Foundational principles and tools of AHG to equip and partner with volunteers,
creating a culture for girls to walk in the authority of their calling in the Kingdom.
May 2021
Faith, Service, and Fun!
The AHG Program has much to offer girls in your Troop, but AHG stresses that Troops always start with FAITH, SERVICE, and FUN! These words are not just a tagline but foundational to a Troop’s success year after year.
Keep Christ at the center of all you do. Faith can be lived out in your Troop through opening ceremony devotions, by pulling a Biblical worldview into conversations during Unit time, or pairing girls up during the closing ceremony to learn how each can pray for the other. After taking small steps to incorporate faith into your program, expand your set curriculum to completing faith-based Patch Programs and Faith Awards, which can be done within a Troop meeting, a weekend event, or camping experience.
Follow God’s great commandment to love others. Service is learning how to care for those in your circle of influence and community. Ask girls to begin looking for a need in their community. Create a list of the needs observed during Unit time. Allow the girls to decide which two or three acts of service to pursue. By planning the service events together, girls learn to value one another and extend love to those in their community.
Incorporating fun into your Program Year is essential for keeping girls engaged in the AHG Program. First, get to know the girls you are leading. Learning their interests will enable you to guide them to fun experiences. Fun allows girls to discover personal passions through badge work, to socialize with friends in an all-girl setting, and to go on a hike as a group to admire God’s creation.
Once you have established rhythms of the faith, service, and fun in your Troop, make it your goal to expand program offerings each year!
Charter Renewal
AHG is excited to partner with the Charter Organization and Troop Board for another year full of faith, service, and fun! Charter Renewal is an annual process that begins June 1 and must be completed by August 31. Here are a few key things to keep in mind while preparing for Charter Renewal:
- The Troop Board is composed of five distinct Board Members.
- Troop Board Members cannot be related to one another.
- The Charter Representative is appointed by the Charter Organization as a trusted and authorized individual to act as the signing authority for the Charter Organization and will review and approve the Troop Board.
- All five appointed members of the Troop Board must complete their application, KEYS to Child Safety Training, Background Check, and make payment for the membership fee.
Hometown Mentors and Troop Coaches are available to all Troops to assist with the Charter Renewal process. A step-by-step process is available for the Troop Board under the Charter Renewal page on AHGresource.
Planning your Troop Year
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3, NIV
In order to effectively fulfill the mission of American Heritage Girls, planning the Troop’s Program Year is essential. Any planning should begin with prayer for the Troop’s Program Year. Seeking God’s plan and coming together in unity with the Troop Ministry Team will lay a foundation for successful planning. A well-planned, year-round program yields numerous benefits such as:
- The Troop’s plans for the year are intentional, strategic, and mission-minded.
- Increased recruitment and retention of Girl and Adult Members.
- Fundraising goals can be set and achieved.
- Advanced notice for training as well as preparation for events and high adventure activities.
- Balanced programming through the six Program Emphases can be effectively implemented.
Planning out the Program Year gives the Troop an opportunity to seek feedback from the girls on their interests for the upcoming Program Year. Learning their interests will also give the Troop ideas on how to effectively implement Girl Leadership within the Troop.
AHG creates an annual planning guide to assist with planning the Troop’s Program Year. The five Troop Board Members will be mailed a copy of the planning guide. It will also be available through the AHGstore for anyone to purchase, and there is a digital copy on issuu available for download.
“The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:8-9, NIV
Individual Achievement Plan
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 193:13, NIV
Just as it is written in Genesis 1:27, AHG believes that each girl is made in the image of God. It is AHG’s prayer that every girl feels welcomed and loved by her Troop. Every Girl Member, no matter her earthly limitation, is eligible to earn badges, pursue Level Awards, and achieve the Stars & Stripes Award. Some girls may need additional assistance, which can be facilitated through an Individual Achievement Plan (IAP).
AHG is flexible to accommodate a variety of needs girls might have. The IAP is a tool for the Troop to develop a plan on how to best serve a girl with special needs. The Troop can come alongside a girl and her family in developing a plan to meet her cognitive, physical, mental, and social-emotional needs.
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5, NIV
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