ambassador outdoor journey

Journey: Outdoor (Ambassador)

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Ambassador Outdoor Journey

In this Journey, you will:

• Deepen your outdoor skills when you earn your Outdoor Art Master, Water , and Survival Camper badges.
• Plan a Take Action project that helps people.
• Earn a Take Action Award. If you're a Girl Scout volunteer, go to Volunteer Toolkit for complete meeting plans and activity instructions.

Learn more about how to earn your Take Action Award — and help your community — with the Girl Scout Take Action Guide. Then use your leadership skills to earn your Gold Award , the highest award for Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors!

Ambassador Troop Year Planner

Your guide to a year of fun and friendship! 

For troop leaders of eleventh and twelfth grade girl scouts. .

Ambassadors are flexing their independence and taking the world by storm. Whether they’re budgeting for a troop trip or planning their first dinner party, they are making big things happen for themselves. This guide will help you as your Girl Scouts explore activities focused on discovery, confidence, and practical skills that will help them be their best selves. Planning for your troop year should always be girl-led . But to get you started, we’ve collected a variety of our most popular badges and awards into one action-packed plan. Get ready for a year of adventure and excitement as you help them grow.

How to get started:

Use these online Ambassador troop year plans to start planning your year. You can customize it along the way as you get to know your Girl Scouts and their interests.

• Order your Brownie program materials and resources from the Girl Scout Shop
• Access detailed instructions to lead troop meetings through the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK), your free online resource for meeting overviews, materials lists, and more. See step-by-step access instructions.

Ambassador First Year Plan ( PDF )

Ambassador Second Year Plan ( PDF )

 Find everything you need to lead a successful troop year at the Girl Scout Shop.

Tips and Resources:

• Arrival : Ask Ambassadors who arrive early to help unpack and set up any snacks and activity materials for later.
• Warmups and Wellness : Get Ambassadors excited to begin their meeting with a warm activity or question and a wellness check.  Ask them how they are feeling today and what they are excited about! 
• Opening Ceremony : Officially open your troop meeting by reciting the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
• Activities : Engage your Ambassadors in the exciting activities to earn their badges. Involve your Ambassadors in the planning of badge activities for each meeting. 
• Closing Ceremony : End your meeting by reviewing what you have learned together and asking Ambassadors to share their favorite part of the meeting. Congratulate Ambassadors on their accomplishments.
• Follow Up with Families : After the meeting, remember to share with families all the great things their Ambassadors accomplished!
• When you can get outside, do it! Go for a small trip or simply meet in a new space. Shaking things up occasionally keeps things exciting
• Check with your council to see if they’re offering events or activities that your troop could attend. Those events make life easier for you and allow your troop to connect with other Girl Scouts from their area. Many councils and service units host annual World Thinking Day events in February.
• If any of the recommended program options is not the right fit, or if you want to give your Girl Scouts the chance to shape their own experience, have them vote to choose a different badge or activity within the same focus area. When you enable Girl-led activities, girls step up and take ownership of their decisions, they grow into confident leaders who can make informed and empowered decisions—a valuable skill they’ll carry throughout their lives.  Check out  our Award and Badge Explorer for other badge favorites, our latest release of new programs , or visit the Girl Scout Activity Zone .
• Access free detailed instructions to lead each of the meetings included in these troop year plans through the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK).  Simply log in or create a member account from mygs.girlscouts.org .  Once you log in, from the left navigation menu choose “Volunteer Toolkit.” Then choose “Explore,” “Pre-Selected Tracks,” “Fun and Friendship” and you’re set! See step-by-step access instructions .
• Access other easy-to-follow volunteer essentials to keep you organized and inspired.
• Access volunteer training from gsLearn for easy access to essential training and courses to lead activities the Girl Scout way.
• Simply log in via myGS.girlscouts.org and search for “GSUSA Brownie badges” or other topics of interest.  Each course will show you how to bring the badge content to life for your Brownie troop.
• See step-by-step access instructions .

Give your troop another year of growth, laughter, and the confidence they need to be their most authentic selves!

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Putin says Russia is in dialogue with the US on exchanging jailed Americans Gershkovich and Whelan

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerhskovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, will remain in detention until Jan. 30, a court in Moscow ruled on Thursday. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy speaks to the media after hearing on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s case at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerhskovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, will remain in detention until Jan. 30, a court in Moscow ruled on Thursday. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (Vladimir Gerdo, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday Moscow is in dialogue with with the United States on the issue of bringing home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich and the Kremlin hopes to “find a solution,” even though “it’s not easy.”

Putin spoke about Whelan and Gershkovich during his year-end news conference in response to a question about a recent offer the Biden administration made to secure the two men’s release. The U.S. State Department reported it earlier this month, without offering details , and said Russia rejected it.

“We have contacts on this matter with our American partners, there’s a dialogue on this issue. It’s not easy, I won’t go into details right now. But in general, it seems to me that we’re speaking a language each of us understands,” Putin said.

“I hope we will find a solution,” he continued. “But, I repeat, the American side must hear us and make a decision that will satisfy the Russian side as well.”

Speaking to reporters in Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. has “put multiple offers on the table,” including “one significant offer that we made as recently as a few weeks ago.”

“We have seen those offers rejected every time by the Russian government,” he said.

Miller said Washington would welcome Russia engaging seriously in talks that would lead to the release of Gershkovich and Whelan but that “so far we’ve seen them refuse to take us up on our proposals, and we hope that they will change the way they handle this going forward.”

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been jailed in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage-related charges that both he and the U.S. government dispute. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow. He was accused of espionage — Russia’s Federal Security Service alleged that the reporter, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” He has been behind bars ever since.

The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow on Nov. 28 ruled to extend his detention until the end of January, and the appeal Gershkovich has filed against that ruling was rejected by the Moscow City Court at a hearing Thursday.

Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.

Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after U.S.-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will consider a swap for Gershkovich only after a verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.

Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, attended the court hearing for Gershkovich’s appeal on Thursday and told reporters that “Evan’s ordeal has now stretched on for over 250 days. His life has been put on hold for over eight months for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Although Evan appeared as sharp and focused as ever today in the courtroom, it is not acceptable that Russian authorities have chosen to use him as a political pawn,” Tracy said after the hearing.

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Ambassador Golf Club Residence is being raised among the untouched flora of the embassy quarter on the Moscow’s west in Ramenki district. It exclusively contains 54 luxury suites. Duplex penthouses with private elevator halls occupy the top floors of the building.

Rich internal infrastructure of the complex will include a round-the-clock premium concierge service from PRIME, a Technogym equipped fitness studio, a bakery, winery and Aldo Coppola, a legendary italian beauty studio.

It is a center of cultural, educational and sports history of the country. Famous Russian directors lived on neighboring Mosfilmovskaya Street, where scenes from legendary Soviet films were shot and eminent actors began their journey. Moscow State University is only 10 minutes away, the Luzhniki Stadium is as far as 13.

Floor map Exterior

Residential complex takes only the best from European architectural styles. In the concept developed by SPEECH bureau house facade is faced with natural rusticated limestone. Facade has the highest design reviews for its durability and effectiveness in regulating temperatures inside.

Every detail of interior is bathed in natural light that shines through tall windows. Technology of Ambassador Golf Club Residence makes life here especially comfortable.

Everywhere one goes in the club house he is reminded of the status of the residents. Custom lobby decor fused with unconventional architectural forms welcomes guests and embellishes the pathway to apartments. The design of the halls combines natural marble, brass and decor from rare wood. The elevators of the club house are artfully matched with other forms and elements of entrance groups.