Go For It! Be The Change - one Guide's story of how she is BEING THE CHANGE

Girlguiding and Change.org hosted an inspirational launch event for 'Go For It! Be The Change' - watch this for more.

One of the Guides who attended the launch - Katie Percival, a Guide at 1st Chislehurst, takes up the story ...

In October 2013 I attended the ‘#GuidesBeTheChange’ launch at Google
Towers with my Guide Leader, Helen. I was inspired by the many speakers and representatives from various campaigns and what they fight for.  

After this great event, I spoke with my mum, and I decided to start a petition to change the way in which passports are issued for children under 18. My parents have been divorced for over 10 years, and when my sister and I travel with my mum (who has a different surname) we are often stopped by immigration in different countries. I am campaigning for equality for both parents within a modern society.

Katie and her sister Ella

Since starting the campaign four weeks ago, I have created a petition on Change.org, Facebook group, a Twitter account, and I'm using #passportparents to campaign.

I have been interviewed by our local paper, the NewsShopper and the Daily Mail has covered my petition.  The Bromley Times are also interviewing me and will hopefully be publishing the story next week.

The petition now has 183 supporters and the number keeps rising as we ask our supporters to share the petition. 

I am hoping to do some television and radio work to raise awareness of this campaign. 

I feel frustrated that nothing will change unless we gain support for this
cause. The response so far has been fantastic, and I would love to hear
about similar stories that families have faced to back up my petition. 

If you would like to help raise this awareness, please contact us as it
could help with the campaign itself.  Sign the petition here. 

Congratulations to Katie for setting this up! Good luck with your petition!

Girls’ World Forum – what happened next?!

It’s about a year to the day since we returned from the epic Girls’ World Forum.  I thought you might like to know what happened next.  

The other day I took part in the official close of the Girls’ World Forum (GWF), one year on, via a webinar with other participants and delegates from around the world.  Since the end of the Forum, we have kept in touch, thanks to the joys of social media, including numerous Facebook groups and Twitter hashtags. 

The GWF was a unique meeting of minds from around the world, all united by the Guiding and Girl Scouting promises which we have all made within our organisations.  WAGGGS has 145 member countries, at the time of writing, with 10 million members across the world.  I relay that mind-blowing statistic at every available opportunity, to young members including Brownies, Guides and Senior Section, and to other interested parties, such as the parents who attended a recent information meeting for a forthcoming Brownie and Guide holiday.  I think to some people, Guiding is still ‘what Sophie / Olivia / <insert appropriate Brownie name> does on a Monday, or a Tuesday, or <insert whichever day is relevant>'; it is crucial that we convey what our members are part of, on a global scale, to those who are interested.  And also to those who are not interested – let’s make them interested! I am really very much in need of Brownie and Guide Leaders to enable my units to develop and to grow.  Across the country, we have giant lists of girls who want to join, and not enough Leaders.  So why not find out more about it? You don’t have to live and breathe Guiding, it can be accommodated into your routine.  Visit www.girlguiding.org.uk for more details about what you could be part of.

But moving back to what I'm meant to be writing about.  

The purpose of the Girls' World Forum was for delegations to go home with a ‘Take Action’ project to deliver within their organisation.  Amy and Issi, our two fantastic delegates, were particularly struck by our national lack of women in senior positions within government. 

The GWF focussed on three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), relating to poverty, the empowerment of women, and environmental sustainability.  Whilst the delegates were trained in the issues associated with these goals, we chaperones were trained in how to facilitate and support the delegates to achieve their aims.  As you’ll have seen if you read this blog whilst we were in the US last year, I had a fascinating time meeting chaperones from across the world, sharing experiences, talking about the challenges we face and learning about how we can work effectively with our young people to bring about change. 

Amy and Issi formulated a draft plan whilst we were at the GWF, deciding which MDG they wanted to focus on.  Their ideas continued to evolve and develop in the months after we returned to the UK. 

Amy, Issi and I presented our experiences to the Guiding Development Committee in November, which was attended by the Chief Guide Gill Slocombe, Girlguiding’s International Commissioner Caroline Davis and many others.  It was wonderful to hear about the impact the GWF had on the delegates and I was so proud of them.  They then spent the day developing their ideas with Jen Buche, Project Coordinator for Programme, and I dashed to my Dad’s 80^th Birthday celebration!

I subsequently met with Jen Buche at Girlguiding Headquarters, after a run-in with an angry squirrel in St James’ Park on the way.  I don’t trust squirrels.  They look so innocent, but have vicious teeth.  Be aware.

