Table of Contents
Introduction
……………………………………….………………………….…………………………...........2
Leadership Program Requirements ………………………………………………..……………..3
Girl Scout Promise and Law
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Leadership Characteristics
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Notes
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Girl Scout Leadership Experience ..……..…….………………………..……………………..7-8
Girl Development
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How to Teach Something you Know …..……………………………..…………………….12-13
A Maze of Your Own
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Activity Planning Sheet
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Notes
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My Favorites
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Turning My Interests into Talents
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Safety Guidelines
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Activity Planning Worksheet
..……..………………………………………………………………….21
Leadership Completion Form .………………………………………………………………..2227
Leadership Service Log
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Welcome to Core Training for
Program Aide (PA)
And Volunteer in Training (VIT)!
Once you are trained as a PA or VIT, you will have the skills necessary to lead younger
Girl Scouts and assist adults. As a PA or VIT, you can volunteer to help at troop
meetings, service unit events, council-sponsored events, or summer day camp. In
your leadership role, you can plan and/or facilitate activities such as songs, games,
crafts, hikes, science experiments and more.
Girl Scouts of West Central Florida encourages you to complete this training manual
which will guide you on your path as a PA or VIT. Use the reflection section towards
the end to evaluate your volunteer experiences, track your service hours, seek
feedback from adults you work with, and more.
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Leadership Program Requirements for
Program Aide
To earn a Cadette Program Aide award, the following steps must be completed:
1. Earn one Leader in Action (LIA) award.
a. You can earn a Leader in Action award by assisting a Brownie group
on any of their Journeys. There are three different LIA awards, one
for each Journey series. Complete requirements can be found in the
Brownie Leadership Journey adult guides.
2. Complete the GSWCF program aide training.
3. Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. This might be
assisting girls on Journey activities, badge activities, or other sessions.
You might work with a group, at their meetings, at a day camp or during a
special council event.
Leadership Program Requirement for
Volunteer in Training
To earn a Volunteer in Training award, the following steps must be completed:
1. Must have completed 9th grade
2. Your project must span a 3 to 6 month period working with Girl Scout
Daisy, Brownie, Junior or Cadette group outside of the camp
experience.
3. Find a mentor who is an adult volunteer for a group of girls at the level
you are interested in working with.
4. Complete a council-designated leadership course.
5. Create and implement a thoughtful program based on a Journey or
badge that lasts over four or more sessions. Be responsible for
designing, planning and evaluating the activities. If you’re passionate
about a topic, like art or technology, you could design the activities
around the area you love or in which you have expertise.
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Girl Scout Promise and Law
Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
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Leadership Characteristics
List five important characteristics of a leader:
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Complete Activity 1 and then list the five most important characteristics of a leader:
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Notes
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Girl Scout Leadership Experience Framework
Discover:
Girls understand themselves and their values and use their
knowledge and skills to explore the world.
Connect:
Girls care about, inspire, and team with others locally and
globally.
Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place.
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Girl Scout Leadership Experience Outcomes
Discover
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Girls develop a strong sense of self
Girls develop positive values
Girls gain practical life skills
Girls seek challenges in the world
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 Girls develop critical thinking
Connect
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Girls develop healthy relationships
Girls promote cooperation and teambuilding
Girls can resolve conflicts
Girls advance diversity in a multi-cultural world
Girls feel connected to their communities, locally and globally
Take Action
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Girls can identify community needs
Girls are resourceful problem solvers
Girls advocate for themselves and others, locally and globally
Girls educate and inspire others to act
Girls feel empowered to make a difference in the world
Making the Most of Girl Scout Daisies’ Skills
Keep in mind that Girl Scout Daisies:
Need to run, walk and play outside.
They will enjoy going on nature walks and
outdoor scavenger hunts.
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Are concrete thinkers and focused on the
here and now.
Don’t just talk about plants and trees. Take
the girls outside for real-life examples and
experiences for greater understanding.
Are great builders.
They are more than able to build a dam for a
small waterway with rocks and stones or a
bird’s nest with sticks and twigs.
Are only beginning to learn about basic
number concepts.
Take opportunities to count out steps with
the girls to estimate distance or make
measurements.
Love to move and dance.
They might like to move and act like animals
in their habitats, or dance like wind, snow
and rain!
Are beginning to learn how to write and spell. When they are planning or recording outdoor
activities encourage them to do so through
drawings in addition to any writing.
Know how to follow simple directions and
respond well to recognition for doing so.
Be specific and offer only one direction at a
time. Acknowledging when the girls have
followed the direction well will also increase
their motivation for listening and following
through again!
Making the Most of Girl Scout Brownies’ Skills
Keep in mind that Girl Scout Brownies:
Need to run, walk and play outside.
