Guiders Staff Room Part 4

[Groovee]

Moving on from Part 3

[Becles]

I didn't think it could be worse than the proposed Rangers alternatives. Grim

[rivierliedje]

Nor did I @Becles. But they are much much worse, very corporate and not even names!
You couldn't not tick a box for the names, but I wrote long comments for each of them and a long comment in the 'any other feedback' section.
I should never have said I wanted a good name, I feel like I've jinxed it.
Oh dear, @Marie, I can imagine the strapline possibilities were dodgy at best. Does anyone know why we need a strapline? It confuses me, as I've never heard or seen any reference to it ever, except on the badge tabs.
There is a great wikipedia page with all the age groups in Guiding and scouting. There are some lovely names for the small sections, and some decent ones for older age groups.
The main thing for me is name I can actually call myself! I can hardly see anyone calling themselves a flexconnect (without feeling like something that could be bought in a DIY shop). I really want to be part of a focus group coming up with names, I love it.

[MarieVanGoethem]

Was talking to my best friend about this earlier (then I accidentally fell asleep) & my immediate reaction to Your Collective was that it was some kind of Stalinist attempt at a women’s magazine. To go/provide historical contrast with the blatant take-a-break-type waiting-room-fodder that are Discover You & My Mix. (At least we now have strategies rather than 5 Year Plans. Well we run them for 5 years still, obviously, but somebody has finally caught themselves on... I wasn’t popular for sniggering about those. I did, however, at all times resist suggesting “getting electricity to the fields” as an aim. Partly because I know where a joke would be wasted...) FlexConnect is going to get people after knowing about our call plan, let’s face it.

It’s something of a paradox that Girlguiding are so determined that to be modern & relevant we’ve to demolish & deny everything about our past unless/until convenient or impossible to avoid. The 110 years things suits them. Pretty much everything else? Not a rug big enough apparently. Well, maybe when anniversary WWII comes round they’ll remember & acknowledge the truly exceptional service of our members - pity by then women they’re currently ignoring & neglecting will be dead, but they’re just not “cool enough”. Even Brownies were making a “proper” contribution - can you imagine spending meetings knotting camouflage nets? (The uptick in names in the I Have Gone Home -they did just use the tracking sign, yes - section of The Guide & The Guider both during WW2 still makes me feel a bit wobbly. Not that it’s ok seeing all the names of wee Brownies in Extension Packs, obviously, but when they start creeping in, wee girls bombed to bits, some just round by me... ech... Which reminds me - those beautiful old doors at Guide HQ withstood the fecking blitz: am sure our makeover to “soulless & corporate” could have left them in situ. Feckers.)

[scissy]

I take it references to things like "Your Collective" (shudder) were only sent to those involved with the Rangers/Senior Section changes? Sounds like the Borg to me
You'll be pleased to know out in the sticks we still use the old names for groups and leaders, if nothing else it's what the parents expect.

[MarieVanGoethem]

I think so scissy - my best friend runs Rangers & thoughtfully decided to share the grimness with me last night. She’s good like that.

My Assistant Leader once spent a meeting genuinely & completely accidentally making Senior Guiding Volunteer (who’s in our County; lo, for we are blessed) go all sorts of funny colours & at a couple of points make weird kind of squeaky noises by using The Wrong Words. It was hilarious. SGV clearly thought she was trying to wind her up & possibly that I’d put her up to it. With the bit where I was struggling to control my mirth. I’m vastly too scared of her to do any such thing. But still appreciated my Assistant Leader’s work. They were ALL in there - Brownie Pack, Pack Holiday, QM, Guider, Warrant, Pack Leader, Guide Company... was almost surprised she didn’t roll out Ranger Crew/Ship

Most of my parents say Brownie Pack. I use Brownie Unit & Unit Leader because I am well-trained, obedient, & as mentioned above, scared. I even write everything in Trebuchet & put our wee Unit logo on. (I get a bit confused when non-Guiding stuff is written in Trebuchet. Also when Guiding stuff is written in a different font. Sad but true...)


Oh & rivier I think the strapline is literally just about branding & recognition & it’s a marketing thingy to change it so it doesn’t get stale. Like businesses do. Again, onto a loser, because “Be Prepared” & “Lend A Hand” (without the latter you can’t reach Brownieland, after all...) are durable. And of course the whole “dib dib dib” thing, however many times you say “oh, actually that was the Scouts”. I still think “surprise yourself!” was the best strapline. I can’t even remember the current one - is it still “we discover, we grow” (or something like that)?

