Welcome to Girlguiding-nul
Girlguiding-nul is a youth charity organization based in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Our aim is to provide a safe and fun space for girls aged 4 and above to have adventures, learn new skills, and make friends for life.
Our Mission
We are a charity run by volunteers who are passionate about empowering girls and young women. Our mission is to inspire and enable every girl to reach her full potential, regardless of her background, ethnicity, or social status. We believe in creating a world where girls can be confident, resilient, and adventurous, and where they have the skills and opportunities to shape their own future.
Our Programme
An overview
There’s so much to try in our programme, all designed so there’s something for every girl.
The structure of our programme means girls can grow along with the themes from from Rainbows right up to Rangers.
​
Made up of 6 themes, the Girlguiding programme promises to empower girls development as all round individuals, team members, leaders and much more! You can read more about the 6 themes below!
​
Girls explore the world through our programme’s six themes.
We know trying different things is important to girls and young women. So we’ve built our programme around six themes that offer girls a broad range of experiences.
One theme might include activities to build your confidence, another will take you on a muddy adventure or teach you how to fix a plug.
Everything girls do as part of our programme will fit into a theme. It’s a neat way to group together badges, activities and awards focussing on a similar area.
Thinking about activities by theme is also a way to make sure girls are offered a balanced and varied programme. By giving them a well-rounded experience, we can help girls develop their sense of self and how they relate to the wider world.
The programme is split up with Skills Builders and Unit Meeting Activities (+ extras too) which will be offered in units, but girls can also work on Interest Badges too to help them suceed and develop further. These all tie together to achieve Theme Awards (TA) and Section Awards of Bronze (2ta), Silver (4ta) & Gold (All 6 ta + extra challenge).
When a girl does any activity, badge or award from our programme, she’ll be developing her skills in one of the themes.
The themes stay the same through every section of guiding. So a girl can start to develop a skill as a Rainbow, build on it as a Brownie and Guide and take it even further as a Ranger. The longer she stays in guiding the fuller her experience will be.
Girls will probably naturally gravitate towards one theme more than others, particularly as they get older and develop their interests. Some might lean towards technical or creative skills, others to adventurous challenges or social action.
That isn’t a problem. The main thing is making sure girls are supported to try all the themes available. And that we offer them a balanced and varied programme as set out in our Five Essentials – the principles that run through everything we do in guiding. After all, challenging girls to try things they wouldn’t normally can help them reach their full potential.
​
We love how the themes combine continuity and progress. They also help us see at a glance whether girls are doing a wide range of activities in guiding. We want to make sure they get the variety of experiences they need to reach their potential, make a positive difference in the world and be happy and safe. We hope that it will give girls and volunteers a really clear way to enjoy a varied, balanced and inspiring guiding programme.
At Girlguiding-nul, we offer a wide range of exciting and challenging activities that help girls develop their physical, emotional, and social skills. Our programs are designed to be fun, safe, and inclusive, and to encourage girls to step out of their comfort zone and try new things.
Skills Builders & UMAs
Unit Meeting Activities (UMAs):
There’s a huge range of things to try in our growing suite of fun, ready-to-go unit meeting activities.
Girls will be able to explore topics as diverse as DIY, self-defence, exploring nature and 3D craft and design – and many, many more!
We’ve worked with our members to develop lots of new activities, on topics that girls and young women told us they wanted to explore with their friends at their regular meetings.
​
These activities are about taking part, trying new things and having fun as a group. There’s a variety of lengths and styles, so they can work for 10 minutes of fun at the end of a unit meeting or a longer introduction on a new topic. And they all sit within our programme themes and count towards earning a Theme award.
​
These unit meeting activities come on specially designed activity cards, they’re bright, colourful and simple to follow, encouraging all girls to get involved or to take the lead in small group or whole unit activities. The UMA cards meet the needs of our young members and can be easily delivered in unit meetings.
​
There are lots of different activities now available for units, and new packs of activities will be developed and released regularly each year, so there’ll always be something fresh for girls to try.
​
As girls focus on a range of themes they’ll build up the activity hours they need to get their hands on their Theme awards. Leaders can record the activities from each meeting so its important to attend regularly or let leaders know if you'll be missing for a while or of any interest badge work completed at home so that they can adjust their records accordingly.
