Girl Guiding

My friend and I one night whilst on a guide holiday in Costa Brava, Spain

Whenever people find out that Im in Girl Guiding, they always make assumptions about my personality and possibly even popularity within school etc. None of it is ever true.

Girl Guiding UK is a volunteer run organisation for young girls. The charity "gives girls a space where they can be themselves, have fun,  build brilliant friendships, gain valuable life skills and make a positive difference to their communities." (Straight off the Girl Guides website!!)

It makes it sound a lot more mushy and gross than it actually is. I joined Brownies when I was 6(ish), then when I turned 10 I moved up to Guides, where I have stayed for the past 8 years. I am currently doing my adult leadership qualification, which will allow me to run my own guiding unit if I so wished it. Which I don't, that would be super stressful!! 

We do all sorts of activities, some of which are educational for young girls, but done in an entertaining kind of way. We want them to be learning things that they might not get from school or wouldn't take seriously at school, but might remember if it came from people who weren't teachers. For example, my unit often run a First Aid night, where we teach the girls basic first aid things. Most of the time they love it because they get to roll around on the floor and pretend they're injured, there is always a lot of role play involved in these activities. 

Sometimes, though we do something just for the sake of having fun. So, next week I am running my first full night of activities, everything will have been organised by me, and I will take charge of the girls. I am running a Prince & Princesses night, where the girls will get to dress up in fancy dresses (or trousers if they prefer), there will be activities, they are going to make masks as though it were a masquerade ball, I am going to be providing Mocktails in fancy looking glasses, and there will be a hideous amount of finger food. Maybe some games. Fun fun fun! 

I mean there is an entire concert for Girl Guiding UK, called the Big Gig, and loads of current artists attend, the line ups are always incredible, and you can only go if you are involved with Girl Guiding. Ive been twice. 

I am, however, aware that many of the girls, especially the older ones, are embarrassed to be associated with guiding, and I was wondering why there is a negative stigma attached to something that should be entirely positive. 

I don't have an answer, but I guess the moral of this post is to not let other people's opinions control your own actions. Do what makes you happy, not what other people think should make you happy.