Guiders Staff Room Part 3

[Groovee]

Reconvening over here ladies.

No they can start at the stage appropriate to their age/learning.
So for brownies you would start at stage 2 .
The idea is to get an interest badge and skill badge for each theme . So they can get the Gold award . The interest badge has to be related to the theme too.

Someone shared the news round link on Facebook. Much better. www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/amp/44874048

The unit meeting activities look like the worst part if you can't tailor activities to fit the themes. I wasn't impressed by the taster cards at all

Please could I ask a question as a Mum of a Brownie?
If the old interest badges are being phased out by September next year, will any of them be replaced, e.g. Swimmer, Booklover, or will it just be the 18 new badges?
Thank you!

It's old and new badges alongside each other for one year... then the old ones cease to be, with just the new ones remaining. The style of content of the new ones is very different though with lots of flexibility.

Gosh, ok, thank you.

OK, having been out of Guiding for a little while and due to start back up in Sept...
Please can someone walk me through the programme in absolute words of one syllable? Pretty please?
All I've seen really is the new launch emails and even they were a bit confusing. Why couldn't they tell us the basics and then the details instead of details/teasers first? (oh I forgot, this is GG we are talking about).

@drspouse I found the elearning sorted out how it will work in my head, but I'm still not convinced I can have explain it.

OK I will try that!

Urgh I am having a look on a couple of other discussion threads (though yes, I should do the e-learning) and I'm not sure what I need to get, what I should do about the taster packs (I gave mine to another leader as we were suspending the unit for a bit) and as we'll have girls starting who are older and younger, what do do about new girls who've done nothing but aren't the youngest in the unit??!

Oh and our record keeping - is it up on Go at the moment?
I only have waiting list girls what with not having an active unit!

I found this pic to be the best quick summary. I guess we just start them all from scratch whilst getting the older ones to tick off remaining Adventure bits (I'm Brownies)

So basically we do Skills Builders and UMAs in meetings and, because the girls are less likely to do interest badges on their own, we also do badges...

Definitely do the E learning it explains it very well.
The programme is out now but we have to 2019 to use it .
I’m planning to use it in Sept with our girls - but I’m new to the unit and they were not doing Adventure or adventure on so easy to make a change.
To be fair to Guiding - big reveal - we can do E learning and there is a lot of training available in autumn,

Six themes.
Skills badges at different levels.
Level capped but can do lower.
Rainbows 1&2
Brownies 2&3
Guide 3,4 &5
Rangers 6
We do skills badges = 5 meetings
Plus UMA unit meeting activities - these also themed and set time.
Girls do interest badges at home .
Interest badges also themed .
1 skill badge + interest badge + 3-5 hours of UMAs in same theme = Theme Badge.
6 Themed Badges + 3 challenges = GOLD award.
GOLD award for each section.
Only a few girls will get a gold award - shows highly motivated .

I'm not happy that it's so prescriptive only the official cards count towards UMAs. No room for the girls to decide what we do or leaders input.

What about those of us running 2 units with a parent rota? Seriously when am I meant to record 28 individual weekly progress on GO and shop for 5 groups doing 4 different activities each week? How many fwcking reliable adults do they think turn up each week?

That's not something I'm happy about either - we often do joint activities and if we can't find something both levels can do what then? I can adapt "cooking" but if one's supposed to be making sock puppets and the other level bird houses that's not a joint activity.

I'm fed up. Seriously wondering if I want to go back this year. Send messages on the WhatsApp group, they get read but only my fellow leader who does the accounts ever replies. The rest can't even organise themselves to respond despite reading the messages in seconds. One needs her PVG done yet she's ignored every message!

Now an event has come up. Something which I hate but the others all love. Only one replies no one else bothers! I'm just fed up. The one leader who pulls her weight is most likely to be leaving!

Really need to make a decision quickly as we're back in a matter of weeks.

Oh gosh I hate that.
Also the leaders who have bits of paperwork and you desperately need them... and they can't find the time to look for them...

Have you seen that commissioners now have only 7 days to contact new join us volunteers? How long before we get the same thing for girls

In my region (SWE) Region HQ is making first contact with volunteers, then passing on to Dist Comm. It's a PITA actually. I job share the DC role and we're pretty on the ball. Region tell volunteers all the wrong stuff!

Oh that's not helpful. I've done the volunteer Join Us role and we have a really long enquiry email we've tailored to our area, things like which units actually need volunteers, do they have a car (mix of urban and rural units) etc.

I’ve just realised that the interest badges that my unit really enjoy doing (cook, hostess, artist, craft, swimmer, friend to animals- the things that they are actually interested in during their own time) are going to be going this time next year.
I was quite enthusiastic about the new programme when I first read about it, but having just realised this, I feel a bit sad. Part of the reason I like the old badges is because it enables us to find out about the girls when they aren’t a brownie, I just don’t feel the new badges give this opportunity. What do other leaders think? With it being the holidays, I haven’t seen any other guiders to ask them their opinions, so don’t know if I’m the only one thinking this.

I agree the badges you listed are the ones our brownies have done at home , plus sports badge (we have a few skiers).
I like the new programme but feel they have got it wrong with the interest badges and wonder how many girls will do any at home .

I'm waiting to see the syllabus but yes, I can see interest badges being even more of a unit thing.
A while back I had some good Brownie badge holiday packs, some of those might help.

The interest badges are meant to be done at home by the girls not in meetings. If you want to do Award and Gold Badge not time.