Teen Leadership

Girl Scouts make great leaders, and there are lots of awards that teen Girl Scouts can achieve. 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 change to be with and learn from teens - some of their favorite people!

Opportunities

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Three National Leadership Awards are offered to Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors.

These awards showcase a Girl Scout’s leadership and service. These awards include the Silver Torch Award (Cadette), Silver and Gold Torch Award (Senior) and the Gold Torch Award (Ambassador), as well as the Community Service Bar (Cadette, Senior and Ambassador) and the Service Bar to Girl Scouting (Cadette, Senior and Ambassador). Bring your National Leadership Awards Report Form to the council shop to purchase your awards. (Note: Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois does not need to approve the organization you are working with prior to beginning your service for the Community Service Bar.

Teen Mentoring Awards include Program Aide, Counselor-in-Training I and II and Volunteer-in-Training. By earning these awards, girls from sixth grade up can deepen their understanding of what leadership development means and get excited about guiding others. The Program Aide and Counselor-in-Training awards have a long history in Girl Scouting, with the Volunteer-in-Training award represents and updated approach to the Leader-in-Training award.

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Check back in January 2026 for more information on how to apply for the 2026-2027 National Girl Scout Advisory Board to GSUSA!

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Be the voice of Girl Scouts throughout Southern Illinois!

Applications for the 2026-27 Older Girl Advisory Board are open now!

Apply Here:

Older Girl Advisory Board Application Form

Older Girl Advisory Board Reference Form

Application Process:

In order to be considered for the Older Girl Advisory Board, girls must complete the application form and submit a reference form that will include a letter of recommendation.

Applications and Reference Forms must be submitted by Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 at 12 a.m.

Advisory Board Members who are selected will be notified by email within the following two weeks.

Mission:

The Older Girl Advisory Board allows Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors the opportunity to serve as an advisory team providing programmatic input to the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. By lending a voice to a movement that wants, needs and values girl-led contributions, the team will play a significant role in shaping the ongoing work of the council.

Purpose:

The Older Girl Advisory Board will work as team to determine priorities of Girl Scouting in the areas of programs, girl activities, girl engagement, trainings and social trends and other areas determined by the council. Theprogram will provide its members with opportunities to grow in the areas of public speaking confidence, leadership, media literacy, communication, marketing skills and writing skills.

Organizational Structure:

The Older Girl Advisory Board will consist of up to 20 Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors, with two from each of the council’s nine areas. Girls will submit an application and a reference form to be considered for the board each year. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Ex-Officio Board of Director members will automatically be included in the Older Girl Advisory Board and will act as the liaison between the Board of Directors and the Older Girl Advisory Board.

Older Girl Advisory Board members will serve terms of one year, running from October 2026 - June 2027. Girls can serve up to four one-year terms. Application acceptance for continuing terms will be based on attendance of the prior year/s.

The Director of Program Engagement and the Program Engagement Manager – Older Girls will lead Advisory Board meetings.

Application Qualifications:

Enrolled in 6th-12th grade for Fall 2026
Registered as a Girl Scout at the time of application
Interest in taking on a leadership role within the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Council
Ability to communicate with your peers and adult leaders
Ability to work well independently and on a team
Committed to using technology as a platform for meetings, research and communication

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Girl Scouts from Southern Illinois who plan to graduate in 2026 can apply to receive a Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship!

To be eligible, girls must be a Girl Scout Ambassador who plans to graduate high school in 2026 and a registered member of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Girls must also fill out the scholarship application and have one person fill out the reference form and submit both by Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship Application

Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship Reference Form

Scholarship applicants will be notified of the selection committee's decisions by March 2, 2026. Scholarship recipients will be honored at this year's awards ceremony on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

What is required in the essay section?

Essay - Answer all 3 sections ahead of time and upload to this application. The form does not save partially filled out submissions, so make sure to have your essay ready to upload when you fill out the form.

1. What Girl Scouts Means to Me - Briefly explain what Girl Scouts means to you. What have you gained from being a part of Girl Scouts? What was the most memorable part of your Girl Scout career?

2. Attitudes and Abilities - Please give examples of the following that demonstrate your attitudes and abilities, keeping in mind the Girl Scout Promise and Law:

Leadership
Initiative
Cooperation
Enthusiasm
Respect for Authority
Open Mindedness
Awareness and Concern (for the world around you)

3. Contributions - Please answer the following 4 questions.

a. What contributions have you made to Girl Scouting in your troop, service unit, council or another Girl Scout council?

b. Did you earn the Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards? If yes, describe your projects, who or what inspired you and what impact you think your project had.

c. Did you participate in a GSUSA Destination? If yes, where did you go? Explain your experience and what you learned.

d. Did you participate in any leadership opportunities? This would include Program Aide, Counselor-in-Training, Leader-in-training, earning the Service to Girl Scouts or Community Service bars or the Torch Awards.

Nominees are selected from a panel based on a variety of criteria including a personal essay, achievements in and outside of Girl Scouts, character based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law, community engagement, and a recommendation from a personal reference.

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Gold Award Girl Scouts can earn a $5,000 scholarship!

The Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council whose project exemplifies the core components of the Gold Award.

National Gold Award Scholarship applications are due by April 14, 2026. Get all the details - including eligibility criteria and application requirements - for this $5,000 scholarship from the GSUSA website .

Award Recipients

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Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSofSI) is proud to announce that seven members of the Class of 2026 have been awarded the Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship.

Anna Bulman | Troop #576
Service Unit 211

Maris Endsley | Troop #410
Service Unit 207

Norah Kettler | Troop #576
Service Unit 211

Hannah Klaas | Troop #405
Service Unit 105

Elisabeth Preston | Troop #792
Service Unit 101

Emma Rew | Troop #405
Service Unit 105

Madelyn Sullivan | Troop #513
Service Unit 202

Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships are funded from proceeds from the United We Lead Gala.

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Service Unit 207

Gold | Abygail Bagby | Troop #191

Gold | Madelyn Eapen | Troop #191

Gold | Khloe Manno | Troop #191

Gold | Michaela Wentz | Troop #191

Bronze | Kyleigh Bagby | Troop #74

Bronze | Athena Dardeen | Troop #74