They are more than ready for hiking.
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Need clear directions and like structure.
First make a plan for an outing in familiar
territory. When trying someplace new, have
the girls brainstorm the rules for group travel
before they go. Add in any rules they miss.
Can tie things and use tools.
Introduce simple projects, like making boats
from natural materials.
Are comfortable with number concepts, time
and distance.
They can grasp simple mapmaking,
calculating distances and the four
directions.
Love to act.
They might like to create plays with animal
and tree characters. Showtime at the
campfire? Some national and state parks
have amphitheaters you can use.
The respect you show for the natural world
will carry forward. If they learn not to snap
branches from living trees and to respect
animal habitats, they will teach others as
well.
Are generally cooperative, and know how to
follow rules and listen to adults.
Understanding Girl Scout Juniors
Keep in mind that fourth-graders:
Like to please.
Set expectations high and they will rise to
meet them; yet don’t push: Perfectionism
is overrated and paralyzes girls. What
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Need groups and clubs.
Want to make decisions and express
their opinions.
they learn as they strive toward goals
counts most.
Make this experience one in which the
girls cooperate and feel a sense of
belonging in the group.
Give plenty of opportunities for the girls
to make group choices.
Keep in mind that fifth-graders:
Like to develop their own talents.
Need acceptance of their possibilities
and their styles.
Want to do sports, arts and crafts, and
put on plays and skits.
Expose them to varied activities and
choices.
Encourage every girl to be herself.
From the start, check out their favorite
ways of expressing themselves and find
ways to involve each girl’s talents.
Keep in mind that all Girl Scout Juniors:
Are able to see the consequences of mishandling disagreements, so assist them as
they sort out conflicts.
Easily see right from wrong and fair from unfair, so provide them with opportunities to
identify situations that call for ethical decisions – especially as they create their own
stories.
How to put on a Coat
Write the steps to put on a coat and button or zip it.
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Now, revise your steps to teach someone else how13
to put on a coat and button or zip it using clear,
specific instructions.
A Maze of Your Own
Your life is your own! Show all the twists and turns below – regular everyday ones and
special ones.
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Activity Planning Worksheet
Activity Description:
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Program Links
(Does this activity meet
any
Try-It or Badge
requirements?)
Safety Checkpoints
How did you involve
Girl Planning?
Set-Up
(What do you need to do to
set-up/prepare for the
activity?)
Activity
(Break down into steps)
Clean-Up
(Don’t forget to
involve the girls!)
Notes
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My Favorites
Listing your “favorites” is another way to get a picture of your interests and yourself.
Favorite
place
Favorite movie
Favorite
book
Favorite song
ovie
Favorite time
ovie
of day
Favorite
subject
Favorite food
ovie
Favorite person
ovie
Favorite Web site
Favorite game
Favorite
expression
Favorite
activity
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Turning Interests into Talents
Look over all the interests and favorite things you listed and think about how you
could take some (or all) to a higher level.
If you love to draw, couldn’t you draw more often? If you love to sing, couldn’t you
learn some new songs?
There are endless ways to hone a talent, so be creative! Remember, when you have a
better handle on who you are and what interests you want to develop as you move
forward in your life, it’s like being on the starting line in a race to make a difference.
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Girl Scout Safety Guidelines
Every adult in Girl Scouting is responsible for the physical and emotional safety of girls,
and we demonstrate that by agreeing to follow these standards at all times (note: See
Volunteer Essentials for details on each standard).
1. Follow Safety Activity Checkpoints. Instructions for staying safe while
participating in activities are detailed in Safety Activity Checkpoints. Read the
checkpoints, follow them and share them with other volunteers, parents and girls
(as grade-level appropriate) before engaging in activities with girls.
2. Arrange for proper adult supervision of girls. Your group must have at least two
unrelated, approved adult volunteers present at all times, plus additional adult
volunteers as necessary depending on the size of the group and the ages and
abilities of girls. Adult volunteers must be at least 18-years-old (or the age of
majority defined by the state, if it is older than 18) and must be screened by your
council before volunteering. One lead volunteer in every group must be female.
3. Get parent/guardian permission. When an activity takes place that is outside the
normal time and place, advise each parent/guardian of the details of the activity
and obtain permission for girls to participate.
4. Report abuse. Sexual advances, improper touching and sexual activity of any
kind with girl members are forbidden. Physical, verbal and emotional abuse of
girls is also forbidden. Follow your council’s guidelines for reporting concerns
about abuse or neglect that may be occurring inside or outside of Girl Scouting.
5. Be prepared for emergencies. Work with girls and other adults to establish and
practice procedures for emergencies related to weather, fire, lost girls/adults
and site security. Always keep handy a well-stocked first-aid kit, girl health
histories and contact information for girls’ families.
