Venture Out! is
an online adventure that lets volunteers explore different ways of taking girls
outside in Girl Scouts. Here, they’ll encounter the kinds of challenges and
successes that only the outdoors can bring: bad weather, distracted girls, new
discoveries and life-changing events. Along the way, they’ll find tips for
getting girls outdoors, plus real-life stories and advice from over 50
volunteers.
Venture Out! is for volunteers working with K-5
troops who have little or no experience taking girls outside. Never hiked in
their life? Have lots of outdoor skills, but don’t know how to share them with
girls? Venture Out! has ideas for both these groups…and everyone in between.
Troop leaders of older girls may also find it useful.
The
Girl Scout Research Institute recently conducted a national study about girls
and the outdoors. The report, More
Than S'mores: Successes and Surprises in Girl Scouts' Outdoor Experiences explores
two basic questions: How and how much are girls getting outside in Girl Scouts?
And what difference do these outdoor experiences make? Among key findings of
the study are that girls' outdoor experiences in Girl Scouts are positively
linked to their challenge seeking, problem solving, and environmental leadership.
Additionally, when girls get outdoors on a monthly basis in Girl Scouts, doing
even casual outdoor activities, they are much more likely to agree that they've
learned to recognize their strengths, to do something they thought they
couldn't do, and to gain skills that will help them do better in school.
Through
Venture Out!,
volunteers will gain the confidence to take more girls outside and practical
knowledge from other volunteers about getting girls outdoors. Venture Out! is available from Girl
Scouts University, and made possible by the Elliott Wildlife Values Project.