A trip to the archive: our pioneering stories
Discover pioneering Girlguiding stories from over the years
Illustrations by former Girlguiding member, Sally Waite/agencyrush.com
It’s been 115 years of history for girls in guiding. As an organisation formed in the early 1900s, we’re proud of our pioneering beginnings empowering women. And every day we strive to be that pioneering organisation, working together to shape an equal world where girls can speak up for change, and making sure everyone is welcome.
We've got years of stories behind us. But what does it mean, to really be pioneering? We explore it through real stories from our national archive.
Ever since those early beginnings, girls speaking up, social action and addressing issues specific to girls and young women has been at the heart of Girlguiding. Back then, it looked a little different, but that pioneering spirit has always been with us.
Pioneering [adjective]: taking action and pushing for change. Walking a new path and doing something that has not been done before.
Some of our earliest young members started doing scouting activities together before Girlguiding was formed as an organisation. Here’s the group that became 1st Gillingham Guides on a bike trip in 1909.
Young women from 1st Mayfair group practice first aid skills in the park, 1909.
Girls' voices leading the way at Girlguiding
Over the years there have been so many ways girls and young women have led the way at Girlguiding. 2024 marks the 15th birthday of our Advocate panel. That’s 15 years of young women seeking change to improve all girls’ lives and pushing for change at the highest levels – in government, in the media and at different events across the UK.
In 2022, they were joined by our 24-strong youth steering group Amplify, who raise their voices to make sure that young people are heard and consulted at the highest levels of Girlguiding. From sports, to digital technology, to environment, to adventure, they bring their different interests and passions to make us a better, more welcoming organisation.
Back then...
There are so many great stories of girls leading the way both inside and outside of Girlguiding. In 1978 a group of Rangers from Girlguiding South West England met and declared that they would like to form a ‘junior council’. This was a young person’s version of our council – a channel to promote the views of young women at all levels within Girlguiding.
The first meeting was held in 1980, and from then they met to discuss important issues inside and outside of guiding like unemployment, the promise, uniform, whether we should have a pre-Brownie age group (now Rainbows), and even the role of computers in Girlguiding! They had a regular column in Girlguiding’s magazine at the time.
The first meeting of the Junior Council, London, April 1980
Pages from a report on junior council achievements, c. 1990
Fast forward to 2000 and we find our Innovate youth forum making recommendations on lots of important topics, like healthy living, growing membership among underrepresented communities, and youth participation in Girlguiding’s decision-making process. Girls have been key to so much of Girlguiding’s direction – and the pioneering members of the Advocates and Amplify will continue this bold tradition into the future.
Standing up for better relationships, sex and health education
In May this year we launched our manifesto for change – our asks ahead of the general election. In it we’re asking the next government to listen to girls, make them part of shaping the future of our country, and act on the issues that matter to them most.
Our very first ask is for new RHSE (relationships, health and sex education) resources in schools. Shockingly, 44% of girls and young women say boys at their school have made comments about girls and women that have made them feel scared for their safety. Better RSHE is one of the ways we can help girls feel safe by tackling sexism and encouraging better, healthier relationships.
Back then...
Girlguiding has been talking about the need for good relationships, sex and health education for a long time. A 1945 Girlguiding book aimed at Rangers and leaders called ‘How to be healthy – and wise’ - carried explanations of how periods work, sex and how someone might become pregnant. It also encouraged girls to look after themselves, with sections on washing, brushing hair and even how to manage when you get a bit sweaty! A must for adventurous Guides of the day.
And at a 1948 national training conference, trainers and leaders discussed the need for what we now know as RSHE for young women, and the importance of supporting Brownies, Guides and Rangers with these topics.
During the 1970s there was a lot of public discussion around lowering the age of consent (the age at which a person can consent to sexual activity) from 16. In an early example of our campaigning on things that matter to girls and young women, Girlguiding spoke up. As an organisation supporting young women to look after themselves and their bodies and grow up safely, 16 was considered to be the right age of consent:
‘The executive committee of Girlguiding firmly believes that any lowering of the age of consent would not only put unbearable pressures on many young people before they are ready to cope with them, but would further diminish the few vitally formative years after puberty in which they can grow up wisely and gradually under the protection of the law.’
- Letter to the government from chief commissioner Sheila M Walker, July 1976
'You cannot give your best service unless you are fit and well. To keep yourself so is your personal responsibility.'
How to be Healthy - and Wise, 1945 Girlguiding book
Selection of Girlguiding books on relationships, sex and health education aimed at young members and leaders.
Including girls with disabilities
Next month we'll be marking disability pride month, raising awareness of disabilities, starting conversations and celebrating the disabled community within Girlguiding.
Back then...
We didn’t hesitate to open units to disabled girls from the very start of Girlguiding. In the 1910s, a time when disabled children's activities could be very limited, Girlguiding gave them skills, fun and confidence no matter what their needs were. This was the ‘extension’ section of Girlguiding, which was formally established in 1919.
An extension guide enjoying the outdoors in Suffolk, 1934
1950 WAGGGS World Conference delegates visit an extension camp at Dudsbury in Dorset
Girls enjoy a campfire at Girlguiding Essex West extension guiding camp, 1966
Our records show that by 1924 there were 229 Guide units and 59 Brownie units in hospitals, schools for blind and deaf children, orphanages and more. And that continued to grow. In the 1930s, information was produced to support leaders taking disabled girls away on camp and holidays, including advice on accommodation, programme and adapting activities to suit girls’ needs. And in 1950 a leaflet about the extension section said that girls should be ‘given the chance of joining the [guiding] movement on an equal footing with all other Brownies and Guides.’
We’ll cover the extension section of Girlguiding more fully in a future article.
Olave's pioneering messages
Girlguiding has been led from the start by pioneering women like world chief guide Olave Baden-Powell, carrying messages of empowerment and inclusion to girls and young women across the membership.
As Olave says in the foreword of a 1961 Girlguiding book ‘A New Look at - Ourselves and Others’:
‘Self-advancement in your own careers, and self-support too, are both necessary and excellent, provided you remember that "to live" means a great deal more than to "make a living". No one, believe me, has ever yet lived a complete or happy life who did not believe in living for others as well as self; and you have a glorious opportunity in this stimulating age for happy living and happy giving. This book will help you to attain the happiness that you earn and thereby deserve, and that is my warmest and sincerest wish for you always.’
Olave Baden-Powell, A New Look at Ourselves and Others, 1961.
Members of Girlguiding have carried Olave’s pioneering spirit through our 115 years, and it lives on in our values and our movement today. We see it in our young members, who are up to 23% more confident than girls in the UK on average. And we see it in our adult members and volunteers who report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction than the average UK adult who doesn’t volunteer.
We show it through our mission and values, our promise to develop ourselves and change the world for the better, and our commitment to including all.
For the last 115 years, we’ve shared 1 goal: we help all girls know they can do anything, by encouraging them to think big and be bold – each in their own way.
There are so many more examples of our pioneering activities than we can fit here! We hope to cover more stories from our history in future – and we need your help. Over the next few months, we’ll be delving into our national archive and looking for real life stories from the members who helped us be pioneering. Is that you or someone you know? Get in touch using the form:
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