COVID-19 Resources

At Girl Scouts, our motto is “be prepared" and there is nothing we take or prepare for more seriously than the safety and well-being of our girls, volunteers, members, and staff. With the rapidly changing situation of COVID-19 (aka the coronavirus), USAGSO wants to provide you with as much support and information as possible. This page will be updated as often as needed and we hope it will provide you with helpful resources to continue your experience with Girl Scouts through a very uncertain time.

Girl Scouts at Home!

Stay connected to Girl Scouts across the nation and around the world!

Bring the exploration, fun and learning of Girl Scouts to your family even when circumstances are keeping Girl Scouts from meeting up in person. Afterall, Girl Scouts isn’t somewhere girls go or something they do—it’s who they are day in, day out. Use the self-guided, free activities to keep your girl, your troop, and your community connected in the safe, online environment of Girl Scouts at Home.

COVID-19 is an extremely contagious virus that spreads easily in the community. Please take all reasonable precautions to limit potential exposure for girls, volunteers, and families.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to change as infection rates rise and fall in different areas. There may be regional differences or developments since this guidance was published. Continue to follow local and Center for Disease Control directives. Please have open conversations and discuss return to troop plans with families. We encourage volunteers and caregivers to use their best judgement when determining all events and activities, and to follow all health and safety guidance from your local authority and other official sources. However, if your school is closed because of COVID-19, we ask that you do not hold any in person Girl Scout events or meetings. Please always follow the requirements from your local host country and the authorities within your community.

Communication from USAGSO

In this section, we will add all of the links to communication we have shared with our members in one space. Please note, the situation changes so often, that information may become outdated very quickly.

Updated Guidance to our OCMT Volunteers on COVID-19 Recommendations _{(updated October 1)}
Recommendations on the use of Troop & Community Funds
Update: Highest Awards & COVID-19
Advice for Virtual Troop Meetings (from Safety Activity Checklist)

Resources & Information for our Volunteers

Helpful Resources for Virtual Girl Scouting

To help our volunteers and members continue on their Girl Scout Leadership Experience, USAGSO has developed the following programs or are sharing already existing platforms with you.

Activitiy Ideas:

Connect with Girl Scouts around the world through the brand-new Girl Scouts at Home opportunity.
Our Global Facilitators put together this great resource with ideas on to "do" Girl Scouts virtually-- since this is a working document, they will continue to add ideas to the list._{^{This document includes a number of resources to help our
members. Please note, USAGSO does not officially endorse any
non-Girl Scout platform.}}
Take advantage of virtual Community Patch Programs developed by other USAGSO communities!
We have challenges you and your Girl Scout can do together-- and she can earn a patch.

Resources:

A great resource for parents and troop leaders is: Keep Girl Scouts Going.
Hold virtual meeting ideas/platforms – we do not have any official platform recommendations, but do hear that people have had success with Google Hangout and Zoom (both have free versions). And for addtional help, check out our Virtual Meeting Handbook.
If you now are working 1:1 with your Girl Scout, we do have a Juliette Guidebook that can give you some additional ideas.
The Volunteer Toolkit is a great resource as you are able to follow meeting plans developed by your daughter's Troop Leader. Here is a link to the VTK Guidebook to help you get started.
If you are a volunteer-- please join our Volunteer Facebook page to connect with fellow USAGSO volunteers.
Use the resources on our Raising Awesome Girls site with girls who may have questions or concerns about coronavirus.
If you have questions on how to use community or troop funds during a shutdown, please read this reference document for all of the dos and donts.

Guidance: A Case of COVID-19 in your Community

With an overabundance of caution, we have setup a process to help you if someone in your overseas community tests positive for COVID-19 and had in-person involvement at a Girl Scout event or meeting within the last month. If this happens in your community, we request that Troop Leaders (and/or other volunteers) reach out to their Overseas Committee Chair. The Overseas Committee Chair will then need to complete this form. A USAGSO staff person will collect relevant event details and work with your local community, command, or other authorities to implement contact tracing steps.

Guidance for Every Girl Scout

We all have a role to play in preventing the spread of coronavirus in our community. In the spirit of the Girl Scout promise and law, we ask every member of our movement to do their part:

If your school is closed, we ask that you do not hold Girl Scout meetings or participate in any Girl Scout event with a group of people. Please follow your local authority-- if you are not supposed to gather in groups, please do not hold a meeting, event, or any other group activity.
Follow CDC hygiene best practices that include regular hand washing for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, and covering your cough or sneeze. We recommend singing "Make New Friends (but Keep the Old)" twice while washing your hands!
Use non-contact forms of greeting instead of physical contact such as shaking hands.
Keep at least 3 feet of distance between individuals at meetings and events whenever possible.
Do not attend Girl Scout or other public events if you are ill or believe you have been exposed to a contagious disease like coronavirus.
Use the resources on our Raising Awesome Girls site with girls who may have questions or concerns about coronavirus.

Stay Informed

To be a resource to our members, we are providing links to relevant health authorities check the CDC and your local country health department’s website for the most up-to-date information.

CDC
World Health Organization
U.S. State Department
Please always check the health information from your local community or country.

Temporary or Permanent Relocation

Information for Temporary Relocation

Information for Permanent Moves

If you have had to relocate due to COVID-19, please let us know! Fill out the forms in the links below and we will help you transition to your new location.

Effects to Cookie Program

Bridging at a Distance: Ceremony Ideas

Girl Scouts: National Service Project

Hiking Today. Trailblazing Tomorrow. Become a Girl Scout. Join Now

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Confidence Today. Career Tomorrow. Volunteer Now

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