Adult Training

You're doing something amazing by volunteering with Girl Scouts - introducing girls to new experiences and being a great role model! So whether you're new to Girl Scouts or a seasoned pro, we want to make sure you're prepared for all the great experiences that are ahead.

GSHG provides adult training courses through both our online learning platform and conducted by skilled and enthusiastic facilitators in-person throughout the year. Volunteers are encouraged to take advantage of as many courses as they can to provide the best experiences possible for girls.

As you navigate this page, subject lines with an asterisk designates required training for troop leaders.

Those who complete the trainings are welcome to purchase the variety of training patches (shown below) exclusively from our Macon shop! These are official GSHG Adult Training patches and can be worn on the front of the adult vest.
Follow this link to order yours today!

New Leader Resources

Just getting started? Here are some of your first need-to-know tools!

New Leader Onboarding* toggle arrow

4-5 hours

Our New Leader Onboarding is required for all new troop leaders. You can take the courses at your convenience on a computer or mobile device through our online learning portal, gsLearn, and in person. It provides the nuts and bolts for getting started as a troop leader and a basic understanding of this volunteer role.

GSHG New Leader Onboarding, Part One:

Welcome to GSHG
GSUSA: What Girl Scouts Do
GSUSA: The Girl Scout Leadership Experience
GSUSA: Family Engagement
GSUSA: Your First Troop Meeting
In Case of Emergency

Part Two:

GSUSA Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention
Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement
GSUSA: Troop Safety
GSUSA: Funding the Fun
Troop Bank Account Management
VTK-Troop Leader View

Part Three:

In Person Only

Part Four:

GSUSA: Girl Scouts in the Outdoors
GSUSA: Field Trips and Travel
GSHG Troop Travel
GSUSA: The Cookie Sale
Delivering Inclusive Program

Find this learning session here or navigate to gsLearn through your myGS account here on our website.

After you have completed your GSHG: New Leader Training, you will meet with a membership representative in your area to go over forms, policies and local information. It will also give you a chance to ask questions and get answers in a face-to-face setting.

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention* toggle arrow

1 hour

It is recommended that volunteers appointed to a troop leadership team, leadership team of any Pathway group, and/or service team take the online child abuse training.

In this gsLearn course, you will learn to better recognize the indicators of abuse and neglect, understand your role in responsible reporting, and identify the groups of children who may be at a higher risk of being abused or neglected.

To find the course, login in to gsLearn (which can be accessed through your myGS account) and search for "325 GSHG: Mandated Reporter Training and Acknowledgement for Volunteers."

For more information, please reach out to your local membership team.

First Aid & CPR* toggle arrow

4-6 hours

This course is required before Girl Scouts leave their meeting place and for participation in various other activities by one adult in the troop or group.

The purpose of this course is to recognize and respond to emergencies including shock, cardiac and breathing emergencies for adults, children and infants, heat and cold emergencies, sudden illnesses and poisonings. Additionally, participants will learn first aid for issues from cuts and scrapes to muscle, bone and joint injuries.

Approved organizations include American Red Cross, Medic First Aid, American Heart Association, HSI, and the American Safety Council.

Please note, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia only accepts the in-person or hybrid certifications for First Aid and CPR - the skills portion of the training must be completed in person.

Grade-level Training toggle arrow

1 hour

These sessions will help volunteers learn how to navigate the badges, Journeys, and hands-on activities:

how to engage girls at each grade level
determine how to customize a Journey for their group
Develop a deeper understanding of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Find out how to tie Bronze, Silver and Gold awards into Journey work
Look at the difference between community service and take action projects

It is recommended that volunteers in a troop leadership team role attend within the first 3 months or upon changing grade-levels.

Troop Year Planners toggle arrow

Plan your year of Girl Scouting. These helpful troop year plans guide you through each meeting.

Ready to plan your troop year? Our age-appropriate troop year plans are the best tool for first year troop leaders to get started with Girl Scouts without getting overwhelmed. The entire year is mapped out—just follow along to help your Girl Scouts complete badge activities, improve their communities, and explore the world around them.