6. Travel safely. When transporting girls to planned Girl Scout field trips and other
activities that are outside the normal time and place, every driver must be an
approved adult volunteer and have a good driving record, a valid license and a
registered/insured vehicle. Insist that everyone is in a legal seat and wears her
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seat belt at all times, and adhere to state laws regarding booster seats and
requirements for children in rear seats.
7. Ensure safe overnight outings. Prepare girls to be away from home by involving
them in planning, so they know what to expect. Avoid having men sleep in the
same space as girls and women. During family or parent-daughter overnights,
one family unit may sleep in the same sleeping quarters in program areas. When
parents are staffing events, daughters should remain in quarters with other girls
rather than in staff areas.
8. Role-model the right behavior. Never use illegal drugs. Don’t consume alcohol,
smoke or use foul language in the presence of girls. Do not carry ammunition or
firearms in the presence of girls unless given special permission by your council
for group marksmanship activities.
9. Create an emotionally safe space. Adults are responsible for making Girl
Scouting a place where girls are as safe emotionally as they are physically.
Protect the emotional safety of girls by creating a team agreement and coaching
girls to honor it. Agreements typically encourage behaviors like respecting a
diversity of feelings and opinions; resolving conflicts constructively; and avoiding
physical and verbal bullying, clique behavior and discrimination.
10. Ensure that no girl is treated differently. Girl Scouts welcome all members,
regardless of race, ethnicity, background, disability, family structure, religious
beliefs, and socioeconomic status. When scheduling, helping plan and carrying
out activities, carefully consider the needs of all girls involved, including school
schedules, family needs, financial constraints, religious holidays, and the
accessibility of appropriate transportation and meeting places.
11. Promote online safety. Instruct girls never to put their full names or contact
information online, engage in virtual conversation with strangers or arrange inperson meetings with online contacts. On group websites, publish girls’ first
names only and never divulge their contact information. Teach girls the Girl
Scout Online Safety Pledge
(www.girlscouts.org/help/internet_safety_pledge.asp) and have them commit
to it.
12. Keep girls safe during money-earning. Girl Scout cookies and other councilsponsored product sales are an integral part of the program. During Girl Scout
product sales, you are responsible for the safety of girls, money and products. In
addition, a wide variety of organizations, causes and fundraisers may appeal to
Girl Scouts to be their labor force. When representing Girl Scouts, girls cannot
participate in money-earning activities that represent partisan politics or that are
not Girl Scout–approved product sales and efforts.
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Activity Planning Worksheet
Activity Description:
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Program Links
(Does this activity meet
any
Try-It or badge
requirements?)
Safety Checkpoints
How did you involve
Girl Planning?
Set-Up
(What do you need to do to
set-up/prepare for the
activity?)
Activity
(Break down
into steps)
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Clean-Up
(Don’t forget to
involve the girls!)
Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
________________________________________________
What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
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_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
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Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
________________________________________________
What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
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Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
________________________________________________
What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
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_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
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What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
________________________________________________
What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
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_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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Leadership Service Completion and
Feedback Form
Name:
___________________________________________________________
Event Name:
_____________________________________________________
Date of Event:
____________________________________________________
Leadership Role at Event: __________________________________________
Hours of Leadership Service (including planning time): ________________
Adult Facilitator Comments on My Leadership: _______________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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Signature of Adult:
________________________________________________
What did you enjoy most about being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most challenging part of being a girl mentor?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the most successful part of the activity you planned?
_____________________________________________________________
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What was the least successful part of the activity you planned?
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Requirements Completion Log
Instructions:
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Complete this form to record your training requirements.
Have an adult sign for each activity.
When you have completed all requirements, hand in this form to any Girl Scouts of West Central shop to
receive your pin. (purchased by Girl Scout)
Name: ____________________________ Troop: ______________________________
PA Only: Leader in Action Award Completed on: __________with Troop #: __________
Troop Leader/Adult Signature: ___________________________________________
Council Training Completed on: __________________
Facilitator/Adult Signature: ______________________________________________
Activity Sessions:
Troop #________________ Adult Volunteer Signature______________________________
Date
Activity
Time Spent
Adult Initials
Total Time Spent:
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Girl Scouting builds girls of
courage, confidence, and character,
who make the world a better place.
Tampa Leadership Center
4610 Eisenhower Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33634
(813) 281-4475 | (800) 881-4475
Fax: (813) 282-8285
Wildwood Branch Office
9583 CR 223
Wildwood, FL 34785
(813) 281-4475 | (800) 881-4475
Fax: (352) 748-0808
www.gswcf.org
teRevised 1-17-2013
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