Guiding girls in outdoor activities is an exciting adventure! Outdoor Education courses give practical experience in planning and carrying out these activities in a safe and purposeful way.

Outdoor Skills: Learn about health and safety procedures, outdoor living skills, proper dress for the outdoors, menu planning with recipes, and types of outdoor equipment needed as you actively participate in fire building, outdoor cooking, knot tying, and use of knives. Completion of this course will, in addition to Site Orientation and First Aid, enable a troop to: use GSNENY property (daytime) with outdoor cooking; go overnight lodge camping with outdoor activities; do outdoor cooking/activities at a non-GSNENY property; participate in a Community (Service Unit) Encampment/Multi-Troop Camping Experience.
Fee: $12.00     Minimum: 6     Maximum: 24 participants

Overnight (Tent) Camping: Gain the additional experience you need to take your troop tent camping: additional outdoor living skills, programming ideas, sleeping in tents. *Completion of this course will, in addition to Site Orientation, First Aid and Outdoor Skills, enable a troop to: go tent/shelter camping as a single troop. A Tent Camping Equivalency may also be granted for completion of Outdoor Skills and participation in an encampment or multi-troop overnight experience in tents. 
Fee: $12.00      Minimum: 6      Maximum: 24 participants

If desired, a copy of the GSUSA publication Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting may be purchased at Outdoor Skills or Tent Camping classes for $10.00.

Site Orientation: Learn procedures to use at each of the council-owned properties. Tour the property you plan to use to learn about the available facilities and equipment. Either a Physical or Self-Directed Site Orientation is required for any use of the properties. You must take the orientation for the specific property you plan to use. 
Fee: Free       Minimum: 6       Maximum: 24 participants

Self-Directed Site Orientation: Get much of the information you need without traveling to the property! Once a volunteer has rented one of our properties, they will be sent a copy of the updated Site Orientation booklet for that property. To get credit, read the booklet and return the acknowledgement form to the Albany Service Center.

Small Craft Safety: Successful completion of this American Red Cross course, along with First Aid/CPR certification, allows a volunteer to take girls boating in canoes and kayaks. Certification is good for 3 years. 
Fee: $30.00       Minimum: 6       Maximum: 14 participants

Encampment Director: This class is for new Encampment Directors. You will learn to plan, implement and evaluate a Service Unit Encampment. This is a requirement for all Service Unit Encampments. Prerequisites: Outdoor Skills or approved equivalency OR highest Outdoor training from your prior Council, as well as Site Orientation, experience with a large event that involved some area of responsibility and experience camping with groups of children as leader or camp counselor. People who have had previous Encampment Director training do NOT need to attend this class. Exemptions may be made for people with prior experience in lieu of formal training. Contact the Manager of Volunteer Learning & Staff Development to schedule. Fee: Free

“Me & My Gal” events: Classes designated as “Me & My Gal” events are open to Girl Scout adults and their special Girl Scout (1 per adult). Both the adult and girl must be registered online and pay the course fee.