There's also plenty of room for leaders and girls to do other activities too. These can be anything you want, including adventurous outdoor activities, games, trips and visits that don't connect to a theme.
Skills Builders (SBs):
Skills builders are specially designed to help girls develop core skills as they travel from Rainbows to Brownies and on to Guides and Rangers.
We see our skills builders as an evolution of the staged badges, like Cyclist and Survival, that were available for all sections from the late 80s. These badges gave girls the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of a subject over time, something which was missing from guiding since the staged badges were discontinued.
Our members told us that they missed the growth and progression that came from this structure, so we launched skills builders in 2018 to help girls tackle new topics, reach their potential and grow their abilities in ways that are relevant to their experiences in Girlguiding and beyond!
​
A variety of skills ranging from tradtional to contemporary & even thinking forward to the future: There are 12 skills builder topics. They all link with our programme themes and cover everything girls love about guiding from outdoor adventures to learning leadership skills.
There's six stages to complete in each topic and girls earn a badge for every stage they complete. Each stage is a bit more challenging than the one before – so if a girl starts stage 1 in Rainbows, by the time she reaches stage 5 as a Guide she’ll have gained some very valuable skills, got a great set of badges and had a lot of fun!
For example, as they progress through the stages of the Innovate skills builder, girls learn about design, construction, experimenting and a whole range of skills. It introduces them to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in a fun and relatable way.
SBs:
-
5 activities to do at each stage
-
6 stages in a skills builder
-
12 different skills builder topics to try (2 skills builder topics for each of the 6 programme themes)
Girls completing any stage from 1-5 can complete four out of the five activities to achieve a skills builder badge. For stage 6 all five activities need to be completed. Some skills builder stages have linked activities – where it clearly says they must be done in order. With these stages, linked activities should be prioritised and make up part of the four completed activities.
​
Skills builder stages are great for girls to work on in their regular unit meetings. There are five activities to complete at each stage, each one developed to work brilliantly as a small group activity. This means that several groups can be working on a different stage, or different topics, in the same meeting.
At each stage girls will also have an opportunity to develop their skills independently. Whether through preparing something for a group activity, creating something unique to them or by reflecting on what they’ve learnt during the activities they’ve done.
Interesting to see younger Rainbows become involved in teamwork which is sometimes not visible during meetings where other activities are chosen by the girls. – Rainbow leader who tested skill builder activities
​
Girls in all sections will work with their leaders to decide which stage they’re ready to start, by looking at their experiences in and out of guiding. This means that all girls have the chance to challenge themselves, whichever stage they’re at.
There’s no restriction on the lowest stage a girl can start on. So if your Brownie feels nervous about stage 2 but ready for stage 1, she can start there. There is an upper limit for each section to encourage girls to develop a breadth as well as depth of skills. So Rainbows can’t go higher than stage 2, Brownies stage 3, Guides stage 5 and the new Rangers section can reach stage 6.
​
The range of topics available means there’s something for every girl, and the stages mean they’re suited for every level of skill. Girls can go from being new to a subject to becoming a whizz as they journey through guiding. And being able to carry on doing things they have enjoyed as they transition to a new section will just make it even more exciting to be joining a new group.
​
Our programs also focus on building important life skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. We believe that every girl has the potential to be a leader and make a positive impact in her community, and we provide the training and support to help her achieve her goals.
​
​
Interest Badges:
Each section has a number of interest badges to complete which fit into the 6 themes - these are completed at home or during special girlguiding events but should not be part of usual unit meetings. For Rainbows, Brownies & Guides a badge book can be purchased through the unit, division trading shop or online. For Rangers, girls can access their badge syllabus online at Girlguiding.org.uk/badgefinder
​
Girls do not have to complete interest badges if they do not wish, but they support the progression and achievements of theme and section awards so leaders will encourage members to complete at least once badge from each section. There is no requirement to complete all of the interest badges in each section as we understand that they may not be of interest to everyone - however leaders will always support and reward any badge work!
​
Our interest badges are packed with fun and inspiration to let girls lead the way. They’re designed to build their independence too, as girls choose which badges they do and how and when they do them. Over the decades, badges have always been a fundamental part of the girl guides, in 2018 when introducing the new modernised programme, the interest badges were updated too, although a few have kept some more traditional themes too. They focus on fun. And are designed to open girls’ eyes to activities they might not have tried before, or allow them to dig deeper into the things they love.
