Member conversation
Comparing badges over the years
Girlguiding has a magical way of growing and developing while also remaining timeless. Two older members and a new recruit compare their different badge experiences over the years
‘Cooking and first aid never go out of date’
Emily
For as long as there have been Guides, there have been badges. Even with a new programme, there are some that remain classics or have been reimagined for modern times, and there are others that were ready to retire.
‘I did a Cleaning badge,’ says District Commissioner Leanne Morgan-Murray, 45 years old, 1st Ponthir Brownies. ‘I had to clean out a cupboard and polish a mirror. We did cake decorating and made kneelers for the church. Nothing that really pushed the boundaries. It was very focused on what I call “homemaking”.’
‘Some of them were useful skills but very stereotypically female,’ agrees 51-year-old Jean Weir, Guide Leader at 5th Stopsley Guides. She reminisces on some of the first badges she earned as a member of the 25th Luton Brownies: ‘I had my House orderly, Collector, Pathfinder, and Hostess badges,’ she says.
Emily, 15 years old, 1st Longton Rangers, points out that the skills she learned from her Brownie badges weren’t taught at her school. ‘Things like sewing and baking were really good to know. I think girls today might also want to try app-building or gaming, but basic skills like the ones I gained are really important. Cooking and first aid never go out of date.’
‘First aid was one that really stuck with me,’ agrees experienced leader Leanne. ‘I liked it because we didn’t do anything like that at school, and I enjoyed it so much I joined the St John Ambulance when I was older and went to work in a hospital when I left school. It really sparked my interest in caring for people.’
‘I do like some of the traditional-style badges,’ says Jean. ‘Cooking, cutting with a sharp knife, lighting a fire, knots, teamwork, first aid,’ she reels off a list. ‘Plus, camping, residentials and sleepovers, organisation, leadership, public speaking, decision-making, planning… All of these are really timeless skills for girls.
GETTY
Guides at camp in 1939
‘Some of them were useful skills but very stereotypically female’
Jean Weir
‘But I think we have to be contemporary as well,’ she continues. ‘I imagine in the future there’ll be more social-media-related badges, internet safety ones, and lots more STEM-related badges encouraging girls to break down the male/female divide.’
‘I do think it was time for Table decorating to be retired, and I also think it’s good that Agility has gone – it wasn’t as inclusive for all girls as it should have been,’ says Leanne. ‘My Brownies have really enjoyed the new Inventing badge. It’s a stunning badge, because it not only encourages our girls to look at the inventions of other women, it asks them to think about all the inventions that make life easier and to see how inventions solve problems. I’ve loved seeing the prototype models they came up with.’
‘In the future I think there’ll be a lot more technology-based badges. The programme has to change over time to keep step with how our lives change,’ says younger member Emily. ‘We also have lots of activities and interest badges looking at things like recycling, campaigning and being more eco-aware, and we even had an environment-themed issue of guiding magazine, which is great. I’d love to see a dedicated climate change badge someday as well.’
‘I think the best badges are the ones that show girls something beyond their own experience,’ adds Leanne. ‘That empowers them, so they get to explore and expand their horizons.’
Whether that’s an old-school Challenges around London badge or a brand-new Space or Aviation one, badges are symbols of how girls are being encouraged to do and be more, something everyone agrees is at the heart of guiding, from Rainbows to Rangers. Interest badges on the new programme are for girls to complete away from the unit meeting space, so they can choose the topics that most inspire and engage them.
It’s worth remembering, though, that badges form just one aspect of the rich and varied programme that girls currently enjoy. The unit meeting activities, for example, also offer the chance to gain key skills, tackle current issues and have lots of fun, and are a rewarding way to learn and play without being driven by the goal of a badge.
‘I think the best badges are the ones that show girls something beyond their own experience’
Leanne
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