GOLD (Guiding Overseas Linked with Development)
Helping young women develop their potential and make a difference by working in partnership with guide associations around the world
Work with other guide associations to share knowledge, experience new cultures and make a long-term impact.
GOLD gives young women the opportunity to work in partnership with other guide associations from around the world. It's great for our GOLD teams, who have fantastic adventures, and it's great for our partner organisations too.
GOLD has been working with member countries of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) for 30 years. So far, we've given over 1000 Girlguiding members an adventure of a lifetime.
Work on projects that make a lasting difference
Past GOLD projects have travelled to over 41 countries, including Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malawi, Peru and Sri Lanka. Each project is tailored to the local needs of the partner guiding association.
Designed in partnership with other guiding organisations, these sustainable projects make sure the positive impacts of GOLD are still felt after everyone has gone home – so they make a real difference!
What happens on GOLD?
We put together teams of 6 members – 5 participants supported by a leader with previous GOLD experience. Teams work with a member organisation of WAGGGS on a specific area of developing guiding. For example, they might do things like running leadership skills training, developing a recruitment strategy, setting up a new section or leading workshops on body confidence.
On a GOLD journey, you can:
- Make friendships that last a lifetime.
- Make a real difference to communities and guiding overseas.
- Learn about new cultures and meet new people.
- Learn new skills – great for you and for your CV.
- Bring back your newfound skills and experiences to local guiding.
GOLD UK/Greece project
In summer 2024, we ran the first ever GOLD project in the UK. 6 UK Girlguiding leaders welcomed 11 guiding leaders from Greece to the UK. Over 3 weeks, the UK and Greek teams worked together to run training sessions, attend various guiding events, and share cultural knowledge, games and experiences. This was a great learning opportunity for everyone who took part, as well as being a lot of fun! Read more about their experience.
It was an eye-opening, utterly inspiring opportunity to discover another member organisation, see the way they work and guide, and hopefully the beginning of a long-term collaboration!' Marianna
Transforming GOLD so we we can deliver even better adventures
We’ll be using what we’ve learnt from our recent GOLD programmes, including the UK/Greece project, to shape future opportunities. And we're currently looking at how we can transform GOLD to better meet the needs of Girlguiding UK and our partners around the world.
Our vision is to create a model that's even more impactful, more inclusive and more equitable.
To make this a success, we're pausing GOLD. This will give us the time and space to redesign the programme.
