Guiding in the UK is almost as old as Scouting : in 1910, the Girl Guides were founded in Great Britain in by Lord Robert Baden-Powell, to accommodate the growing number of girls who were registering with the newly-formed Boy Scouts (using just their initials in order to hide the fact that they were girls!) The attitude of the time is shown in this extract from the Scout Headquarters Gazette of 1909 : "If a girl is not allowed to run, or even hurry, to swim, ride a bike, or raise her arms above her head, how can she become a Scout?" Fortunately, Baden-Powell did not share this attitude, but was well aware that it was not the time for a mixed-sex organisation so he set up a separate youth organisation for the girls. The Boy Scouts had been named from the "scouts" who had been so useful in the Boer War, so B-P looked again to his military career for a name for his girls' organisation. During his time in India on the North-West Frontier he had been particularly impressed with the Khyber Guides, who had a reputation for being able to do almost anything, working hard and having lots of common sense, and so the Girl Guidemovement was born........

Ninety years on, at the beginning of a new century, the Guides remains a single-sex organisation*. The Scouts have bowed to pressure and have begun to admit girls into their ranks, but the Guide Association has made the decision to remain an organisation for women and girls. Some of the reasons behind this decision are summarised here :

Why just girls? - the importance of a single-sex environment in fostering girls' potential The majority of girls have plenty of opportunities for mixed-sex activities and male/female interaction, at school, at home and at most social events. At Guides, however, they are provided with a supportive environment in which THEY are the focus of attention. Research has shown several factors which work together to prevent girls reaching their full potential in a mixed-sex environment - these include girls are still expected to take passive roles in mixed groups; girls tend to avoid trying new skills for the first time and girls are wary of suggesting new ideas when in mixed company; boys demand more attention from adults, sometimes by exhibiting inappropriate behaviour. In a single-sex environment such as Guides, where female role-models are the norm, girls are free to "be themselves" and develop their full potential. As a Guide or Girl Scout, a girl can.... go places.... make things happen.... make new friends.... try new things.... learn to look after herself.... help to change the world.... and above all, be HERSELF "Helping girls and young women grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members." With thanks to Guides Australia for their invaluable leaflet, from which much of the above was adapted.

The World Badge	All Guides and Girl Scouts wear a badge showing a trefoil or trifoliate leaf, to symbolise the three parts of the Guide Promise. Although the precise wording varies from country to country, the outline of the Promise remains the same in that it is a commitment to one's god or religion, one's country and the Guide Law.	UK Promise Badge
The Guides' sign, or salute, also uses three fingers, again to signify the threefold promise, and all Scouts, Guides and Girl Scouts shake hands left-handed - the left hand being the one nearest the heart and thus signifying friendship. Everyone, both within and outside the movement, knows the motto - "Be Prepared" - Guides and Scouts should be ready for anything which comes their way.
February 22nd is "Thinking Day" for Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world, and was chosen as a day to unite all Guides and Girl Scouts in thinking about their sisters around the world because it is the birthday of both Lord Robert Baden-Powell of Gilwell, the founder of the movement, and his wife Lady Olave Baden-Powell, the only person ever to have been World Chief Guide.

Recently, Guiding in the UK has undergone a considerable shake-up. Not only has the uniform worn by the Guide section been "modernised" but the Guide and Ranger programmes have been revised. A period of adjustment and "settling-in" is now taking place and it would be unwise ( and indeed unfair ) to pass judgement on these changes until they have been given a fair chance.

Summer 2001 : Discussions are currently being held at all levels of Guiding and Scouting with regard to a possible merger of WAGGGS and WOSM, the world governing bodies of Guides and Scouts respectively. Click to download the latest report, and read the commentary - then you can make up your own mind.

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