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Working Together to Keep Our Girl Scout Community Safe

(En Español)

Updated: 4/5/20

Girl Scouts of Orange County is closely monitoring the COVID-19 updates from the  Centers for Disease Control, the  World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, and the Orange County Health Care Agency. As Girl Scouts, we have a responsibility to our community to do all that we can to limit the spread of coronavirus. 

Thank you for your support in keeping Girl Scouts safe and providing an engaging space for everyone! Please refer to this page for the latest updates and read our  FAQ (En Español) for additional guidance or contact us at  customercare@girlscoutsoc.org. We're here for  you.

  • Out of an abundance of caution in line with the State of California’s Stay at Home order issued on March 19, 2020 and local school closures, Girl Scouts of Orange County has made the decision to close all Girl Scout properties, including our offices, Program Centers, and Irvine and Yorba Linda Shops until further notice. During this time, council staff will be telecommuting during our regular business hours, M-TH from 8AM-6PM. If you need to reach your troop support specialist or a specific member of our team, the best way is by email. For general questions, please contact us at customercare@girlscoutsoc.org.

If you have an urgent concern that needs immediate response, please call (949) 461-8800 and follow the prompts to reach the manager on call. 

  • In line with the State of California’s Stay at Home order issued on March 19, 2020 and local school closures, all in-person troop meetings or trips, Service Unit events, and other volunteer-led programs/events scheduled prior to May 31 must be cancelled. We will assess whether this date needs to be extended. Visit our webpage for badges and activities that our Girl Scouts can do at home.

  • All council-sponsored Girl Program experiences are cancelled or postponed through May 31. All council-sponsored Girl Program experiences are cancelled or postponed through May 31. For council events/programs that are not currently rescheduled, refunds will be provided for those who registered. Registrants for any postponed/rescheduled events will be transferred to the new date, unless a refund is requested. We appreciate your patience, as our refund processing may take longer than normal. Please check your email and our website girlscoutsoc.org/events for additional information regarding upcoming events.

  • All in-person trainings are cancelled through May 31. We are working on making some of our upcoming trainings available online and will keep you posted. 

  • All weekend camps and Camp Scherman events/sessions are canceled through May 31. Camper families are receiving communications regarding refunds. We appreciate your patience, as our refund processing may take longer than normal.

  • For Girl Scout events managed by outside councils or vendors, check with the council/vendor regarding cancellations or refunds. All in-person troop meetings, trips, Service Unit events, and other volunteer-led programs/events must be cancelled through May 31.

  • While our Irvine and Yorba Linda Retail Shops are closed until further notice, Girl Scouts' online shop  is open 24/7 for all your Girl Scout merchandise needs. Please be aware that items tagged SHIPS FROM COUNCIL are delayed due to delays due to the Girl Scouts of Orange County office closure.

At the bottom of this page, we have included a list of free and low-cost conferencing tools that could be useful to you in support of virtual meetings and events. We encourage troop leaders to look at these and alternative options and discuss with parents and girls the best solution for your troop’s needs during this challenging time.

Explore video and audio conferencing tools with free versions for virtual meetings

While all of these options have a free version, please note that you may be prompted to consider upgraded versions for a subscription fee.

  • Zoom –   FAQ
    Note: Meeting duration is a maximum of 40 minutes in free version

    A note on how to keep Zoom meetings secure
    For additional guidance, please review Zoom's     security recommendatons.

    • Make all conference meetings password protected. 
    • Discourage sharing meeting links on public-facing platforms.
    • Enable/Assign a Co-Host that has the same administration duties while the administrator/host presents.
    • Disable the Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin option, which prevents those kicked off the call to come back.

      For even more meeting security, you can:
    • Disable all non-host screen sharing capabilities, making sure screen share capabilities remain host-only.
    • Enable the “Waiting Room” feature, which allows hosts of the meetings to see participants in a virtual staging area so they can be vetted before joining.

  • Skype –   Support
    Note: Up to 10 participants free
  • Webex –   Help Center
     Note: Limited file and content sharing in free version    

Chat and Collaboration Tools with free versions

Additional low-cost tools for collaboration and conferencing to consider if the above options do not meet your group’s needs.

Program resources for activities girls can do at home

We are working on resources to support you and your Girl Scout with activities she can do at home and will be posting the latest virtual program content and resources at girlscoutsoc.org/athome.  We also encourage you to check out our Badge Explorer and the Resources Tab on the Volunteer Toolkit for programs you can adapt to continue the Girl Scout program while she may be home from school.

Be a source of comfort and calm for girls.