Program Aide Training

GSCI- Cadette PA Training

A Little About Me

• Girl Scout leader- 8 years

  • Senior Troop 6945, Cadette Troop 6522, Junior Troop 6260

  • Four daughters in Girls Scouts, (Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior)

• High School Science Teacher

​Today's Objective:

• To complete your PA training which is part of your requirements to earn your PA bar.

• You will use the skills we learn and discuss today at Twilight Camp

​Think Back......

• Think back to your days as a Daisy and a Brownie at Twilight Camp.

  • Is there an activity you remember doing?

  • Is there a leader, older scout, or volunteer you remember?

  • What about that person makes you remember them?

• Reports to: Girl Scout Advisor or Program Specialist

• Report to: Heather, Krystal, Jessica

​

​Program Aide Position Description

Who are PA's

Program Aides are trained Girl Scouts 11 – 17 years of age who are at least two years older than the group they are serving. Program Aides enjoy being Girl Scouts and want to share their skills with others, which helps promote the Girl Scout program.

PA General Responsibilities

Working under the guidance of an adult advisor, a Program Aide is responsible for teaching specific skills determined by the needs of the group and her own personal strengths.

Requirements

Program Aide must be a registered member of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. A Program Aide must take the appropriate and required training.

What makes a good leader?

Think about your Girl Scout troop leader. What qualities do they have that make them a good leader?

Qualifications

• A Program Aide must have:

  • personal qualities that enable her to live the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law.

  • Must accept and seek to understand the girls of various needs, interests, races, religions, and cultures.

  • Must be able to put aside her personal desires to meet group needs.

  • Confident, engaging personality

Responsibilities

Program Aides hold very important positions that require a great deal of responsibility. When you become a Program Aide and work with younger girls, you should keep the following in mind:

• Your dress, appearance, and manners are important! Girls will learn from what you do and what you say. You have an obligation as a Program Aide, and that is to set a good example.

Responsibilities

• Your manner of speaking to everyone will be heard, copied, and quoted in many, many homes and situations! Keep your language free from argument and inappropriateness, such as foul language or unnecessary or inappropriate discussions.

• The way in which you work with others and handle problems and differences of opinion is a great interest to younger girls. Your examples will help set the pattern for how girls will relate to one another.

Responsibilities

• Your understanding and respect of ways in which people are different (races, religions, cultures, etc.) is necessary.

• Don’t be afraid to ask your Girl Scout Leader or the Program Director any questions that may come to mind!

• Younger girls look up to older Girl Scouts as role models, so please remember to act accordingly and use your common sense! Every younger Girl Scout will watch you, mimic you, and learn from you. Make sure what you do is worth their attention.

What can a PA do?

1. Assist individual participants with activities

2. Assist with songs, games, crafts, and activities

3. Facilitate activity stations during programs (under supervision of Program Director)

4. Administer First Aid for minor injuries. Program Aides should not administer First Aid if a serious or extreme injury occurs; instead, they should seek help from Program Specialist. In order to administer First Aid, an appropriate First Aid course must be completed!

​What is a minor injury?

• Small cuts

• Bumps

• Scrapes

• ANY time a younger scout is hurt, tell the Adult Leader in charge of the unit. Parents will want to know what happened.

What can a PA NOT do?

1. Drive vehicles

2. Discipline children- You MAY redirect children

3. Supervise high risk activities without direct supervision and appropriate training and/or certification

• High risk activities include, but are not limited to: Swimming, Canoeing Boating, Horseback Riding, Rock Climbing, fire building
4. Be left in charge of activities or asked to lead activities in the place of the unit leader.

​Rule of Thumb

• If you are not comfortable in a situation, tell the unit leader. If that does not fix the situation, speak to myself, Krystle, or Jessica.

• If you are uncomfortable, you are not an effective leader/role model for the younger scouts. Accidents can happen in situations where you are uncomfortable or frustrated.

What is an effective leader?

Think about the characteristics of a good leader, what are they?

Be an effective leader

1. Genuinely like children and respect them as individuals

• looks like you like children

• expresses affection

• is comfortable and approachable

• can get down on the child’s level

Be an effective leader

Establishes and maintains credibility

• says what she means, means what she says; and practices what she preaches

• doesn’t make promises or threats without carrying through - I can’t, explains why to the children

• is polite, good mannered and respectful to the children, and expects it in return

• sets limits and sticks to them, so children will be less likely to test to see whether she really means it

• helps children learn self-control and responsibility for their actions

Creating Rules with children

Let children participate in the rule making

• Make rules in short, easy to remember form

• Teach not only the rule, but the reason for it

• Have children repeat rules aloud to remember them

• Demonstrate rules and have them practice following them

• Allow children following rules to be more independent and responsible for themselves

• Don’t make too many rules

• Establish what is forbidden

• Determine what is allowed in some circumstances and what those circumstances are

• Determine how disputes will be settled

• Decide on appropriate ways to vent strong emotions

• Determine consequences for breaking rules

Use Non-Disruptive Interventions

• Use eye contact

• Use touch and gestures

• Use physical closeness

• Ask for task responses

• Praise desirable behavior

Praising Children

• Praise should be simple and direct.

• Praise is usually more effective if given in straight-forward, declarative sentences.

• The particular behavior or accomplishment being praised should be clearly specified.

• Use a wide variety of words and phrases when praising.

• Verbal praise should be backed with nonverbal communication of approval.

• It is especially important to specify what you are praising when you use a phrase like, “You were very good today.”

• Use only positive language!

Encouraging Expressions

• Will you help me?

• Absolutely

• No problem

• O.K.

• That’s right

• I understand

• I like that

• Great

• Good I agree…

• I see…

• Exactly

• Please

• Sure

• Thank you

• Good idea

• You did, huh?

Conversation Starters

What do you think?

Tell me about it

I’d like to hear more about…

Want to talk about it?

Let’s hear your side

I’m listening

Tell me the whole story

Let’s talk about your choices

Facial Expressions

Smiling

Winking

Nodding your head

Waving

Laughing

Wrinkling your nose

Giggling

Behaviors

Walking together

Sitting down beside the girls

Talking/Listening

Just visiting

Eating together

Playing games

Solving a problem

What is initiative?

1. The readiness to initiate actions

2. Personal decision to act

(from Webster’s 21st Century Dictionary)

You CANNOT always wait for a leader to TELL you what to do, you MUST act on your OWN! Play games, tell stories, sing songs!
There will be down time, know how to fill that time.

What are some time fillers?

What do you remember doing at camp to fill the down time between activities?

Time Fillers

• Songs (You will get a song book)

• Games (Slap Dilly Oso)

• Stories (You start the story with a sentence, each girl adds another sentence)

• What if games

• Would you rather games

• Bathroom Breaks

• Cloud Shapes