How Guiding has grown up

THINK you know what Guides do? Well, think again, because you might well be a little out of date. For those who've had nothing to do with the Guiding movement since they were little pixies, helping people out of fixes, a generation or more ago, the changes might come as a shock.

But a pleasant one.

"Guiding today is much less regimented, much more relaxed," says Margaret Horseman, a divisional commissioner and assistant leader of the unit at Croft on Tees.

She treasures some of the early handbooks on guiding - more than 90 years old - where girls were trained to be Empire builders and were never without their neckerchief (emergency sling) and staff (splint or stretcher pole), cooked something called rabbit bish bash, and knew how to stop a runaway horse, because you never know...

But when the Guides started, they were a revolutionary organisation, determined to give girls some freedom and independence. And, in a way, they still are, but tuned in to a fast-changing world.

"The aim is still the same," says Margaret. "To help make girls more independent, make the most of their potential and make a contribution to the world. That really hasn't changed, though the way we do it now is very different. They also have a lot of fun."

And chocolate. That evening in Croft on Tees the village hall smelt wonderfully of melting chocolate and fruit as the girls were preparing party food as part of a Go For It challenge on entertaining.

Go For Its are activities girls do in their patrol groups, and cover everything from organising fashion shows and football matches to doing their bit for the environment.

They still do badges, too - a whole host of them from Active Response, through Communicator, Film Lover, Science and Sport to World Traveller.

What's most notable, though, is the relaxed atmosphere and the enthusiasm. "We used to have to do set things. Now, like education, it's more modular and girls can choose what they want to do and when - with a bit of help, of course," says Sue Walker, the unit leader and a district commissioner with more than 20 years' experience.

The uniform is simple and practical - T-shirts, rugby tops, baseball caps and hoodies - a long way from the militaristic outfit for the young Empire builders 90 years ago. There's even a special hijab for Muslim Guides.

But the values and beliefs are still the same. The promise is pretty much unchanged - "I promise that I will do my best to love my God, to serve the Queen and my country, to help other people and the keep the Guide law" - but now Guides choose when and how to make their promise. After all, if you can get married anywhere, then you can make your Guide promise anywhere, too.

"We did ours on a bouncy castle," say Rachel and Cordelia, in a break from slicing strawberries. "We thought it would be fun and would make it special." Sue just asked that they stopped bouncing while they made the actual promise.

"Then the only way Sue could get off the bouncy castle was to roll off it," confide the girls, who say they enjoy being Guides "because of all the different things we do".

Guide units make up their individual guidelines, too. Croft's are cunningly designed to spell out CROFT GUIDES, so go from "I will be Considerate and Caring," to "I will be Sensible."

Croft is in the enviable - and extremely unusual - position of having a small number of girls and three Guiders, who take turns in running evenings. There are Sue and Margaret, plus Laura Booth, 25, who has kept involved with the Guide movement since she was a Guide herself, and qualified as a leader in between getting her degree - "It took me ages, but I had such a good time as a Guide and I just wanted to share that, pass that knowledge on." Now, having just moved house, she fits in when she can and will continue doing so until she can commit the time to take over a unit herself.

Because that's the problem. The appeal of Guiding has never wavered for girls. Because of the way the movement has moved with the times, adapted, met challenges, girls still want to sign up. But they need the adults to lead them. And there simply aren't enough of them.

"Times have changed. Most women work full time and with a family, there's not much time left," says Margaret.

"We get a lot of people who will come and help while their children are involved, but just can't make that extra bit of commitment to be a leader."

Guide leaders have to be trained and licensed. It takes time. Health and safety. Practical skills. Admin. Taking responsibility for other people's children is a big step.

Sue, a former teacher, and Margaret, who used to work in Marks & Spencer, say they probably found it easier to find time because they had no children of their own - though both worked full time and had other family commitments.

Guide units and Brownie packs in the area have been reduced by more than half in recent years - not because the children don't want to go, but because there aren't enough people to lead them. Margaret and Sue both help out with other groups.

"There's such a shortage of leaders that if you can keep a group going by helping, well you feel you have to. But it's a great way to keep in touch with young people," says Margaret. "And it's fun, very rewarding to see girls enjoying themselves, getting that bit of independence."

With mostly mixed-sex schools and all the pressures on young girls to act as though they're all grown up at ten, Guiding provides a special sort of breathing space, too. As one of their leaflets says: "With no lads around to cramp your style, you're free to find out what really makes you tick."

"Or just let kids be kids without any pressure," says Margaret.

In these safety conscious days, Guiding is probably more important than ever. Children don't have the same freedom and chance of adventure as they did in former days and Guiding can provide some of that.

"We do a lot of outdoor things - water sports at Ellerton, for instance. They love to go camping and cook over an open fire. On the first day you'll find they hardly know how to strike a match. By the end of the camping trip, they're cooking an entire meal over a wood fire. Doing something like that is a wonderful boost for their confidence. It's lovely to see."

And in the modern guide world of chocolate, film lover and communicator, there's still space and time for some of the traditional pursuits, says Sue. "We still have to do tracking and laying signs because they enjoy it so much and ask to do it."

The Guides buzzing round us are young, mainly ten to 12-year-olds, as a number of older ones have just moved on.

"We're a small unit at the moment, but we keep going because we know there are more girls coming along and once we stop, the unit could be lost forever," says Sue.

But even this small unit in a small village is part of the worldwide Guide movement. Margaret is secretary of the Friends of Sangam, a centre in India, run by the World Association of Girl Guides and Scouts. "It's a centre where Guides from all over the world can meet, but it also reaches out into the wider community with programmes and support groups for children."

Margaret travels out to Sangam every couple of years, always laden with practical presents from the people of Croft for the children in India.

"The Guides always put on a coffee morning, for instance, and dress up in saris, make it a real Indian event. The local people are very supportive and it's a nice occasion but it also raises vital funds for Sangam. The children there are so grateful and it's a way of giving something back.

"It's also a reminder that as Guides, you really have links all over the wor ld."

In the meantime, the party food is ready. The girls come round carefully, with plates of nice healthy sliced fruit to be dipped into warm melted chocolate. Delicious. And probably a lot more appealing than rabbit bish bash.