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Girl guides across the UK will soon be earning badges for sleeping well, laughing heartily and sharing their "guiding sparkle" as part of a major overhaul of the traditional programme. The Girlguiding organisation has launched 72 new badges designed by more than 20,000 girls and volunteers themselves.
The innovative badges celebrate everything from having a good night's sleep and critiquing food to discovering new hobbies and planning holidays. Girls aged four to 18 across Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers will also be recognised for skills including mechanics and entomology, as well as hosting parties.
New badges designed by girls
Broadcaster and presenter Angellica Bell has joined as an ambassador to help launch the project. She said she wants to encourage girls to tackle the many challenges they face whilst enjoying themselves.
The badges are divided into sections encouraging wellness, self-knowledge, learning and adventures. They were co-designed by around 20,000 people, including 15,000 girls who submitted more than 4,000 badge design ideas.
Testing across UK units
More than 11,000 girls from 753 Girlguiding units across the UK helped test the new badges. The developments responded to girls' requests for more choice in the programme and activities addressing climate issues, confidence building and discussions about their interests and "fandom" groups.
Different badges can be won by various age groups, ranging from interest badges to skills builders and unit meeting activities. The youngest members, Rainbows, can earn the "bee rescuer" badge by helping the environment or for finding and sharing their "guiding sparkle".
Age-specific badge activities
Brownies have a reinvented version of the "hostess" badge called "celebrations" which can be won by hosting a party with food, activities and decorations. Guides are able to earn a "thrift" badge by customising, repurposing and recycling objects.
Bell said it was "a real blast" trying out the new badges with Girlguiding members. "I know first-hand just how important it is for girls to have activities outside of school to educate but also have fun," she added.
Building confidence and wellbeing
The broadcaster praised Girlguiding for offering "a safe and welcoming space for all girls" and building confidence whilst tackling important issues including online harm, sexism and misogyny. "In a world where the voices of girls and young women are not always fairly heard, I am proud to stand alongside Girlguiding," she said.
The badge activities were developed with Girlguiding's youth panel Amplify, made up of 30 girls aged 12 to 18. Seven partners contributed expertise, including The Royal Horticultural Society for the Rangers' gardening badge and Bletchley Park for the Guides' codebreaking badge.
Staying relevant to girls' needs
Amanda Azeez, acting chief executive of Girlguiding, described the launch as "a huge moment" for the organisation. "They've been designed by girls, for girls - which is so important to make sure we are staying relevant to girls' wants and needs," she said.
The response from girls and volunteers during the consultation process was "incredible and really inspiring", Azeez added. She said there was something for everyone among the new badges and looked forward to seeing their impact on building girls' confidence.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