​
Many interest badges can be done in a few hours or over a weekend - although as they get older and the challenge level increases some may suggest a longer time period for goal setting, progress & reflection. They’re as time-intensive as a girl chooses to make them. They don’t have to be done all at once. Instead girls can plan them around their other commitments. Sometimes leaders will suggest completing a badge from a certain theme during the same term they're completing SBs or UMAs - some may suggest using the school holidays as a perfect time to get some badgework done (as its the perfect way to reduce boredom).
​
Each interest badge consists of three challenges, but we don’t tell girls exactly what to do. Instead they choose how they tackle each challenge and each girl will do something unique. There’s no 'right' way to do it and this encourages girls to be creative and challenge themselves but please make sure that it is recorded in someway such a photos, videos, notebooks etc. When they have done the challenges girls will share what they've achieved with their leader; If the leader believes that the clauses have been achieved she will sign her badge book and present her with the badge. On a rare occasion that a leader believes that one or more elements of the clause haven't been met, she will make suggestions or arrange time to discuss the issue and how to make an improvement.
​
If girls struggle to find the time or resource to complete interest badges at home, leaders can give them the space and inspiration to complete them in unit meetings, or on camps and trips. This is something we are looking at doing as whole division events in future so please do let us know if this is something that you feel would be beneficial.
​
Interest badges by section
Rainbows – 12 badges, 2 per theme
Brownies – 18 badges, 3 per theme
Guides – 24 badges, 4 per theme
Rangers – 18 badges, 3 per theme
With each section, the challenge involved increases with girls' ages and should be done so more independently wherever possible - however we always recommend adult supervision when using scissors, glue, and other tools etc.
Themes
We know trying different things is important to girls and young women so Girlguiding built our programme around six themes that offer girls a broad range of experiences and help them to explore the world.
Some of the activities may link themes together whereas others will be stand-alone, examples included activities to build your confidence, muddy adventures or even how to fix a plug.
As well as a neat way to group together badges, activities and awards focussing on a similar area, thinking about activities by theme is also a good way to make sure girls are offered a balanced and varied programme. By giving them a well-rounded experience, we can help girls develop their sense of self and how they relate to the wider world.
Introducing the six themes
All six themes are equally important as each represents an area of girls’ development.
Centred on you
Know Myself
Girls explore emotions and learn about themselves. They’ll look at what they enjoy, build confidence and discover how feelings affect behaviour.
Example activity: Explore your cultural background.
What makes you who you are?
What do you enjoy? What do you value? How do feelings affect you? These are just some of the questions explored with the badges and activities in our Know Myself theme. It’s all about understanding emotions, building confidence and, of course, learning about yourself.
Everything in our new programme – from badges and awards to unit meeting activities and skills builders – fits into one of our six programme themes. Come with us now as we explore all things Know Myself. We’ll look at the badges and activities in the theme and find out what Know Myself means to some of our members. Then why not see if you can beat our just-for-fun Know Myself quiz.
From Personal brand to Morals and values, there's loads of interest badges and skills builders to explore in the Know Myself theme.
​
Express Myself
Girls develop their creativity in all sorts of ways. They’ll make up stories and create inventions to solve problems and start thinking laterally and teaching creative skills to friends.
Example activity: Using digital tools to communicate ideas in creative ways.
Light that little spark of inspiration
Girls develop their creativity in all sorts of ways. One day they might be a storyteller, an artist or inventor, another day a designer or presenter. Our Express Myself theme gives girls space to explore their creativity and think differently. Through the theme’s badges and activities, they’ll make up stories, think up inventions, solve problems and share their skills with friends.
Everything in our new programme - from badges and awards to unit meeting activities and skills builders - fits into one of our six programme themes. Join us now to find out all about our Express Myself theme. And then challenge yourself with our just for fun Express Myself quiz!
The Express Myself theme is full of badges and activities to get messy and motivated with, from Costume and Confectionery to Painting and Performing to our Communicate and Innovate skills builders. .
​
​
Be Well
Girls learn how to stay healthy and how to help others when they’re hurt.
Example activity: Learn first aid skills.
