Queen's Guide Award

The Queen's Guide Award is the highest award members can work toward in guiding. It gives you the chance to develop your own skills while contributing to guiding and your local community at an impressive level! Its open to members aged 16 to 25 and must be completed within three years or before your 26th birthday, whichever is sooner.

What does it involve?

The award is based on the concepts of personal challenge and participation and is split into five sections: service in guiding, outdoor challenge, personal skill development, community action and residential.

Service in guiding take an active role in guiding at a range of levels.

Outdoor challenge build your teamwork and leadership skills in a glorious outdoor setting where you go and what you do is up to you.

Personal skill development - start a new skill and develop it, or take an existing skill to a new level for a minimum of 60 hours over 12 months. A personal skill could be anything from ballet to circus skills, or from performing magic tricks to playing a musical instrument.

Community action get more involved with the world around you and gain a greater understanding of it through practical and research projects of your choice.

Residential spend two nights and three days away from home with new people.

For a taste of the elements involved in each section please refer to your Senior Section CD, or take a look here for further information.

Achieving the Queen's Guide Award

Get started by completing the Queen's Guide Award Form (S/QG).
Then Contact your County Queen's Guide Coordinator and your District/Division Commissioner to let them know that you plan to work on the Award.

• Projects that you are undertaking for other awards may be counted towards your Queens Guide Award as long as this is included in your initial plan. Projects that you are doing at school, or college or work may not be used, although if you wish to develop these projects further then they may count towards your Award. Remember, each project or event can only be used for one clause or element.
• If you haven't made your Promise, you'll need to before the end of your second year working for the award.

Working with a Mentor

• You should choose a Mentor who you know through guiding and can offer you advice and guidance while you are working on the award.
• Any changes to your initial plan should be talked through with your Mentor. You should also keep your Coordinator informed.
• Before starting each clause or element you will need to pick someone who can confirm you have completed the challenge. Agree your choice of assessor with both your Mentor and Coordinator.

Taking time out

• You can take up to 12 months out from the award, which should be planned at the beginning of the Award wherever possible. It is possible to arrange time out during the Award if the need arises by discussing this with your Mentor and Coordinator.
• If you decide to stop working on the award, you can restart after at least a years gap. Bear in mind that you can only restart doing the award once. Any challenges that you completed during your first attempt cannot be counted towards a second attempt, but any that were planned and not started the first time round can still be used.

Finished?

Once you have completed all the clauses, complete your Record Book and send it to your Coordinator. She will confirm that you have completed the Award, send the book to CHQ Commonwealth Headquarters to be signed by the Chief Guide and inform your Country/Region office.

Its a good idea to take a photocopy of your Record Book before you send it to anyone and always to post it Recorded/Special Delivery.

After your award is confirmed its time to party!

You'll be invited to a formal presentation of your award in London for new Queen's Guides across the UK. Its a great chance for your family and all those who supported you to share in celebrating this fantastic achievement.