The Badge Archive

Side Hustles for Teens can lead to meaningful badge work. Whether you’re supporting a scout’s independent project or planning a troop-wide activity, you’ll find clear matches between real-world hustle and the skills each organization aims to develop.

Why Side Hustles Matter

Side hustles are trendy and appealing. Many teens are eager to earn quick money and explore independence. But not all hustle paths are helpful or sustainable, and some can lead to frustration or false expectations.

Scouting offers a grounded way to explore these interests with purpose, helping teens build leadership, problem-solving, and self-management skills through real-world experiences that are both creative and responsible.

For Scouting America, side hustles can fulfill key requirements in merit badges like Entrepreneurship, Personal Management, and Salesmanship. For GSUSA, they align with badges such as the Entrepreneur themed, Financial Literacy, and Digital Leadership across Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador levels.

A scout may be designing a product, managing a budget, helping others, or marketing their work. These skills are meant to be recognized.

How Leaders Can Use Side Hustles

Troop leaders can use them to spark meaningful conversations, build real-world skills, and fulfill multiple badge requirements at once. Here are a few ways to bring side hustles into scout meetings:

Mini Hustle Workshops

Host a meeting where scouts brainstorm a side hustle idea, sketch out a plan, and identify which badge(s) it could support. Use worksheets to guide them through questions like:

• What problem does your hustle solve?
• Who would want this product or service?
• What skills do you already have—and what do you need to learn?

Troop-Friendly Formats

• Run this as a multi-week badge series or a one-day workshop
• Pair scouts in small groups to brainstorm and support each other
• Invite guest speakers (local entrepreneurs, artists, or tech helpers) to share real-world insights

Badge Bundles

Some hustles naturally fulfill multiple badge requirements. Encourage scouts to document their hustle journey with:

• Short journal entries or voice memos about what they learned
• Photos of their work or setup
• Budget sheets or pricing plans

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA)

In almost all, Financial Literacy badges (Budget Manager (Cadette), My Financial Power (Senior), and Financial Planner (Ambassador)) are useful.

Selling Crafts Online – This hustle teaches creativity, budgeting, and digital skills.

• Business Creator (Cadette), Business Startup (Senior), and Entrepreneur Accelerator (Ambassador): You’re making a product to solve a problem and building a business plan.
• Digital Leadership (Cadette–Ambassador) and Website Designer (Senior): You’ll create online content and learn how to promote your work responsibly.
• A specific craft might be sellable: Book Artist (Cadette), Woodworker (Cadette), Collage Artist (Senior), Game Visionary (Senior), Textile Artist (Senior), and Outdoor Art (Cadette–Ambassador)

Babysitting can help with the Babysitter (Cadette): You’ll learn how to care for and communicate with younger kids.

A photography side hustle works well with the Photographer (Ambassador) or even the Digital Movie Maker (Cadette) badges.

Scouting America

Running a Small Craft Business – teaches entrepreneurship, sales, and artistic skills.

• Entrepreneurship: You’ll create a business idea, plan it out, and put it into action.
• Salesmanship: You’ll learn how to sell your products and track your results.
• Art: You’ll design and create original crafts.

Tutoring or Academic Coaching – builds public speaking, teaching, and math skills.

• Communication: You’ll practice speaking clearly and teaching others.
• Public Speaking: You’ll prepare and deliver presentations.

Tech Help for Seniors – teaches tech skills, community service, and coding.

• Digital Technology : You’ll explain how to use devices and apps.
• Citizenship in the Community: You’ll help others in your local area.
• Programming: If you help with apps or software, you’ll use coding skills.

Photography for Events – builds photography, storytelling, and business skills.

• Photography : You’ll take, edit, and share photos that tell a story.
• Entrepreneurship: If you charge for your services, you’ll run a small business.
• Communication: You’ll use images to express ideas and connect with others.

Flipping Thrift Finds / Reselling – teaches budgeting, sales, and repair skills.

• Personal Management: You’ll learn how to budget and make smart purchases.
• Salesmanship: You’ll sell items and track your profits.
• Home Repairs: If you fix or improve items before selling, you’ll build repair skills.

Encourage scouts to document their hustle journey with:

• Photos of their work or setup
• Budget sheets or pricing plans
• Short journal entries or voice memos about what they learned

Planning Tools & Resources

To make this easy for leaders to implement, here are a few tools and links to support your planning:

• The Badge Archive – Side Hustles for Teens

Side hustles are everywhere. Teens see them on social media, hear about them from friends, and often feel inspired to jump in. When scouts take initiative in the world around them, they’re already halfway into badge work without realizing it.

The role of a scout leader isn’t to reinvent the wheel. Just notice when a wheel is already turning and help scouts steer it somewhere meaningful. It can start with a sketchbook, a shovel, or a spreadsheet. See the growth and encourage it!

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For More Fun Ideas and Plans

for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts

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

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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• Return to the Daisy Badge List.
• Return to the Brownie Badge List.
• Return to the Junior Badge List.
• Return to the Cadette Badge List.
• Return to the Senior Badge List.
• Return to the Ambassador Badge List.

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