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or enrich each other. For example, Girl Scout councils might share their summer camp schedules with the religious institution and notify them of the dates of Girl Scout Sunday/Sabbath. Coordinating schedules, facility usage, and program content of similar activities is an important part of this type of partnership. Cooperation -This involves joint planning whereby different organizations assume responsibility for different segments of the program. For example, if a Girl Scout council wanted to sponsor a Religious Recognitions Weekend Retreat or host a Religious Recognitions Banquet, these events would involve both the Girl Scout council and leaders of various religious institutions. Cooperation may mean sharing a facility or planning a complete program together. It requires negotiation and frequent communication to assure that the resulting program is not fragmented. Written agreements are helpful. Contracting - This is a formal partnership for a specific event. The Girl Scout council can contract with another organization (or another organization can contract with the Girl Scout council) to do specific parts of a program. For example, a religious group without camp facilities might contract with the Girl Scout council to provide the administration, food service, first aid, and basic recreational services for a resident camp. The religious group would provide the program portion of their camp without having to become camping or outdoor experts. Collaboration - This involves a more formal and sustained commitment than the other types of partnerships and usually has a formal structure of organizational representatives. An example is when a religious institution sponsors a troop and has a long-term investment in Girl Scouting. Besides providing a meeting place for Girl Scouts, the religious institution can invite girls and families to participate in other activities and service projects. [Please note: Troop sponsorship by a religious institution does not require girls or their families to become members of, or to participate in activities of that religious institution.] Evaluating the Partnership An evaluation process should be an integral part of any relationship. Regardless of the type of partnership that exists between the Girl Scout council and the religious institution, a time frame should be established at the very beginning of the partnership with a specific date when both parties come together to evaluate the successes and concerns for that time period. At this time, they can decide whether or not to continue. Having a specific time frame may encourage a potential partner organization to agree to the partnership knowing that if it does not work out they have an opportunity to exit. When the arrangement is successful, the evaluation process should 1-10 |