Adult Training
Our Council constantly updates the training provided to volunteers. The information below is Council-wide training for all adult volunteers working with girls. Camp Crossroads also has training/planning sessions specifically for Camp Crossroads' adult staff and teen staff volunteers. Helping Hands volunteers receive instructions via email. Some of the adult staff positions at Camp Crossroads require GSCNC training (see the adult position descriptions for details). The information on the Camp Crossroads' meetings can be found on our Important Dates page. To register for GSCNC courses, go to the Council's online registration site.
Resource Volunteers
Resource volunteers are people who work with Girl Scouts, but do not have full responsibility for girls. An example of a resource volunteer is someone who might accompany a troop on a field trip to a park to teach the girls orienteering.
- Resource volunteers are required to register as Girl Scout Adults and complete a background check.
- Resource volunteers can serve as a chaperone for the Girl-to-Adult ratio, but the girls must also be accompanied by a Girl Scout Adult who has completed Basic Leadership training.
At a minimum, all Camp Crossroads volunteers will be qualified resource volunteers, but we'd prefer that our volunteers complete Basic Leadership training.
Basic Leadership Certification (BLT)
Girls must always be accompanied by at least one Girl Scout Adult who is registered as a Girl Scout Adult, passed a background screening has completed Basic Leadership training. The training does not expire, but if a volunteer has been inactive for some time it's a good idea to attend the current course.
Camp Crossroads needs at least one BLT trained adult in each unit (Sunrays, Bats, Tornadoes, Boys, etc.) and center (Nature, Crafts, etc.)
First Aid Certification
The term "First Aider" means that the volunteer holds both First Aid and CPR certifications. Girl Scouts of the USA establishes the accepted courses for First Aid and CPR certification. See the GSCNC's Volunteer Essentials for a list of accepted First Aid Courses. Volunteer Essentials also identifies the health care professionals that can serve as Girl Scout First Aiders.
CPR training courses may be broken into separate courses for Adult CPR, Child CPR and Infant CPR. If the volunteer is working with girls under age 9, Child CPR or Pediatric CPR is required.
The certification courses have different expiration dates depending on the course and the vendor. See GSCNC's current Volunteer Essentials publication for the list of current vendors.
Our camp first aider is required to be a Level 2 First Aider (see Safety Activity Checkpoints for a description). It is desirable for our other volunteers to be certified, but not required.
High Adventure Certifications
Volunteer Essentials and GSUSA's Safety Activity Checkpoints establish the requirements for various activities. For example, for canoeing, the girls must be accompanied by an American Canoe Association Instructor. The ACA establishes the criteria for the certifications. Often, obtaining and maintaining these certifications can be time-consuming and expensive. We frequently hire vendors who have qualified employees and who have been screened by Council.