5 exciting opportunities Girlguiding can give your child

There’s over 300,000 girls in Girlguiding and we want them to know that they can do anything. 

With lots of new girls joining us, we want to share some of the amazing opportunities our girls have experienced this year. Whether it’s having local adventures or meeting politicians, guiding can bring so many new and fun experiences to girls’ lives.   

Having adventures 

Having adventures with friends is one of the most memorable parts of a girls’ guiding experience. And adventure can look like all sorts of things. It could be taking day trips to your nearest town or going on local outdoor scavenger hunts. It could even be a once-in-a-lifetime trip abroad!

Your child could earn one of our beautiful adventure badges as part of a trip or activity with their unit.

Check out our adventure badges. 

Speaking up for all girls and making change 

Every year, political parties hold party conferences for MPs and party members to attend. It’s a chance for them to discuss and vote on important party issues. This year, our advocate panel attended too, along with our CEO, Angela Salt. They hosted panel discussions, spread awareness of our 15th Girls’ Attitudes Survey and met inspiring female politicians.

Watch this video on our Instagram to see what they got up to.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Conservative party Conference as a Girlguiding Advocate, as I was able to engage in meaningful discussions with policy makers, like Maria Caufield MP and Mims Davies MP, about the issues that are most prominent in the lives of girls and young women today. As advocates we were also able to share with MPs and Ministers the findings of our latest Girls Attitudes Survey and had the opportunity to speak to them on a personal level about which areas highlighted by the report we would like to see progressive steps being made to address in future legislation. It was great to see the younger generation taking an active role in politics and decision making.’ - Eloise, first year advocate.

Our advocates also recently spoke at another event. This was organised by the University of Birmingham and the advocates contributed to discussions around neurodiversity and youth mental health. Grace, a first year advocate, reflects on the impact being an advocate has had on her confidence.

I am so lucky to be a part of the Girlguiding advocate panel. Around this time last year I couldn’t even put my hand up in class, the difference is night and day. Giving myself a big pat on the back. - Grace, first year advocate. 

Find out more about our opportunities for advocates.  

Discovering new skills and interests 

The Girlguiding programme aims to give girls the opportunity to learn about themselves, find their voice and gain skills and confidence.  

We know trying different things is important to girls, so we’ve built a programme that gets them to explore ways to build confidence, take on a muddy adventure or teach you how to fix a plug. Our Skills for my future activities mean girls can earn badges that relate to lots of life skills like inventing, jobs and languages. And that’s just 1 out of 6 of our themes! 

From managing money to making guacamole, guiding gives your child a safe space to learn new skills that will help them at home and prepare them for the future. It gets them thinking about the big things, like what they might do when they’re older. But it’s also about the day-to-day tasks, like fixing a jumper or how to safely light matches.

Once girls find what it is they love to do or want to explore more of, they can dig deeper with our range of interest badges. They’re designed to encourage girls to be independent and explore their interests, because they can choose how and when to do them. They can also complete these badges outside of their unit too, so you can find ways to do them at home! For example, if your child is interested in the nature badge, your family could go on a weekend walk or scavenger hunt.  

Learn more about the Girlguiding programme and what your child gets up to. 

Building confidence through public speaking 

When your child’s a part of guiding, they’ll have the opportunity to get involved with some of the things we do as an organisation too. 

This year, some of our advocates and members were interviewed about our Girls’ Attitudes Survey research findings. Their thoughts were also featured in global news outlets like The Guardian.  

Watch them talk about our research. 

But that isn’t the only unforgettable media experience girls have had! Remember the time 2 Brownies, Scarlett and Lillie, had the chance to interview the cast of The Little Mermaid on its red-carpet premier night? With a helping from our partners, ODEON, they also had the chance to award the cast with our special badge.

Meeting new people and being a part of something special 

Girlguiding is all about creating fun, friendship, challenge and adventure. The opportunities for girls to make new friendships and meet new people happen every time they show up to a unit meeting, attend an event or go on an adventure.  

If you’ve got a story you’d like to share about your child and Girlguiding, get in touch with us. We’d love to hear how it’s helped them or given them an exciting opportunity.