Queensburgh Girl Guides – a legacy continues
An integral part of Girl Guides comes in the form of badges which members earn for various achievements.
STEEPED in history, the Girl Guides movement dates back to 1910. Today, the movement continues its legacy with modern adaptations to prepare today’s girls and young women for the future with skills and experiences ranging from community service to critical thinking. This week, Queensburgh News visited a local club to learn more.
And who better to talk to than Natalie Raw, district commissioner for Queensburgh District Girl Guides, who has been a part of the club for some 25 years. “I started as a Teddy Leader and have worked with all the age groups. Girl Guiding as a movement has been going since 1910 in South Africa. Fairfell, the grounds where we meet, opened in 1929,” she said.
The Queensburgh club is part of a worldwide movement. Groups of all ages meet at the Fairfell venue once a week on a Saturday for an hour to one and a half hours.
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“Girl Guides is the largest female-only youth organisation in the world. There are over 150 member countries. We are a youth movement that gives girls the confidence, skills and aspirations to advocate for change and make an impact in the world. At GIRL GUIDES South Africa, we empower girls and women to reach their full potential, through a dynamic programme, and to become responsible citizens,” said Raw.
There are various groups at Queensburgh District Girl Guides, including Teddies (4.5–7 years), Brownies (7–10 years), Girl Guides (10.5–14), Rangers (14–18 years), Young Leaders (18–30 years).
“The Guiding programme is varied enough as to appeal to the individual child. We offer a range of activities with the aim of teaching girls to become independent thinkers. Parents can expect their daughters to enjoys crafts, play games, learn about the outdoors, safety and first aid, the environment and advocating for themselves and others,” said Raw.
She added that the guides take part in various charitable projects.
“Annually, we collect toiletries to make up hampers for the residents of the Restdale Nursing Home. We deliver the parcels in early December, along with some eats and have a singsong with the residents. Last year, one of our rangers, Diya Manisunker, organised a soup morning where families donated vegetables and the girls peeled and chopped everything before cooking the soup. We were able to deliver 30 litres of soup to Restdale. We have also collected baby toiletries for The Nappy Bag Initiative and handed this over during a Women’s Month Tea,” Raw explained.
An integral part of Girl Guides comes in the form of badges which members earn for various achievements. The highest achievement in the Teddies category is the Honey Pot Badge and the Golden Sage Award is top tier for a Young Leader.
“For each badge, the girls need to show a commitment to attending meetings, and they have to complete various challenges over the period that they are involved,” said Raw.
And these are no small tasks. Raw has awarded just four Chiefs Challenges in all her years of Guiding and only two Protea Awards.
How does Girl Guides differ to Scouts?
Raw explained that Girl Guides South Africa is a female-only organisation, while Scouting takes both girls and boys.
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“We believe that some girls thrive in an environment where they can be themselves without having to compete with or impress boys. Both Girl Guides and Scouts were started by Lord Robert Baden Powell, and we still have close ties with each other,” she said, adding that they make an exception with their Teddy group which does accept boys up to age eight.
“The Guiding programme was completely revamped a few years ago to keep up with changes in the needs of our young ladies. This has included addressing more technological and environmental issues. In addition, WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) releases programmes on a regular basis dealing with topical issues such as gender-based violence, cyber safety and cyber bullying,” she added.
Join the club
Queensburgh District Girl Guides is eager to expand into new areas, including Chatsworth, Shallcross, Pinetown and Westville.
“Adult volunteers (women only) are given all the necessary support and training to be able to start their own units. These units can be run at a venue, day and time suitable to the leaders. All of our Queensburgh units have places available, so parents are encouraged to bring their children through for a trial lesson. Parents can contact me for more information,” said Raw.
For more information, visit KZN Southern Region – Girl Guides South Africa or Queensburgh District Girl Guides on Facebook or log on to the website, www.girlguides.org.za.
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