Meeting our new chief guide
We catch up with Tracy to find out what her plans are for the next 5 years
Meeting our new chief guide
We catch up with Tracy to find out what her plans are for the next 5 years
Tracy Foster has been in guiding for most of her life. She’s led Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, qualified as a trainer, and been a commissioner at every level. In her professional life, she’s a registered social worker. Now she’s ready for a new challenge – being our next chief guide. Two weeks into her new term, we sat down and had a conversation about what she thinks our biggest challenges are, what makes guiding so special, and what she hopes the next 5 years will bring.
So Tracy, what’s your guiding story?
‘I came to guiding when I was 7 as a Brownie. And – I always say this when I tell this story – I was a very shy, quiet Brownie who didn’t really speak to anybody. My Mum took me along because I’ve got 3 brothers and I think she thought I’d like some more female company. So I went to Brownies, and that’s where the journey began. I went through Guides and Rangers. And then I became a Brownie leader for several years, and later became a district leader when my job meant I had to step back from being at unit meetings every week. But whenever they were short of volunteers, I’d just go along to a meeting to help out – I ended up getting involved with Rainbows that way.
I took over the current Guide unit that I’m at about 10 years ago. I’d never done Guides before – I wasn’t sure it was my thing – but I still help out there 10 years later! It just reminds you what it’s all about. Every week the girls come up with something that makes me smile. Last night we had one of our chill-out evenings – every term we have a night where they just get to relax a bit, maybe do some UMAs if they want to and we had lots of activities they could choose to do if they wanted to. But really they were just chatting to us about guiding, and themselves - it was so lovely.
I’m also a qualified trainer and I’ve held commissioner roles at all levels.’
That sounds like a lot of commitment over a long period of time! What was it about Girlguiding that hooked you?
'I just never left! It’s always been part of my life, and I’m so proud to belong to Girlguiding. We’ve been here for over 100 years doing this amazing thing for girls and young women – why not be a part of it? And it’s given me so much, so many opportunities.
I wouldn’t be the person I am if I hadn’t had guiding in my life. I’m sure there’s other things I would have done, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought I’d be chief guide.
Ultimately I think what’s kept me here is the fun and the friendship. When you’re in guiding, you can find a friend pretty much wherever you go. You spot the trefoil, and you can just have a conversation – there’s a common theme that runs through us all.’
And what made you decide to apply to be chief guide?
‘Well, I really enjoyed being region chief, and I never thought I’d apply for that. And having been a county commissioner I was thinking, “What’s my next adventure?” A couple of people had asked me if I was applying for chief guide and I was like, “No!” But then I printed off the application, and I thought, “Why have I just printed this off? I must be thinking about applying.” Ultimately it was the encouragement and support of others that helped me think, “Why not me? I could make that difference and take up that challenge.”
I’m not on my own either. Being chief guide is all about teamwork. And with your team you can really make a difference. Guiding has been such a big part of my life – why not give that back to somebody else so they can experience this too?’
Two weeks into the role, what do you actually do as the chief guide?
‘I’ve been getting to know a lot of people! I’m basically trying to find out all the possibilities to start putting a plan together. I’m looking forward to starting to get the rest of my chief guide team in place, with deputy chief guide interviews taking place in April. I already have a few goals and visions. I want the chief guide team to be more visible to our young members, and particularly to Rangers and young leaders. They’re our leaders of the future – we need to be talking to them much more.
I also want us to get better at co-production and co-creation. That’s one of my goals. I think we’re doing that quite well with adult leaders, and we need to bring that co-creation space to more girls too.’
I’d love to know a bit more about that – how do you see that working?
‘Well we’ve already got a brilliant team of advocates, and now we’ve got Amplify, our youth steering group. We need to make sure that we’ve got opportunities all the way up at trustee level too – having young trustees is so important for our organisation.
But for me, it’s about asking this question for every project we start – can we get to that point where girls are in the same room as the adults, making the decision? It’s great to consult, and get their opinions and factor that in. But let’s look for more opportunities to get them in the same room.
I also want to focus on bringing our volunteers together. I’ve set myself a bit of a target to increase our opportunities to get together, whether that’s on Zoom or in person. I want our volunteers to feel valued, and part of a bigger thing – connected to all the great stuff happening in guiding.’
What do you think is Girlguiding’s biggest challenge right now?
‘I don’t think there is just one big challenge! We have a lot to do. But we know that we need to boost our volunteer numbers. If we look at what society is telling us, it seems like the answer might not be the kind of long-term volunteering that our model is based on – that’s not attractive to everyone. So we have to think about how to make this work for people who do volunteering in short term bursts.
I think we also need to be selling more of the things you can get as a guiding volunteer, such as high-quality free training that will give you what you need to be the most competent volunteer you can be. And you’ll have an amazing time with units and girls, doing all sorts of adventures you never thought you’d get a chance to do. With our brand refresh we now have new ways to talk about all this and communicate who we are, which I’m really excited about.
And then we need to look at being sustainable for the future. We don’t want funding to be a barrier for girls or volunteers who want to join us or take part. Everything we do – including our new uniform coming in 2026 – needs to be done sustainably and affordably.
And, of course, we need to make sure that we’re for everyone. We are for all girls. We recognise that girls like to have this space where they can try anything – we have such variety in our programme, from advocacy, to swimming, to adventure, to just sitting and chatting! We need to show what a special, inclusive place Girlguiding is, where you can just be yourself. I want that for everyone in guiding. I’d love everyone to feel like they can bring their whole self, like you belong to something really special.’
What do you think the future of Girlguiding looks like?
‘Well, I hope that in 5 years' time, we’ve increased our numbers, and we’re well and truly out there. I hope that people know about every section – that Rainbows is linked to Brownies, to Guides, to Rangers, that we’re a family. The brand refresh is the start of that. I hope it’s bringing us on to a new chapter, and an opportunity to remind people that we’re here. We’ve been doing all of this for ages, and now we’re doing it even better.’
And finally, if you had any advice for a volunteer as they go about their guiding business, putting so much time and energy into what they do, what would it be?
‘Firstly I want to give them a huge thank you. And I’d want them to know, “You’re not on your own.” We’re more than happy to welcome you in and support you. And just keep going. You’ll be amazed at the opportunities you can have.’
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