Introduction

Our goal is to make sure that the students are well-supervised and all students enjoy the trip. The duties and responsibilities of a chaperone are vital to the success of any trip. As a chaperone, your primary responsibility is to help the staff ensure the safety of the girls. We have gathered some important guidelines to better help you understand what is expected of chaperones and students on a trip.

GOP Leadership Contact Information

Tricia Wilson	Chaperone Track Lead	501-472-0803	triciawilsonar@gmail.com
Maddie Spickard	Program Director	501-244-9740 ext. 103	mspickard@womensfoundationarkansas.org
Kris Smith	Program Specialist	501-244-9740 ext. 106	ksmith@womensfoundationarkansas.org
Faith Anaya	Co-Chair	501-766-7629	faith.anaya2@comcast.net
Katie Story-Hogue	Co-Chair	501-351-1451	katiestory13@gmail.com

Want to be a chaperone?

If you would like to be chaperone for our 2023 Girls of Promise Conference please click below to RSVP.

Professional Development Credit

Visit the link below for Professional Development credit information:

Chaperone Expectations

• Chaperones will attend an orientation meeting on Wednesday, April 5th at 6:30 pm.  
• Chaperones are responsible for making sure their girls are attending the conference sessions.  
• Please Note: There will be a professional photographer on site all day to take pictures of the girls in their sessions and throughout the day. We ask that chaperones refrain from taking or posting pictures of other students on their social media pages, the Women’s Foundation will obtain written consent from parents to post photos to official social media channels and use in any other official capacity.
• Chaperones are NOT permitted in/out of the breakout sessions to take pictures or interrupt the girls or the speakers unless there is an emergency.  If there is an emergency, please contact one of the GOP Leadership individuals above and they will assist you
• Must be at least 21 years of age or older on or before April 7, 2023.
• Participants (students and chaperones) must have their nametag on at all times when they are in the conference.
• Chaperones are expected to be on time.
• Please keep your cellphones off or on mute during session times. If you must take a call, step outside of the session room.
• Participants are to respect other participants by keeping language clean, kind, and encouraging.
• Violence of any kind (verbal or physical) is not acceptable. Any participant engaging in violence will be immediately removed from the event.
• Give your attention to all students of your group equally.
• Do not allow any student to be disrespectful or take advantage of you. Do not allow them to be disrespectful to others.

Preparation

• Obtain each student’s cell phone number if they have one.
• Make sure each student has your cell phone number.
• Registration starts from 8am-8:45am in the lobby of the 4H Center.

Day Of Expectations

• Once the girls register they will be given a tshirt to change into and then will be assigned a team with girls from other schools. They will remain in their teams for the entire day, until they are dismissed at 4:15pm. 
• Chaperones will have their own sessions (for teachers and counselors these can count toward PD credit, provided by Economics Arkansas). More information provided on the Chaperone Track informational page.
• Lunch will be provided for all girls and chaperones.
• Wifi will be available at the 4H Center.
• If you are parent dropping your student off for the day, you MUST come inside and sign in with a valid photo ID.  This will also be required when you pick up the student at the end of the day.

What to Bring

• You will be both inside and outside over the day, weather permitting. Outside activities include walking around the 4H Center. 
• Comfortable clothes you can move around in easily (you are welcome to change into the T-shirt given to you upon check-in)
• Closed toed shoes with socks (one of our sessions is a Yoga session, and you may want to take your shoes off for that).
• A light jacket or rain jacket– April weather is unpredictable but some of our activities are outdoors if the weather permits. Additionally the auditorium tends to be on the cold side.
• A good attitude and willingness to learn, participate and have fun!
• We will have coffee available for chaperones and water only available for the students. If anyone requires soda or other drinks, those will need to be brought with you.

Thursday Night Accommodations

If you and your students need accommodation on Thursday, April 6th, the night before the Girls of Promise conference because of long travel times, the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is providing free accommodation at the 4H Center, which has hotel-type lodging. 

• Dinner will not be provided that night, and chaperones and students must get dinner on their own. You are not allowed to bring outside food into the 4H Center. 
• Please note that chaperones will be fully responsible for the supervision of their students that night. There is no scheduled programming, aside from the virtual kick-off. There will be no Girls of Promise volunteers or Women’s Foundation of Arkansas staff on site until Friday morning. 

If you would like to secure accommodation for Thursday night, please contact Maddie Spickard, mspickard@womensfoundationarkansas.org before March 15th 2023.