Start a Troop

Do you love inspiring girls to grow, learn, and shine?

As a Girl Scout troop leader, you’ll guide girls to build confidence, explore the outdoors, make new friends, and discover their strengths, all while having fun every step of the way.

A Girl Scout troop is more than just meetings, it’s a safe, supportive space where girls dream big and take action to make their world better.

And you won’t do it alone: with training, ready-to-go meeting plans, and an entire Girl Scout team by your side, you’ll feel confident and prepared to lead.

Be the role model they’ll remember forever, become a Girl Scout troop leader today!

Prepare her for a lifetime of leadership, and be the mentor she needs.

Parents and community members make a key difference in the lives of girls by guiding them through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience! At GSWCF, we want leading a troop to be as amazing for you as it will be for the girls. That's why we support you every step of the way.

How to start a Girl Scout troop in your area

A Girl Scout troop, or a group of Girl Scouts and volunteers that meet regularly, is one of many ways to participate in Girl Scouting. Troops set their own schedule for meetings, decide what activities they want to enjoy and find ways to improve their community.

an illustration of a troop leader and the troop year plan PDFs

Preview Your Year

Our easy-to-follow Troop Year Plans are available for troops of all ages! Check out the fun that awaits you and your troop.

SEE PLANS

Volunteer Essentials

Troop Leader Resources

Common Questions About Leading Girl Scouts

Many people have some questions and concerns before stepping up to lead their girl's troop. Here are some of the ones we hear most often.

How much time will I need? toggle arrow

Being a troop leader actually fits into a variety of schedules. We recommend that troops meet twice per month. Current leaders report volunteering around ten hours a month (including their troop meetings). Troop leaders choose the day, time and frequency of their troop meetings.

We provide our troop leaders with online meeting plans, so they can quickly and easily plan their troop’s activities.

Once a month, they also attend a Leaders' Meeting with other adults in their area, where they receive support, get news and updates from the council and collaborate to organize events for girls in their area.

I don't have any Girl Scout experience. toggle arrow

You already have everything you need to start leading your troop. No Girl Scout experience is necessary. If the girls are smiling and having a good time, the leaders are doing a good job!

We provide online meeting plans to guide you through each step of planning your troop’s activities. We also provide convenient, online training videos and resources to help you learn to be a leader for your troop. You also have a local team of experienced volunteers to support you and offer training along the way.

You can also recruit a friend to be a co-leader, or a team of additional troop volunteers, to help you! Creating a troop volunteer team will bring complementary skills and expertise to your troop's Girl Scout experience.

What support or help is there for leaders? toggle arrow

Each troop has at least two leaders, so you'll always have a partner to help lead and share in the fun. We encourage you to invite another parent or friend to serve with you, or we can work with you and your community to help connect you with a co-leader.

We provide online, in-person and on-demand training for our leaders that you can take on your schedule. We've also created detailed activity plans that make it easy to get meetings going. And you’ll always have access to our dedicated Volunteer Support team for guidance when you need it.

What are the steps to getting started as a troop leader? toggle arrow

Registering yourself, with a Girl Scout background check: All volunteers are required to become adult Girl Scout members, which is $30 for the membership year. They will need to pass a background check.
Finding a meeting location: Public locations only. If assistance is needed, Girl Scouts is always happy to help!
Resources and support: We’ll be connecting you with our Troop Support department and the volunteer team in your area to support you throughout your journey!
Building the troop: We never let our leaders do it alone. For each troop, there needs to be a minimum of two registered and background-checked adults at every meeting (but no worries if you don’t have someone, we’re great at helping build your leadership team). We’ll also help you fill your troop with girls!
First meeting: When it’s time for your first troop meeting, we provide you with an easy-to-follow guide and all the resources you’ll need!

Need more information? Don't hesitate to contact us at info@gswcf.org. We can't wit to hear from you!