Equipping girls to take on the world

21 July 2018: Girlguiding announces all new badges and activities as part of biggest ever revamp

  • Girlguiding has undergone the biggest ever overhaul in the charity’s history, revamping its iconic badges and activities to create a programme for #EveryGirl
  • Over 50,000 girls were involved in shaping the new look activities and badges through testing and consultation
  • Girls can choose to work towards interest badges such as Entrepreneur, Inventing, Navigator, Animation, Craftivism, Self-care and Human rights and other activities include First aid, Survival skills, DIY and 3D Craft and design
  • New research shows half of girls age 7-18 say they often worry about trying new things either because they fear others might judge them or because they don’t want to fail

Girlguiding has announced the details of more than 800 new badges and activities designed to equip over 400,000 girls and young women with the skills and experiences they will need to thrive, succeed, make change and be happy in the modern world.

The revamp and modernisation of the programme of activities and badges is the biggest ever overhaul in the charity’s history and covers all that girls and young women do in Girlguiding from the ages of five to 18.

Girls and young women have led this transformation over the last 18 months with more than 50,000 involved in testing new activities and badges and having their say on everything from colours and content to shapes and names. Their input has helped to create a unique and extensive choice of activities which reflects the diversity of girls and modern life in the 21st century. The programme aims to support every girl to reach her potential by giving her the opportunity to discover and explore a wide variety of new interests while building her skills and confidence, all in the trusted care of the 100-year-old organisation.

This is a hugely exciting time for Girlguiding – it’s revolutionary. We’ve really listened to what girls have told us they’d like to see and incorporated their suggestions, creating new badges and activities and updating others so they’re relevant now and in the future. We’ve always moved with the times and we hope to welcome even more members to Girlguiding with this diverse range of activities as there really is something for every girl. Our ambition is to give girls the opportunity to discover and develop their interests, skills and confidence, take on new challenges and have fun and adventure with their friends. We want girls to feel equipped to take on the world. - Jess Bond, Lead Volunteer for Programme Renewal

The badges and activities have been revealed as new Girlguiding research shows half of girls aged 7-18 say they often worry about trying new things either because they fear others might judge them or because they don’t want to fail.

This is such an exciting time to be part of Girlguiding. Where else would girls have the opportunity to be introduced to such a wide range of topics from tech and STEM, aviation and archaeology to voting or surviving in the wild? Girlguiding is all about providing a supportive space where girls are encouraged to give activities a go so they discover what it is they want to pursue and don’t worry about failing or being judged. It could even lead them to their future career. - Liddy Buswell, a member of Girlguiding’s Advocate Panel

The new programme of activities is divided into interest badgesskills builders, group activities and awards, all developed around six themes: Skills for my Future, Have Adventures, Be Well, Know Myself, Express Myself and Take Action.

And as the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK, the new programme marks a significant investment in girls’ futures. More than £3m has been put into delivering the project, including support from partners and expert insight from organisations including the Council for British Archaeology, St John Ambulance, The Royal Horticultural Society and WWF has also helped shape the content of the activities.

Interest badges will enable girls to tailor their Girlguiding experience to explore something that interests them, expanding their knowledge and trying new things as they carry out three challenges independently before being awarded their badge. Girls can choose from a wide variety of interest badges such as Grow your own, Speaking out, Whittling, Saver, Digital design and Construction.

For the all new skills builder badges girls will take part in small group activities to develop their skills over six different stages. Each stage builds on the previous as girls progress through Girlguiding, from Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and on to Rangers, giving them the chance to take on challenges and develop their skills in camping, leadership and first aid to name a few.

As well as interest badges and skills builders, additional group activities have been specially created for the traditional weekly meetings. They cover topics like DIY, Survival skills, Exploring nature, Money management and 3D Craft and design and will ensure there’s something different on offer each week.

The new programme is being phased in over the next twelve months and will be fully rolled out by September 2019.