Facilitating the Australian Guide Program involves:
A Girl Guide meeting!
* in a local hut or community centre
* once a week
* during the school term
* for 1-2 hours
** It all depends on what the Unit Leadership Team believes is best for the Guides in the Unit**
Girl Guide Members of various ages and backgrounds!
* Units may operate in special skill areas such as Equestrian, sports, or outdoor activities
* Units may be organised according to age
* Units may like to focus on traditional Badge work
* Units may focus on community work or work together with challenges
**The Patrol System (small groups of Guides within a Unit with one of their own elected as the leader) is an essential part of the program**
* Through their Patrol activities, Guides gain skills in communication, teamwork, decision making and leadership
** The Guides and Leaders choose the direction of their Unit **
Fun, friends and adventure!
Within her Unit, a Guide will be a member of a small group, called a Patrol of 4-8 Guides. It is within this Patrol and Unit where a Guide's adventures go forth in the spirit of teamwork and friendship.
Leadership evolves with the Australian Guide Program of: Discover, Decide, Plan, Do and Check.
A Guide will set herself challenges to carry out to the best of her ability.
There are badges and awards to be gained, however earning badges is only a small part of being a Guide.
Guides will participate in many activities where the greatest reward will be a sense of personal achievement.
The activities could be outdoor adventures such as canoeing, archery, abseiling, camping, skiing, hiking overnight, cooking damper over a fire or just sitting around a campfire singing, chatting and sharing a joke.
There are other times when Guides prefer indoor activities such as trying a special recipe, having a go at making something, being creative in the arts, working as a team to plan their next adventure, finding out about other cultures and religions or learning skills through games.
Guides plan their activities with help from their Leaders and can adapt the plans to suit their experience and ability, so their activities vary from week to week.
Guides also have opportunities to participate in activities outside the Unit meeting such as camps, outings, special events, and day trips.
No two meetings are ever the same.
Queensland Guides are called Junior Guides or Senior Guides, however, many Units retain traditional Guiding words such as 'Brownie' and 'Gumnut' in their names. Others have invented new names like 'Rainbow Star Guides' and 'Dolphin Guides' to make the Unit their very own. Names may change as the Unit's members change.