Click here to view the troop year planners and then head to the Volunteer Toolkit to download the meeting guides for each badge!

Using the Volunteer Toolkit toggle arrow

myGS/Volunteer Toolkit (VTK)

As a Girl Scout volunteer, you already know that your girls love Girl Scouts for the friends, the fun, and all the new things they get to try.

What if there was a way to run your troop or group that saves you time and helps you plan so that you can spend more time with the girls? Meet the Volunteer Toolkit, the new online tool that makes it easy for you to get the most out of every troop or group meeting.

And here’s the best part—with the Volunteer Toolkit, you can say goodbye to digging through big stacks of books and piles of resources. It is accessible from your computer, tablet, or mobile device—placing everything you need in one easy-to-access place that’s accessible on the go.

With the Volunteer Toolkit, Troop Leaders can...

Access a whole year of Girl Scout fun by grade-level. Year plans come with pre-populated sets of meetings that give you plenty of ideas for activities and all the resources you need at your fingertips.
Don’t see an activity your troop loves in one of the pre-filled meetings? Well go ahead and add that camping trip or visit to the science museum. Your year plan is fully customizable. You can even change the order of meetings by just dragging and dropping.
Track your troops earned badge and awards throughout the year so it is easier to acknowledge each girls’ unique achievements and attendance at troop meetings.
You'll also be able to see the GSUSA's new badges.
Access the girl and family rosters to make communication easier. One click email allows you to correspond directly with your troop’s parents.
Manage troop finances all in one place.

Volunteer Resources

Level up your Girl Scout knowledge with more volunteer resources for your troop!

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention* toggle arrow

1 hour

It is recommended that volunteers appointed to a troop leadership team, leadership team of any Pathway group, and/or service team take the online child abuse training.

To find the course, login in to gsLearn (which can be accessed through your myGS account) and search for "325 GSHG: Mandated Reporter Training and Acknowledgement for Volunteers."

For more information, please reach out to your local membership team.

First Aid & CPR* toggle arrow

4-6 hours

This course is required before Girl Scouts leave their meeting place and for participation in various other activities by one adult in the troop or group.

Please note, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia only accepts the in-person certifications for First Aid and CPR.

Wilderness and Remote First Aid
For troop trips beyond 30 minutes from medical care, at least one adult in the troop or group must have completed Wilderness and Remote First Aid by American Red Cross.

Grade-level Training toggle arrow

1 hour

These sessions will help volunteers learn how to navigate the badges, Journeys, and hands-on activities:

how to engage girls at each grade level
determine how to customize a Journey for their group
Develop a deeper understanding of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Find out how to tie Bronze, Silver and Gold awards into Journey work
Look at the difference between community service and take action projects

It is recommended that volunteers in a troop leadership team role attend within the first 3 months or upon changing grade-levels.

Troop Travel Training* toggle arrow

This course is required for taking trips with your troop. It is offered as part of the New Leader Training on gsLearn, as it’s own course on gsLearn, and in-person when possible.

To complete this training online, click here, or navigate to gsLearn through your myGS account on our website.

For more Troop Trip Resources, please click here and take a look at our Troop Travel Guide!

Courses on gsLearn toggle arrow

We have a large library of training resources available on gsLearn that can be taken at any time!

gsLearn courses for Troop Leaders:

VTK-Troop Leader View
GSUSA Managing My Troop from My Account
GSHG Including Girl Scouts with ADHD
GSHG Including Girl Scouts with Autism Spectrum Disorder
GSHG Including Girl Scouts with Physical Disabilities
GSUSA Daisy Petal Badges
GSUSA Facilitating Virtual Troop Meetings

gsLearn courses for all Volunteers:

VTK- Caregiver View
VTK- IRG Caregiver View
GSUSA Becoming Me Volunteer Training
GSUSA Delivering Inclusive Program
GSUSA Girl Scouts in the Outdoors
GSUSA Mental Wellness 101
GSUSA Resilient. Ready. Strong Patch
GSHG: Troop Travel
GSHG: Fall Product Program Training
GSHG: Cookie Program Training
GSUSA Girl Scout Astronomy Club Training
GSUSA Girl Scout Tree Promise
GSUSA World Thinking Day 101
GSUSA Sparking Girl Scout Interest in STEM
GSUSA Silver Award Training

Coming Soon! toggle arrow

Troop Leader Refresher Course

Coming soon!

