Campaigning at Girlguiding
Girls like you are a powerful force for change. You can lead campaigns to improve the lives of all girls and young people
Take action to improve the lives of girls like you.
Girlguiding is girl-led, which is why all of our campaigns are based on our research and our members' views. This helps our campaigns to do as much good as possible - Ashvini Rae, 18, Girlguiding advocate
We want to support you to talk directly to politicians and change-makers. Because when you speak out, you make change happen.
Why is campaigning important?
We know from our research that many girls and young women don't feel listened to by people in power. Through campaigning, you can ensure that key issues you care about are addressed in a real, tangible way. We're here to support you to do that.
Through our Advocate panel and other opportunities, girls plan our campaigns, speak out in the press and talk directly to decision-makers. And since you know better than anyone what girls want, we use research like our Girls Attitudes Survey to make sure our broader advocacy work is focused on the things that affect you.
What you’ve done so far
When you speak out, we know you can achieve amazing things – just look at some of the inspirational campaigning girls across Girlguiding have already done.
- 2017 wins! Thanks to the inspiring work of girls and young women all across the UK, Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) was made compulsory in schools across England in March 2017. The Digital Economy Act was passed, meaning age-verification for online pornography sites became law – one of our 2014 Girls Matter asks.
- In 2016 girls got involved with Recl@im the Internet to tackle online abuse - one of the top three issues they'd like to see change on. Our Advocates spoke at the launch of the campaign at the Houses of Parliament and the Recl@im the Internet conference in July 2016. Our Advocates also launched their campaign to end sexual harassment in schools – calling for schools to prevent and tackle the problem, national guidance and compulsory, high-quality Sex and Relationships Education. – the Government responded to their calls in Nov 2016 and created an action plan to address the issue, including updating guidance.
- In 2015 girls drew up a list of eight changes that would make a difference in their lives as part of our Girls Matter campaign - addressing everything from media sexism to Sex and Relationships Education. During the general election, they lobbied politicians to take action. Over 10% of cross-party MPs signed up to back their demands - and over 5,000 members of the public pledged their support.
- In 2014 girls decided that they wanted to challenge the representation of women in the media by supporting the No More Page 3 campaign. With the weight of Girlguiding members behind it, the campaign succeeded in persuading The Sun newspaper to remove topless women from Page 3.
Media Sexism
- In the 2017 June General Election, girls made their voices heard and influenced the society we live in by voting in record numbers. The June election has also seen a record number of female MPs elected. Girls tackled media sexism in the Election, calling for a commitment from all media outlets to stop commenting on politicians' appearances.
And this is just the beginning. We've got lots of exciting plans in the pipeline, chock full of opportunities for you to speak out.
Learn more about social action at Girlguiding
Campaigning isn’t the only way girls in guiding are changing the world – they’re also doing great things to support their local communities.