Youth Membership (Ages 5-17)

Girl Guiding in Australia is delivered through the Australian Guide Program (AGP), which is a non-formal education program based on shared leadership and decision-making at all ages.

The AGP is facilitated by trained volunteer Leaders with a focus on programs being girl-led.

This means that all the activities the girls do, from weekly Unit meetings, to camps, to expeditions and hikes, are driven by the girls themselves with input and assistance from their Leaders, and planned to match the girls’ abilities.

When girls join a Guide Unit in their local area, they are given the space to develop new interests, identify hidden talents and share their experience with the support of the Guide Leaders. What’s more, Girl Guides are part of the largest voluntary Movement dedicated to girls and young women in the world. There’s a world of possibilities out there, and Girl Guides are given the space and support to explore it in their own way.

 

Girl Guides Tasmania offer a 4 week trial which enables you to participate in all activities and really experience Guiding before making the decision to join.

What Happens at a Guide Meeting?

The Australian Guide Program (AGP) has four elements:

Physical

People

Practical

Self

There are seven fundamentals which are based on the Baden-Powell philosophy:

Guide Promise and Law

Outdoors

Service

World Guiding

Guiding Traditions

Leadership Skills

Patrol

 

Units

  • If you join Girl Guides between 5-17 years of age, you will be a youth member and placed into a Unit.
  • Units are structured so girls are with their own age group.
  • Unit meetings usually take place once a week during the Tasmanian school term for 1-2 hours within a local hall or community space.
  • Units have opportunities to participate in many programs outside Unit meetings, for example: helping run community events, embrace the outdoors through camping and other adventurous activities, enjoy social outings with other Units and even learn how to save a life!

Awards

  • Guides can earn awards within a Unit program, Unit outings and through their own personal accomplishments.
  • These awards can include Unit and District recognition as well as badges and certificates for: completing challenges, gaining new skills, fundraising, participation in activities and introducing a friend to Guiding.
  • Some awards allow girls to set their own personal challenges, others require certain skill levels to be achieved and some awards are designed to be only achieved within a certain time and/or by a certain age group.
  • Guides may choose to work for Challenge Badges and Achievement Awards in many areas. For example: computers, arts, drama, community and the outdoors. World and National Achievement Awards include - the Junior BP and BP Awards and the Queen’s Guide Award.

For more information about the Badge and Award Girl Guide recognition system visit Girl Guides Australia website.

Lone Guides

Tasmania Lones operate Units to cater for girls and young women of all ages who are unable to participate in Unit meetings due to distance, illness or other commitments.

Lone Guides are the same as other Guides in that they are a member of a Unit which follows the Australian Guide Program.  It is the way Lones communicate and undertake activities that is different.  Unit communication may take the form of paper correspondence, internet communication or a mixture of medias.

Who can Join Lone Guides?
Girls who don’t face a distance challenge, may also join Lones.  These girls typically face their own challenges: a heavy study workload at school or college, Guide meetings where they live clash with another important commitment, they are sick and/or often in hospital, they belong to a group of itinerant workers (daughters of fruitpickers or show people for example) or they are the only Guide in their group in that age-group.

For further information on joining Lone Guides please contact l[email protected].