Camping and Outdoors

Learn how to lead leaders

Outdoor Skills toggle arrow

Songs and S'mores

This course teaches participants how to lead a campfire program with their Girl Scouts! It will include fire safety, fire cooking, and basic cooking. It will also include some Girl Scouts songs and skits for troop leaders to take back to their troops! This is the perfect training for new leaders looking to enjoy s'mores with their troop!

Basic Outdoor Skills

The purpose of Basic Outdoor Skills is to teach additional skills needed for an outdoor overnight experience. This course covers the eight basic outdoor skills. This class is required to take Girl Scouts on experiences where there will be outdoor cooking, campfires, or sleeping in an outdoor setting.

Course Prerequisite: Girl Scouts in the Outdoors (on gsLearn only)

Advanced Cooking

This course will teach you how to cook in a box oven and Dutch oven, cook using a vagabond stove and buddy burner, grate cooking, pie iron cooking and on a stick. We’ll cover the proper use, care and safety for these methods and useful tips for cooking with your girls. You will leave with great recipes to use on your next camping adventure!

Course Prerequisite: Basic Outdoor Skills

Other trainings available:

Knife and Hatchet Throwing
Knots and Lashing
Orienteering, Compass and Maps
Machete
Backpacking

Reach out to our Volunteer Development team to learn more!

Program Certifications toggle arrow

Archery Certification

USA Archery Level 1 certification is required to instruct Archery at any GSHG camps. The USA Archery Level 1 Instructor course is a nationally recognized certification that can be used as verification of skills and knowledge for any GSHG Archery activities and is recognized at most camps and archery centers. Certification is good for 3 years from the date of training.

USA Archery Level 2 certification includes the Level 1 certification and is required to instruct other adults in the Level 1 Archery Course. The USA Archery Level 2 Instructor course is a nationally recognized certification that can be used as verification of skills and knowledge for any GSHG Archery activities and is recognized at most camps and archery centers. Certification is good for 3 years from the date of training.

Basic Water Rescue/Small Craft Safety Certification

This course is required to take Girl Scouts canoeing, kayaking, or row boating. Basic Water Rescue/Small Craft Safety provides the information and skills necessary to prevent, recognize, and respond to small craft and aquatic emergencies using non-swimming rescues specific to the craft and body of water.
This certification lasts for 3 years.

Challenge Course Certification

There are two separate Challenge Course certifications - Low and High Elements. The Low Elements Challenge Course Certification is required to facilitate the Low Elements at Camps Low, Tanglewood, and Martha Johnston. The High Elements Challenge Course Trainging is required for the rock wall and zipline at Camp Low.
These certification courses are valid for 1 year from the date of training.
A minimum of two trained volunteers are needed to facilitate the course.

Low Elements Challenge Course

Located at Camp Low, Camp Tanglewood, and Camp Martha Johnston
Low Elements Training is not location specific

High Elements Challenge Course

Located at Camp Low
High Elements Training is location specific

Lifeguard Certification

The American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED teaches lifeguards the skills and knowledge needed to prevent and respond to emergencies in a public swimming pool or GSHG pool on one of our camp properties.
This is a 2-year certification recognized across the United States.

ServSafe: Food Manager Certification

If your group is planning to use an industrial kitchen at any one of the GSHG camps, you are required to have a certified food manager’s certification by the state of Georgia. After completion of this course you will receive a food manager’s certificate valid for 3 years. There must be one food manager on site per industrial kitchen, each additional person in the kitchen must have a ServSafe food handler certification.

Click here to take the online course for food manager.
Click here to take the online course for food handling.

SU Resources

Learn new skills to grow your Service Unit

Event Director Training toggle arrow

2 hours

Being a Girl Scout volunteer isn’t a cookie cutter experience. There are many different ways to get involved-- including becoming a Girl Scout Event Director! As an Event Director you’ll lead by example and showcase important skills like leadership and teamwork. You’ll take responsibility for managing an entire event, which will include a whole lot of delegation between your team of adult volunteers, girls and community partners.

