Guides Laugh, Learn And Expand Their Horizons!
Guides is a relaxed, welcoming space for 10 to 14 years olds! Where else can you think up a new sport, make a new perfume, cook over a campfire, design an advertising campaign, have a mocktail party, raise money for a charity you believe in, go on weekends away, week long camping holidays or even go overseas with your friends?
At Guides, you can do all of this and loads more!
What do girls do in Guides?
Guides follow our programme. In unit meetings, you’ll do fun activities, play games and earn skills builder badges, all while being supported by our trained volunteers.
You could get skills builder badges in themes such as camping, communication and first aid. And if you want to take guiding home, there’s lots of interest badges to do in between unit meetings, like the photography badge, fixing badge and meditation badge. Whatever You’re Into, There’ll Be A Badge
Discover all the badges Guides can earn.
Many units split girls into small groups called patrols for some activities and, as you get older, you’ll have a chance to become a patrol leader. You could also try out the Guide camp permit, become a Rainbow or Brownie helper with a local unit and inspire our youngest sections, or become a member of Amplify, who help staff and senior volunteers make decisions about the future of Girlguiding.
As well as going to events planned locally with your unit, you could also go to week long camps with young members from all over the world or even go on your first ever international adventure without your grown ups!
What do Guides wear?
We encourage members to wear a uniform to show they’re part of the Girlguiding family – lots of our Guides chose to wear a top and a hoodie!
Badges can be attached to your uniform – the promise badge, which you’ll get after making your Guide promise, should be on the left-hand side and every other badge can be attached where you choose.
What’s after Guides?
After Guides, you can move onto Rangers, our section for girls aged 14-18, where you get together with other girls to have fun, learn more, give back, hang out, and just be you.
Or you could become a young leader with a local unit and grow your leadership skills while helping to inspire girls in Rainbows or Brownies.
How much does Guides cost?
At Girlguiding we do our best to ensure our units are accessible to all girls.
Each young member will be asked to pay a subscription fee to their unit. The amount and frequency will vary, so some units will ask for subscriptions termly, others may have the option to pay weekly. Unit Leaders are always happy to find ways to help who ever looks after you with this!
These fees are used to provide the girls with the fun and adventurous activities offered by Girlguiding.
Sometimes there may be additional charges for trips and residentials. This will be decided by the unit leader depending on the cost of the trip.
If you’d like to know more click here!
Subs, Brown Owl and Girl Guides versus Girlguiding – what does it all mean?
Girlguiding has been around for over 100 years. You might have heard us being called Girl Guides or even The Guide Association – that’s still us but we go by the name Girlguiding now.
Throughout our guiding history, we’ve picked up some terms and abbreviations to help us describe how Girlguiding works. But it can be confusing when you or for your parent/carer when you first first join.
Click below for a cheat sheet on the A-Z Girlguiding
Find your nearest Guide Unit
Across Cleveland and the Tees Valley there are Guide Units in:
- Acklam
- Billingham
- Boosbeck
- Brotton
- Eaglesciffe
- Egglescliffe
- Guisborough
- Hartburn
- Hartlepool
- Hemlington
- Ingleby Barwick
- Linthorpe
- Loftus
- Marske
- Marton
- Norton
- Nunthorpe
- Redcar
- Saltburn
- Skelton
- Stockton
- Thornaby
- Wolviston
- Yarm
What our Guides think…
” I can make new friends in Guides”
Zahra, 1st Ingleby Barwick Guides
“I like meeting up with my friends and the special events like pj party nights and pizza walks”
Hatty, Tees West Guide