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GSUSA – Service Unit Event Ideas

GSUSA – Service Unit Event Ideas

This collection of Service Unit events is compiled from two primary sources: discussions within volunteer leader social media groups and official planning resources published by various Girl Scout councils across the United States.

These ideas are “field-tested” activities currently being implemented by Service Units to meet the specific needs of local troops. The events included range from low-cost social gatherings designed to foster community to structured workshops that assist leaders in delivering the Girl Scout program.

Badges and Ceremonies

  • Badgefest
    • A large-scale event where different troops or external experts host stations for specific badges, allowing scouts to earn one or more badges in a single day.
  • Bridging Ceremony / Fly-up
    • A service unit-wide celebration recognizing scouts who are moving from one level of Girl Scouting to the next, often held at a local park or bridge.
  • “Eco” Badge Day
    • A half-day event hosted with a local conservation agency where scouts rotate through activities to earn level-specific Environmental Stewardship badges.
  • Girl Scout Way Workshop
    • A multi-level event focusing on the history of the movement, songs, and traditions specific to the Girl Scout Way badge requirements for each level .
  • Higher Awards Ceremony
    • A formal recognition event for scouts who have achieved their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Awards, often featuring guest speakers and a reception.
  • Investiture and Rededication
    • A ceremony held to welcome new members and allow current members to renew their promise, sometimes combined with a “Something Special and Me” event.
  • Journey in a Day / Journey Jamboree
    • An intensive event where scouts complete all the requirements for a specific Journey (excluding the Take Action project) through workshops and activities.
  • Precious Metals Award Ceremony
    • A themed ceremony specifically focused on honoring Bronze, Silver, and Gold award recipients.
  • Robotics Blitz
    • A hands-on event, often for younger levels like Daisies, focusing on the basics of coding and robot design.
  • Space Science Blitz
    • A multi-level event where scouts participate in activities related to astronomy and space exploration to earn their level’s Space Science badge.
  • Teen Leader Training
    • A specific training workshop for Cadette scouts to earn learn how to assist younger scouts with activities.

Community Service

  • Blood Drive
    • A service-oriented event where the Service Unit partners with a local blood bank to host a community blood donation day.
  • Bottle Cap Bench Project
    • A long-term service project where troops collect, sort, and clean plastic bottle caps to be recycled into permanent benches for the community.
  • First Responder Appreciation Baskets
    • Troops collect snacks, drinks, and thank-you cards to assemble into baskets that are hand-delivered to local fire stations, police departments, and emergency rooms .
  • Food and Item Drives
    • Coordinated collection efforts for canned goods, pet supplies, books, or toiletries to benefit local food pantries and shelters.
  • Honor Flight Cards
    • A themed gathering where scouts create handmade cards to be given to veterans participating in Honor Flight trips.
  • MLK Day of Service
    • A day of community action held in January, often including projects like assembling birthday bags for shelters or park cleanups.
  • Night of Service
    • An event featuring multiple “stations” where scouts rotate to complete different service projects, such as making catnip toys for shelters or senior care bags .
  • Pinwheels for Peace
    • An artistic service project where scouts create and display pinwheels as a public statement for peace on International Day of Peace.
  • Valentines for Veterans
    • A themed gathering where scouts create handmade Valentine’s Day cards and care packages for residents at local VA hospitals or nursing homes.

Dances and Socials

  • Battle of the Troops
    • A “field day” style competition where troops compete in fun physical challenges to win a traveling trophy or doll.
  • Beauty and the Beast Jr. Performance
    • A cultural event where the Service Unit attends a local youth theater performance as a group.
  • Bunco Night
    • A social event for scouts or adults using the traditional dice game to build community relationships.
  • Candy Bingo
    • A social game where the admission fee is a nut-free candy bar; these collected bars are then used as the prizes for the winners of each bingo round.
  • Escape the Mystery
    • A themed social event where scouts work together in teams to solve puzzles and “escape” a room or scenario.
  • Fashion Show Tea
    • A formal social event where scouts model outfits (often based on a theme like Girl Scout history) and share tea with guests.
  • Gnomes and Fairies Picnic
    • A themed outdoor lunch for younger scouts featuring whimsical decorations and simple nature crafts.
  • Harry Potter “School of Wizardry”
    • A large-scale themed event with stations for “potions” (STEM), herbology, and games like quidditch .
  • Ice Cream Social
    • A low-cost community-building event often used for recruitment or as a summer kick-off.
  • Masquerade or Formal Ball
    • A formal dance where participants wear masks or semi-formal attire, often including a DJ and photo booth.
  • Movie Night
    • A community event where the service unit rents a hall or theater to screen a family-friendly movie, sometimes as a pajama party.
  • Murder Mystery Party
    • An interactive social event for older scouts where they must solve a scripted “mystery” throughout the evening.
  • Rodeo Bingo
    • A themed social event combining western-themed dancing with rounds of bingo.
  • Roller or Ice Skating
    • A private rental of a local rink for all troops in the service unit to encourage social interaction across different age levels.
  • Sock Hop or Disco Dance
    • Themed dances focusing on a specific decade, such as a 50s sock hop or 70s disco, with appropriate music and costumes.
  • Square Dance
    • A traditional hoedown event with a caller to teach participants basic square dancing steps.
  • Talent Show
    • An event where individual scouts or troops perform acts such as singing, dancing, or skits for the service unit.
  • VIP or “Someone Special” Dance
    • A themed dance where scouts invite a parent, guardian, or adult mentor as their guest.
  • Zombie Run
    • A themed fun run or obstacle course where participants try to “escape” volunteers dressed as zombies.

