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 Skills builder. Several of our girls received their first theme award for completing their skills builder as well as a corresponding interest badge at home and we gave out a variety of other badges - including a 1 night away badge, a 1 year anniversary badge and a very special Well Done badge for one rainbow.
It is here that we must take a moment of consideration for how much we have achieved in our little unit. This is a volunteering experience that will always have a much more special place in my heart than others. 6 months ago I was asked if I'd give up another hour of my week, to help pick a unit up from near bottom and build it up again. In January at our first meeting we had 2 shy Rainbows... 2!!... and a few things planned. Now, we're looking at coming back to 14 Rainbows in September, we've gained an amazing adult volunteer Snowy Owl, a guide helper 'Sparrow' and had a lot of fun. For me, getting together with my best friend, to take over a unit I was a member of 13 years ago and where I was first a Guide helper myself in 2013-2014, is a deeply sentimental experience and one I know I can always be very proud of.
Eagle Owl is truly a best friend of mine and one with whom I meet with regularly outside of our meetings to work on things for Rainbows, or to socialise as friends. I see how much work has gone into just a few short terms so far and had to ensure she was being rewarded for her efforts just as we reward the girls for all the meetings they attend and the work they do at home. She's as obsessed with badges as I am (we frequently shop for them together!) and I had to send her home with a special badge of her own....
◦•●◉✿𝓢𝓵𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼✿◉●•◦
The summer term is without a doubt the term for trips and sleepovers. This summer Brownies plumped for a slightly less predictable theme (which we worked hard to keep a secret for quite a few months), as our lovely Tawny Owl decided she wanted to do... CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!!
What is better than getting to have Christmas twice in one year??
We spent Friday night preparing for Christmas, making crackers including the jokes, and decorating out place mats for Christmas dinner. On Christmas Eve night Santa and his elves visited Patterson Lodge and made sure he left a box of full of fun for every Brownie. I adore Patteson Lodge and seeing in transformed into a cosy Christmas weekend was definitely a personal favourite of the many sleepovers I have been a part of there. We made the sweetest crafts, including Santa wooden spoons and flannel reindeer and ate lots of yummy treats.
◦•●◉✿𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓼✿◉●•◦
The summer term tends to be packed with trips and our units definitely did their fair share! Brownies enjoyed their annual trip to Sea Palling beach (in which I did my annual 'spend a lot of time walking up and down the slope to the toilets with the Brownies and getting very tired') and their yearly water fight and barbecue at Barn owl's house who kindly still lets us visit her even though she left Brownies 😄 I get very wet - thank you girls - and at quite a lot, but we don't talk about that bit!
Guides also enjoyed a trip to the beach with chips and topped off their year with a boat trip alongside other local units, which looks like it was a lot of fun.
I set this blog up as a 16 year-old Young Leader at a Brownie unit, with only my time and experience as a guide and short time as a guide helper behind me....
- My first post introducing myself went out on 8th March 2018 and was viewed by over 115 people across 10 different countries.
- My top viewed post https://bethanymcallister.blogspot.com/2018/07/pizza-hut-and-many-many-hares-stalham.html reached over 174 people.
- Whilst it might not seem like a lot, I have 5 subscribers who receive an email every time I make a post.
- The County Commissioner for Norfolk reads my blog, and I met her last night for the first time, and she knew who I was!
This blog has documented so many sleepovers, events and badges, as well as my first Jamboree, the completion of my Young Leader qualification and my 17th birthday.
𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝔁𝓽 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓰𝓾𝓲𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓾𝓷....
I'm an adult!!! I've left the teal Rangers uniform behind and now sport the dashing 'leader blue' that we all know and love and I'm looking forward to being able to make my promise when we return in September. I've already roped myself in as First Aider for Brownies next sleepover, and I've joined a planning committee for a very special event county has planned for next year. I'll be signing up as staff for Essex Jamboree 2020 in September and have spent the last few days ploughing through my ALQ folder in the hope it makes at least enough sense to have a catch up with my mentor in the autumn term. One day my life, house and brain will be overtaken by guiding, and I'll have more boxes of plans and badges than I do space in my house... I can't wait!
History fact of the Month....
On July 14th 1858, the birth of Emmeline Pankhurst, leading English suffragette
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Also, don't forget to subscribe to The 16-Year-Old Brownie, to receive an email when I post. Look for the button at the top of the home page ;)
I promise that I will do my best, to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the Queen and my community, to help other people and to keep the Guide Law,
Yours,
The 18-Year-Old Brownie
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