Own badges on Brownies/GG uniform, is it allowed?

[OwnBadges]

DD aged 8 and a Brownie recently won a local competition that includes a little pin badge

School have let her wear the badge for a half term but have said now that it needs to be kept at home.

DD would like to put it on her Brownies uniform but doesn’t know if it’s allowed. She has a camp blanket but she’s not really attached to it in the same way. I’ll put it on there if not allowed.

I will be asking her leaders when DD goes back to Brownies but they’ve been off for 2 weeks (due to leaders not being available) and have another week until they’re back (half term here next week) so said I’d try and gauge whether it’s allowed from here.

For - it doesn't say winner on it just says the competition name and year and is a little gold badge and is about the same size as the yellow promise badge.

Technically not allowed - whether or not they will actually mind I couldn’t say, I would prob tell her to keep it for her camp blanket though!

Worth checking with your unit, but I wouldn't have had an issue (former Brownie leader) :)

Brownie leader here. Not allowed on the uniform (although i would turn a blind eye if it appeared) but fine on camp blanket. However some leaders are absolute sticklers for this sort of thing so you are best checking with them. Maybe just drop them an email / whatsapp if DD can't wait?

With a pin badge, I'd find some way of them being displayed at home. Saves the tears when they fall off and can't be found. Experience here

What I did was bought a 2" wide thick ribbon (not satin) which I attached to the end of the curtain rail, dangling down, and they pinned them to that.

LOL

OP the dress is your property and this is is brownies, not the horse guards.

Put whatever you please on there

I laughed at that, I want to agree cos I like your turn of phrase!

But honesty, although as a former Brownie helper I’d have let it go, I’d say as a parent - there are times when it’s not a bad thing for them to hear “no”. It’s not a Brownies related badge. School kindly gave her plenty of “proud public wear” out of it - and now it’s time to display it in her room.

Does she do other activities where she might win medals? You can get lovely medal displays on etsy and put it on a nice piece of material on that.

Is there a public speaking Brownie badge, of so she could take it in for a show and tell. But really 6 weeks at school is surely enough? Winners of trophies don't carry them around for months but do display them nicely at home.

But really 6 weeks at school is surely enough? Winners of trophies don't carry them around for months but do display them nicely at home
Agree.

@Testina

I see your point but for me, I prefer to teach my kids to dial out the noise. Society is full of batshit, pointless rules and things like brownies can be a microcosm of that, it's her badge and her dress, and putting on there hurts no one.

I think it helps kids develop critical thinking skills to consider when rules fulfil a purpose and when they are there purely because of convention,

But then, my daughter lasted a few months at brownie's because all the rules + religion was too much for both of us - we're obnoxious 🤣

Many units use unofficial badges, or create their own, some which don’t comply with GG’s strict marketing on badges. Some don’t even do badges.

Until girlguiding start making their own guidelines mandatory, rock on I say 😂

It sounds like we'd have loved to have your DD in our unit. We are a completely secular unit and DH likes to joke i'm indoctrinating a feminist army of the future rather than running a brownie unit! 💪

Same. My DD was one for entering everything and getting badges and certificates. She had a pinboard in her bedroom to save them on after they'd had a couple of weeks on the kitchen cupboard doors/other more extensive display.

It's time for your DD to get individual satisfaction from her pin, rather than looking for public approval.

I’d stick it on her uniform and if they tell her to take it off I’d say no. But I’m not really one for following rules.
Also a GG leader but a different section and I wouldn’t mind it

I have to agree though that DD has had her wear and perhaps needs to display it or something. It’s nice that’s she’s so attached to it but sometimes it’s good to learn there’s a time and a place

My god imagine being part of a child centred organisation that’s fascist about fucking badges the kids are proud of

Does your dd have a bag it could be pinned to, @OwnBadges - or could it go on her coat? That way she would be wearing it more than just once a week at Brownies.

@GuidingSpirit

Ha yes, sounds like we'd have enjoyed your unit!

I'd ask her not to if she was one of my Brownies, the same as I ask them not to bring toys or crystals or fossils or fidgets (insert latest craze) - purely because I wouldn't want it to get damaged or go missing at a meeting. When their promise badge falls off and gets stepped on and bent it's fine because I can replace them, but losing / breaking non Guiding things just causes too much angst (and dealing with upset girls and grumpy parents due to matters that shouldn't be anything to do with Brownies is not what I volunteer my Friday evenings for !).

Thanks all, decided to go down the no route and creating something at home that DD can look at it in instead.

I'd agree with putting it on her coat then she can wear it every day until she gets fed up with it.

Our brownies would allow it I think. If it's only a pin badge it would be easy to take off if they asked. No harm in trying.