:''This article covers a Girl Scouts event: for vacation destinations see Vacation spot (disambiguation)'' Girl Scout Destinations, formerly Wider Opportunities or Wider Ops, are events for individual Girl Scouts (ages 11 – 18) hosted by GSUSA or individual Girl Scout councils. Most Destinations are held within the United States, though each year there are trips abroad, such as to allow participants to be part of the US delegation to another country's national

jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts and/or Girl Guides who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been t ...

, or a World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) World Centre. They can range from two days to three weeks long. Most events are geared toward specified grade levels: Girl Scout Cadettes (6th - 8th grade), Girl Scout Seniors (9th and 10th grade), or Girl Scout Ambassadors (11th and 12th grade). Girls must go through an application process and sometimes an interview process before being chosen for a Destination. Destinations might be outdoor oriented, such as

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, or career oriented such as learning about working for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

. They generally fall into one of six categories: international, outdoors, science, people, apprenticeships, or getaways. Getaways do not require a destinations application. These Destinations allow girls to meet other Girl Scouts from around the United States and form lasting friendships.

Wider Opportunities

Wider Opportunities were open to any older girls ( Cadettes and Seniors) registered with

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...

, including those living abroad. In some cases, Scouts and Guides from other countries were also accepted. The focus of each trip varied widely, from general "sampler" trips where larger groups of girls tried an assortment of new activities, to smaller groups oriented on a specific skill. There were also trips to learn about the history of Girl Scouts and participate in country-wide discussions, and to learn various life skills while seeing new sights. Starting in 2000, GSUSA began collaborating with

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organisations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt in 1941 based on the educational principles of Kurt Hahn. Today there are organisations, called schools, i ...

to offer small-group no-experience-required

high adventure High adventure is a type of outdoor experience. It typically is meant to include activities like backpacking, hiking, kayaking or canoeing. It may also include mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, hang gliding, paragliding ...

trips in addition to the trips run by GSUSA and Girl Scout councils across the country and abroad. The number of participants allowed on a trip varied widely, often as low as 8-10, sometimes over one thousand, depending on the nature and location of the trip. In order to be considered for a trip, girls had to fill out an application, find references, and have an interview. Acceptance was competitive, with even the smallest trips frequently having several hundred applicants. One item participants were told to bring, frequently, though not exclusively, seen in Scouting, is a SWAP. A SWAP, short for Something With A Pin, is a small object, typically with a pin or loop attached to the back, which displays something about the creator's home. SWAPS can also be defined as Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewher

. The home address is also written on it, because SWAPs are meant to be traded with others as a way to remember people met while easily passing on contact information. Extra SWAPs can also be left at some locations, such as World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts#World Regions and Centers, World Centers, for future travellers to find.

References

*GS Central: Swaps
"GS Central: Swaps"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006055640/http://girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/swaps/ , date=2010-10-06 Girl Scouts of the USA

Wider Opportunities

See also

References