Excerpted from Ceremonies in Girl Scouting, copyright 1990, Girl Scouts of the USA, used with permission. You may check out this and other helpful books from the council library.

The idea of Girl Scouts' Own came from the founder of Girl Scouting, Juliette Low, who understood young people so well. It is a special ceremony for Girl Scouts. It is a tradition, an important time in Girl Scouting. A Girl Scouts' Own is not a religious ceremony or service, but an inspirational occasion where Girl Scouts of every faith and creed can participate.

A Girl Scouts' Own is based upon the beliefs and ideals of Girl Scouting. It allows girls to express their thoughts and feelings in a truly meaningful way.

Because it is the Girl Scouts' own ceremony, it is planned and carried out by the girls. It can take place at any time or date on the calendar, and is as universal as the meaning of the Promise and the Law.

The true meaning of Girl Scouts' Own is made clear by Sarah Louise Arnold in her book The Way of Understanding . Miss Arnold was one of the early volunteers in Girl Scouting and was President of the national organization from 1925-1928. She wrote that a Girl Scouts' Own:

". . . may be held at anytime or place where Girl Scouts are gathered together. But I always like to think of the Girl Scouts and their leader going silently through the twilight to meet around the campfire by the lake. Something in both leader and girls is growing as they watch the darkening sky in that quiet place. Together they share the blessed gift of reverence which comes to youthful, earnest souls. Can we make it any clearer through words? Probably not. There is a voice in the soul of the leader and in the souls of the girls that help them to understand the silence and the beauty. Volumes could not make it clearer nor deepen more surely the reverence in their hearts."

A Girl Scouts' Own should be all that its name implies!

The main purpose of a Girl Scouts' Own is to elaborate on a theme. Usually associated with Girl Scouting, the theme can be related to the troop, badges the girls have worked on, or experiences they have shared. The ceremony can take place at a meeting, out of doors, or at any special place. After the girls have chosen a theme and place, they can plan their Girl Scouts' Own.

A small group is best when planning a Girl Scouts' Own, usually the Court of Honor, a patrol, or (with larger groups) a representative from each troop or unit. An adult is needed to help with ideas and to assist with resources.

Encourage the group to:

• Choose a theme and make a list of materials needed to express the theme in different ways.
• Decide on a time, such as sunrise, sunset, dusk, moon rise.
• Pick a site that is quiet and beautiful, for example, by a creek, in a forest grove, on a hilltop, in a city park, on a rooftop.
• List the parts of the ceremony and specify who will be responsible for each.
• Determine the order of the program, how we will open, who will direct the people to our chosen activity, what comes next, what we will sing, what we will do to close. (Customarily, girls walk quietly to the spot and leave quietly after the ceremony is over.)

A Girl Scouts' Own usually lasts 15-45 minutes.

• Girls need your guidance in planning their Girl Scouts' Own. However, remember that the ceremony is a Girl Scouts' Own, not a Leader's Own. So help the girls in developing their own ceremony, not what you think it should be.
• Make sure the girls are not rushed into planning something so quickly that they don't feel good about the outcome. Reassure them that they can do something meaningful and serious without being made fun of or having people tease them about what they feel.
• Use the following ceremonies as guideline only; don't have your girls use them word for word. Allow the girls to find their own ways of expressing the theme and their feelings. Use poems and choral readings only if these truly express the girls' feelings about the subject.
• Group participation is essential to a successful Girl Scouts' Own. There is no one person in charge. Each person with a part should know where and when her part is to take place. Some parts could be said by two, three, or even five people in unison; the whole group could sing a song.

Expressing Oneself in a Girl Scouts' Own

Each Girl Scout should have the opportunity to express the theme, either in her own words or through a poem, story, quotation, or song that means something special to her.

Theme: This is the time to share personal feelings, or to be silent as each individual thinks about a topic such as the following:

Types of Girl Scouts' Own

An Inspirational Girl Scouts' Own
A Girl Scouts' Own at camp may be merely a quiet walk around the camp to enjoy the sunshine, the trees, the lovely day. Groups may pause at favorite spots - the camp lodge, the lake, the brook or beach, a campfire circle, a woodland cathedral, hillside, or camp green. Poems, songs, or thoughtful talks on a Girl Scout theme may be presented at each stop.

An International Girl Scouts' Own
A program of songs from other countries may be given before a display of world flags, a map of the world, or a series of "living pictures" - girls costumed according to the country represented and posing as typical family groups, craftspeople, or dancers. One person speaks on Girl Scouting and international friendship.

A Sunrise Girl Scouts' Own
In the spring and summer, particularly at camp, Girl Scouts like to gather at dawn to start the day off with an experience of seeing the sun rise. If arrangements are carefully made and the ceremony is simple, this can be a memorable event. The groups walk silently along a familiar path to a high spot previously chosen for its view to the east. If the ground is set with dew, the group remains standing. The ceremony may consist of a poem or short talk, a song, and then silence while the sun appears. If the time is exact, the group may simply walk to the spot, sing "God Has Created a New Day" just as the sun rises, and then file silently back.