The 16-Year-Old Brownie

Dear Reader,  "Friends, sun, sand and sea, that sounds like a summer to me" - unknown The last few weeks of the summer term are the most exciting, sunny and rewarding weeks of the guiding year. And this is why.....   ◦•●◉✿𝓑𝓪𝓭𝓰𝓮𝓼✿◉●•◦ The end of the summer term usually means the handing out of lots and lots..and lots of hard earned and well deserved badges for our young members and this summer term was no different. At Stalham Rainbows we handed out stacks of badges, certificates (one of our Rainbows had 5 interest badges, a skills builder, a theme award, 2 challenge badges and 8 certificates!!!) , badge books, 3 promise badges and a very special Gold Award. That's a lot of badges!!! It took us over 25 minutes and we ran over on our meeting time (oops) because our girls had worked so hard over the last term.  We'd been working away at our Teddy bears picnic badges, our 'Happy Laugh challenge' as well the Communicate Stage 1 Skill...

Dear Reader,        This quote particularly resonated with me after my recent struggles around my confidence in my leadership and my abilities to interact with the young people around me and very poignant considering that this month, from the 1st - 7th June was Volunteer's Week. Am I a good leader? Do I inspire girls to want to come to Rainbows/Brownies and to want to achieve? and during my time away from guiding in order to focus on my exams I found myself beginning to consider whether guiding was something I should continue to pursue, or something I should begin to move on from. But then I came back from my exams, and my passion for guiding and for young people came back with full force and I made the split decision, there and then, to do even more!  I needed to stop putting myself down, think about all the amazing things I have already achieved in my relatively short 7/8 years in guiding and carry on taking every opportunity that comes m...