As with any Girl Scout-related activity, safety should be paramount. Make sure that girls and guardians have signed the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge before participating in any online meetings or events. Here are a few additional safety tips when using Zoom:
- Use Zoom safety settings. When setting up your meeting, remember to check your settings to ensure your meeting is accessible only to you and your troop.
- Password protect your meeting. Enable the password requirement to join your meeting and only share the password with troop participants.
- Use the virtual waiting room feature. This enables you to admit individual participants into the meeting and controls who can and can’t be admitted.
- Enlist a co-host. If you have a co-leader or another registered adult volunteer joining in the meeting, promote them to the co-host position. This gives that adult the same meeting privileges and controls as you (the host). You can work together so you can focus on leading the meeting and supporting the girls.
- Change usernames. Once they’re in the meeting, encourage girls to rename themselves so only their first name shows up on the screen. (Alternatively, if you’re comfortable, they can assign themselves nicknames — like their camp names!)
