Thoughts on what Girl Guiding has done for me.

Thousands of girls all over the world attend groups such as Brownies, Rainbows or Guides. Thousands more are involved in volunteering for these groups so that young girls can grow into amazing young adults and be equipped with the social skills they need to go far in life. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with Girl Guiding for the past 10 years, and so I thought I would share my experience.

At the age of seven I was lucky enough to find out about the local Brownie group in my area, and along with my friends, I went along and fell completely in love with it. Being a very shy child from a young age made it quite difficult for me to make friends outside of school. Although recognising this, my parents sent me to a lot of extra curriculum activities in order for me to get over this shyness – which in the long run really has helped me!

Due to the group being all girls and due to the friendliness and dedication of the leaders, I quickly became comfortable and a lot more outgoing when I was at Brownies, which in turn helped me to be more outgoing outside of the club as well. Wednesday evenings became my favourite evenings, because for an hour and a half I got to be myself with my best friends and do crazy, fun activities. Once I became too old for Brownies, a few friends and I moved to up to Guides, however I didn’t feel as comfortable and decided that it just wasn’t for me. Instead, I decided to get into the Young Leader side of things.

Due to my mum being an ‘owl’ at my old Brownie group I was lucky enough to go back to Brownies and help out the younger children as and when I pleased. My confidence grew even more as the children were more dependent on me, and I had a lot more responsibility to look after them and help the sessions run smoothly. After doing this for a number of years we heard news of a new Rainbow group starting up in the village, and I immediately volunteered as I felt it was important I got some experience without my mum or family friends being next to me.

Deciding to volunteer at Rainbows is literally one of the best decisions I have made. Having the responsibility to teach and help these young girls grow into the amazing, beautiful women they are capable of becoming is so rewarding and it is honestly a privilege to even be a small part of their childhood. Seeing their faces light up when we teach them a new game, or seeing them go slightly wild when they’re with their friends, or hearing them chatter about their day at school or what they did at the weekend, is a heart warming experience to be a part of.  

Girl Guiding has done so much for me in the 10 years I have been a part of it. It has helped me grow into the confident young woman I am becoming today, and it has taught me to never be ashamed of the person I am and to always stick up for what I believe in. The social skills I learned are invaluable, and the friends and memories I made will always stay with me. For the past 10 years Girl Guiding has been a constant in my life, and I really feel like it won’t end here. Overall this is just a massive thank you to everyone who has been a part of my Girl Guiding experience because without them I honestly don’t think I would be the person I am today.