Girl Guides membership - our daughter cannot join?

Tawny75

purplepegasus25 wrote: »

Thanks to those who’ve put informed, sensible comments on here. I started quoting the not so informed comments but tbh unfortunately there’s just too many, it’s a shame the only comments some people could make is to belittle others comments’

My view/hopefully informed decision in summary:

This is not the guide leader making up rules or making life difficult just for fun, it’s the association’s current stance.

This has been featured in the press several times, and another 'sad faced child' will not make any difference. The current promise which includes the phrase ‘love my god’ – which requires a belief in a god is being reviewed, maybe things these days are different and a change should be made but this needs to be done by the association and consultation of the membership; you don’t just change things that have been that way for 101 years overnight!

Every brownie/guide/cub/scout unit is different. Yes some units depending on the majority demand and the leaders may be more based on games and crafts but this is not the same for every group. Lots of units do just as much and of the same type of activities as scout groups.

As some by some posts Scouts also have a requirement for a spiritual belief.

As one poster has mentioned ‘There is not actually a requirement to make the Promise as a Guide.’ But it should be noted that GGUK requires ‘Guides work towards making, or reaffirm, the Promise.’

Anyway when all the valid arguments and derogatory comments on this subject have died down hopefully GGUK will have had chance to review and decide for themselves what’s best for their association without the mudslinging and press involvement. Oh yes, until the argument about accepting boys comes up again Well for a organisation which already has long waiting lists and not enough volunteers accepting more kids of either gender would be hard. Not to mention it’s not just the girls who want a ‘girl only space’ at the point in time I as a leader have to deal with boys of the same age as my girls I can see the dynamic shifting entirely to one I personally wouldn’t want to work with so they’d be another leader down I’m afraid!

I have to agree with absolutely everything you say. I am a leader of nearly 18 years and there is no way I would want boys in my unit. Love them as I do, the girls need their girl only space where image is not so much of an issue.

Last night for instance we were doing the First Aid badge, we split the meeting in half with one half being learning about how to deal with bleeding, choking, asthma attacks, calling 999 etc. In the second half of the meeting we got face paints and fake wounds out and the girls had great fun. If it were a mixed group, I too think the dynamic would have been totally different

I too do not think I would stay if we went mixed, just as I know many scouters who left when girls were accepted into scouts.

peachyprice

Person_one wrote: »

Well, I'm far too old to join now, so you don't really need to go into the sales pitch.

I only went to one pack, for two weeks, so that's all I have experience of. The first week we learned how to use cleanser and toner, the second week we learned how to lay out a tea tray. Both weeks we ate digestives and orange juice at an imaginary table and girls got shouted at for leaning too far over it.

Maybe there was something really cool planned for the third week, maybe I missed out on years of fun, maybe other packs would have been completely different, but I was 10 and there was no way I was going back.


(This is bringing back memories, I now remember doing the 'hostess' badge at Brownies and having to borrow an actual hostess trolley, learning how to polish metal using Brasso, and how to handwash clothes with a little sample of washing powder from home! This was the nineties! I wonder if my mum still has my sash to look at the badges I got...)

Times have changed.

Person_one

peachyprice wrote: »

Times have changed.

I certainly hope so! Its hard to believe that was the nineties!

peachyprice

It doesn't seem like that long ago does it.

kathrynha

So many misconceptions about GirlGuiding. It is not, and has never been a Christian organisation. There is nothing the Scouts do, in the way of activities that we can't do. In the last year my Guides have been canoeing, white water rafting, caving, climbing, tobogganing, camping (old fashioned canvas ridge tents and lightweight domes), trips to Switzerland, Disneyland Paris, waterpark etc.
Units only offer the activities that the leaders are prepared to organise/run. If your childs unit doesn't offer what you would like it to, may I suggest you volunteer to be a leader, and organise these activities yourself.
Yes there is a chocolate badge where they learn about fairtrade, history, confectionary skills. Also party planner badge, which is basically event management skills, and glamourama badge where they learn about animal testing, science, air brushing etc.
We are producing girls that are ready to face a modern adult life.

As for God and the promise. You can be a member of GirlGuiding without making your promise. There are a couple of badges that you need to make your promise to gain, but there is nothing to stop her attending meetings, attending camps and trips etc without making her promise.

Tawny75

kathrynha wrote: »

so many misconceptions about girlguiding. It is not, and has never been a christian organisation. There is nothing the scouts do, in the way of activities that we can't do. In the last year my guides have been canoeing, white water rafting, caving, climbing, tobogganing, camping (old fashioned canvas ridge tents and lightweight domes), trips to switzerland, disneyland paris, waterpark etc.
Units only offer the activities that the leaders are prepared to organise/run. If your childs unit doesn't offer what you would like it to, may i suggest you volunteer to be a leader, and organise these activities yourself.
Yes there is a chocolate badge where they learn about fairtrade, history, confectionary skills. Also party planner badge, which is basically event management skills, and glamourama badge where they learn about animal testing, science, air brushing etc.
We are producing girls that are ready to face a modern adult life.

As for god and the promise. You can be a member of girlguiding without making your promise. There are a couple of badges that you need to make your promise to gain, but there is nothing to stop her attending meetings, attending camps and trips etc without making her promise.

I could not agree more. :T

tea_lover

I'm going off-topic (again - oops) but you are all really making me want to be a brownie helper now! It's something I've looked into previously but the timing wasn't right. Hopefully things will fall into place this time.

kingfisherblue

tea_lover wrote: »

I'm going off-topic (again - oops) but you are all really making me want to be a brownie helper now! It's something I've looked into previously but the timing wasn't right. Hopefully things will fall into place this time.

I'm looking for someone

Seriously, we welcome new volunteers and i'm sure there is a place for you where you live. You might want to read the poem on this thread, but don't let it put you off

http://www.guiders.co.uk/showthread.php/43203-Guiders-Poem

valk_scot

kathrynha wrote: »

Units only offer the activities that the leaders are prepared to organise/run. If your childs unit doesn't offer what you would like it to, may I suggest you volunteer to be a leader, and organise these activities yourself.

I did in the case of my DD's Brownie pack. I'm an extremely experienced camper and I offered to bring myself, my tents and my expertise along in any capacity they cared to ask for if they wished to make use of it. I was told quite firmly that their Brownies have never much liked tent camping, that parents were deeply reluctant to allow their young daughters to camp out and that they didn't need any extra assistance or leaders for that sort of thing, thanks very much. I do understand it was the ethos of this particular group and not the overall GG movement but the other local Brownie packs didn't sound any better tbh and there was a waiting list. So as DD very much takes after me in liking a more adventurous life than our local Brownies/Guides offered we took both ourselves and our camping skills off to a group who wanted them. Who just happened to be the Cubs/Scouts.

heartbreak_star

And all of you who say she can do everything without making her Promise...can you guarantee she won't be shunned for that alone?

HBS x