Bronze/Silver/Gold Girlguides awards, are they delayed delibrately?

[BronzeSilverBrownieBadge]

DD is 8 almost 9, in Brownies and has 3 themes but has not been given her Bronze badge.

She got Bronze and Silver at rainbows (just missed out on Gold) but due to the way it works there we didn’t notice a delay. Brownies do a half termly badge ceremony, so it’s noticeable she doesn’t have it.

I will be asking Brown Owl in case it’s just been missed but is there usually a delay? She got the 2nd theme award at the end of June 2022, and the 3rd was given at Christmas, I think she’ll most likely get her 4th one either next week (half term week after) or end of the summer. Brown Owl has already told me she’s completed enough interest badges for the theme (done 2 from each theme she’s done so far) and told me at Easter that if she didn’t miss a single meeting this half term she’d have enough UMHs for the full theme and she hasn’t missed any this half term.

So we’re just waiting for Bronze and most likely Silver badges now?

Go doesn’t tell me anything about Brownies, it doesn’t even have the badges she has on her uniform listed as completed yet, so that’s no indicator.

I know the leaders are volunteers, so don't want to come across as not appreciating their efforts, I am so impressed with how hard they work and how much my DD loves the meetings.

I know Brownies when I was little was all about the badges but honestly with my own DD who went through Rainbows Brownies and then Guides, the thing she loved about it was that it wasn’t competitive. No one gave a flying crap if someone else had more badges or when they got them, that’s not what it was about.

I think she was v lucky with the leader who was very laid back and made it all about the girls learning, relaxing and being kind to one another. It was a safe space to discuss girls issues and she learned loads about how girls are portrayed in media, dangers of social media from a female perspective etc.

Don't know about your delay but wanted to give another viewpoint about the purpose of Guiding.

@Furiously Absolutely and DD loves going, thats why I don't want to come across as grabby or rude because DD does love going and gets so much out of it.

Bumping hopefully to reach leaders who might know

Another hopeful bump

Just ask Brown Owl. All units will do it differently. And no-one knows for certain whether your DD has done all she needs to apart from her Leader.

I'm a brownie leader and would also just ask Brown Owl, she may have forgot or may have it planned but just hasn't communicated that to you/your DD. As long as you're polite about it, which I'm sure you will be she won't think you're keeping on, or I wouldn't anyway. As far as I'm aware there are no known delays or issue with getting the badges.

Well done to your daughter, what a great achievement 😊

Just ask her!

My Brownies are not very motivated with interest badges so very few Theme Awards/bronze/silver etc get awarded. But when they do, I usually give them out at the end of the term it's been achieved, along with all the other badges.

I've no idea why your DD hasn't been given her bronze yet, but if you ask in a friendly way, I can't imagine many leaders being upset by this!

I remember not being a sixer, just a seconder because my mate was a day older than me! I was allowed to stay on after she went to guides and become Elf sixer but I wanted to go to Guides with my friends! Always annoyed me .....I'm 55 now!!!

Brown owl here. We always give the bronze/silver awards out when the number of themes are reached. But keeping track can be hard so she may have just missed it (Go is not the easiest system, I use paper copies rather than track there!). She honestly won’t mind you checking 😊 well done to your daughter and glad she loves Brownies 👏

They're quite a special thing to achieve, so maybe she's waiting for a good time to do it?

One of mine has got gold and I'll give it to her and bake a cake etc when we can get together with her parents at a meeting.

Different units run in different ways sometimes depending on their budgets and precidents set and how the disctrict/division or even county organises. So for example the might just award bronze/silver OR Gold at the end of her time in Brownies depending on where she gets to. Gold in our area is awarded by division at special presentations and badges have to come from county... not so with Bronze/silver which are ordered with other badges.

Speak to Brown Owl - she will explain how it works locally to you. And yes we'll done to your daughter for being keen... mine too as a blanket full of badges!

Another Brown Owl here and agree with this ^^

Also to add that Bronze, Silver and Gold badges have to be ordered from specific people ("badge secretaries"), who then order from Trading and leaders either have to have them posted or go and collect from somewhere that might be nowhere near their house (can you tell this system annoys me?! 😅). So because its a bit faffy, she might have been waiting to get a bunch sorted and then they'll all get them at the same time? But im sure if you asked Brown Owl she will be able to explain 😊

Update:

I messaged Brown Owl to ask about it, and she said theres been some sort of problem at the county office but she's aware DD and several other girls are waiting for Bronze or Silver awards.

She's hoping it'll be the last one before summer holidays when they get them.