The Girl Guide Association was founded way back in 1910. Robert Baden-Powell had already invented the Scouting Movement, when a whole load of girls showed up at a Scout rally, calling themselves Scouts...fiesty chicks! So Baden-Powell (or B-P as he's known) asked his sister Agnes to take charge of these girls. They were called Girl Guides, named after a corps of guides in India 'distinguished for their handiness and resourcefulness under difficulties and their keeness and courage'. After a while, B-P's wife Olave took charge, and the rest as they say is history!
Guides are organised into units, and usually meet at a hall big enough for wide games! In our unit, we have patrols, made up of the Leader, a Second and up to 6 members. We get to make up our own name, and do activities that we want to.
We also wear uniform..its much better than in 1910! Our unit has chosen the rugby shirt and the gilet to wear. We can wear our badges on our uniform, or collect them altogether and put them on the wall for everyone to admire!
The G-File replaces the old-style handbook (loads of words...yawn...:) and is packed with stuff about Guides. The Promise and the Laws are in there, along with a couple of the badges, there's places to record your patrol members, camps, a calendar and loads of stickers..no Guide should be without one! You can get G-File from the Guider at meetings.Guides have Laws, which everyone, even the Guider has to obey.
The Laws are:
A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.
A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.
A Guide faces challenge and learns from her experiences.
A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.
A Guide is polite and considerate.
A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world around her.
In our unit, new Guides complete the Pre-promise challenge, during which they explore the five areas of Guiding for themselves, then they make their Promise.
"I promise that I will do best to love my God, serve my country, help other people and keep the Guide Law"
We can make our promise anywhere we like...where will you make yours?