Guiders Staff Room Part 4

[Groovee]

Moving on from Part 3

[scissy]

Ours like Catch a story and it usually ends up with explosions here too
Last week we let our oldest sixers loose running frog, fox, flea (to help earn their gold awards). The game morphed somewhat but they loved being in charge.

Those of you who have done "bottle mansions", did you use 500ml bottles? I've never seen any plastic bottles in the "recommended" size!

[MsAwesomeDragon]

We're doing bottle mansions in a few weeks, so I'd like the answer to scissy's question too. I've got access to tons of 500ml bottles, and can get some 2l bottles as well, but 70cl plastic bottles are not a common size are they?

[InflagranteDelicto]

70cl would be a gin bottle (began clementine gin yesterday). Seen positive things about using 500ml bottles on Facebook.

Loving the mn SB. Think you could extend the categories over several stages, so bingo with increasingly larger grids. Also why Brownies don't camp - stage 2?

My unit are very disappointed that thinking day is during half term. Next year it'll be a Saturday, so two years before they can wear uniform to school again!

[MarieVanGoethem]

We used 500ml bottles, they were grand (provided by connection who’s caretaker at a school that gives every pupil a bottle a day - apparently they’ve missed the memo on single use plastic & general waste reduction etc). You get some larger water bottles (700/750ml) but they are indeed not a usual size!

I’ve been down to visit Irish Girl Guides HQ today (well I went to see a friend, but when she’d to go to an appointment it would have been rude not to go & say hello to the nice people at IGG HQ...) & gained provisions for St Patrick’s day next month. And had a nice wee chat about our respective uniforms & programme etc...

[MillicentMargaretAmanda]

Happy Thinking Day, everyone!

[SadOtter]

Happy Thinking Day @MillicentMargaretAmanda

[rivierliedje]

How was that @Marie? I'll be moving there next year and looking forward/nervous about training in a different programme.

I have been drafted in to help with the senior section to rangers changeover and am trying to think of ways to get things going.
You all sound like you are having quite a good time with the new Brownie programme

[MarieVanGoethem]

@rivierliedje
You’ll be grand. I’ve some quite serious programme envy & tbh if I could afford the healthcare I’d be tempted to up sticks... well, not quite. But almost. Are you on Twitter? IGG have a very lovely social media person there who I’m sure would point you in the direction of people to talk to in advance of the move - & their account is generally good in terms of giving you a sense of what they’re like, I think. Oh, er, you do know their Leaders wear lilac, don’t you?

I - obviously - can’t speak for anyone else, but tbh we’re working very hard to have fun with new Programme. Because we’re stuck with it. So we are smiling & singing. And loving the bits of Programme that are our own (well, the girls’ ideas that we’ve put together, obviously). I’ve lots of parents unimpressed with the new Programme too. Thankfully, they’re expressing that as positively as they can - as in, not telling their daughters & making it clear they know we’ve no control over it & reiterating how grateful they are for what we do etc.

Have heard from a few friends who run Rangers that the new Programme is helpful in its structure - Look Wider could be rather too broad/unwieldy, especially in Units where girls were having to [mostly] manage themselves. Are you working with a Unit or are you That Lucky Person for a District/Division/County/Region?

[rivierliedje]

@Marie That's reassuring. Except the lilac! I've had a look, maybe I'll get away with wearing their Senior Branch uniform, I am just about young enough. Or always wear the fancy shirt, which looks exactly like our formal shirt uniform.

I've just had to look up for what level of area I'm in charge of the Rangers for. It's an entire County. Deep breath.

I can imagine the switchover will be continue to be rather bumpy for a while.

[MarieVanGoethem]

rivier
Well if you’ve been given a whole County to play with that means it’d be sensible to contact your Region Senior Section Advisor and make this at least partly their problem, ahem & maybe you should have a wee chat with your County Commissioner so you cannot be blamed if things are not Womderfully Successful and or for not being psychic yes? Cynical? Me? Nooooooo...

Are you confident yourself in how the New Programme all works? Really confident I mean? If you think at all you’d benefit from going over things with someone you can legitimately request a “fireside training” (actual fires sadly not included) & have your County fund it - basically a 1:1 with a Trainer to let you ask all the stuff you want to know before you try to sail forth with your transitioning. And if you specify it’s for the Senior Section likely you’ll get someone who might be able to help you come up with some ideas/help you refine a plan. (Again, I am Picture Of Innocence. Positively Angelic. I’d still be in with a chance of being picked to carry the bambino to the crib scene at Midnight Mass were I not a shade too tall I look that seraphic... [only a wee bit too tall mind, I keep having Brownies get alarmingly LOOMY at me...])

