Senior/Ambassador Journeys and TAPs

This is the final post in a series of posts about a survey I did of members of a number of Facebook groups for Girl Scout leaders.  The other posts published to date are:

• Survey Results: Badges
• Comments re GSUSA Programming
• Daisy Journeys and TAPs
• Survey Results:  Journeys and TAPs
• Survey Results:  What I Ordered, What I Got
• Your Turn to Talk About Badges
• Your Turn to Talk About Take Action Projects
• Brownie Journeys and TAPs
• Junior Journeys and TAPs
• Cadette Journeys and TAPs

While I have other posts summarizing the data as a whole, this post is looking at what they said about Senior and Ambassador Journeys and TAPs--Take Action Projects.  While the What I Ordered...post more fully described those who responded, in general I'd say the people who did had a higher than average involvement in and commitment to Girl Scouting. 

About 29 of the people who responded led Seniors last year and about 17 led Ambassadors. 

Do Troops Do Journeys?

GSUSA's original idea is that troops would spend most of their year on their Journey, with much of the programming tied into it.  Badges, camping and cookies were "side trips" but the year's goal was the end of the Journey.   That has never become a reality.  

My survey asked those who had Seniors last year what their girls earned.  17 troops earned 1 Journey, 7 earned 2 Journeys and 8 earned three or more.     Of those who had Ambassadors, 7 troops earned 1 Journey, 2 earned 2 Journeys and 1 earned three or more.  

Are TAPs Appropriate for Cadettes?

According to my read of GSUSA materials, Journeys are GSUSA's leadership curriculum and the overarching goal of the whole Journey program is to teach girls how to execute a Take Action Project--or in shorthand, a TAP.  What is a TAP?  The definition I've gleaned from GSUSA's materials is that a Take Action Project is one in which girls identify a need or problem, learn about things relating to the need or problem, preferably from people in the community who deal with it, and then design and implement a sustainable solution to that problem.  

Given that definition, 5 people did not believe they were appropriate for Seniors or Ambassadors while  163 said they were said they were appropriate for Seniors and 168 said they were appropriate for Ambassadors.  28 said they might be appropriate for some Seniors and 20 said they might be appropriate for some Ambassadors.  Given that definition, 42 said their Senior troop had done a TAP properly and 22 said their Ambassador troop had.  15 said their Senior troop had not properly done a TAP, and 12 said their Ambassador troop had not.  While 66% of people did not believe TAPs as I defined them were appropriate for Daisies, and 55% did not believe they were appropriate for Brownies, with  36%  thinking they were inappropriate for Juniors, only 3.4% did not think they were appropriate for Cadettes, and 83% of people thought TAPs were appropriate for Seniors and 87% thought they were appropriate for Ambassadors.  

How Are Take Action Projects Chosen?

At this time, there are three types of Journeys.  The original Journeys were developed about 15 years ago to be the backbone of a year's programming.  They used a process of "Discover, Connect, Take Action" and were correlated with Common Core.      

The Think Like a _____ journeys each teach a way of thinking based on a STEM topic, and then, if you follow the VTK scripts, use that way of thinking to conceive, plan and implement a TAP.

Finally there is an Outdoor Journey, put in at the demand of the membership, which is simply three particular outdoor-related badges, followed by a TAP.   

I asked how people who did the original Journeys with  Seniors or Ambassadors picked their TAP and gave people five choices.  30 people responded as follows:  

I asked the same question about the Think Like a Journeys, and  15 people  responded:

18 people responded about the Outdoor Journey

Do Journeys Help Prepare for Gold?

In order to work on the highest awards, the Bronze for Juniors, the Silver for Juniors or the Gold Award for high school girls, Girl Scouts must first complete a Journey.  In my opinion (which has no official backing) when the program was developed, the creators saw Journeys as themes for the year and as leader-guided trips through the TAP process--the same process they wanted done for the higher awards.  I asked if respondents thought Journeys helped prepare girls for Gold.  41 people responded:

What Take Action Projects Do Seniors and Ambassadors Do?

Here are TAPs people said their Seniors and Ambassadors did:

• they did an educational campaign about leave no trace and helped the ranger with his project at our local Girl Scout camp
• These are all awful. The girls have regressed and no one cares about Journeys any more. I think our best TAP was for Sow What - a peanut butter drive for a local food bank.
• Didn't do any
• Built a Blessing Box, developed plan for initial stock and rotating monthly sponsors
• Sow What Journey - they wanted to work with the food pantry, so we planted a native, edible pollinator garden there
• Developed a library for a local shelter, ran an SU event that became annual
• Sow What--planned, cooked & served dinner for senior citizen organization.  Outdoor--helped plan a service unit campout and led workshops, Think like a Programmer--taught younger girls how to program a simple video game
• I know for one they put together a Mission Sisterhood positivity instragram account.
• Did anonymous survey about school resources and response to bullying and assault and shared results with principles to try to help drive change
• We have not completed a senior journey yet, this is our first year with a senior
• They made a recipe book using ingredients that are local and in season.
• Leading programs for youth on school days off: stem and engineering; working with a local elementary teacher to create a bluebird box project at their school and engage all of the children, writing  school books for younger children to read to learn about it, and inputting them in the school library
• STEM kits and video education resource provided to Girl Scout leaders and a local kindergarten class
• The girls built a mini food pantry and supported the food bank
• Created boxes with bracelet material for at camp with journal for recording who has participated
• Wrote, illustrated and published a book about friendship, acceptance and tolerance which is in the "local authors" section of the public library
• They chose “Sow What” but, frankly, I can’t recall their TAP now.
• They led a workshop on low impact camping skills for younger Scouts
• Did a JID so their TaPs were all different
• Planned and led a Junior troop in the Plants badge in a day program
• Native pollinator garden at national research park
• We did projects with the state park. The park had to suggest and approve.
• We have only done one so far. Girls came up with projects and are implementing now
• Currently we are working on creating a document comparing the GS Gold award and the BSA Eagle award to send to colleges in our state as only 2 colleges in our state actively recognize and offer scholarships based on the Gold Award.
• Provided "Cold out" gear to a county-owned camp to help prevent fires.
• Made bookmarks with anxiety coping techniques, distributed through school libraries.
• They did it at camp. Presented their projects to camp and created meals for camp.
• Again, some of these were done as part of a program done by a council, so none of the options apply.
• The girls created an educational video about female programmers

My Comments

Well, the projects are growing more complex as the girls get older, and that's a good thing.  I wish I was a better survey designer and that a more random group of Senior/Ambassador leaders had responded, because I'd really like to know what percent of Senior/Ambassador troops do Journeys and TAPs.