Scout Patch Program Returns

Fall is approaching and that means students are returning to school. It is also the time of year where local scout troops begin to gear up for the new scouting season. We are pleased that Central Indiana Girl Scouts still have access to the Indy Greenways Patch. With the curriculum originally developed during our one-year pilot project in 2018, the patch program is one of the Indianapolis Greenways Partnership’s legacy programs that now lives with the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.

The Indy Greenways Explorer Patch is a local Girl Scout Patch program that teaches central Indiana Girls Scouts about the Indy Greenways system. The intent of the program is to raise awareness and educate young kids on the design, function, and proper use of the Indy Greenways and to demonstrate the important role that the greenways play in connecting the community.

The patch program aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Raise awareness of the Indy Greenways system, what it is, and how it is used

• Introduce the benefits of urban greenways

• Instill a basic understanding of how greenways connect the community

• Provide a basic understanding of how to use the greenways

• Instill a general interest on how the greenways can be a part of Scouts’ everyday lives.

The program includes three basic elements that must be completed in order to achieve the Indy Greenways Explore patch:

• Educational Component - a troop facilitated educational sessions that introduces Indy Greenways, its purpose, and other important facts about how to use the greenways. The educational component includes research and discussion that can be led by volunteer troop leaders and can be completed within a one-hour working session.

• Explore Indy Greenways Walk (hike) - a troop facilitated walk on one of Indianapolis’ greenways to see how the basic elements researched in the educational component are conveyed on the physical design of the trail. The intent of the walk is to provide an on-site experience that helps make the educational component take on a real form.

• Indy Greenways Stewardship (Community Service) - a troop facilitated community service project along one of the Indy Greenways to demonstrate community ownership, pride, and the principles of the Girl Scouts Leave No Trace Ethic.

The Indy Greenways Scout Patch curriculum is available on our website at https://www.greenwayspartnership.com/events/slug/2020-2021-indy-greenways-girl-scout-patch-program or through the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana https://www.girlscoutsindiana.org/content/dam/girlscouts-girlscoutsindiana/documents/Indy%20Greenways%20Girl%20Scout%20Patch%20Program.pdf.