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Patch Programs

Patch Programs

Patch programs provide Girl Scouts an opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities while earning a fun patch.

Most patch programs are available to Girl Scouts of all grade levels, and some will list different requirements to complete the patch, depending on grade level. Completing patch programs will help your troop along their Journey—and may satisfy requirements for certain badges.

Check back for more fun patch programs to be added in the future!

Check out our New Patch Programs >>

OUTDOOR PATCH PROGRAMS
Outdoor Skills Patches

We're making it even easier to gain outdoor skills and earn patches by bringing Outdoor Skills programming to a community near you.

Our GSSEM Outdoor Education Specialists are planning outdoor fun in your backyard—or pretty close to it—throughout the year. The Outdoor Skills Patch Program is designed to get girls outdoors more often. As long as a Girl Scout has learned about the topic and practiced the skills, she's earned the Outdoor Skills mini patch. Then, she can take action by getting outdoors and sharing her skills with others.

Girls can earn patches by attending Outdoor Skills Days, Outdoor Adventure Days, and Outdoor Round-Ups! Keep checking for the comprehensive list of programs and events on the event calendar.

OUTDOOR SKILLS DAYS


Outdoor Skills 1
Enjoy a fun day of outdoor games! Girls will learn how to always be prepared, understand water conservation and how to leave our world a better place with Leave No Trace!

Outdoor Skills 1


Outdoor Skills 2
Continue to develop amazing skills and up your outdoor game with team-building games! This level will cover packing for a day hike and navigating the trails with basic orienteering skills.

Outdoor Skills 2


Outdoor Skills 3
Get prepared for a basic camping trip at a campground or in your backyard! Learn about setting up a campsite, basic knots to get you through the night, and how to build a fire for warmth and cooking.

Outdoor Skills 3


Outdoor Skills 4
This is the ultimate Get Outdoors day! Eat your way through the day while learning to cook a meal using a stick, foil pack, and dutch oven techniques and enjoy the fruits (Starbursts) of your labors. Build a mini First Aid kit to have in your back pocket before a basic lesson on backpack fitting, packing, and trip prep.

Outdoor Skills 4
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE DAYS

Discover hidden gems in your community with Outdoor Adventure Days! Earn mini patches for the Outdoor Skills Patch at these themed events that offer the opportunity to learn and practice new skills in the outdoors. Offerings include canoeing at a state park, horseback riding workshops, fly fishing, archery, snow-shoeing, and bicycle tour events. There are different Outdoor Adventure Days for each Girl Scout level! Check the event calendar for new adventure listings all year long.

OUTDOOR ROUND-UPS

Experience Council-wide events that offer a variety of outdoor adventures with sister Girl Scouts from around the area! Keep checking the event calendar for more 2019 Outdoor Round-Ups!

Questions?
Please feel free to contact our Lead Outdoor Education Specialist, Liz Bruer, if you have more outdoor education questions at lbruer@gssem.org or at 800-482-6734 x2511.

Great Lakes Patch

Living in this specific council means that you get the opportunity to live near the Great Lakes of Michigan. While completing this patch program, you will engage in fun activities that allow you to learn more and gain a new perspective for these bodies of water! 

Download the Great Lakes Patch Program PDF >>

Great Lakes Patch Program
Belle Isle Patch

How lucky are we to have the largest city-owned island park in the United States in our backyard! Belle Isle has so much to offer to everyone who visits, including a rich history. Whether it's your first time, or you frequent the park, make the most of your Belle Isle Adventure by following along in this activity booklet. You'll walk away learning more than you ever knew before.

Download the Belle Isle Patch Program PDF >>

Belle Isle Patch Program
Urban Explorer Patch

This patch focuses on getting girls outside by introducing them to outdoor spaces in their area as well as suggesting things they can do in their own backyard!

Download the Urban Explorer Patch Program PDF >>

Urban Explorer Patch Program
Metroparks Explorer Patch

This patch program connects girls with the Huron-Clinton Metroparks and introduces them to different activities they can participate in within the organization.

Download the Metroparks Explorer Patch Program PDF >>

Metroparks Explorer Patch Program
Junior Hawkwatcher Patch

Coming soon!

