Cadette Handbooks

Have you woken up yet from the boring first edition of Delegate Duties?  I’m sure you are on the edge of your seat waiting for the next installment!  Just wait until I write about such exciting topics as Governance vs. Operations!

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to Girl Scout Leaders.  It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.  It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of Leaders’ fears and the summit of their knowledge.  This is the dimension of imagination.  It is an area which we call…

THE CADETTE ZONE

Yes, our top level has moved to Cadettes!  This year, I have a Cadette co-leader that I am very excited (and relieved) to have joining us.  Last year about killed me as the only Junior leader and doing all that we did.  It was an AWESOME year, but I don’t know how I reached the finish line the last two months.  [Side note:  I just realized I never wrote anything up about our Bronze Award.  It will be coming after our service unit’s girls banquet.]

Anyway, I just wanted to share an idea that we’re doing for our Cadettes.  Last year, each of our Juniors had their own Bronze Award notebook to take down notes, keep track of their hours, and to have their own copy of the Bronze Award information guidelines which can be found in the Girl’s Guide.  I wanted to carry this idea on to Cadettes.

If you’ve read the blog, you’ll know that I’m not a big fan of the Girl’s Guide notebooks.  I think the three ring binder in and of itself is a good idea, but the implementation of it was not well-thought-out in my opinion.  But, I still think it’s important for each girl, especially Cadettes, to have their own notebook to browse through at home.  Having something for them to refer back to not only familiarizes them with awards and badges, but it also engages them in the Girl Scout program when they read what it’s all about.  Not many girls purchase their own copy of the Girl’s Guide these days for various reasons, and I think we’re really missing out on an opportunity here.

So we’re creating our own Cadette Handbook!  Here’s what we’re including:

• Welcome to Girl Scout Cadettes letter – adapted from this)
• Our troop handbook
• Cadette uniform insignia guide
• Cadette Badges and Journeys – a summary of the badges and journeys on just two pages (adapted from a file found in the GS Gab Facebook group).  Here’s the updated version:  Cadette Badges and Journeys Updated 2017
• UNOFFICIAL Cadette Awards Log – a reproduction of what’s in the Girl’s Guide, except I added the two outdoor badges.  GSUSA has Award Log PDFs for the Daisy through Junior levels, but I couldn’t find the equivalent for Cadettes.  So I scanned in the pages and made one myself.  I’m sure that’s frowned upon, but hey, get with it GSUSA and upload ones for Older Girls!  (Needs to be updated for 2017)
• Cadette Additional Awards – yeah, I made this one too.  I could have scanned it in from the Girl’s Guide, but I think it’s easier to read and reference this way.
• A picture of Yellowstone National Park with the heading “Are you ready for this in 2019?”  – last year, we were talking about trips, and one girl yelled out, “Yellowstone National Park!” (maybe sorta being a little silly).  I said if they stayed through Cadettes, I promised I would help them plan a trip to Yellowstone.  So LET’S DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Silver Award Guidelines
• Extra notebook paper
• Zipper pouch for pencils and what-nots
• Addendum 9/8/16 – Make Your Own Badge requirements for Cadettes (no longer available from GSUSA)

They’ll be able to decorate it however they wish at the first meeting.  If you have any additional ideas, let me know!  I’m sure we’ll be adding to the notebook as the year progresses!

h/t to Da-nice for some notebook ideas