The Badge Archive

2011 – GSUSA Journeys

Remember that every council has slightly different rules and regulations, and everything you read online that is general for all of USA should always be double checked with your local council rules and regulations.

Journeys were first introduced as part of the 2011 GSUSA program, intended to provide structured meeting plans for leaders and scouts. Originally, each Journey came with a Leader Guide and a Girl Guide book, outlining 9-12 meetings to complete them. However, these traditional Journeys quickly lost popularity. Troops and leaders found them repetitive, too reading-heavy, and disengaging. By meeting four, scouts were often frustrated. In 2022, GSUSA stopped printing the guides.

Despite this, Journeys remained a requirement for earning the Journey Summit Award (requiring completion of three Journeys) and for prerequisites to higher awards like Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Are Journeys Being Discontinued?

Yes. In August 2025, GSUSA released a new Award Log, stating: “These awards are retiring on 10/1/26”.

  • Journeys would not be immediately removed, meaning troops can still plan to complete them in the upcoming year.
  • By the 2026-2027 scouting year, Journeys are officially retired with no new badges being produced.
  • Awards that required Journeys as prerequisites changed to the new Leadership Awards—but journeys are still allowed to be used as a prerequisite during this transition. Some councils have announced they will always accept a journey as a prerequisite, but this varies by council.
  • TAPs are still done, as one of the new awards, a Take Action pin.

Should Troops Still Do Journeys?

Journeys are optional. Troops do not have to complete them unless they aim for higher awards. Scouts in the 2025-2026 year are still able to complete them before they phase out. Troop leaders should consider whether their scouts find them engaging and plan accordingly.

History of Journeys

All Journeys require a Take Action Plan (TAP). Three of the 7 Journeys need to be completed to earn a Journey Summit Award for any level.

Original Traditional Journeys

Here’s the rewritten section with a tone that matches the rest of the article:

The Rise and Fall of Traditional Journeys

When Journeys were introduced in 2011, they aimed to provide structured, ready-made meeting plans for leaders and scouts. Each Journey came with a Leader Guide and an accompanying Girl Guide book, outlining 9-12 meetings designed to be followed step by step. The three Journeys at each level became known as the Traditional Journeys.

Despite the intent to simplify planning for leaders, these Journeys quickly lost popularity. Troops found the format repetitive, scouts grew bored within weeks, and the reading-heavy structure felt more like school than an engaging scout activity. Many troops abandoned the guides early, and by 2022, GSUSA stopped printing them entirely.

Rather than following the rigid 9-12 meeting format, most leaders adapted, choosing shortened plans to complete Journeys more efficiently. Most did so in three meetings or through a Journey in a Day (JIAD) event lasting 3-4 hours. The original guides became useful only as reference materials for activity ideas, while Take Action Projects (TAPs) were completed separately to fulfill Journey requirements.

The Shift Away from Traditional Journeys

Over time, councils and leaders adapted the program to make Journeys more manageable.

  • River Valley Council (GSRV) developed more streamlined plans, reducing Journey completion from 9-12 meetings down to just three.
  • Outdoor Journeys became straightforward, consisting of earning specific badges and completing a Take Action Project (TAP).
  • Think Like a… Journeys (Think Like a Programmer, Engineer, and Citizen Scientist) were introduced with no printed guidebooks, relying on VTK (Volunteer Toolkit) and later, a downloadable Citizen Scientist booklet.

TAPs remain central to Journeys, teaching scouts how to make a lasting impact, but they do not have to align directly with a Journey’s topic. Any TAP that meets the criteria is acceptable.

Take Action Projects

TAPs are required for every Journey but don’t need to match its theme. Scouts use the Journey as a starting point to brainstorm impactful projects. For example, a Think Like a Programmer Journey could lead to a Save the Ocean TAP. As long as the project creates lasting change, it qualifies.

For Outdoor and Think Like a… Journeys, TAPs are recognized with a Take Action badge, reinforcing their importance in leadership and community service.

How To Do a Journey

Most leaders adapt Journeys rather than following the original 9-12 meeting format. Some choose activities that align with individual badges within the Journey, while others rely on pre-made plans from councils or experienced leaders.

For efficient meeting plans, The Badge Archive offers detailed Journey resources, and many leaders prefer GSRV (River Valley) council plans, which condense Journeys into three meetings instead of twelve. While River Valley has removed these from their website, links to their files were still active as of Nov 2025.

For more insight into why the original Journeys struggled, the Leader of Brownies Blog offers an interesting perspective on their intended purpose and ultimate failure.

Do I Have To Do a Journey?

No, Journeys are optional, and many troops choose to skip them entirely. Just like badges, they are simply another program offering within GSUSA. Individual scouts can complete Journeys independently if their troop decides not to.

Journeys before June 2025 were required if scouts are pursuing higher awards:

  • Bronze Award (Juniors) has new prerequisites.
  • Silver Award (Cadettes) has new prerequisites.
  • Gold Award (Seniors/Ambassadors) has new prerequisites.
  • Cadette LiA (Leader in Action) also required a Journey before assisting a Brownie troop. This badge was retired in August of 2025.
  • Journey Summit Award required completion of three Journeys and is being retired with the journeys in October 2026.

For those looking for quicker completion methods, many councils and communities offered Journey in a Day (JIAD) events, where scouts earn the Journey except for the TAP. Since the Take Action Project (TAP) should be scout-led, JIAD events often provided suggested TAPs, but scouts had to finalize them on their own.

Level Journeys

Daisies and Brownies typically enjoy the Journeys. Juniors and above usually only earn a Journeys to earn the Summit Pin Award or to be qualified for one of the higher awards (bronze/silver/gold, LiA, CPA, VIT, etc.).

Here is the full list of journeys and links to the pages that have alternative plans to earn the three traditional journeys that are more successful than following the 9-12 meeting plan in the now retired Leader books, and some levels have alternative plans for the Think Like a… journeys.

Daisy Journeys

Brownie Journeys

Junior Journeys

Cadette Journeys

Senior Journeys

Ambassador Journeys

What About the 5 Badges That Go With the Journey?

Each level (except Ambassador) has three sets of five badges that are associated with the Traditional Journeys, but these badges are not required to complete a Journey. Scouts can earn a Journey without any of these badges, or earn the badges independently without completing a Journey.

Originally, GSUSA intended for leaders to select one Journey to structure a full year of meetings, using these five badges as follow-up activities. However, since scouting is Girl-Led, most troops prefer to vote on individual badges, making the pre-set structure impractical. As a result, leaders have had to adapt, choosing activities that best fit their scouts’ interests.

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts

Join the Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Leader Help Facebook Group
(Not an official GSUSA Group)

This is a supportive Facebook community for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout leaders. Whether you’re seeking advice, fresh ideas, or meeting plans, you’re in the right place! Let’s inspire each other, share our experiences, and make every troop meeting a memorable adventure.

for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Scouts

Join the Girl Scout Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Leader Help Facebook Group
(Not an official GSUSA Group)

This is a supportive community for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scout leaders. This group offers solutions to keep older scouts engaged in scouting amidst their busy lives. Share strategies, tackle challenges, and exchange ideas for fun, meaningful activities that resonate with teens and build lasting connections.

Find out how you can support The Badge Archive!

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Tia Kennard