side menu icon
5-4-2 Adult Learning

Volunteer Training

GSOFCT is committed to providing volunteers with ongoing adult educational opportunities. Learning and developing new skills and insights are all part of the Girl Scout program, and not just for the girls! 

We can’t change the lives of girls without you! Complete the following new volunteer requirements and get started on your learning journey today. 

  • Register as a member of Girl Scouts.
  • Successfully complete a Criminal Background Screening.
  • Complete the Core Leadership Requirements.
  • Complete any additional training necessary to support planned activities.

A variety of learning methods are available once you register for our volunteer training. For your convenience, your class registrations and online training can be completed on a computer or mobile device.

Start your training here! 


Upcoming Adult Trainings

Click on a topic to find out more about specific learning opportunities!

Core Leadership

Core Leadership Requirements  
For volunteers working directly with girls

The core trainings listed below provide a basic foundation for starting or working with a Girl Scout troop/group as part of the leadership team: 

  • Girl Scouting 101 (GS101): Self-paced online orientation prepared by Girl Scouts of the USA which provides an overview of Girl Scout organization, the National Program Portfolio, and the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. (45 minutes)

  • Girl Scouts of Connecticut Orientation: Review of GSOFCT’s Policies and Procedures, Safety Activity Checkpoints, troop/group management, finances, and Girl Scout program. You must complete all three modules to receive credit for completing this course.
    • Volunteer Essentials Overview Module (32 minutes)
    • Being Safety Wise Module (30 minutes)
    • Troop Finances Module (22 minutes)
       
  • Troop Start-Up: Provides you with information to get your troop up and running; organizing parents meetings, planning first troop meeting, etc. (1 hour 30 minutes)
  • Basic Leader Training: provides tools for planning and carrying out troop/group programs. Offered in a three hour classroom setting.

Although Girl Scouts of Connecticut encourages two adults in every troop/group to complete Girl Scouting 101, GSOFCT Orientation and Troop Start-Up, at least one adult is required. This adult must be present at all times when meeting with girls.

Please note: You have up to three months from the start of your troop/group to complete the Basic Leader training course. Certain activities may.

See page 34 in Volunteer Essentials for a chart outlining these courses.

Outdoor Training

Outdoor Training
If the girls in the troop/group plan to participate in outdoor activities, then the troop will need to have an adult who is outdoor trained and who will be responsible for planning and preparing for the outdoor event with the girls; attending the event and help to supervise the girls; listening to the girls and helping them evaluate the experience. GSOFCT outdoor trainings are progressive in nature building on the skills from the previous course. Prerequisites are required for each course.

  • Out and About
    Prepares volunteers to take girls beyond the basic four hour field trip encompassing events up to two nights and three days
    • Classroom or Self-Study option available
    • Pre-requisite: GS101

  • Ready? Set? Go!
    Provides volunteers with skills they need to teach girls to build fires begin their outdoor cooking adventures and sleep in established tents, A-frames or lean-tos. 
    • Offered at Program Centers statewide
    • Pre-requisite: Out and About

  • Camping Adventures
    Prepares volunteers to plan and carry out camping trips with their girls independent from the Service Unit.
    • Includes a planning session and an overnight
    • Offered at Program Centers statewide
    • Pre-requisite: Ready? Set? Go!

See page 37 in Volunteer Essentials for a chart outlining these courses.

Explore Venture Out, an online resource that provides guidance to volunteers who may be less familiar with taking younger girls outdoors. 

Thanks to a grant from the Elliott Wildlife Values Project, GSUSA has created six new outdoor skill-building videos especially for volunteers newer to Girl Scouts and older Girl Scouts as they take younger girls outside. 

Adults should practice outdoor skills and learning experiences with girls prior to taking the next training course. Courses should be taken when the girls are “ready” for the next step. Recommended outdoor courses for the different age levels can be found on page 37 in Volunteer Essentials.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of a troop/group are very important. Although health and safety are the concern of the entire leadership team, a large part of the responsibility rests in the hands of the First Aider.

The adult acting as the certified First Aider must be current in both First Aid and Adult/Child CPR/AED.  Certification is good for two years. In order to stay current, you must recertify either on or before the expiration date of your card.

The American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED course provides participants with the skills needed to give immediate care to a suddenly injured or ill person until more advanced medical personnel arrive and take over. GSOFCT offers this course with three options:

  • Full course – for persons certifying for the first time
  • Review course– for persons whose certifications are still valid but near expiration   
  • Challenge Course – for persons whose certification has expired

The American Red Cross provides refresher videos to keep your knowledge and skills sharp so you feel ready to respond – at home, at school, at your workplace, in your community or as a professional rescuer. To view these videos visit the Red Cross website.                                              

Note: First-aid/CPR/AED trainings that are available entirely online do not satisfy GSUSA standards and therefore, are not acceptable certification for Girl Scout adults. All skills must be demonstrated to a currently certified instructor. If you’re taking any course that has online components, please contact Volunteer Training and Development to ensure the course(s) fulfills GSOFCT requirements.

See page 41 and 42 in Volunteer Essentials for charts outlining the Red Cross courses and other First Aid courses accepted by GSUSA.



For more information about any of the courses listed above, contact the Volunteer Training and Development team.