1) Why we have ceremonies in Girl Scouting:
- to honor special occasions
- to recognize accomplishments
- to begin or end meetings
- ceremonies are also a way of helping us tell our feelings about such things as friendship, patriotism, service, Girl Scouts, values
2) A ceremony may be informal taking only a few minutes, or it may be more formal with planning and preparation by girls and leaders/group coordinators.
3) Kinds of ceremonies:
- Investiture
- Rededication
- Bridging
- Girl Scouts' Own
- Patrol leader installation
- Flag ceremony
- Candle lighting ceremony
- Opening
- Closing
4) A typical Girl Scout ceremony has the following parts:
- purpose - to mark a special event or recognize accomplishments
- theme - thoughts or ideas to tie the ceremony together
- content - activities that take place during the ceremony
- opening - activities to set the mood for participants
- main part - the focus or primary activity of the ceremony
- closing - activities to summarize everything in a final moment of sharing
5) How to teach ceremonies:
- Ask yourself three questions:
a. What is the purpose of the ceremony?
b. When will it be used?
c. What is to be included? - Get down to the fine points of who is going to do what, when and how.
6) Let's do a flag ceremony together:
- Purpose
a. to honor the flag (this tells us the ceremony must have dignity) - When
a. opening or closing troop/group meetings
b. special occasions such as investiture, bridging, rededication, court of awards - What may be included
a. Pledge of Allegiance
b. a patriotic song
c. Girl Scout Promise and Law
d. a patriotic reading
Information on Ceremonies
Click here to find out more about:
