Cadettes (Grades 6-8)
Girl Scouts in this grade level will always remember the cool stuff they learned and the great friends they made, as well as discover what's so important about being a leader, working on a team, and dreaming about their future possibilities.
Cadettes work to understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world. Together, they work on caring about, inspiring, and teaming with others locally and globally, and acting to make the world a better place.
Girl Scout Journeys
Journeys provide an important foundation for each level in Girl Scouting for girls and volunteers. Just by following a journey, members will be engaging in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (and practicing some Girl Scout traditions!). When the Journey ends, girls and their volunteers can apply what they have learned to everything else they do in Girl Scouting.
It's Your World—Change It!
aMAZE: The Twists and Turns of Getting Along
Life is a maze of relationships and this journey has Girl Scout Cadettes maneuvering through all its twists and turns to find true friendships, plenty of confidence, and maybe even peace.
It's Your Planet—Love It!
Breathe
Cadettes engage all five senses as they clear the air—their own and Earth's.
It's Your Story, Tell It!
MEdia
Cadettes look for the ME in media and learn how they can shape media—for themselves, their community and the world.
National Proficiency Badges
Being proficient at a skill means that girls are good at it and that they know enough to start giving service right away. These badges represent the skills that the girls have built as a Girl Scout. Juliette Gordon Low is reported to have said “A badge is a symbol that you have done the thing it stands for often enough, thoroughly enough, and well enough to Be Prepared to give service in it.” Badges can be earned individually or as a troop. Girls may also utilize school or extra-curricular activities for steps in the completion of a badge.
Each badge contains five steps. All five steps must be completed for a girl to earn the badge. Each of the five steps contains choices for how to complete it. Girls only need to do one the one choice that sounds the most interesting, fun, or even the one that will be most challenging. Each badge also has ideas for giving service using the skills that were learned.
There are four kinds of National Proficiency Badges: Legacy, Financial Literacy, Cookie Business, and Skill-Building. There is also a Make Your Own badge as well.
Legacy
These badges are based on activities that Girl Scouts have been doing since1912! There are seven groups: Artist, Athlete, Citizen, Cook, First Aid, Girl Scout Way, and Naturalist.
Financial Literacy
These badges help girls learn about money: how to make it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how to share it with others.
Cookie Business
Girls expand on their skills from the Financial Literacy badge and use them during the cookie sale.
Make Your Own
Girls can use this badge to learn a particular skill or find out more about a topic that is interesting to them. They can earn one Make Your Own badge per year!
Skill Building
Skill Building Badge Activity Sets may be purchased from the Girl Scout Shop. There are three sets available that correspond to the Girl Scout Leadership Journeys: It's Your World - Change It!, It's Your Planet - Love It!, and It's Your Story - Tell It! GSUSA has developed an internet tool for exploring the different badges. Check it out!!!
Girl Scout Silver Award
The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can achieve. Follow the link below for more detailed information.
Additional Earned Awards for Girl Scout Cadettes
National Leadership Awards
The Silver Torch Award
This award recognizes Cadettes who act as leaders in their community. To earn the award, Cadettes must complete two steps:
- Complete one Cadette Leadership Journey
- Serve for one full term in a leadership position
Cadette Community Service Bar
This award recognizes Cadettes who practice the values of the Girl Scout Law by giving service to their community.
- Choose an organization where you want to volunteer.
- Submit the Community Service Bar application to your GSLE Specialist.
- Upon approval, obtain instructions about the work that you’ll be doing from the organization.
- Complete at least 20 hours of service.
- Application Form
Cadette Service to Girl Scouting Bar
Similarly, Cadettes can earn the Cadette Service to Girl Scouting bar by giving at least 20 hours of service to the Girl Scout organization. This can be done at special events, projects, or in the day to day operation at all levels of Girl Scouting from the Service Unit to the Council level.
Mentoring Awards
Leader in Action (LiA)
Cadettes can earn the Leader in Action (LiA) award by working with a Brownie group on any of their Journeys. There are three different LiA awards, one for each of the Journey Series: It’s Your World, Change It!, It’s Your Planet, Love It!, and It’s Your Story, Tell It!
Cadette Program Aide
There are three steps that are required to earn the Cadette Program Aide Award:
- Earn one Lia Award
- Complete the Program Aide Core Training
- Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions
Special Opportunity Awards
Cookie Activity Pin
The cookie activity pin’s guidelines can be found on the GSUSA website. Each cookie season, these guidelines are updated to reflect the current programs theme, flavors, and goals.
World Thinking Day Award
In honor of World Thinking Day, Girl Scouts take part in special activities to honor their sisters around the world. This award is also updated each year with different themes. The guidelines for this award can be found on the GSUSA website.
Global Action Award
When girls earn this award, they are learning more about how girls live around the world. This award also includes an activity to help girls in need. The guidelines for this award can be found on the GSUSA website.
International Friendship Recognition Pin
American Girl Scouts who live overseas can earn this award by doing activities that encourage international friendships with girls in their host country.
Meritorious Service Awards
Medal of Honor
This award is given to a Girl Scout who has shown the presence of mind ( a clear and calm head) and true Girl Scout spirit in an emergency.
Bronze Cross
This award is given to a Girl Scout who has shown extraordinary heroism or risked her life to save another’s.
My Promise, My Faith
This award is earned by exploring how Girl Scouting and your faith offer similar ideas about how to act and how Girl Scouting can tie into your faith. This award can be earned each year. The girls simply choose a different line of the Girl Scout Law each year.
Safety Award
This award is earned by exploring how girls can stay safe on their Cadette adventures!
Camp
Events
Series
Travel
Adventure Program
Archery, high ropes, teams courses, rock climbing, and more are waiting for you!
Learn more about what it means to be a Girl Scout
Being a Girl Scout is about having fun and making friends — but it's more than that. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.