What is guiding?
Being a Rainbow (5-7 yrs), Brownie (7-10 yrs), Guide (10-14 yrs) or Ranger (14-18 yrs) opens up a world of opportunities that will last a lifetime. It provides a safe, girl-only space to explore the activities, issues and possibilities that are available to girls today.
The range of activities is enormous and there's something, or more than something, to appeal to everyone, from outdoor challenges to learning new skills, international travel to getting involved in community action projects. And whether abseiling and canoeing or having your say on how we operate, one thing is certain. You'll make a lot of friends and have a lot of fun.
But there’s more to guiding than having a good time. Guiding is a game with a purpose. It provides opportunities for girls and young women to:
- Be challenged by new experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment.
- Think for themselves and make decisions.
- Undertake teamwork and acquire leadership skills.
- Acquire self-awareness, self-respect and self-confidence.
- Develop personal values which give their lives meaning and direction.
- Do their best according to their abilities.
- Seek spiritual development - whatever faith they belong to.
- Contribute to society.
- Live by a simple code - the Guide Law
Find out what makes Guiding special - visit the GirlguidingUK website: http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/about_us/what_makes_guiding_special.aspx
Did you know that:
- Girlguiding is the largest youth organisation for girls in the UK today?
- Almost half of the women in Britain have been involved in guiding at some point in their lives?
- Around 30 per cent of eight-year-old girls are in Brownies?
- Celebrity former members include Cat Deeley, Glenda Jackson, Lorraine Kelly, Mo Mowlan, Anita Roddick, Helen Sharman (the first British woman in space), Tanni Grey-Thompson, Carole Vorderman, Delia Smith, Kate Moss and Cherie Booth?
- Seventy per cent of five- to seven-year-olds, 73 per cent of seven- to ten-year-olds, 81 per cent of ten to 15-year-olds and a massive 96 per cent of 16- to 25-year-olds like to spend time together without any boys being there?
- Girlguiding strives to enable girls' voices to be heard wherever decisions that affect them are being taken.