What Is a Girl Scout Journey?

One thing that has changed since I was a girl is that Girl Scouts now have Journeys.

What is a Journey?

Journeys are Girl Scouts' service learning component, or leadership awards.  The original Journeys came out about nine years ago, when the current program started.  Rather than being a skill or activity-based award like badges, Journeys were supposed to teach girls to "discover" something about the world, to "connect" with resources and organizations in their community and to "take action"--to do something to make the world a better place.  

The publicity that came out when the Journeys did touted them as a whole new way to "do" Girl Scouts.  The number of badges was cut and the reasoning was that girls would be spending their time on these Journeys. Leaders' guides came with six to twelve lesson plans per Journey and spoke about badges, cookies and camping as being "side-trips".  Clearly GSUSA planned that girls would spend a good part of the GS year working on Journeys, and, for older girls, on the higher awards--the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.  

The original Journeys have never been enthusiastically embraced by the membership.  Leaders who use the provided plans usually have unhappy girls.  GSUSA and the councils that train leaders have jumped onto the "adapt them" bandwagon.  Make the Journeys your own; just meet these very basic requirements.  

What Is the Purpose of a Journey?

GSUSA wants Girl Scouts to "Discover" problems in their community; "Connect with resources or organizations in their community and "Take Action" to create lasting solutions to problems.  These "Take Action" projects are different from service projects in that service projects are designed to meet an immediate need, but do not address the root cause of the problem.  Take Action projects are supposed to address that root cause either by the design of the project or some educational component.  Journeys are supposed to teach girls how to do Take Action Projects so that they will be prepared for the Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Take Action Project or Community Service?

In designing a Take Action Project, Girl Scouts are supposed to ask "Why" the problem exists, and to address that reason.  For example, if girls notice that kids are getting hurt on the playground, they could donate bandaids to the school nurse (community service) but that does nothing to address the root cause.  Maybe the are getting hurt because there isn't enough mulch, so they get mulch donated and spread it.  If the girls are concerned about global warming and notice that parents are sitting in the car line for five minutes with the engines running, they might make signs encouraging them to turn off the engines.  PIcking up litter in the park is community service; realizing that the reason the litter is there is because there are no trash cans and having one installed is a Take Action Project.