Queen's Guide Award

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may know that I am a member of Senior Section, the senior organisation within Girlguiding UK. Some of you may also know that I am doing a Queen's Guide Award, the most senior award you can attain within the organisation.

But wait, I hear you ask, what is the Queen's Guide Award? And isn't guiding something only 12 year old girls do? Well the short answer is no, Guiding can be done up until your 26th birthday, and thereafter if you wish to become an adult leader. Unfortunately the "reputation" it has for being mostly 12 year olds has made it very difficult to explain what we do to other people, but it's opened so many doors and opportunities for me and I am so proud to be a part of it.

The Queen's Guide Award is comprised of 5 different sections:

1. Service in Guiding. They term this as "providing an active service in guiding at a variety of levels", so pretty much what it says on the tin :) it comprises of 4 elements all designed to challenge you, develop your skills which can then go on your CV and be transferred into the workplace.
2. Outdoor challenge: They term this one as challenging yourself in an outdoor setting, and who wouldn't love roughing it out for 3 nights and 4 days in a camp setting that you yourself have taken the liberty of organising, getting forms, money, doing the Tesco dash? It also involves teamwork, which as I've said is one of the many essential skills you build on and develop whilst doing the award and your exploration!
3. Personal skill and development: this one involves spending 60 hours developing a skill (I'm planning to take up guitar for mine!) Can't wait :)
4. Community action: Again, this one is pretty self explanatory, but it basically comprises of a practical element and a research orientated element, and they can be related (I'm considering doing animal welfare, so I'd be researching this, whilst also volunteering at a local animal shelter, as an example). 
5. Residential experience: this is termed as "developing interpersonal and communication skills in a residential setting", again basically what it says, and I don't know about you but I would think that employers think pretty highly of those with all those skills. :)

I don't know if I've explained it all well enough here, but basically, in summary what this award offers is a whole lot of travelling (currently travelling to France in July for my friend's Queen's Guide Award, after which I will be able to plan my own expedition! eeeep), a whole lot of organisation, and a whole lot of working with people which anyone who knows me will know is right up my street. And to say Guiding as a whole has changed my life for the better (I've met 2 of the people I call best friends nowadays through it) is no exaggeration.

Oh, and did I mention you can complete this award over a maximum of 3 years and that a massssssssive sense of achievement, a welcome addition to your CV and a cheeky trip to one of my personal favourites, LONDON, is your reward?

Oh and this:

:)

D x