We talked about the girls’ ideas and about how to take it forward.  It had been agreed that we could develop a Go For It.  If you’re not a Guide Leader, this won’t mean a lot, so let me explain.  In a Guide unit, patrols choose challenges called ‘Go For Its’ which they work towards during a number of ‘patrol times’.  There are a plethora of Go For Its for the patrols to choose from, ranging from old favourites such as ‘Go For It Glamorama’, to quirky new ones such as ‘Go For It Streets Ahead’ – you can see the full list of GFIs here. 

The process of developing our ‘Go For It’ then began, with various meetings with the four of us, where we worked out who was going to write which sections.  Many e-mails passed between us over the subsequent months – ideas, suggestions, reminders.  Gradually, we developed the content, all around the theme of encouraging girls to live a political life and to make their voices heard locally and beyond.  We wrote activities about characteristics of a good leader, famous women, political engagement, how government works, lobbying etc., then shared our ideas with each other, constantly commenting and developing. 

We had lengthy discussions about the name of the GFI; we wanted something which would appeal to the Guide age-group; a name which was appealing but at the same time would indicate the serious subject matter.  We went through hundreds of options, with the help of the CHQ staff who made suggestions.  Eventually, Go for It ‘Be the Change’ was born and it will soon be available for you to download from the Girlguiding website.  It is now in its very final stages of production, along with a lovely badge which the delegates’ helped to design.

So, the delegates' Take Action plan is complete.  We can’t wait to see what happens once the resource is downloadable and Guides start working on the activities.  If you are a Guide Leader, be sure to download it and tell your unit about it.  Tell everyone in your District, your Division, your County.  These girls are the future, and we need to seriously address the political gender imbalance and encourage our girls and young women to get involved in politics at all levels, to make their voices heard, to stand up and represent people.  No pressure, but it is up to you.

There is going to be an article about GFI Be The Change in the next Guiding magazine, so look out for it, and spread the word!

Thank you to everyone who supported us with the Girls’ World Forum, especially to Caroline Davis.  It has been a great adventure and it was a privilege to be the Chaperone for two amazing young members of Girlguiding.  Developing the Go For It was an exciting process, and I can’t wait to hear about Guides’ experiences of being the change!

Helen Beecher Bryant

Chaperone - Girlguiding delegation to the Girls’ World Forum 2012

Twitter: @Helen_B_B

Amy's Reflections

I have been putting off writing this post, partly because of how ridiculously tired I feeling after such an intense two weeks and then , but mainly because reflecting on my experience at the Girls' World Forum reminds me that I'm not there any more.  Being able to talk to girls from so many different countries all at the same time, sharing our cultures and our views on development issues as well as silly inside jokes, was a unique experience in every way and not something I'm likely to experience again any time soon.  Although the forum has definitely inspired me to apply for as many international Guiding events as possible!  And one of the advantages of Facebook is that I've been able to talk to loads of the delegates since I got back, so hopefully the friendships I made will be ones that last forever.

Thinking back to July, I had no idea what to expect of the week ahead of me as I flew to Chicago with Issi, and Helen.  All I had known beforehand was that I was going to be hearing from speakers about, and discussing, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals 1, 3 and 7 –poverty, gender equality and sustainability.  There were to be 300 girls, with two delegates from over 90 countries and each of the US Girl Scout Councils, each creating their own Take Action Plans for their home communities.

 

When I got there, I found that the whole event was planned and run by girls the same age as the attendees, 14-18, so they really understood what we would relate to.  They picked truly inspiring speakers, relevant to the kind of change we could make, from Sejal Hathi, who founded the international NGO Girls Helping Girls whilst still in high school, to Dr. Tererai Trent, a Zimbabwean girl who never stopped hoping and went from having no education at all to earning a PhD.  They also led most of the sessions on the causes and possible solutions to the issues we discussed, giving the whole Forum a ‘girl-led’ atmosphere, which made us feel like we really could make a difference.  We spent most of the sessions in patrols, which meant that we became really close with the rest of our patrol and got the chance to learn about the issues we were discussing in the context of each other’s cultures.  Thanks to my patrol, I now have great friends from the US, the Philippines, Germany, Rwanda and the Caribbean.  The socials were a great chance to make friends with girls from all over the world and to just have fun together!  My favourite evenings included each country’s traditional dress and performances at International Night, testing out my French running round Chicago on a scavenger hunt with the Francophone African girls and sumo-wrestling and sharing dance moves from around the world at the party on the last night.

