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Ways to Partner
How Girl Scouts and Federal Agencies Can Work Together
Girl Scout councils are informed that limited funding and staffing means that some agencies are unable to work directly with individual Girl Scouts and troops. Multi-troop or council-wide activities are encouraged in order to best utilize each agency professional's time and maximize the number of girls who experience the outdoor activities. Councils interested in doing this would designate a contact person to meet with agency professionals and then distribute the information to volunteers, troop leaders, and girls. This council contact would work with the local or regional agency contact to identify and offer meaningful opportunities that can be accomplished with agency staff and resources, or perhaps other volunteer groups.What Girl Scouts Can Do For Natural Resource Agencies
Girls are very interested in field ecology, ecosystem monitoring, biological research, and local conservation issues. Volunteer projects could include hands-on service projects on federal or state land to re-vegetate damaged meadows or hillsides, remove exotic plants, monitor stream quality, restore historic buildings, and more. More outdoor recreation opportunities can be offered to Girl Scouts through organizational camps, group campsites, recreation permits, and Leave No Trace training. This will help girls develop outdoor skills such as developed camping, backpacking, horseback riding, skiing, hiking, fishing, and other activities. Career awareness could include meeting professionals, gaining experience in hands-on field procedures and scientific research, and first-time work experiences through internships.
Some suggested projects and activities for girls include:
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Disseminating information about the agency's natural areas, education programs, and hiking/camping facilities through a Girl Scout newsletter and the council communications network. However, a council cannot endorse, lobby for, or raise funds for other organizations.
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Co-sponsoring service projects with the agency so that interested girls can participate. They can build picnic tables and storage sheds, and design, create, and maintain hiking trails, plus so much more.
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Highlighting the work of the agency in the community by asking representatives to speak at important Girl Scout ceremonies, participate in events, or provide educational materials. This type of community outreach can generate good public relations for both the agency and the Girl Scouts.
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Gathering Girl Scouts to assist in conservation projects on the agency's land, collecting accurate data on water quality in streams or counting the number of amphibian species in certain areas. Such data can help monitor ecosystems and provide alerts to potential environmental impacts occurring locally.
How can I contact a local Girl Scout council? Use the "Council Finder" on the Girl Scouts Web page 
or find the name and telephone number of the local Girl Scout council by looking under "Girl Scouts" in the telephone directory.