Girl Guides membership - our daughter cannot join?

apples1

Thank you all for the contributions. So many replies and so varied.

To update... I have spoken to the leader myself today and she has agreed that our daughter can still go to Guides but not make the promise. This will mean there are certain badges she won't be allowed to do. She has also agreed that it would be ok to make the promise and it will mean what it means to our daughter which won't be a belief in God but will be a commitment to the morals etc that are expected. I have said that I will let my daughter choose what she would like to do.

Edit - to say a special thank you to the guide/brownie leaders and commisioners who replied as that gave me the info that it should be ok for our daughter to join and the confidence to speak to the Guide leader knowing this. She is a lovely lady and I hope that both she and our daughter will be happy with the outcome.

Tawny75

heartbreak_star wrote: »

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

Nope not at all, she can come to my unit if you are close

WeirdoMagnet

kingfisherblue wrote: »

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

Ha ha, I was reminded of 'Just One Night' when I read this thread the other day! (Further down the Guiders thread).

heartbreak_star

Not me asking for anyone in particular, but glad you could say yes to my query

HBS x

cottonhead

My opinion is that althought the Guide promise has been around for ages and guiding is steeped in tradition - you cant expect that everyone has a religion. Not having a religion doenst make you a bad person and if you agree to all the other tennants - being nice to people, helping people etc then that should be enough. There are some circumstances when I think its right to withhold membership to people for certain things - if they are joining to cause trouble or to mock people for a different belief etc but if they share the same core values then its seems quite discriminatory if you ask me. I suggest that your daughter goes through with the promise but misses out the bit about God.
As an adult I never sing the national anthem. I dont like the fact that we have a monarchy ( although have nothing against the queen as a person ) but I woulndt wish to offend others so I would not complain allowed and would still stand up etc etc. In this day and age we should teach acceptance and diversity and in this instance that isnt happening.

Katie1980_2

Just jumped in on the post I am a guider and we would never force anyone to belive in a god if they did not have specific beiliefs. The guider needs to seriously reconsider guiding we are open to all faiths and the promise means that to love ANY god... Where abouts are you my unit has spaces

Richard_T_

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.

Unless the activity is laser tag/laser quest, car washing as a fundraiser and a few other things.

As for Scouts, that too is not a christian organisation, however when joining Scouts both young people, and adults need to make the promise, which includes the line "Duty to God."
how you define God, and how an individual defines God is another thing altogether.

And on membership figures, there are a few more Guides in the UK, however globaly scouting (wosm ) has 31 million members, to Guiding (WAGGS) 10 million - source wikipedia WOSM/WAGGS pages

Wosm - World organisation of the Scout movement HQ Geneva, Switzerland
Waggs, world association of Girl guides and Girl Scouts HQ London ( not to be confused with girls who are mebers of wosm, but not waggs)

poet123

Richard_T_ wrote: »

Unless the activity is laser tag/laser quest, car washing as a fundraiser and a few other things.

Really? Who says so and why?

WeirdoMagnet

poet123 wrote: »

Really? Who says so and why?

It's true, under GirlGuidingUK rules, the activities mentioned by Richard_T_ are listed as prohibited activities, "...either because adequate safety requirements have not yet been developed or because Girlguiding UK feels that the activity does not fit with the aims and objectives of guiding." The list also includes Bungee Jumping, Go-Karting/Quad Biking on public roads (off road is allowed), Hang Gliding, Hitch-hiking, Horse Vaulting, or Paintball.

Richard_T_

The guides rules and regs, ( the manual ) is available for all to read online here http://guidingmanual.guk.org.uk/who_we_are.aspx as are the Scout regs http://scouts.org.uk/supportresources/search?cat=480

As with any organisation you should research it, and find out about it before you join, then you will be prepared for whats to come, also ask the local leaders.
If there is a requirement to make a promise with the line duty to god (Scouts) Love my god (guides) then as you will have researched the organisation you will know about it, likewise you should find out how this is interpreted at a local level.

In my expeirience of Scouting the relegious/spiritual element vars greatly in each Scout group, some Scout troops may be highly relegious and close with a prayer or other relegious service at the end, on the other hand some Scout troops will be more secular and feature no relegious type prayers at all, in these there may be at most a pause to think, but maybe no more. And im sure that the situation is the same with the Guides.

Again ask the leaders, and find out all you can about membership requirements, and promises etc etc that the young person is required to make as a requisite of joining.

Also please dont forget that the Leaders in both Scouts and Guides are all volunteers, giving up their own time, and putting in a lot of effort into their respective organisation for zero financial reward, if you want ot query anythuing just ask, if your wondering why they arent doing this that and the other, or why the badges arent always their on time, offer to help:
Even if its just at the odd meeting, or helping with badges/admin, organising a trip or event, showing off a skill or sharing in a hobby, if you want to be a full leader then even better.
Yes you will have to fill in a form (usualy a CRB check/membership form ) and yes there may be some training involved, but on the flip side of things amongst other things you will:
Improve your own self-confidence
Meet new people ( other leaders )
increase your social circle
pick up new skills that are transferable to the workplace ( organising events/budgets/admin skills etc etc
and so on

Back to the relegious part, on the Scouting side of things "an avowed absence of relegious belief is a bar to taking on a full leadership role" you can still join and help

http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/get_involved/volunteer/ways_of_volunteering.aspx

http://www.scouts.org.uk/join


again before joining ask, and see whats what.