I was amazed to see what brilliant work Guiding is doing in so many different countries, and it’s made me really passionate to tell as many people as I can about the wonderful sisterhood we are a part of.   As one of the chaperones said to me, taking the ‘elevator’ will never be the same again after travelling up 46 floors with girls from Pakistan, Malaysia, Peru, Finland, Canada, Togo and New Zealand all at the same time.  It is really hard to describe the unique experience of being part of this international community, but the thing that struck me the most was not the interesting cultural differences between us, but how similar we all were. 

The issue that I felt was most relevant to girls in the UK is the lack of female participation in Politics – currently only 22% of our MPs are women, compared with 56% in Rwanda.  This is something we want to raise awareness of and begin change.  So the ‘Take Action Project’ that Issi and I are working on is creating a badge that encourages girls at all stages of Guiding to gain a greater understanding of and start to get involved with political issues.  

I am so thankful to have been given the chance to be a part of the Girls' World Forum - it's something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.  The global network that Guiding gives me makes me realise that I’m a part of something really special that can empower me to make a real difference.  I can’t wait to get on with our Take Action Project and share all my exciting experiences with as many Brownies, Rainbows and Guides as possible! 

Helen's initial reflections

I thought it would be good to reflect here on the GWF and to consider the learning, as well as how to take it forward.  I am now back home in the UK.  After an extremely intensive conference programme, it is strange to be back, trying to find ways to articulate what was a life-changing experience.  Those of you who know me will know that I don't like clichés like 'life-changing', but it really was.  Let me try and explain...  

To meet Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world is itself, fascinating.  To be able to strike up conversations with absolutely anyone at the conference, purely because we had Guiding or Girl Scouting in common, is hard to describe.  From the moment we arrived at O'Hare airport and met several of the international delegations, I knew this was going to be an engaging and unique experience.  We sat with the delegation from Burundi as we travelled to downtown Chicago.  The freeway is either side of the trainline.  They don't have trains in Burundi, and they certainly don't have skyscrapers.  Even travelling from the airport to the hotel was an extraordinary international experience. 

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The train between the lanes of the freeway

On arrival, the magnitude of the event started to dawn, as we were ushered between different rooms collecting information, t-shirts, a water-bottle and all sorts of other goodies for the event.  We were also issued with translation equipment.

There then followed an intensive programme, separate for delegates and chaperones.  The girls' programme consisted of a series of practical workshops, talks, interactive discussions about the three MDGs we were focussing on.  The chaperone programme looked at how we as chaperones can support the girls with delivering their Take Action projects when they get home.  Once the delegates had worked out an action plan for their project, there was a session run by Zeenat Rahman, who is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Special Adviser for Global Youth Issues at U.S. Department of State.  The delegations had the opportunity to tell everyone about their plan, and to ask Zeenat to advise on how to take the project forward. 

Amy and Issi outline their project to Zeenat Rahman and the other delegations.

It was made clear to me how important it is that the delegates themselves deliver the project, with support from their chaperone. The whole purpose of the GWF was to enable girls who have been put forward by their Council or MO, to put together their own action plan. In one of the Chaperone sessions, we were asked to affirm our commitment to supporting the delegates, then all of these pledges became leaves on a tree:

My pledge

The pledges became leaves on a tree

So what happens now? The delegates have written an action plan, and we are soon talking to think about how to take it forward. Nothing is set in stone as yet, but more will follow. You can read the delegates' blog posts about their plans, that's for them to explain. I've learnt a lot about how important it is to take a step back, to allow the girls themselves to take charge of the plan. The whole purpose of the GWF was to empower the young delegates to deliver their projects, after training them in how to do so, and our programme was very much 'how to support' the delivery of this. It was an extremely useful programme for me, which I will put into action in various areas.

Guiding and Girl Scouting provide a unique opportunity for girls and young women to engage with these global issues, in a way that other activities do not. Please keep reading our blog because we will be using it to tell you about the girls' project, currently called 'Living a Political Life'.
Thanks to you for reading this. It was lovely and encouraging to receive comments, e-mails and texts from people.

If you are in Guiding, I hope it has conveyed the importance of the international side of Guiding, which should be delivered in every programme - Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section; it is crucial that our members realise what they are part of, and how as individuals and in groups, they can work together to bring about change. Members have 10 million sisters around the world - Guiding is most definitely not just another evening activity! It is part of something huge.

