Guides overhaul includes mindfulness and vlogging badges

After almost 110 years of badges, three-finger salutes and “I promise I will do my best” pledges, the girl guide movement is undergoing what it describes as the most sweeping overhaul in its long and illustrious history.

Gone are the traditional hostess, craft and home skills badges that for decades encouraged young girls to learn the art of folding a napkin and making a cup of tea; in their place come badges for vlogging, mindfulness, upcycling and craftivism, seen as more relevant to today’s young women.

More than 50,000 members of the Guides have spent the last 18 months helping to shape the new programme, which has cost £3m and includes 100 new badges and 700 new activities that will replace what went before.

Among the new activities on offer are boxing, financial management, 3D design and survival skills. Also included in the revamp are the slightly more traditional-sounding whittling, grow your own, exploring nature and first aid.

The chief Guide, Amanda Medler, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in girlguiding. The new badges and activities will mean that every girl has the opportunity for adventure, fun and to gain vital skills. From archaeology to zero waste, there’s something for every girl and I can’t wait to try the new badges and activities with my guides.”

The Guides formed when a group of girls stormed a Scout rally at Crystal Palace in 1909, demanding Robert Baden-Powell start a sister organisation immediately. But it was during the first world war that girlguiding came into its own, with Guides playing a prominent role in the war effort, even acting as messengers during negotiations for the treaty of Versailles.

Later, in the 1950s, there were badges for knitting, ironing, semaphore, pest control and axe-wielding. Since then the charity has tried to move with the times and has filled many column inches adapting its uniform, its promise and now its activities in order to remain attractive to new members.

Though numbers have halved from peak membership of 800,000 in 1980, they have remained stable in the past few years despite competition from the Scout Association, which first admitted older girls in 1976 and opened up to all ages in 2007. The Scout Association has 475,000 youth members of which 107,000 are female, compared with 400,000 girl guiding youth members. Girl guiding includes rainbows (five-seven), brownies (seven-10), guides (10-14) and rangers (14-18).

Jess Bond, a lead volunteer who has played a key role in shaping the new programme, said: “We’ve always moved with the times and we hope to welcome even more members to girlguiding with this diverse range of activities as there really is something for every girl.

“Our ambition is to give girls the opportunity to discover and develop their interests, skills and confidence, take on new challenges and have fun and adventure with their friends. We want girls to feel equipped to take on the world.”

The movement has also tried to make itself more high profile by conducting polls on key issues affecting girls and young women. Its latest survey, released to coincide with the revamp, found that half of girls between the ages of seven and 18 worry about trying new things either because they fear others might judge them or because they don’t want to fail.

Kim Singh-Sall, 17, a senior section member from Sheffield, said: “I think the new overhaul really highlights how girlguiding is always adapting to changing times and responds to what girls want. The fact that these girls asked for new badges on mental health wellbeing, under the ‘be well’ theme, and campaigning and protesting, under the ‘take action’ theme, is really brilliant.”

The new programme of activities has been developed around six themes: skills for my future; have adventures; be well; know myself; express myself and take action. Girls can choose to work towards badges including entrepreneur, inventing, navigator, animation, self-care and human rights. Other activities include DIY holding your own election, creating fruit smoothies and speaking out.

The new programme is being phased in over the next year and will be fully rolled out by September 2019.

Three new girl guiding badges – and what you have to do to earn them

Mindfulness

Use three of your senses to heighten your awareness of what you are experiencing at that moment – one minute for each sense.

Do the heartbeat exercise, where you get your heart pumping through exercise then lie still to listen to the beat.

Think of 10 things you are grateful for in your life.

Speaking out

Pick an issue, for example speaking up for animals or for a friend who is being bullied.

Find out what groups make decisions on this issue. Create three different ways of getting your point across and persuading people to join you eg a slogan or a petition.

Then challenge decision makers.

Zero waste

Collect everything you would throw away for a whole week and either take a picture or weigh it.

Keep a diary of any food – including leftovers – your house throws away for a week and try to find at least one way of reducing waste.

Come up with different ways to save water, like turning off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth or making sure taps don’t drip. Over three days, try to use less and less water each day.