What you need to know leading up to and planning for a Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

By -
As a Girl Scout, you’ve probably taken part in a ceremony. You might remember lighting candles or holding the flag, crossing a bridge or welcoming a new girl into your troop. Ceremonies are an integral part of the Girl Scout year, covering topics including rededication, birthdays and awards, and even bridging to the next level of Girl Scouts. 

Bridging is an important transition in a Girl Scout’s life; it honors and celebrates a girl's “graduation” from one level of Girl Scouting to the next. 
Daisies bridge to Brownies
Brownies bridge to Juniors
Juniors bridge to Cadettes
Cadettes bridge to Seniors
Seniors bridge to Ambassadors
Ambassadors bridge to Adults

This transition marks important milestones in each girl’s journey through Girl Scouting and should be celebrated by the troop, family, and close friends. Celebrating this change should be fun, personalized, and memorable for everyone involved. And most of all, it should be designed by the girls, with help from their troop volunteers.


When does a bridging ceremony happen?
Girl Scouts automatically recognizes a girl’s level in Girl Scouting based on her year in school. As soon as one school year ends and another begins, she is considered having moved to the next grade level—but when you choose to host your official troop ceremony is really up to the troop. You might decide to follow the school year calendar and host your bridging ceremony in late May or early June. You might decide to bridge during the summer, when the girls have had some time to finish up the last of the badges or journeys they started. Or, your troop might decide to wait until right when the new Girl Scout year starts (October 1st).


Talk with Girls, Make a Plan
As girls get closer to moving up to another level, tell them what steps are needed to complete bridging, discuss which activities the troop wants to participate in, and then work together to create a plan. 

Remember, a bridging ceremony is a culmination of all that your Girl Scouts have done at a level, and should represent each unique quality of your troop. Make sure girls take a leading role in planning, leading up to and running the ceremony. Just like in other Girl Scout activities, there is a natural progression in the level of participation. As girls get older, their participation should increase!


Plan the Bridging Ceremony
Typically, a Girl Scout Ceremony has three parts; an opening, a main section, and a closing. During the opening, guests are welcomed and the tone is set with an activity such as a flag ceremony or reciting the Girl Scout Promise and Law. During the main section, the ceremony is explained to the guests and run by the girls and co-leaders. During the closing, guests are thanked and the celebration ends with an activity such as a friendship circle or flag ceremony.

Most bridging ceremonies include the following:
  • A flag or opening ceremony
  • Reciting of the Girl Scout Promise
  • Reading or reciting of the Girl Scout Law
  • Crossing a bridge
  • The Girl Scout handshake
  • Presentation of certificates, patches, and other awards
  • Ending ceremony

You might also include:
  • Doing the friendship squeeze
  • Singing a Girl Scout song
  • Serving refreshments
  • Sharing favorite Girl Scout memories or pictures
  • Sharing plans for the next year
  • Something to showcase the uniqueness of your troop 

What is presented to the girls once they bridge?
Below are the insignia traditionally presented to girls as they bridge.

Daisy
Automatically Given: Membership Star with Daisy Blue Disc, Ending certificate, and Brownie Girl Scout Membership Pin
Earned: Bridge to Brownie Award

Brownie

Junior


Senior 
Automatically Given: Membership Star with Senior Red Disc 
Earned: Bridge to Ambassador Award

Ambassador

Girls may also need a new vest or sash, membership stars, and new guide books. The GSNC shop sells Bridging Kits that contain the awards and insignia each girl should receive as she crosses over to the next level in Girl Scouts. The kits are packed in a clear bag and include a certificate that can be personalized!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a Sit-Upon Using a Reusable Shopping Bag

By -
Image
With some many Girl Scout spending their summer outdoors and at camp, now is the perfect time to talk about sit-upons... a great item to bring on any outdoor adventure . So, when we were challenged to make a sit-upon, we decided to do what Girl Scouts do and use our resources wisely... so, we used some items that we had on hand. Here is what we came up with: Supplies needed : Scissors Already read newspaper Reusable shopping bag Duct tape (we used gold glitter duct tape of course, but an type of duct tape will do) Instructions: Cut the sewed seams of the reusable shopping bag.  Lay the reusable bag out flat (waterproof/plastic side down) and place the newspaper on one half of the laid out bag as shown.  Fold the other side of the bag over the newspaper so that the newspaper is sandwiched between the two sides of the reusable shopping bag. Using the duct tape, tape the seams of the bag that are open so that the newspaper is sealed into the b
Read more

How To...Tie a Girl Scout Scarf

By -
Image
By: Paige D., Intern Have you been trying to find new ways to wear your Girl Scout scarf? If so, then today is your lucky day. We here at Girl Scouts of Nassau County are running a new mini blog series on how to tie your Girl Scout scarf. For those of you who don’t know, Donna Ceravolo has been recognized for her wide variety of scarves and different ways to tie them. You never know what you might find Donna wearing, from simple square knots to elaborate bow ties; your selection will never seem dull! Throughout this mini-series we hope to inspire your creativity when it comes to stepping up your Girl Scout uniform! You can pick up one of our beautiful scarves in the Girl Scouts of Nassau County shop, or online at shop.gsnc.org/store/ . Follow the simple step-by-step instructions and you'll be on your way to a whole new updated look for your Girl Scout uniform! The first scarf we are using is a long and narrow silk scarf . First, you must fold both edges of scarf to meet in
Read more

Working at a Girl Scout Camp by Maggie Robinson

By -
Of all the different first jobs a young person could have, summer camp counselor is simply the best. Other regular jobs won’t leave a young person with as well-rounded a skill set as summer camp and in my (incredibly-biased) opinion, being a Girl Scout summer camp counselor is even better for introducing young minds to the workforce. Growing up I had two dreams: become a world famous best-selling author and be a Unit Leader at Camp Blue Bay. Thanks to my experience working at summer camp, I’ve already been able to achieve one of my lifelong goals! (And as soon as I finish my novel, I’ll complete the other one…)  It all started 15 years ago. I was 8 years old and enjoying the sleepaway experience at Camp Blue Bay for the very first time, but my camp counselors were an enigma to me. They were teenagers and college kids who were also adults, and they were cool but also responsible?? I had never met a person like that before. They were friendly and helpful when I misplaced my water bottle
Read more