF to your desktop before filling out. Once you've have filled out the log and saved, upload it where indicated.
After you have completed this form, our staff will review it send the troop leader an email and forward to the Shop for your leader to purchase the bar(s). If you would like a paper copy of this form or have questions, please contact customercare@bdgsc.org or call (304) 345-7722.
