Program Levels

Any girl age 5-18 can be an American Heritage Girl. Girls of all backgrounds are welcome in AHG and are encouraged to join at any age. Girls do not have to start as a Pathfinder in order to gain the benefits of participating in the AHG Program. AHG has a multi-level structure, which means that girls from all five levels comprise ONE Troop and meet together as a single Troop on the same night. Badgework and certain activities are done within age appropriate groups (units).

To learn more about each level and see uniform requirements, click here.

Pathfinder

Ages 5-6, typically in Kindergarten.

Girls earn necklace beads for attendance, participation and Bible verse memorization while learning the four parts of the AHG Oath. They receive the Fanny Crosby Award for completion of this level.

Tenderheart

Ages 6-9, typically in grades 1-3.

A Tenderheart earns Achievement Badges in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities and/or special events. Service Stars are awarded for every 5 hours of community service. The Sacagawea Award is earned by girls who achieve the highest level of skill and service at this level.

Explorer

Ages 9-12, typically in grades 4-6.

An Explorer earns Achievement Badges in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities and/or special events. Service Stars are awarded for every 10 hours of community service. The Lewis and Clark Award is earned by those girls who achieve the highest level of skill and service at this level.

Pioneer

Ages 12-14, typically in grades 7-8.

A Pioneer continues to earn Achievement Badges, activity patches and Service Stars for every 15 hours of community service. The highest award level for Pioneers is the Harriet Tubman Award. A Pioneer may also become Camp and Event Aides. The Pioneer level is where girls really begin to show leadership skills by assisting their leaders with planning, organizing and staffing special events for AHG in the community or within their Troop.

Patriot

Ages 14-18, typically in grades 9-12.

The Patriot is the highest program level in AHG. Girls plan and carry out activities with Unit Leaders and function as “facilitators,” allowing girls to make decisions on a regular basis. As with lower levels, they too earn Achievement Badges, activity patches and Service Stars for every 20 hours of community service. Since the girls are older, they are required to demonstrate the highest level of skill in all areas. The level award for the Patriots is the Dolley Madison Award.

Patriot level girls may go above and beyond to earn the highest award for American Heritage Girls, The Stars & Stripes Award. This is the most prestigious of awards, and it requires a great deal of time, sacrifice and devotion to achieve this award.

Program Emphasis

American Heritage Girls is a comprehesive program with six areas of emphasis:

Life Skills Enhancement
Girl Leadership
Developing Teamwork & Building Confidence
Character Development
Social Development
Spiritual Development