From start to finish, a successful Event Director will see the an activity to fruition by asking Juliette Low’s famous questions of “What do the girls want to do?”. This question will not only help you brainstorm ideas but evaluate the results.

Interested in becoming an Event Director? Reach out to your local Program Manager for any questions on getting started! please see our staff directory.

Facilitating Adult Training toggle arrow

6 hours

Whether you are looking to join the volunteer facilitator team in your region or are looking to become a better facilitator overall, Facilitating Adult Learning will help you learn how to effectively deliver a learning session with a focus on group dynamics, adult learning styles and group processing techniques.

This course is the first step in becoming an Adult Learning Facilitator with Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.

If you would like to become an Adult Learning Facilitator, please reach out to Tiffany Connolly.

Service Unit Volunteer Conference toggle arrow

Bring your Service Unit Team to learn new skills and collaborate with our other Service Units! All Service Unit team members are invited to kick off the new membership year at the SU Volunteer Conference.

The conference is held annually in early August and will cover lots of information, including training for product program, event directors, SU recruiters, and more.

gsLearn Courses toggle arrow

gsLearn courses available for Service Units:

GSHG Sharing Girl Scouts with your Community Recruitment Series
GSUSA Service Unit Training :

Developing & Growing Your SU
Effective Meetings
Goal Setting & Planning
Leading Effective Digital Meetings

GSUSA Brand Ambassador Training for Volunteers
GSUSA Cultural Assets Archives 101
VTK-Demo/Service Unit Access

Learning Weekends

Join other leaders from across the council at our volunteer development events!

Volunteer Learning Weekends toggle arrow

LEAP (Leadership Experience for Adult Pathways) Presents: Into the Holidays!

This adult volunteer event includes a variety of training classes - from core training like Basic Outdoor Skills to fun, enrichment workshops all in one convenient training event. Volunteers will have the opportunity to take several workshop sessions of their choosing over the course of this event and meet leaders and volunteers from across their region and the council.

Save the Date! October 16-18, 2026 at Camp Low in Savannah, GA

Leader Glamporee

Whether you're a brand-new leader, a returning volunteer, or a longtime supporter, this weekend is designed just for you. Learn new skills, gain fresh ideas, and enjoy the company of passionate Girl Scout adults—all in the beautiful setting of Camp Martha Johnston.

See you next year! July 2027 at Camp Martha Johnston in Lizella, GA

G.R.I.T. (Grow. Rise. Inspire. Train.)

This high-energy weekend features a variety of workshops designed to enhance the Girl Scout experience for your troop or simply to build new skills just for you.

You’ll get to choose from themed workshop sessions throughout the weekend, tailoring your experience to your interests while connecting with leaders and volunteers from across your region and the council.

Save the Date! March 19-21 2027 at Camp Tanglewood in Grovetown, GA

Council Finder

Adult Training

Troop Leader Refresher Course

Songs and S'mores

Basic Outdoor Skills

Advanced Cooking

Archery Certification

Basic Water Rescue/Small Craft Safety Certification

Challenge Course Certification

Lifeguard Certification

ServSafe: Food Manager Certification

LEAP (Leadership Experience for Adult Pathways) Presents: Into the Holidays!

Leader Glamporee

G.R.I.T. (Grow. Rise. Inspire. Train.)

Looking for upcoming adult trainings?
Look for the brown event listings!

Troop Leader Refresher Course

Songs and S'mores

Basic Outdoor Skills

Advanced Cooking

Archery Certification

Basic Water Rescue/Small Craft Safety Certification

Challenge Course Certification

Lifeguard Certification

ServSafe: Food Manager Certification

LEAP (Leadership Experience for Adult Pathways) Presents: Into the Holidays!

Leader Glamporee

G.R.I.T. (Grow. Rise. Inspire. Train.)

Looking for upcoming adult trainings? Look for the brown event listings!

Looking for upcoming adult trainings?
Look for the brown event listings!