A Brownie Update

[smallhobbit]

I know we're on summer holiday at the moment, but it seemed appropriate to do an update.

Firstly, girlguiding has had a £3 million programme makeover.  Which I suspect I'm not alone in looking at and not being entirely impressed.  Yes, there are some new interests and areas which will be covered, but at the same time they seem to have lost things which we know our girls enjoyed.  The launch had a good press, but reading a number of the items on various news websites they're based on the press releases, not on the journalistic impressions.  And they're boasting about 100 new badges, but fail to make it clear that's over the four sections, and Brownie interest badges have fallen from around 70 to 18, which to my mind is rather restrictive for saying something for every girl's interest.  A case in point, for Brownies there are now no sport/swimming/horse riding etc badges, but just dancing.  In addition it looks like being a lot more prescriptive about meeting activities.

I tried very hard not to be negative and to be forward looking, but in the end resolved to say I'll continue until Christmas and then maybe finish.  Not that I want to, but I'm not sure I am interested in going through the trouble of learning a completely new system.  It also makes planning for next term very hard.  A new programme was announced after the school's break up (there is a year to transfer), and our county training happens the first week in September, with Brownies beginning the following week.  It's impossible to bring in the programme in that time.

However, last night I met with our new Brownie leader, and the leader-in-training, and we had a really productive evening.  They are both very enthusiastic, and equally happy for me to take a back seat, turn up and assist on the night, run the occasional evening, which is really what I want to do.  So that's all good.  Doodles (the new leader) was very happy I'd booked a jewellery making evening and Parliament Week activities, and I'll be responsible for them.

I have no wish to go to county training and giving up an evening doesn't appeal, but there is e-learning available on the website.  And if you complete the modules it gets recognised on their records, so I've started to do that.  It's much easier doing 20 minutes at a time from home than driving elsewhere and spending two hours being talked at.  It also suits my learning style much better.

So I'm happy with what's happening and looking forward to the new term.  We shall have 9 returning Brownies, plus 14 or 15 potential new girls, which will bring us up to a full pack of 24.  I shall wait and see how the new programme unfolds.

Comments

[vix_spes]

That sucks that the changes they've made aren't necessarily for the better. But, I'm glad that there are at least some things to look forward to and you had a positive meeting with the new leaders.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it does rather feel like the leadership are a world apart from the members, or at least some of them.

[tripleransom]

I know I would have been pretty unhappy when I was a Brownie to hear that the horseback riding badge had been replaced by dancing. That doesn't sound like much of an improvement to me.

The online learning sounds like it should work out well for you, though.

On the other hand, I couldn't shake the vision of Audrey twirling an egg on a string to hard boil it...

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it does seem very restrictive about the choice of sports. One year we did have a Brownie who did her dancer badge which was great, but at the same time we've had a number of general sports and swimmers - no horse riders but that's more a product of where we are.

I'm sure there's still space for certain guiding skills ...

[mafief]

Is girl guiding competing with boy scouts now? At least in the US, boy scouts are now open to girls. Is that their rational stray away from horseback riding, etc.?

Ugh, changes, but that’s nice of them to have an e-course to catch you up to speed.

[smallhobbit]

Scouts have been open to girls for some years in the UK too. I don't think that's the reasoning, just the need to cut back the number to 18 and then fit them so that there are 3 badges in each category. Which means in the Be Healthy category there are: Dancing, Grow your own and Mindfulnes.