Girls Friendly Society - any experience?

[Rainallnight]

Is anyone’s DD a member of this? It popped up on my social media and sounds like it would be good for DD - have been looking for a Rainbows/Beavers type thing for her to go to but they’re all full round here.

I’ve never heard of it before. Would love some first hand experiences.

I've not heard of this since I was little - I grew up in sydney and used to go to GFS, I didn't know it was a thing over here. I really enjoyed it, but it was more like brownies meets WI from my sparse memory. Indoors, quiet crafty sort of activities. Later on, in the UK, I did guides and then Scouts which I preferred for the outdoorsy, adventurey stuff.

Thank you! They seem to have changed direction a bit and describe themselves as a feminist organisation aiming to help girls reach their full potential. I like the sound of their values etc.

DD is definitely more the indoorsy type!

Hopeful bump

On the surface it looks great, they harp on about feminism and girls needing single 'gender' spaces etc. They then state they are 'trans inclusive' of male bodied 'women and girls'. It would appear this 'inclusivity' therefore extends to adult male volunteers that would have access to a group of primary aged female children.

I’d describe myself as fairly GC, but am fine with adult males volunteering with kids as long as all the proper checks have been done.

Anyway, still here for anyone whose DD has taken part!

It's clearly mixed sex and thus not just for girls. I would avoid it.

You would avoid mixed sex settings for your DD?

Oooo I used to go to GFS (we called it guffers 😂). This was about 30 years ago so no idea what it’s like now but I think it had quite a religious tilt 🤔

I went as a child. It was great. All games and music and crafts. Sometimes we did baking etc for badges. Camp once s year was brilliant and we’d do fairs and choir competitions against other groups locally. My mum has been a leader for 30yrs, she found it hard to leave even when my sis and I had grown out of it as they needed volunteers. I’ve never heard her mention if there is an ‘inclusivity’ agenda going on. It’s the countryside in Ireland so they’d probably not know what to do with a mandate like that even if they got one but I’d be surprised!

But because the male adults attending will claim to be women, the relevant checks and safeguarding procedures won't have been done. Eg a CRB check will only check for crimes under a trans woman's new name.
And if it's the same as Guiding, a trans woman (ie a man) would be allowed to help your DD in the toilet for example.

OP, you could just ask about the staff/volunteers running the group you want your daughter to go to.

My friends daughter attends a GFS and, from what I gather, it's a fancy type of after school club where they'd do more fun activities. There's no commitment for her to attend every week. Some weeks she goes, some she doesn't. You could just sign your daughter up and see how she gets on and stop taking her if she doesn't like it.

I have two boys. If it were open to boys too, I'd take my older one in.