Audubon Wild Indigo Patch

Coming soon!

All About the Bees

Coming soon!


OTHER PATCH PROGRAMS
Automotive History Patch

Our area is so rich in automotive history and provides careers for many residents; this patch was created to further your knowledge.

The auto industry has had a great impact on our community. Long recognized as the historic heart of the American automotive industry, Detroit took on the nickname "Motor City." In the late 1800s, Flint was home to a booming carriage-making industry for horse-drawn buggies—which some say was the biggest in the entire world. Hence, Flint became known as "Vehicle City." Henry Ford pioneered the use of the assembly line in manufacturing automobiles and provided the model for mass production that other industries later adopted.

Download the Discover Automotive History Patch Flyer (PDF) >>

Automotive History Patch Program
Discover Detroit Patch

Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and the largest American city on the United States/Canadian border—and there are so many things to see and do there!

Detroit is a major port located on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It has a diverse population and culture. New hotels, scenic and social parks, public transit, bike lanes, and the walkable riverfront are redefining Detroit.

Download the Discover Detroit Program Patch Flyer (PDF) >>

Discover Detroit Patch Program
Gift of Life Patch

This guide has activities and the facts and information about organ, eye, and tissue donation that you and your girls will need to pursue organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy.

There are more than 100,000 people awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant and the hundreds of thousands in need of corneal and tissue transplants, and through this patch program, you can learn how you can make a difference.

Download the Gift of Life Patch Program PDF >>

Gift of Life Patch Program
Michigan History Patch

Much of the history of GSSEM and all Girl Scouts exists in the memories of our elders or lies hidden between the pages of family albums, historical documents, museums, and diaries.

By exploring these buried treasures, girls can gain a greater appreciation and understanding of our history and take these lessons to connect the past with the present through shared experiences. Our sisterhood is full of traditions!

Download the Michigan History Patch Program PDF >>

GSSEM Michigan History Patch
People Mover Patch

Patch requirements are to ride the People Mover and follow the requirements.

The Detroit People Mover (DPM) is a fully automated light rail system that operates on an elevated single-track loop in Detroit’s central business district. Launched in 1987, the system’s 13 stations provide quick connections between the courts and administrative offices of several levels of government, sports arenas, exhibition centers, major hotels, and commercial, banking, and retail districts. Service is frequent and unencumbered by vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and at just 75 cents per ride (as of 7/19), it’s the best bargain in town!

Download the People Mover Patch Program PDF >>

People Mover Patch Program
Precious Medals P.I.

Become a Precious Medals Private Eye!

Discover and explore some of the mysteries regarding the Girl Scout High Awards, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Download the Precious Medals P.I. Booklet (PDF) >>

Precious Medals P.I.
Troop CFO Patch

CFO stands for Chief Financial Officer. Girl Scouts learn skills and earn money through the Product Program sale of candy/nuts and cookies.

In a girl-led environment, your troop makes decisions on how money is spent. This money can be used for supplies, badges, field trips, or other things you may need. Your troop should set goals for a possible camp experience, traveling, or other opportunities you decide on for the future. Your troop leader—or another designated adult—oversees the money by keeping it an approved bank account. Each year, she/he is responsible for reporting on how much money your troop earned, how much was spent, and how much is left.

Download the Troop CFO Patch Program PDF >>

GSSEM Troop CFO Patch

ADULT PATCH PROGRAMS
Volunteer Toolkit Patch (Leaders and Co-Leaders)

Get rewarded for supercharging your troop with the Volunteer Toolkit!

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) gives you program content and other resources to manage your troop planning all year long—and keep it going smoothly! Use it to make meeting plans, update girl achievements, manage troop finances, send parent emails, and lots more!

REQUIREMENTS
 To earn this patch, troop leaders and co-leaders must complete the following steps:

  1. Create a Year Plan for their troop in the VTK
  2. Complete an activity from their Year Plan
  3. Submit the Troop Annual Financial Report via the VTK on or before June 21, 2020

Patches will be distributed to troop leaders and co-leaders of troops who complete the steps above while supplies last.

Download the Volunteer Toolkit Patch Program PDF >>

Volunteer Toolkit Patch Program