November 9 2025

Parliamentary Procedure Training for NCS Delegations

National Governance    No Comments    , , ,

As a credentialed Registered Parliamentarian, I would like to offer free services to councils when it comes to parliamentary procedure training and what to expect during a National Council Session (NCS). For the past few National Council Sessions, I’ve been running local in-person and virtual trainings for various councils with success. Not only do I cover the basics of parliamentary procedure, but I also place a focus on motions that you’re most likely to encounter at a NCS. Additionally, I cover what to expect at a microphone along with speaking and debate tips. My trainings run about an hour and a half to two hours depending on the level of engagement and questions. I realize parliamentary procedure isn’t the most exciting topic to study, so I interject humor into my trainings to keep things lively. I can provide references if requested.

I cannot stress the importance of having a basic knowledge of parliamentary procedure at the NCS, because without it, you won’t understand what you’re voting on. It’s extremely important that we have an educated assembly to ensure that we make the best decisions for Girl Scouting while engaging in an efficient session.

If you’re interested in my offer or have questions, please contact me at amy@dawgtoons.com.

October 16 2025

A Moment for Macy

Opinions    8 Comments    , , , ,

Last Tuesday, GSUSA released a statement about its property strategy. I didn’t think much about it until one line stopped me dead in my tracks:

Following an intense study and evaluation of Edith Macy, in partnership with internal and external experts, GSUSA recommended, and the National Board approved the full sale of the property.

I was so stunned by this sentence that I literally could not process it mentally. I think it took about an hour before the news really sunk in.

I always thought due to its significant history that Macy was “safe.” Sure, GSUSA had unloaded National Center West and Rockwood through the years, but Macy seemed to be untouchable in my mind. Until now. Continue reading

September 10 2025

Governance Challenges on the Local Level

Opinions    11 Comments    , , , , , , , , ,

If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know that I’ve been a big advocate for healthy governance within Girl Scouting for quite a while now, and I’ve attempted to take action to shore up what I see as deficiencies including starting a website devoted to Girl Scout governance, writing a National Council Session proposal establishing a task group to study governance within the Movement, and authoring a white paper in 2019 about restoring the democratic process to Girl Scouting. Steps have been taken on the national scale by GSUSA to initiate a deep dive into governance which includes a partnership with Harvard, but it’s limited to a national scope. While I’m happy to see some action, I’m a little skeptical if there will be any long term effects because of where we stand with local governance. I question how we can model good governance nationally when we’re struggling to implement it successfully on the council level. But recently, I realized I’ve never really written in-depth about council governance models, so that brings me to this post where I will delve into it and also discuss what I foresee as a possible trend. Continue reading

August 31 2025

A Bit of Personal News

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    3 Comments    ,

RONR was my close companion for the months leading up to the RP exam!

I usually keep my private business quiet, but I thought I’d share this bit of news with you. At the end of July, I took the Registered Parliamentarian examination through the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) with the hopes of becoming a credentialed Registered Parliamentarian (RP). I found out recently that I passed the test, so I’m now an OFFICIAL RP!

So what’s involved with this? First, you must join NAP which requires an easy 40 question test on parliamentary procedure. Within NAP, there are two levels of credentialing: Registered Parliamentarian (RP) and Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP). The RP exam consists of two sections. The first section features 100 multiple choice questions while the second section includes five essay questions. You must score an 80% on each section in order to pass. A year after you become an RP, you are qualified to take the PRP exam. The PRP exam is much more involved, and travel is necessary because it involves in-person testing such as serving as a presiding officer for a meeting and presenting to a panel in addition to a written test. Continue reading

August 23 2025

Updated UNOFFICIAL Memory Books for 2025-2026

Troop Leader Resources    6 Comments    , , , , , , ,

And here’s what you’ve been waiting for! I’m publishing the latest version of the UNOFFICIAL Memory Books for Membership Year 2025-2026. In case you’re wondering what these are, they are a (sort of) recreation of the Memory Books that GSUSA published a few years ago. The concept was nice, but the execution was a little lacking due to the way our national programming rolls out new content every year. These UNOFFICIAL memory books can be printed onto 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper and placed in a 3 ring binder so that pages can be added (or removed) as the leader or girl sees fit.  You can read more about the concept on the original blog post. Note that these only provide badge requirement summaries. Requirements can be found in the badge booklets or VTK.

These new versions include the new body image badges released over the summer and the new Leadership Awards for Juniors through Ambassadors. I removed the badges that were quietly retired including My Best Self (Brownie), Staying Fit (Junior), Eating for You (Cadette), and Women’s Health (Senior). I also updated the design for the Cadette Animal Helpers badge. You can find the retired badges (along with previous years’) in a separate file that I’ve included below. In case you only want the new body image badges, I’ve pulled those out into their own file as well. Continue reading