VTK: Yea or Nay?

It is my opinion, absolutely unconfirmed by GSUSA or anyone with any inside information, that we have seen the last Girl Scout Handbooks.  GSUSA started its move to digital with a few badges and Try-Its in the old prgram, and pretty much went in head-first a couple of years ago with Volunteer Tool Kit, which is their online leaders' manual.  GSUSA has made several improvments to the system based on member feedback, though honestly I don't know what those improvements are.

Daisy Cybersecurity Badges

GSUSA came out with three cybersecurity badges for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors in the fall of 2018,  While most Girl Scout Badges are available in hard copy or pdf brochures that give five (three for Daisies) requirements and three suggested activities (pick one) for reach requirement, these badges have five (or three) requirements shown on the Badge Explorer, and suggested activities on VTK, the pdf for sale DOES NOT include three suggested activities per requirement.  Rather, it is a colorful magazine-type source of information on cybersecurity for that age level.

Like other VTK plans, these contain word-for-word scripts for leaders and can be hard for some people to follow.  The VTK plans are "unplugged"; they can be done without computer access, and the idea is to teach principals, not techniques.  The talking points from the scripts are where the connections between the activities and cybesecurity are made.

Let's take a look at  the Daisy cybersecurity  badges and how GSUSA recommends earning them:

Girl Scout Way, Making Friends and Friendly and Helpful

This week our Brownies finished Girl Scout Way and continued work on Making Friends.  Our Daisies earned their "Friendly and Helpful" petal.

Honest and Fair and Copyright Law

As Girl Scouts we promise to be "honest and fair" and to "respect...others", and yet many of us are quick to put things on a copy machine or scanner and share them with others, probably believing they are being "friendly and helpful" or "using resources wisely".  What does the law say about sharing?  For the record, I am not a lawyer and I don't give legal advice.  However I have researched this issue and suggest that if you wonder if what you are considering is legal, you do the same.