Sharing a commitment to a common standard

 "Sharing a commitment to a common standard" is one of Guiding's Five Essentials.

Just recently I have been to a lot of cross sectional/cross district/cross division events. To the unintiated, this means girls of all ages from different units all getting together at the same thing.

It makes a big difference to the way the girls interact with each other.  Today we had Brownies from 3 different units all stood in the same area and before long they were talking about the London Jubilee Trip just gone, about a planned trip and then school.  The girls start to realise that Brownies is bigger than their unit, that there are lots of us.  Yes they go to events with Brownies in their hundreds sometimes but these smaller groups of mixed girls work like magic.

Girls from 2 Rainbow units were there, a handful of Guides (aren't all Guides a handful?!) and to top it off I had Rangers make an appearance too.  The more of these events we have, the better the leaders get to know each other, the more of these events we have and Guiding grows.

Growing Guiding means we can do more of the good stuff.  That's not cheering torches, or Royal Family, it's not making crafts, playing games, sleepovers at space centres or pond dipping on pack holiday.  No, the good stuff is teaching our girls how to be great citizens, upstanding people, honest, caring, hard working (the people that are going to pay for your pension, not drain it!).  Oh by the way, we teach them that very skillfully by cheering torches and Royal Family, making crafts, playing games.....!

If you are in any doubt about how our older girls have an effect on the younger ones, look at the way this Brownie is looking up at the Guide.  The Rainbows were looking at the Brownies like that too.  And me?  Well see the lady in the background? I look up to her and and my DC.  They have the leadership skills a big corporation board would die for.  They create the motivation, the enthusiasm and do a lot of hard work to make sure these events happen.

If you are thinking of interviewing people anytime soon you'd do well to take note of any Guiding commitment.  Women with this background can move mountains.

Oh yes, sorry, I forget to mention we saw the Olympic Torch.  The Olympic Athletes also share a common commitment and the rest of us get swept into the good feeling it generates.  I rather like it.