We did the “Doggy Language” UMA last night. Brownies v disappointed this didn’t entail learning how to actually speak to dogs. Leaders disappointed that we needed to research answers rather than them being provided. Because it’s yet another UMA that’s about 1/2 written. Well, as it goes we know enough about dogs not to need have needed to. But that is not the point. Every time I think of the “less admin” promise I feel a tiny bit violent because we’ve now to deal with spectacularly unwieldy recording system & do prep for activities that are, tbh, utterly dire & quite frequently seem to have been dreamt up by someone who’s never met a Brownie much less worked with a Unit of them. As for the “all tested by members” - doesn’t mean they got any flipping better. And we’re stuck with it. Stuck with a programme designed for a Unit with outdoor space & cooking facilities & plenty of money & seemingly endless resources & storage & indeed Leaders. I’ll do it so my awesome small people have the chance to get their Gold Award if they want to & will counter-balance with Things I Do Not Wish To Burn With Fire (as chosen by Brownies, obviously) but I will be yearning & maybe plotting for another renewal.

[scissy]

Ah, are you another unit also not blessed with copious amounts of outdoor space Marie? Our closest is the town's mugging and drug dealing hotspot (!)
We do at least have storage and access to a kitchen with a temperamental oven so i guess it's not all bad!
Thanks for the heads up about "doggy language" - I hadn't read that one in great detail yet, and not being a dog owner it looks like some prep is required sigh.
Btw, for anyone looking to do first aid L2, start saving boxes... we're doing it as a unit and I've got to find 4x5 boxes (of different sizes) for 2 weeks time! Some of the badge requirements, are, "interesting"

[MarieVanGoethem]

We’ve the back carpark, coated in the sort of asphalt that takes the skin off you if you look at it wrong. As well as stairs it’s reached by, there is a steep narrow flight of steps down to a boiler-room that obviously we’ve to keep girls well clear of. Oh & 2 minibuses parked up. We have JUST enough space we can safely have sparklers for Diwali/Bonfire Night (but the Brownies HAVE to stay still & Follow Leaders To Buckets etc) & can skip outside in the summer if feeling brave. To be outside “properly” though we hold meetings elsewhere: we have a choice of parks & even, in winter, a handy heath.

We’re just not doing the boxes bit. Feck knows where they think Leaders live that they can be storing 20 boxes (or in our cases, 10 each) if they could even get suitable ones but... no. Each Six is getting big bits of paper & they’ll stick them up. Boxes... like to see me walking a mile to the hall with 20 boxes!

(To be scrupulously fair, we’ve more storage space than lots of other Units. But not enough. And the Guide Unit we share with not only take over way more than half the cupboard as well as having heaps of storage elsewhere ALSO steal our stuff. As in actually steal, yes. So am Grumpy Owl about it. And we are lucky enough to have a kitchen. It’s where the light switches are for the actual hall, which is nice. [No idea who thought that was a plan...] Is awkward to reach from main hall in terms of not being simple through-door though & the oven is... not even just temperemental - I mean, we do basically need to switch it on the meeting before we want to cook if we want any hope of it being hot enough; but it’s like it’s invented it’s own secret handshake for getting it to work... I do not do food... apart from St Patrick’s Day, when I am in charge of all the food. But not buttering the potato bread in case I accidentally kill myself. Which would be a bit awkward during a Brownie meeting, especially because I’m the one responsible for first aid...)

[SadOtter]

I take it references to things like "Your Collective" (shudder) were only sent to those involved with the Rangers/Senior Section changes? I got an email and I'm Rainbows.

[MarieVanGoethem]

Are you 30 or under SadOtter?

I’m a bit miffed at missing the changeover to the extended age range. Well apart from the ridic name side of things.

On subject of 18-30 offering did you all see it seems like they might be planning to mangle the QG a bit more, having apparently already quietly dropped a part when they changed the record book a couple of years ago (unless I managed to just miss it when Reading While Tired+Migrainey; entirely possible)? People already exploit the fact the QG syllabus is designed to be flexible to allow everyone to participate regardless of [dis]ability; I will be really hacked off if they decide to just make it easier. I didn’t get my Gold D of E because neither D of E nor Girlguiding were interested in helping me sort out a cripple-friendly expedition [particularly enjoyed being told that I should have been arranging one while relearning to walk & totally unable to plan for anything long-term... still should have been planning though IF I WERE SERIOUS ABOUT IT, people...] so I’m all for Things Being Better Accessible - but there’s a world of difference between accessible (which the QG Award is, though some people may need - appropriate - support to complete aspects of it) & just making it in no way a challenge. Some people already get away with the latter (& I don’t mean doubling QG/QS or QG/DofE) because people will collude with them because everyone wants lots of QGs in their County. Some Counties even pressure students to change registrations, which I think is pretty obnoxious. Even more obnoxious if students attend a university with 8-Week terms so they’ll continue to volunteer with their home Unit[s] at the start/end of school terms.

