To My Daughter Jane
I cannot tell you in words,
I cannot tell you in sounds,
I cannot tell you in music
How much I love you.
I can only tell you in trees,
In mountains,
Oceans,
Streams.
I might be heard to say it
In the bark of a seal on moon misty nights.
It can be heard on the hinges of dawn.
Tho' my muse is slain,
All else says I love you Jane.
Spike Milligan 1987
Richard Berry 2004
Month: November 2004
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"what's a guide?"
Short answer: Same as a Girl Scout....
Long Answer: A girl who is a member of a huge, world-wide organisation, The World Associate of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Guiding is great fun, and now I'm going to quote from the website, since they've had more practise at explaining this, and do it better than I can.
Guiding is a game - with a purpose. It provides opportunities for girls and young women to:
- be challenged by new adventures and experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment
- develop self-awareness, self-respect and self-confidence
- develop a personal faith and values to give life meaning and direction
- think for themselves, govern themselves and make their own decisions
- make friends and have fun in the family of Guiding
- develop a sense of tolerance, justice, kindness and honour learn teamwork and acquire leadership skills, working with and for others
- appreciate the environment and how to live in it
- understand and learn about the world, its people and cultures
A Guide makes a promise:
I promise that I will do my best:
To love my God,
To serve the Queen and my country, {or "the country in which I live"}
To help other people
and
To keep the Guide Law.
There is a version for atheists, but I can't find it.
The Laws (for the over 10s; the under 10s have a more consise version "A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good turn every day"):
- A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.
- A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.
- A Guide faces challenge and learns from her experiences.
- A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.
- A Guide is polite and considerate.
- A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world around her.
Guiding's a game that has been going on for almost 100 years, and it's one of the best ways of learning how to be useful and practical, and having fun at the same time, in a secure environment (and, crucially, without having boys around; boys are wonderful, but sometimes you need a chance to learn in a single sex environment). At the same time it gives you so many opportunities to do things that you might not be able to do. For instance, in the last year, I've done the following just because of Guides
- Organised a Monopoly Board run round Paris, where participants visited famous locations to buy Monopoly cards for each location, and stood outside the Sacre Coeur freezing my tits off for six hours.
- Learnt how to pilot a canal boat (and led an expedition on it)
- Led a walking expedition in Sussex
- Gained two different First Aid and Health Hygiene qualifications
- Found a flatmate
- Found a boyfriend for my flatmate...
- Looked after 22 girls' health and welfare on a weekend's holiday, and another 40 on a camping trip
- Had a midnight feast and a campfire
- Given up one or two evenings a week to have fun with my Brownies and Guides, helping them develop in all sorts of ways
- Learnt how to call ceilidh dances
- Gone to Northern Ireland
- Camped out under canvas (not in a lightweight tent)
- Developed a database to help people with food intolerances and allergies (which will develop into a more useful website)
- Written a book
- Made new friends in a new city
When I was a kid, I got to do archery, abseiling, cookery, rowing, parachute games. I went walking, orienteering, and swimming; I made roll mops, decorated cakes, learnt how to knit and sew properly, how to look after a small child, to do first aid, to nurse someone who's sick, how to wire a plug, to tie knots, to plant trees, to clear muddy, watery dykes, to read washing labels. All as a result of Guides.
Being a Guide is all about belonging to a group, learning new skills, learning how to think for yourself, making new friends and helping others. And having fun. Lots of fun. Because, if it isn't fun, what's the point?
xxx
This is a world badge for fellow Guides that I know about, Alex (now an ex guide, but still has many of the accoutrements) and Liz and Heather and, of course, my flatmate Jo.
Have a lovely weekend all.
xxx
- be challenged by new adventures and experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment
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