To help increase awareness about the need for adult volunteer trainers, Girl Scouts of Colorado is featuring blogs by volunteer trainers.
Marlene Logan, a volunteer adult learning trainer in Metro Denver, answered the following questions:
Why did you become a trainer?
I realized I had taken a lot of trainings—and it was time for me to give back.
Why do you like being a trainer?
The wonderful people I have met over the years. When I used to do a lot of different trainings, I enjoyed the enthusiasm that new leaders generate. Later, I became more specific with Extended Trips, a course where I encourage girls to also attend. I enjoy that inter-generational input and watching leaders and girls make plans and realize they can do this together.
How has being a trainer impacted you—personally, professionally, etc.?
I always enjoy meeting new people—and then seeing them again, later. I learn a lot from the girls and adults who attend my classes. It really keeps me on my toes. Being a trainer has opened a lot of doors for me with travel—and I am willing to go almost anywhere! Many of the pieces I use for training Extended Trips began with information I got from the trip training in Savannah, Georgia at the birthplace of our Founder Juliette Gordon Low and at a trainers’ conference in Houston. Materials that I used for years with troops, service units, and my classroom came from the session I attended at Our Cabaña.
Why are trainings so important?
Leaders should be able to enjoy what they are doing—and if they have confidence in the program and what they are doing, they can enjoy Girl Scouts as much as the girls.
Do you have any favorite stories of Girl Scouts whom you have trained?
Most recently, seeing a leader and her girls, whom I had trained in Denver, at Pax Lodge, our world center in London. What I enjoy about being a trainer is meeting leaders, whom I have trained years ago, who are still involved in Girl Scouts and they share their enthusiasm.
What would you say to other Girl Scouts to encourage them to be a trainer?
At some point you need to give back what was given to you. I had a lot of really great trainers and I reached a point that I realized I had a lot to give new leaders. It has also helped me keep current with the Girl Scout program and what is going on at the council level. I am one of those adults who have been through changes in the promise and the law three times—and countless handbooks and programs. Girl Scouts has been an ever changing organization and that keeps me on my toes!
Girl Scouts of Colorado is currently seeking energetic volunteers to join the trainer ranks. Experience in education and/or adult learning is a plus but NOT required. The first step to becoming a trainer is to attend Train the Trainer. The next Train the Trainer class is:
August 8th: Arvada
Click here for details and to register