Mentoring Awards

When girls guide or teach others, they act as mentors.  An exciting part of a Girl Scout’s development, teen mentoring, is a win-win proposition!  As teen mentors, Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors gain experience by sharing skills, testing knowledge, and trying out new leadership roles.  For the girls being mentored, it means a chance to be with and learn from teens – some of their favorite people.

Teens who earn mentoring awards are given a special opportunity to serve as champions for the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.  As they serve in their roles, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can help grow awareness of all that Girl Scouting has to offer – Fun with a purpose: enjoyable and challenging activities that grow girls’ leadership in their daily lives and in the world.

LiA stands for Leader-in-Action. This award is for Cadette girls who are in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. There is one LiA award for each of the three Journey Series. A girl may earn one LiA award or all three. The LiA is a prerequisite for girls who want to earn their Program Aide award. 

Cadettes will work with a group of Brownies assisting them as they work towards a Journey award. If the Brownie troop has already completed the Journey book, a Cadette may still plan extra activities to enrich the recent Journey experience. To earn this award the Cadette will need to meet with the troop or group of Brownies a minimum of four times. Cadettes will work with the Brownie adult volunteer to plan, coordinate and assist in leading activities with the Brownies. The steps required to earn this award can be found in the Brownie Leadership Journey adult guides.

 Once girls have completed their LiA, please complete the LiA Reporting Form showing documentation of your activity sessions.

LiA awards are presented at the troop level and can be purchased online or at the Girl Scout Shops once all the requirements are completed.

The Program Aide (PA) award is for Cadettes in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. A Program Aide uses leadership skills to share her interests and experiences with younger girls in a troop, group, or camp setting.

To earn the Cadette Program Aide Award girls must follow these steps:

1. Earn one LiA award and bring their completed LiA Award Report Form to their Council-sponsored Program Aide leadership training course.
2. Complete a Council-sponsored Program Aide leadership training course. Available PA training programs are located in the Events section.
3. Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. This might be assisting girls on Journey activities (in addition to the Journey completed for LiA), badge activities, or other sessions. Cadettes can also work with a group at their meetings, day camp, Council, or service unit event/activity. The Council membership and program staff can assist Cadettes in finding a group of Brownies and an adult volunteer to partner with. 

PA Award Reporting Form 

In order to complete the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio PA program, a Girl Scout Cadette must complete the PA Reporting Form showing documentation of your activity sessions.

Seniors or Ambassadors interested in mentoring younger girls in a resident camp setting can earn the Counselor-in-Training awards. As girls earn these awards, they build skills that can help them become camp counselors.

These skills provide a valuable foundation for future academic and work-related choices, and are especially useful to young women interested in giving back to the organization and becoming camp counselors for Girl Scouts of North East Ohio summer camps. 

The Counselor-in-Training (CiT) program is a fun and challenging leadership course for young women interested in leading girls in the outdoors. Each participant must be prepared to work as a responsible member of her team, live in a rustic environment for an extended period of time, and put the needs of younger campers first. 

 To earn the Counselor-in-Training awards:

1. Girls must have completed ninth grade.
2. Register to take this leadership course at GSNEO summer resident camp. Registration opens annually in early March.
3. Work at camp with younger girls over the course of a camp session.
4. To earn the CiT II award, girls must have completed CiT I.

Girls who complete Counselor-in-Training I/II will receive their pin at the conclusion of the session.

The Volunteer-in-Training (ViT) award is for Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors who would like to mentor a Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or Cadette group outside of the camp experience. If a girl has completed ninth grade she is eligible to earn this award. A Volunteer-in-Training project needs to span a three-to-six month period.

To earn the ViT award, a girl must:

1. Find an adult volunteer mentor who is currently the volunteer for a group of girls at the program level you would like to work with. This mentor will help you through your training and internship. ViTs assist the volunteer with her group of girls for a three-to-six month period. Council membership or program staff can assist you locating a volunteer if necessary.
2. Complete a council sponsored Volunteer-in-Training leadership course.
3. Create and implement a thoughtful Journey project that lasts four or more sessions. Volunteers-in-Training might also help girls with a Take Action project. ViTs are responsible for designing, planning, and evaluating the activities. Whatever topic you are passionate about, such as art or technology, you can design the activities around this topic.

ViT Reporting Form

In order to complete the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio ViT program, a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador must complete the ViT Reporting Form showing documentation of your activity sessions.