If you are not in Guiding, maybe this has inspired you to think about becoming involved. We have giant waiting-to-join lists across the country, of girls who would like to join units. There are all sorts of opportunities for adults to get involved, to fit around your existing commitments. Come on - help to change the world! Look here for more details. Maybe you have been reading this without realising how huge Guiding is, and how powerful the Guiding and Girl Scouting family can be when it gathers together to learn. Imagine what is going to happen now that delegations from 89 countries have got together, shared ideas, written action plans, and have now returned to their Member Organisations!
I'll leave it there today. Am off to unpack and pick up the different strands of life. Thanks again for reading this, and please do keep reading as the project evolves. Best wishes, Helen BB

Reflecting... Issi's Post

Hi Everyone,

We thought that it would be great if we did a 'reflecting' blog just so that you can all understand how each of us have personally travelled through the emotional rollercoaster of this magnificent trip...

When I first arrived at Chicago's O'hare Airport I think we were all stunned by the level of security we had to go through in order to enter the country - it made you feel like you were smugling drugs even though you hadn't done anything! Yet once we got through, all our worries, especially Helen's, subsided. We then met the girls from Burundi and Ivory Coast who spoke french and as Amy and Helen speak french fluently I just listened and laughed at them trying to decode the girls' rocket speed way of talking.

After waiting a while for the coach we finally arrived at the hotel. The organisation was absolutely fabulous! You were wisked from one station to another for forms you hadn't filled out (Helen!) or simply t-shirts to collect. However, what simply made me feel so welcome in Chicago was the Opening Ceremony. Each of us have commented about it in our previous blogs but it was simply amazing!

I then had spectacular Toolkit Sessions in the days to follow as well as eye opening talks on topics such as self-esteem, living a political life and poverty. The Toolkit Sessions included our facilitators providing us with the knowledge and resources to complete successful Take Action plans that would have a sincere impact upon our communities back at home.

I made friends from all around the world at the Forum and friends that I will keep for life. Moreover, just being able to walk over to anyone at the Forum and strike up a conversation was a really big confidence booster for me because it made me realise that if I can do this with these girls then surely I can do it with anyone else.

Finally, the Forum has been so ispiring, I feel like I can return home and conquer the world. There is no problem or issue too large that we cannot overcome if we all join forces and work together.  So I am going to end on my favourite quote of all time and one in which I believe sums up the Forum extremely well; "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Gandhi.

Yours, Issi.

Our Take Action Plan by Issi

Hi everyone,

Just arrived at the Crea's household after an upsetting farewell to all of the international delegates. I realised that all was not that bad after all as we are all returning home to put our plans into action. We had an amazing closing ceremony and party - I will put pictures up on facebook when I return home... I go by "Issi Mahoney" - I'm the only one so I'm pretty easy to find if you want to add me. However, what I really want to let you all know about is our Take Action task that we have planned to do. We were given a  "Women in Politics" seminar whilst at the Forum which opened our eyes to the ridiculously low percentage of women in Politics within the UK - only 22% of the seats in parliament are held by women!!!!!

So we want to do something about it... We have planned a 'Living a Political Life' badge which will promote girlguide members doing the badge to understand the lack of female empowerment in the UK (MDG3) and to do something about it to change the statistics. The badge will have seven different stages that will include activities such as reading the newspaper each day and attending a civic and political event (this could be done as a unit). Though these activities may not sound all that inspiring and fun for the younger generation, we believe that it will be the way each task is conveyed and presented to the girls that will shape and form how they view themselves in society and what they can achieve as a woman - after all, Girl Guiding is here to empower girls!

I hope you like our idea, we have not finalised anything yet so there is still a long way to go but like Dr. Tererai Trent said to us at our closing ceremony; "If you desire those things, it is achieveable!"

Yours, Issi :)

Chicago Scavanger Hunt

What better way to explore the sites of Chicago than running around its streets on a scavanger hunt with loads of my new friends from Francaphone Africa?  I dropped French after taking it at AS level a year ago, but with the speed at which these girls talk it wasn't long before it came back to me. 

I didn't really take an active part in planning the route for the hunt because, typically, I was talking too much!  But I learned so much about the political and educational systems of their countries as well as finding out that they knew much of the music that I'd listened to while I was in Ghana last summer.  These girls have a totally different energy from my friends back home, and as we walked the streets of Chicago, taking in how beautifully lit up it was at night, we sang and danced and posed for pictures - much to the amusement of the locals.  Every time we walked past another group on the scavenger hunt we cheered like mad!  I also loved showing a girl from Madagascar who wanted to go into photography how to use my camera and seeing her delight at the pictures she could take with it, as well as a girl from Burundi telling me that she liked to be in pictures, not take them!

 
By the end of the night, I was half thinking in French, but more importantly I had become very inspired by the stories they had told me of female empowerment in politics in their countries.  It seemed to put the United Kingdom to shame, which got me thinking about my action plan....