How To Transition From Being a Brownie To a Junior Scout Troop

February 16, 2017

Time to read 3 min

So you just had two amazing years with your girls as a Brownie leader. Now what? Are you ready for the next level, Juniors? Today I just want to help you understand a little more about bridging from Brownies to Juniors.

As you know bridging is a special ceremony for the girls who are already Scouts, where they will officially move from one level to another. And of course you can have your bridging ceremony whenever you want, but many troops prefer to bridge toward the end of the scouting year. This could be on a special day set aside, or included in the final meeting of the year.

Why Do Brownie’s Fly Up?

One question I have been asked is why do we say Brownies fly up to Juniors and all other levels just call it bridging. This was from the early days of Scouting. Only Brownies fly up because, in the early days, Brownie leaders were called a “Brown Owl,” after the Wise Owl in The Brownie Story. When it came time for girls to leave Brownies, Brown Owl would give them one of her feathers so they could “fly” into the next level. Brownie Wings were first used as a symbol of bridging in 1927 and continue to the present day. Checkout the whole story here

Have a GS Own Ceremony when bridging to Juniors

A great way to start down the path of being a Junior leader is to allow your girls be the leader. When planning your ceremony a great idea is to let it be a girl-led event. You can guide them, maybe prompt the girls with an overall outline of what a typical bridging ceremony will look like.

These can include:

Opening – This is often a flag ceremony along with a reciting of the GS Law and Promise. As a Leader you can direct your girls on what you believe could be the best way to welcome parents and friends. Here are a few ideas for your next flag ceremony.
Performance/Presentation – This ceremony is an ideal opportunity for girls to express everything they learned as a Brownie, a favorite Scout memory, or maybe have them select a line of the law and tell everyone what it means to them. It could be through dance or song, or reciting a poem.
Flying Up From Brownie to Juniors – This is the part of the ceremony where the girls bridge and fly up to Juniors. Girls usually take a walk over a bridge, under an archway, or have girls come up with another way to move from one level to the next. Once the girls cross the bridge the leaders need to greet all the girls with the GS Handshake.
Closing – Think about how your girls end your meetings on a regular basis? They might choose to do a friendship circle or a song.
Refreshments – What inspiring snack suggestions do the girls have? Can they offer a treat that comes with the colors of the two levels (Brownie and Juniors?)

Don’t be afraid as you transition from being a Brownie Scout Leader to a Junior Scout Leader. As your girls interest and skills change and grow you will build your program around what the girls want. When possible let your girls run the meeting and take on leadership roles. Have fun your adventures are just beginning!

Junior Leader Resources

Making that move from the Brownie badges to Junior badges can be just as scary as changing from brown to green uniforms. I have you covered! Check out some of these planned activity booklets to get you started down 2 amazing years as a Junior Scout leader

Are you a new K – 1st grade leader?

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