​
Feeling good inside and out.
Stop. Breathe. Stretch. Take a moment to relax. Because we’re going to talk about our Be Well theme, which is all about looking after yourself. And those around you too.
Everything in our new programme - from badges and awards to unit meeting activities and skills builders - fits into one of our six programme themes. With our Be Well theme, girls and young women explore how to stay safe, healthy and happy. They learn how to help others when they’re hurt too - essential skills to take with them through life.
From Healthy Mind and Meditation to Sports and First aid, there's loads of Be Well interest badges and skills builders to explore.
​
​
Have Adventures
Girls have the chance to overcome fears, try new activities and learn survival skills. Getting outside and having adventures has always been an important part of guiding.
Example activity: Geocaching and orienteering.
Adventures can happen anywhere…
In a wild wood, in an unknown country or on the street where you live. But with Girlguiding they’re never too far away. Because getting outside and having adventures has always been a big part of what we do. And it’s exactly what our new Have Adventures theme is all about.
Everything in our new programme - all the badges, awards, unit meeting activities and skills builders - fit into one of our six programme themes. Today we’re exploring Have Adventures. It’s the theme that gives girls the chance to overcome fears, try new activities and learn survival skills. So, put your waterproof on and grab your map because we’re going on an adventure!
There’s lots of ways to have adventures inside and outside the meeting place. Check out some of our unit meeting activity tasters to get you started: Secrets of survival (Rainbows), First aid in the field (Brownies), Help (Guides), Can cooker (Rangers and The Senior Section).
Girls can keep exploring by working their way through adventurous skills builders and interest badges, from Nature and Aviation to Backwoods cooking and Festival goer.
​
Take Action
Girls build skills to make a positive difference, whether in their community, the wider world or with the people they know
Example activity: Volunteering or fundraising for a local cause.
Together we can change the world.
But sometimes it can be difficult to know where to begin. So, to help girls get started, our Take Action theme is all about building the skills to make a positive difference. Whether it’s to the people you know, to your community or to the wider world.
Everything in our new programme - all the badges, awards, unit meeting activities and skills builders - fit into one of six themes. Today we’re looking at everything in our Take Action theme. It includes things like campaigning, volunteering, fundraising, reducing waste and speaking out. So are you ready to change the world?
There are loads of Take Action activities for girls to try together with their unit - from the Influence and Make change skills builders to unit meeting activities that motivate.
Girls and young women can take action in their own time too by doing interest badges at home. They might like to try Helper (Rainbows), Speaking Out (Brownies), Craftivism (Guides) or Volunteering (Rangers).
​
Skills For My Future
Girls investigate what they might like to do in the future and how they can grow their life skills.
Example activity: Exploring different career paths.
What are the most useful skills to have as you go out into the world? Being able to cook a meal? Use a hammer? Take the lead? Or having confidence in yourself? Our Skills For My Future theme helps girls to build all these life-skills and more.
Everything in our new programme - all the badges, awards, unit meeting activities and skills builders - fit into one of six programme themes. Skills For My Future gets girls thinking about the big things, like what they might like to do when they’re older. But it’s also about those day-to-day things that help you get along - fixing a jumper, speaking another language or managing your money.
Skills For My Future is packed with fun activities that girls can do with their units. Check out some of our unit meeting activity tasters: Mascot maker (Rainbows), Soapy solutions (Brownies), Do it yourshelf (Guides) and A sticky situation (Rangers and The Senior Section).
Girls can continue to build their toolkit of skills by working through interest badges at home. They can try everything from Construction and Languages to Upcycling and Digital design.
​
How do girls work on themes?
When a girl does any activity, badge or award from our programme, she’ll be developing her skills in one of the themes. The themes stay the same through every section of guiding. So a girl can start to develop a skill as a Rainbow, build on it as a Brownie and Guide and take it even further as a Ranger. The longer she stays in guiding the fuller her experience will be.
​
Girls will probably naturally gravitate towards one theme more than others, particularly as they get older and develop their interests. Some might lean towards technical or creative skills, others to adventurous challenges or social action. That isn’t a problem. The main thing is making sure girls are supported to try all the themes available. And that we offer them a balanced and varied programme. After all, challenging girls to try things they wouldn’t normally can help them reach their full potential.
​
