As a child, I was shy to the point of both silence and muteness. In year 8, my teachers and my head of house conspired to set homework that explicitly required us to go and ask the teacher what the answer was, and to award me merits every time I opened my mouth. It didn't... Continue Reading →

One way that I try to sell Girlguiding to potential new leaders is the boost to their CV. You pick up a lot of skills and if you know how to present that to an employer in a way they can understand, it can definitely put you a step ahead of your competition. Leadership, teamwork,... Continue Reading →

Support, support, support and a bit more support! In Guiding, you’ll hear about growth and retention. It’s important to get new members - both the kids and the adult leaders - but it’s also important to keep them and I have to say, in my little guiding world, we’re failing miserably on both counts. My... Continue Reading →

This brought to you by local INTOPS and an ex-Guide of mine who got rejected for being too quiet. INTOPS is International Opportunities. I don’t know much about how it works but I gather trips abroad are planned and then girls are put forward, by unit or district or county or whatever, depending on the... Continue Reading →

This is something that I think will come up during your Adult Leadership Qualification but I think it's worth having a think about it. How do you lead your unit? When I took over the local Guides back in... when was it, 2016?... the old leader said "You know you've made it when you're sitting... Continue Reading →