No two GEMS clubs look exactly alike—and Discovery Path is designed with that flexibility in mind.
Some clubs build much of their year around Discovery Path. Others incorporate a few badges alongside Core Bible Study Curriculum, GEMS Outdoors, service projects, or special events. There is no required number of badges to complete. Instead, Discovery Path gives churches the freedom to choose the experiences that best fit their girls, volunteers, and ministry goals.
Through Discovery Path, girls discover new interests, develop practical life skills, build confidence, serve others, and celebrate what they’ve learned. Each badge creates another opportunity to grow in faith while discovering the unique gifts God has given them.
Whether your club completes one badge or many, Discovery Path is one of the many ways GEMS equips churches to disciple girls.
Pictured here is a GEMS girl who completed all 100 Discovery Place badges—a remarkable accomplishment that reflects years of faithful mentoring, learning, and growth. Discovery Path continues that legacy, helping today’s girls discover the unique gifts God has given them while creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Built for Today's GEMS Clubs
For generations, GEMS badges have helped girls discover new interests, build practical skills, and celebrate what they’ve learned together. Discovery Path builds on that rich tradition while making badges easier for leaders, more engaging for girls, and more flexible for today’s churches.
As badges are reimagined, we’re:
- Updating activities and examples to better reflect the world girls live in today.
- Strengthening biblical integration throughout each badge.
- Reducing worksheet-style activities in favor of more discussion, exploration, and hands-on learning.
- Expanding the Mentor’s Helps to make badges easier to facilitate in a group setting.
The result is a badge program that honors the legacy of GEMS while equipping today’s leaders to disciple girls with engaging, Christ-centered resources.
How Discovery Path Works
Every Discovery Path badge is designed to give leaders everything they need to guide girls through a meaningful learning experience.
Each badge includes:
- Mentor’s Helps with teaching tips, discussion ideas, activity suggestions, and leader guidance.
- Girl Activity Pages that girls complete during meetings and throughout the badge experience.
- An embroidered GEMS badge (purchased separately) to celebrate what girls have learned and accomplished.
Current GEMS clubs can download the Mentor’s Helps and Girl Activity Pages through the GEMS Leader Portal, printing only the resources they need for each badge.
For girls, the experience remains much the same—they still explore new skills, complete activities together, and proudly earn embroidered GEMS badges as they grow.
You may choose to save completed activity pages, reflections, photos, and other keepsakes in a My GEMS Journey Binder, creating a lasting record of each girl’s GEMS journey.
Prefer a Printed Book?
Discovery Path is growing to serve clubs in the way that works best for them.
- Available now: Digital Discovery Path badge guides are available through the GEMS Leader Portal for current clubs.
- Still available: The current printed badge book (Discovery Place) will remain available while supplies last.
- Coming Summer 2027: A newly redesigned, streamlined printed Discovery Path collection for clubs that prefer a printed format.
Whether your club prefers digital, print, or a combination of both, Discovery Path is designed to support the unique way your church disciples girls.
Current GEMS Leaders
Everything you need to begin using Discovery Path is available through the GEMS Leader Portal.
There you’ll find:
- Discovery Path Mentor’s Helps
- Girl Activity Pages
- Leader resources and updates
You can continue using the current printed badge book while supplies last or begin incorporating digital badge resources into your club today. A newly redesigned printed Discovery Path book is planned for Summer 2027.
Bring Discovery Path to Your Church
Discovery Path is one part of the GEMS ministry ecosystem. Churches that start a GEMS club gain access to Discovery Path badge resources through the Leader Portal, with the flexibility to incorporate additional resources like Core Curriculum, GEMS Outdoors, and the My GEMS Journey Binder as their ministry grows.