How to get involved in adventure at Girlguiding

How you can take on inclusive and exciting adventures and earn badges along the way

There are so many ways to get involved in incredible adventures through Girlguiding.

Research by One Poll in the UK reported 85% of children age 6-12 long for more adventure, with 85% of parents saying adventure should be an important part of their children’s lives. At Girlguiding, we’re in an ideal position to be able to offer this.

We also know adventure has a positive impact on girls and develops their skills, confidence and resilience.

How can you get involved in adventure at Girlguiding?

1. Try an adventure activity in your unit

Browse the adventure activities finder to find activities your girls might be interested in doing, or get inspired and come up with activities of your own. Each activity is marked with an icon to show which adventure badge you could achieve by taking part.

The list of activities isn’t exhaustive, so if there’s an adventure that you’d like to try that isn’t on the list, email [email protected]. We can also advise you on safety guidance, qualifications and what badge it would fall under - and we can look to get it added to the finder so even more girls can give it a go!

Go to adventure activity finder

The adventure badges are fun, participation badges that girls can achieve by taking part in an adventure activity. The badges are divided into 5 themes – height, land, water, snow and sport - and each section has its own set of badges. So there are 20 badges to collect from Rainbows through to Rangers.

There are adventure badges for leaders too! They come in the 5 adventures themes – land, water, snow, sport and height – and are a brilliant way to celebrate all the adventures happening across Girlguiding. These badges are designed to be given to a volunteer by their girls, parents or a fellow leader in recognition of an adventure or adventures they have made happen.

2. Visit a campsite or activity centre

Finding a venue for your next adventure shouldn’t be difficult. From residentials to adventurous activities we have you covered with a handy map of all the different places you can find adventure through Girlguiding.

Go to map button

Go to map

3. Go along to a Girlguiding event

There are lots of ways you can get out and about with Girlguiding. You can discover somewhere with your unit or take part in a larger event organised by your local district, division, county or country or region there is an adventure for everyone.

Take a look at some of the larger events that you can join - these events are open to any member, you don’t have to be guiding in the country/region where the event is taking place.

Check out what's on

4. Take on an international adventure

As a member of Girlguiding we are part of a global movement, so why not take your adventure international? There are many different ways you can get involved with international guiding, from attending a jamboree as a service team member to exploring a new country with your unit.

Take a look at some of the ways you can have an international adventure.

Intl adventures button

Go to international adventures

Blogs and inspiration

From big adventures to the ones that are closer to home, take a look at our blogs for some ideas of where your next adventure could be:

And plenty more!

Go to blog button

Go to blog

Including everyone in adventure

Identify potential barriers when choosing and planning an adventure activity, and how you can remove those barriers. Discuss it with the individual and, for a young person, their parents, or carers.

Be mindful of sensory issues and adjust accordingly. This could include providing a quiet space for individuals who are sensitive to noise or temporarily removing colourful posters in the meeting space if they're overstimulating.

Adventure is about taking you into your brave space, but for some people, new places, people and routines can be a big challenge.

Think of ways to make things easier, for example taking pictures of the new places and chatting about what you’re going to do ahead of the trip or activity.
Think through a plan for the activity, anticipate issues and discuss potential solutions. For example, for someone who might struggle with confined spaces, help find an alternative route to crawling through a tunnel in an escape room.
Take a look at our guidance about making adjustments.
Talk to the provider or instructor and make sure they’re aware of all the needs of your girls and volunteers in advance of the event, so they can adapt the activity to suit everyone.
Talk through activity plans with members, anticipate possible issues and discuss potential solutions. If it isn’t possible to adapt, pick another activity.
Think about your language. Remember that there could be different interpretations of descriptions, for example a bedding roll could be a sleeping bag, a yoga mat or a blow-up mattress. Use pictures in kit lists to make it clear what you mean.
Look for free and low-cost activities. Perhaps you could trade an hour of litter-picking at your local campsite for a go on their bouldering wall.
Take the time to understand your young members and consider their needs by asking them. Sometimes there's a good reason why girls don’t want to do things. For example, giving up their phones if they have an ill family member they want to check in on, or wearing a uniform if they have sensory issues with fabric.
Avoid first-come first-served opportunities where you can. If places are limited, work out a fair way to decide. Try drawing straws or a random name generator. Those who don’t get to go could be offered an automatic place next time.

What financial support is available?

Accessible guiding grant: this grant can help cover the cost of additional equipment, or people that you need to allow all Girlguiding members to take part in adventure activities.

UK unit in need grant: this grant can be used for costs of trips and camps for units who would otherwise find the price a barrier to attend.

Some countries and regions may also have grants that you can apply for. Find out more about grants and funding.