Girlguiding is a charity for young girls all around the world, often led by volunteers to provide a positive, comfortable environment, encouraging girls to take risks to stretch themselves outside of the classroom.

 

Girlguiding was formed in 1910 by Lord Baden-Powell and his sister, Agnes Baden-Powell after girls attended the first Boy Scout rally at Crystal Palace and demanded a group of their own.

Since then, Girlguiding has formed into a global group spanning from Albania to Zimbabwe with around ten million members in 150 countries.

Additionally, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is the largest women's group in the world, overtaking groups such as Equality Now and The Relief Society.

In the UK, Girl Guides are divided into five groups: Rainbows, ages 5-7, Brownies (previously named the Rosebuds) ages 7-10, Guides ages 10-14, Rangers (previously named Senior Section) ages 14-18 and Trefoil age 18+.

Overall, there are around 80,000 volunteers in the UK of all age ranges and around 300,000 young members in the first four groups.

Kashuf, a young leader and Ranger in Girl Guides says, 'I love the [Girlguiding] community, you get an amazing group of people to do silly crafts with, go on trips together but also chat about everything. You celebrate the good bits and are supported through the not so good bits.'

She continued, 'It isn't just your own unit, you can easily connect with people all over the world who you have so much in common with, just by being a Guide.'

There often seems to be a prejudice with Girlguiding that it is stuck in the past, only offering 'traditional' activities for girls.

However, I have seen girls being taught to safely build fires, learn how to cook, camp and lead their peers, take an active part in their local community, and learn skills designed towards their future.

It really is an organisation designed towards all girls of all abilities, interests and backgrounds.

Whilst doing all these activities, there is still the history of Girlguiding evident in what the girls still do today, from their uniforms which are inspired from older ones to the songs which are sung around a campfire.

Girlguiding is a charity for girls, where they can experience new life skills, friendships, adventures and more as they grow.