Guides are girls aged between 10 and 14.
What do Guides do?
Guides have fun! They take part in indoor and outdoor activities as part of their programme using the Patrol system as a method of developing team working and leadership skills. Their meetings are full of games and activities which provide challenging opportunities for Guides to think for themselves - they choose, plan and carry out their own activities with the support of their leaders.
The Guide Promise
Guides make this Promise when they feel ready to do so:
"I promise that I will do my best to love my God; to serve the Queen and my country, to help other people, and to keep the Guide Law"
They are encouraged to devise a special ceremony to celebrate it, and wear a special Promise badge. The Guide Law is:
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.
What do Guides wear?
Guides choose what to wear from a range of stylish and practical tops. Almost anything goes on the bottom half, but it should be suitable and safe for the activity being undertaken.
The Guide programme is based on a welcome to the Unit, becoming a member of the Unit, Patrol and Unit activities, and residential experiences. Patrols will often choose to work on a Go For It! – and activity pack written for Guides containing a selection of activities on a theme. There are 5 programme zones:
Healthy Lifestyles
This encourages each Guide to live a healthy lifestyle by promoting physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing through activities on topics such as body image, healthy eating, drug awareness and mental health issues.
Global Awareness
This encourages each Guide to develop her awareness of global issues and the contribution which she can make. Activities could include topics such as travel, world issues, citizenship, and international activities.
Skills and Relationships
This encourages each Guide to develop self confidence and inter-personal and lifeskills through doing activities based on communication skills, conflict resolution, personal values and teamwork.
Celebrating Diversity
This encourages each Guide to take an active part in her community and develop her awareness of rights and responsibilities, and can include activities based on issues such a discrimination, cross-community links, and disability awareness.
Discovery
This encourages each Guide to try new experiences, which could include visiting new places, trying adventurous activities, and learning new skills.
How does the Guide programme work in practice?
Each new Guide receives a Welcome Pack at her first meeting. This pack contains information about Guides plus some presents for her. It is in the form of a backpack which can be used to bring things to Guide meetings and take notes home, etc.
The Unit Guidelines
Each Unit draws up its own Guidelines, a code of conduct agreed by all members of the Unit including the leaders. A new Guide becomes a member of the Unit when she signs the Guidelines. She receives a G Card to show she has done this.
Guide Patrols
Guides work in small self-selected groups of 4 to 8 girls called Patrols. Each Patrol elects its own Patrol Leader, who in turn chooses her Patrol Second. Through being a member of a Patrol Guides learn loyalty, cooperation, concern for others and tolerance. Each Patrol chooses its own name and wears a badge depicting it. By choosing their own activities to do in their Patrols, the Guides gain confidence and a sense of responsibility towards others.
The Patrol Leaders Council
The Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) helps to plan for the Guide Unit. It is made up of all the Patrol Leaders, the Guiders, and any Young Leaders. It should be informal although a record should be kept of any decisions which are made. Patrol Leaders will discuss the agenda beforehand with their Patrol and represent the Patrol’s opinions at the meeting. Decisions may be made about camps, local events, expenditure, etc ensuring that, through their Patrol Leader, each Guide has a say in the running of the Unit.
Go For It!s
Go For Its! are posters or packs or books that contain lots of activities for Guides to do with their Patrol. Each one is based around a theme, like Go For It! Parties or Go For It! I will survive! They encourage Patrols to work together and contain facts and hints. The Patrol chooses activities to do from a Go For It! That interests them and they do them as part of the weekly meeting. This is called Patrol Time and can vary in length. An inexperienced Patrol might only do a 15 minute activity, whereas another Patrol might be able to organize itself for the whole meeting. If a Guide works on a Go For It! for at least 4 Patrol Times she will receive the relevant mini certificate.
Interest Badges
Guides can also choose from a wide range of Interest Badges. Sometimes they get a taster of a new skill or idea while doing a Go For It! and want to develop it further by doing a related badge. Interest Badges can be done by an individual or as a group, at home or during weekly meetings.
Challenge Badges
A Guide will gain a Challenge Badge if she takes an active part in her Unit, both as a member of her Patrol and also with Unit activities. This shows individual progress and development.
The Baden-Powell Challenge
The Baden-Powell Challenge is the ultimate achievement for a Guide. It is for Guides who wish to stretch themselves and achieve the very best they can. It involves doing 10 challenges covering each of the 5 programme zones and then taking part in a Baden-Powell Challenge Adventure, and event to take part in new experiences, to learn about further opportunities available in Guiding, and to celebrate her achievement.
Going away as a Guide is usually top of the list of what Guides want to do. Residential opportunities can vary from an overnight hike to a trip abroad. Guides can even organise their own Patrol Sleepovers without having a Guider present, or take the Patrol Camp Permit to run their own camps. It is hoped that each Guide will have the opportunity to take part in a residential experience at least once a year. Guide Guiders take a special qualification to run residential events.
Camps range from a Unit camp to large scale international events attended by Guides from around the world. Camp programmes might include crafts, adventurous activities, outings, service projects, wide games, and campfire singsongs. The Guides will usually help with tasks such as cooking and pitching the tents. Guides develop many new skills at camp, including self sufficiency and tolerance. Most Guides will remember their camping days for many years.
In Cambridgeshire West many Guides spend a weekend at our County holiday home, Ripton Lodge either camping or enjoying an indoor holiday.