(I really do love Guiding very much. Just every now & then I get The Rage. And a slight yearning to see if things could be improved by enacting suggestion for dealing with Leader expected to be irksome at an upcoming GIS weekend in the 1940s - to wit, lobbing her in convenient pond, with justification she was a Sea Ranger Skipper. With justification of it clearly being a Tradition Of Guiding. Obviously would then have to have Brownies pond-dip for things slung in, Because v unGuidelike. Any people that might have found themselves there, however... actually, they probably deserve enthusiastic rescuing. Bwahahahahaha. Serve them right. [I’m very nice really. Promise. Guide’s Honour, even.])

[rivierliedje]

@Marie What part did they drop? The only thing i've seen about the queen's guide is possibly changing the wording of the last clause for service in guiding (at least that was what the survey i was sent was about). Which I think does need some clarifying.

[Becles]

@rivierliedje the survey is here and you can comment properly on the third or 4th page
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/18-30name

[BringOnTheScience]

Thank you for the link becles. They're missing lots of options in the first part. I want tick puzzling, confusing, obscure, WTF, etc.
I couldn't complete it. Those new names are utterly awful.

[Becles]

@BringOnTheScience I abandoned it twice. Then someone told me it was probably deliberately designed to make people give up. I went back and to town on the free text on the last page. Lots of naff and embarrassing, plus questions about why they they've tried so hard to stop us properly saying what we thought.

[Groovee]

We're doing some programme testing. I've just received my email now. After a hard day at work it feels complicated when really it's not x

[rivierliedje]

@Becles Thanks, I had filled it in, I also had another survey about the queen's guide award. I think that one was only sent to those who had recently completed or are in the process of completing it.

@Groovee and @Bring Do persist! It took me several goes and showing it to my partner who has nothing to do with Guiding whatsoever to discuss it (and process my shock at the thing) and then I ended up ticking one or two words for each (you don't have to choose ten) and writing long notes in the open feedback.

[BringOnTheScience]

I have now completed the survey, twice DD YL has done it too.

The family agrees that Discover You is a yoga class, My Mix is a local radio station, Your Collective is the youth branch of the Labour party, and FlexConnect gives you 1/3 off train fares.

[MillicentMargaretAmanda]

I think I said that MyMix reminded me of a mix tape, and that the collective one had definite communist overtones!!

[Groovee]

Had a peer educator tonight doing the breaking free programme. Very informative and interesting as to the girls thoughts and feelings.

[MarieVanGoethem]

I must to confess to just having anticipatory grumpiness & not actually looking at the survey to see what they were about. Just the headline “we’re planning to change things” was enough to make me grump.

It was late & I was tired when I looked but I couldn’t seem to find the Residential Experience Clause - where you attend a residential event of at least 3 days & 2 nights (can be run by Girlguiding or another organisation) where you don’t know the majority of other participants. However, I’ve just looked at it again & it seems like the syllabus just wasn’t loading properly & between that & the half-blindly migraine-brain... (did think it was a bit odd, but also, Guiding...)

I’m wondering if Peer Ed will be something that will belong only to 14-18 from now on or if 18-30 will be able to continue. A billion years ago when I was on 4CaST the majority of Peer Educators were in the middle of Senior Section age, & younger ones often struggled to do sessions outside VERY immediate area. (Unlike me, [not-so-]merrily going from one Region to another to do a session the day my finals results came out. EVERYONE knew my grades before I did because they were posted outside Senate House before they were online. Lovely.). Still can’t believe they were let called 4, 4. Well, more that they were allowed to call Peer Educators In4mers.

[rivierliedje]

No, the residential hasn't gone! I loved mine.

I'm starting to get to grips with both Rangers in the new programme and all sections programme for the Irish Girl Guides. I've been having a Guiding heavy week off, in a very nice relaxed exploring and planning way.

[Groovee]

Ah just had a meeting with the county commissioner. The designate will be removed from my title and I've passed my probabtion as a District Commissioner 😱

[Becles]

Welcome to the club @Groovee.

If you haven't already set up a district email account do it now!!!!

[Groovee]

Lol the previous DC had one and was shocked when I asked for it as I had been so adamant that I wouldn't do it.

[yaela123]

Whoop good luck!

[scissy]

Ooh good luck Groovee
I have pack holiday planning tonight, how did it come around so fast?!