Girl Guides Australia is one of the largest organisations in Australia for girls and young women. It provides leadership and personal skills development to its 30,000 members, including 22,000 youth members. We provide a non-formal educational program that is dynamic and flexible while offering values based training in life skills, decision making and leadership. The Australian Guide Program is de
livered to girls by trained volunteer leaders. We are:
• a not-for-profit organisation that involves volunteers at all levels of its operations;
• an organisation that involves volunteers in its work to enable our members to gain maximum benefit from the unique knowledge and skills volunteers are able to offer. Our Mission is to enable girls and young women to grow into confident, self respecting, responsible community members. Our organisation is part of Girl Guides Australia, one of 145 member countries in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). This means we share the ideals and resources of 10 million members worldwide, and Members have the chance to experience international events, projects and friendships. The mission of Girl Guides Australia is to help girls and young women grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members. We believe strongly that Australian girls are best served by a program designed specifically for Guides, and facilitated by women. These women are role models who encourage the girls to challenge themselves and achieve. Girl Guides Australia provides girls and women with the opportunity to experience leadership and management positions from a young age. You would like your daughter to be independent, self-confident, and have every opportunity to experience life. When your daughter becomes a Guide, she joins a Unit of girls of a similar age and interest. The Unit works with a Leader who is interested in girls and trained to understand their needs. The Unit will meet each week during term time, or perhaps for a whole day once a term. Together the girls and their Leaders will decide, plan and take part in a range of activities almost as unlimited as their imaginations. In a safe environment, your daughter will develop her leadership and decision-making skills, improve her confidence, and have opportunities to try the kinds of activities she may only have dreamed of. Just as importantly, your daughter will be having fun with friends who may not go to her school, while she's learning skills for life. In Guiding, females do it all and do not feel the pressure society traditionally places on them to look to males for decision-making. Women and girls take positions of leadership, use their talents and abilities in planning and policy-making, and are encouraged to take these skills into their lives. This allows them to build their self-esteem. Guides provide a unique girl-only environment, vital for personal and social development. It's a safe, inclusive space where girls can be comfortable just being themselves. Guiding offers a unique opportunity for girls to acquire leadership skills, to become self-reliant, to enjoy the friendship of other women and girls, and to develop a sense of well-being and self-worth. There is plenty of research to show that girls and boys realise a greater degree of their potential if they spend part of their time in a single-sex environment. Local groups of Girl Guides are referred to as Guide Districts. Within Districts, Girl Guides are divided into four age groups—or ‘Units’—to ensure activities are age-appropriate. Girls aged 5–7 are Pre-junior Guides; 7–10 are Junior Guides; 10–14 are Guides; and 14–18 are Senior Guides. What, Where, When? Sans Souci Junior Guide Units meet on Wednesday nights 6.30pm to 8pm during school term. Our program of activities include:
Outdoor adventures, cooking & craft, singing, games, act in plays, achieve badges, awards and do challenges, helping the community and more. There may be indoor camps or special activities to go to with the Unit – a trip to the zoo, a picnic, a bushwalk, hiking trips, Regattas or represent guiding during the Anzac Day March and other official events. We don’t charge much…
Girl Guides NSW & ACT is a not for profit organisation and keeps fees as low as possible. Fees are used to cover essentials such as insurance. Youth Membership in 2014 is $120. Each term your daughter’s Unit will ask for a small additional fee of $30 to cover activity and venue costs. Girl Guides wear a uniform, redesigned in 2010 and popular with the girls. The uniform creates a strong identity and awareness of Guiding in our community. Uniform costs are kept low to suit all families. The Junior Guides Polo T-shirts (with lemon stripe) are $26, sash $16 and they can wear these with their own navy bottom half such as pants, shorts, skirt etc. Girls and Leaders will also need to purchase a handbook at $20.
