Leadership Awards
Building leadership skills to last a lifetime.
Leaders come in all shapes and sizes! Girl Scouts have many opportunities to hone their leadership skills while working with younger Girl Scouts and members of their community to make a big impact.
Meet the New Leadership Awards
Introducing fresh ways for Girl Scouts to lead with confidence, mentor others, work as a team, and take action in their communities. They're also a prerequisite for the Highest Awards.
LEARN MORENew award requirements are now available! However, the current award requirements listed below will still be accepted during transtion.
Leadership Award Training 
Junior Aide
Juniors
Junior Aide can be earned by junior girl scouts who are an active assistant with a group of Daisy or Brownies for at least 3 sessions of a troop meeting or activity.
Program Aide (PA)
A Cadette Girl Scout (Grades 6, 7, or 8) that is interested in working
with younger girls in a variety of settings.
To earn a Program Aide award, follow these steps:
- Earn one Leader in Action (LiA) award. This can be done before or after you complete the training.
- Complete a council-designed leadership course training. Part of our leadership course training will involve learning to work with children, and gaining a deeper understanding of a specialty such as science, art, the outdoors, or adapting activities for girls with disabilities.
- Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. These activities are in addition to your LiA and can include but not limited to Journey activities, badge activities, troop meetings, day camp or council events.
Program Aide hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards.
Use the Activities Log and Evaluation to keep track of hours and completing the final evaluation before submitting everything to council.
For Volunteers
Interested in leading a group of Girl
Scouts through Program Aide training? Materials are now available for
volunteers by completing the request form.
Counselor-in-Training (CIT)
A Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout (Grades 9, 10, 11, or 12) that
would like to mentor younger girls in a camp setting in order to build
skills toward becoming a camp counselor.
To earn a Counselor-in-Training I award, follow these steps:
- Complete a council-designed leadership course training on outdoor experiences.
- Work directly with younger girls over 3 camp sessions.
Counselor-in-Training hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards.
Use the Activities Log and Evaluation to keep track of hours and completing the final evaluation before submitting everything to council.
Counselor-in-Training II (CIT II)
A Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout (Grades 9, 10, 11, or 12) that would
like to mentor younger girls in at least one camp setting while focusing
on increasing her skills in one specific area – such as riding
instruction, life guarding, or the arts.
To earn a Counselor-in-Training II award, follow these steps:
- Earn the Counselor-In-Training I.
- Work directly with younger girls over the course of at least one camp session while focusing on an increasing skill.
Counselor-in-Training II hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards.
Use the Activities Log and Evaluation to keep track of hours and completing the final evaluation before submitting everything to council.
Volunteer-in-Training (VIT)
A Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout (Grades 9, 10, 11, or 12) that is
interested in mentoring younger Girl Scouts outside of the camp
experience. Your VIT project should span a three-to-six-month period.
To earn a Volunteer-in-Training award, follow these steps:
- Find a mentor volunteer who is currently the adult volunteer for a group of girls at the level you’d like to work with. This volunteer will help you through your training and internship, and you’ll help the volunteer with her group of girls for the three-to-six month period.
- Complete a council-designed leadership course.
- Create and implement a thoughtful program based on a Journey or badge that lasts over four or more sessions. Be responsible for designing, planning, and evaluating the activities. If you’re passionate about a topic like art or technology, you could design the activities around the area you love or in which you have expertise.
Volunteer-in-Training hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards.
Use the Activities Log and Evaluation to keep track of hours and completing the final evaluation before submitting everything to council.
Service to Girl Scouting Bar
Cadettes / Seniors / Ambassadors
The Service to Girl Scouting Bar is earned by volunteering at least 20 hours to the Girl Scout organization. A Girl Scout can volunteer at a special event for younger girls, be an office assistant for their council, work with their service unit or help with special projects. Community Service Bar hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards. Use the time log to help track volunteer hours.
Community Service Bar
Cadettes / Seniors / Ambassadors
The Girl Scout Community Service Bar is earned by making a difference in the community and practicing the values of the Girl Scout Law. It is also a way for girls to get involved with a cause they care about.
The Community Service Bar is earned by volunteering at least 20 hours to 1 organization. This organization does need to be pre-approved by council before tracking hours. Complete the Community Service Bar Form and submit to council for approval. Once approved, use the time log to track completed hours.
Torch Award
Cadettes / Seniors / Ambassadors
The Torch Award recognizes a Girl Scout who acts as a leader in her community by serving in a leadership position at a school, place of worship, library, after-school club or similar organizations for the duration of a term.
Torch Award hours need to be separate from those used toward other awards.
Complete the Torch Award form and submit to council at the end of your term.
Safety Award
All Grade Levels
Safety Awards are earned by following a five-step process for being safe, tailored for each grade level.
Journey Summit Award
All Grade Levels
The Journey Summit Award Pin is earned by girls who have completed three National Leadership Journeys at their grade level. The colored border around each pin corresponds to their grade level. This award can be earned by girls in all program levels: Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador. This is the highest award that a Girl Scout Daisy and a Girl Scout Brownie can earn.
Medal of Honor
All Grade Levels
This award is given to a girl who has shown presence of mind and true Girl Scout spirit saving life or attempting to save life without risk to the candidate’s own life. Members should contact council to make a nomination.
Bronze Cross
All Grade Levels
This award is given to a girl who has shown extraordinary heroism saving life or attempting to save life with risk to the candidate’s own life. Members should contact council to make a nomination.