If you’ll excuse me, I need to practice swishing a cape in a quasi-Machiavellian fashion.

[MarieVanGoethem]

Apologies, that should of course have been Country or Region, not simply Region.

[rivierliedje]

Thanks @Marie. I'm actually feeling fairly confident about the structure of the new programme (I love a good flowchart, me). But more training is always good!

[MarieVanGoethem]

Fab - as well as “just” Programme it might be worth trying to be ready with stuff about the 18-30 “offering” for girls in TSS who’ll be in that age group (& Leaders who’ll want to know); & knowing about guidelines on progressing girls as they reach 18 if, for whatever reason, they’re not ready to move on from Rangers (atm answer’s apparently they can stay on in same way girls currently able to stay in younger sections past usual transfer age if that’s what’s most appropriate for their individual needs [but obviously check that!!!] & I don’t remember if anything was said about Gold post-18...)

(And of course you need to think of Ranger Programme within their Other Opportunities like Commonwealth Award, 4, BYC, [are they keeping the Permit?], Advocates, international opportunities...)

Trouble with County roles is expectation you will be practically omniscient. Well, that’s one of the issues

[rivierliedje]

THat's very helpful. I have been county advisor before, but for a different county and different subject!

The expectation is very much to actually get the Rangers going though, as the current senior section is not particularly active. Actually you mentioning transition to 18-30 section makes me think I should try and set up contact with all the 13 and 14 year old Guides who will be moving on to Rangers soon and need something to join.

Also when will the 18-30 offer get a proper name? I am in this group and would like a nice name please. Australia has an Olave programme, the Irish girl guides have Senior branch and the catholic guides ireland have a new Storrow programme

[Groovee]

Think all the prep is done for tonight. I need to start delegating again

[Becles]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/3519594-Guide-Camp-Clothing-Rules?watched=1&msgid=85252223#85252223

[Groovee]

Oooh got my district and unit payment is being processed.

[MarieVanGoethem]

rivier
Given how resistant they were to calling Rangers “Rangers” (notably featuring the feeble “we don’t own the name any more” while having never been able to own “Rainbows” & the whole “ah now, will you not choose something else girls?”) I’d not hold your breath for a name any time soon; nor one that’s any cop given the ones they were trying to push for 14-18.
Contacting Guides due to transition definitely sounds wise. Do you think you could get together a taster day? Or, if you’re feeling SUPER ambitious, a residential. If your County are aiming for a launch they might be able to subsidise - depending on their money situation - & pull together a Team for you. If you can get a pull factor like offering adventurous activities &/or doing the Stage 6 Camp Skills Builder 🤔

Groovee
Did your email appear at a ridiculous hour? Mine came at about 4 this morning. Obviously I was tremendously excited by the news & couldn’t have waited another couple of hours for it

[Becles]

Hq never seem to cover themselves in glory do they?

[Groovee]

Lol yes it did. It always arrived about 4am. Must be when the mailshot is sent.

[MarieVanGoethem]

Becles
They were an awful lot better before they turned all soulless-corporate on us. (Though Leaders have been complaining about “red-tape” since the 1920s, so arguably they were pretty much never going to win...) Things like “you can’t be Guiders any more, it confuses people” is just... a bit embarrassing really. (Still don’t get logic of swapping “Leader in Charge” to “Unit Leader” either. And the whole thing where they insist we can’t use Brownie Pack/Guide Company... the rest of the country isn’t having it, so possibly it’s time to give up & accept that we don’t have to bin off all our traditions to be modern & relevant.)

Groovee
Do love an ungodly o’clock Girlguiding email. Always the element of surprise...

[Groovee]

Oh jeez, Dd is 19 and still smarting the "senior section" changes. The latest name survey has her saying "are they doing a banking strap line survey?"

[MarieVanGoethem]

I’m so sad I didn’t keep hold of the options the suggested instead of “Girls in the lead” (which in the roll-out email to people on national teams they announced was “Girls in lead”, because, well, Girlguiding [bless them & all who camp with them ) because they were... special. I can’t actually remember them because I’ve blotted our the awfulness...

[Becles]

But the choices are so dynamic and just what the modern 18-30 year old would go for. Which one chimes with the young folk and which do the old gimmers want to see on a badge?

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[Groovee]

Dd is looking to see if they have a suggest other...