Holidays and Traditions

  • Cookie Rally
    • An energetic kickoff event for the cookie program featuring stations for goal setting, safety, marketing, and cookie tasting.
  • Fall Festival / Harvest Party
    • A seasonal gathering featuring games, pumpkin carving or painting, and community scarecrow-building contests.
  • Festival of Nations / World Thinking Day
    • Each troop selects a country to represent with a booth featuring facts, food samples, and “SWAPS” (Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere).
  • Gingerbread Holiday Party
    • A winter gathering where troops decorate gingerbread houses to be displayed in the community or donated to senior centers.
  • Girl Scout Birthday / Juliette Gordon Low Birthday
    • Celebrations honoring the movement’s history with trivia, vintage uniform displays, “pancake tossing” games, and birthday cupcakes .
  • Ornament Exchange
    • A holiday gathering where scouts or leaders exchange handmade ornaments and share cookies or cocoa.
  • Parade Participation
    • A coordinated effort for all troops in the service unit to march together in local community parades, often carrying a unit banner.

Outdoors and Camping

  • Camporee / Encampment
    • A weekend-long camping trip for the entire service unit, usually featuring a central theme, outdoor skill rotations, and a communal campfire.
  • Drive-In Movie Campout
    • An event held at a local drive-in theater where troops camp in tents or cars while watching movies on the big screen.
  • Hiking (Winter or Seasonal)
    • Coordinated group hikes led by experienced volunteers or older scout troops to explore local trails.
  • Outdoor Skills Day
    • A day-long event focused on teaching essential camping skills such as fire building, knot tying, and outdoor cooking.
  • Sunset Picnic
    • A low-cost evening event at a local park where families bring their own dinners and participate in simple games or a sing-along.
  • Zoo / Aquarium / Museum Sleepover
    • Specialized overnight events held at local attractions, often including private tours and educational workshops.

Races and STEM

  • Cardboard Boat or Bobsled Races
    • A creative engineering challenge where scouts build boats or sleds entirely from cardboard and duct tape to race in a pool or on snow.
  • Color Run
    • A fun run where participants are doused in colored powder at various stations along the trail .
  • Cupcake Wars
    • A creative competition where troops are given themes and must design and decorate cupcakes to be judged on creativity.
  • Pinewood Derby / Powderpuff Derby
    • A racing event where scouts design, build, and paint wooden cars from kits to race down a multi-lane track.
  • Raingutter Regatta
    • A racing event where scouts build small sailboats and race them down water-filled rain gutters by blowing into the sails.
  • Rope Runner Derby
    • A scout-specific alternative to the Pinewood Derby where scouts create “anything” on wheels to race down a simple rope track.
  • Summer Olympics / Field Day
    • A series of physical challenges and team-building games where troops compete in a friendly “Olympic” style format.

Adult and Volunteer Events

  • Adult Craft Day
    • A gathering for leaders and adult volunteers to learn new craft skills for their troops or for personal enjoyment.
  • Leader Paint and Sip
    • A social night for adult volunteers held at a local business or community center to prevent burnout and build community.
  • Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
    • A formal or semi-formal meal paid for or subsidized by the Service Unit to recognize the efforts of adult volunteers.

For More Fun Ideas and Plans

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

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

See other Recommended Facebook Groups for some Scouting Organizations
(No official Groups)

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Published on February 27, 2026, by:

Tia Kennard

Click Here -> To see information References:

Disclaimer: The information published on The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.

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