“A badge is a symbol that you have done the thing it stands for often enough, thoroughly enough, and well enough to be prepared to give service in it. You wear the badge to let people know that you are prepared and willing to be called on because you are a Girl Scout.” –Juliette Gordon Low
One of the goals of Girl Scouts is for girls to learn new things. Girl Scouts has badges on different topics that are considered important for girls to learn. Badges can be earned by completing the five (5) requirements for that badge. Most badges will give you options that you can choose from for each requirement.
A cornerstone of Girl Scouting, the seven legacy badges build on over 100 years of Girl Scout history. Each of these badges (Artist, Athlete, Citizen, Cook, First Aid, Girl Scout Way, and Naturalist) is available at five levels of Girl Scouting, from Brownie to Ambassador.
Girls can earn badges as part of troop activities or individually on their own. Leaders should be consulted before girls start on a badge individually to make sure the troop will not be working on the selected badge later.
Not interested in any of the current badges? No worries! Unlike other organizations, GSUSA operates under a policy often summarized as “Once a badge, always a badge.” So why do we say something is “retired” if it is still official? When GSUSA lists a badge as retired, they are effectively saying: “We are no longer manufacturing this.”
The troops have some retired badges on hand. We want to make sure we are able to obtain a selected retired badge before a girl starts working on it.
Fun Fact: Badge errors are rare, but some things still slip by quality control. These badges can be collectible. You might wish to check relatives’ vests and sashes to see if they have any!