All Sections County

Challenge Badge

As part of our Growing Guiding focus in Essex North East we now launch our Challenge Badge for 2015:

“Look Wider” Growing Guiding 2015

The County Challenge badges are designed to encourage all members of Girlguiding Essex North East,

through the completion of challenges inspired by the five key areas of the County team, to grow in

their knowledge of each section of our organisation and our County. Each year the challenge badge

can be completed by ALL sections. In 2012 we looked at Rainbows, 2013 Brownies, 2014 Guides

and so in 2015 we will be looking at Senior Section. This will be followed by Trefoil and adult members

in 2016.

Collect a full set of badges and along the way find opportunities to share your passion for

guiding with each other and others around you — welcoming new members, recruiting new

leaders, encouraging progression from section to section etc.

Introduction

The Senior Section is a flexible, fun programme open to young women from their 14th birthday until their 26th birthday. Their uniform consists of a polo shirt, rugby shirt or hoodie in either ice, aqua or grey or a combination of all three! There are a number of ways you can be involved with The Senior Section in Girlguiding and the opportunities are immense. The different roles you can get involved in are: Ranger Group Young Leader Young adult Leader Lone member Peer Educator Member of SSAGO Young Commissioner/Adviser Member of the Trefoil Guild All members of The Senior Section, whatever their role can take part in a variety of awards and qualifications. Look Wider is a personal development programme for The Senior Section. It's a great opportunity to try new things, to further your abilities in areas you’ve already experienced and to share your skills with others! You can take it on by yourself or as part of a group. The Look Wider programme is divided into eight areas (called Octants) covering; 1. Community Action 2. Creativity 3. Fit for Life 4. Independent Living 5. International 6. Leadership 7. Out of Doors 8. Personal Values This programme is what you are going to explore as part of this challenge badge. To gain the badge you need to complete at least one activity from each of the eight octants listed above. Within each octant we have broken the activities down into the five areas of the County Team. Over the course of the badge you should complete at least one activity from each of these five areas: i. Arts ii. Guiding Development iii. International iv. Outdoors v. PR This will mean you will duplicate some areas.

Select the activities that interest you or your Unit but if completing the challenge as a Unit, please encourage the girls to choose which activities they do. On the County website you will find many ideas

and resources to help you complete the challenges— www.girlguidingessesne.org.uk/Challenges+%26+Badges/senior+section+resources and if you get stuck, contact one of the

County Team! You’ll find their contact details listed on the resources page.

Community Action

The English Dictionary defines community action as “campaigns undertaken by the people living in a particular place”.

Outdoors Take action in your local community perhaps visit a nature reserve or local park and help in

some way e.g. litter survey, tree survey, providing bird or bat boxes; visit a local old persons home and plant bulbs and tubs for their enjoyment in the garden

(you could decorate these first); help with weeding or grass cutting in your community; your local school may like help with gardening; painting fences; clearing leaves. Arts Think of creative ways you can help in the community, that might not be about collecting money, by exploring local organisations that might need your help: If there are girls in the unit that have a parent that is in the army you might like to collect

treats or write letters to send to them; The local cat rescue might like you to collect cat food for them or make toys for cats; A local elderly persons home might appreciate you visiting to sing or do arts and craft activities with residents; The children’s ward at the local hospital might like posters to brighten up the play areas; If you meet in a school, offer to do jobs in the classroom, i.e. clean pain pots, sharpen

pencils, tidy the library. Guiding Development All units and leaders need help with inspirational ideas from time to time and welcome a break from having to think about planning for a meeting! As part of a guiding community action, run an evening for another section – think carefully

about the age group of the members and plan interesting and exciting activities that include everyone – everyone loves a chocolate evening for example!

Younger members could visit older sections and introduce them to the rainbow programme (remember some members may not have been a rainbow and don’t know your songs!);

Share your skills with another section. PR Take part in a local community event, and try to promote guiding during it. You could bor-

row the County display boards by contacting our county office; Take a picture of yourselves at an event and send it along with your story, to the County PR

team pr@girlguidingessexne.org.uk or Seaxe seaxe@girlguidingessexne.org.uk. International Research international charities and how you can help promote their causes, i.e. education

for girls, clean water, WAGGGS stop the violence; Consider ways you could raise funds for an international charity or collect items for them

i.e. shoe boxes of Christmas gifts, old glasses (spectacles), mobile phones, bicycles, etc)

Creativity

Arts Be creative and think outside the box to stretch your arts awareness and knowledge. Invite someone to teach you to learn or develop an arts related skill – this person may already

be in your unit - you might have a fantastic disco dancer in your unit, an amazing singer, a poet, or someone who is great at card making, painting, loom banding.

Lead the learning process by holding a “show and do session” over a few weeks when girls can be invited to share their skills with others and give others an opportunity to have a go. Show off your units creativity by holding a Talent Show led by the girls, inviting family and friends.

Those who don’t want to take part on stage can be creative by making invites, tickets and preparing refreshments.

Guiding Development Guiding gives us great opportunities to be creative. using materials of your choice show how you would like your guiding to look in the future ie

make a clay model, a puppet, write a piece of creative writing, do a painting etc represent-ing a Brownie; Guide; Senior Section; Leader or a visualisation of yourself as a county com-missioner!

Think back to when you started guiding and create a collage of your memories to show how much fun you have had and how far you have come!

Be creative and, using any medium you like, show what you are looking forward to doing when you move to the next section.

PR Take a look at the merchandise available in Guiding Essentials catalogue http://www.girlguidingshop.co.uk/downloads/catalogue/Parents_Catalogue_2013_2014/ Design a piece of guiding merchandise e.g. a World Thinking Day card, guiding wrapping paper, T-shirt, mug or calendar. Send your best ideas to the Girlguiding Essex North East County PR team pr@girlguidingessexne.org.uk We might choose your ideas for a county promotional product! Outdoors Be creative: explore nature through play, art and investigation Use natural resources ie, paint with mud, make mud pies or birds nests, use sticks to make

instruments, weave with or play games with, use stones to paint paperweights or make a rock collection, make pebble pictures on the beach, use leaves to make collages, use fir cones to create table decorations.

“Snap the seasons” - photograph a tree or plant over a period of time on a regular basis and make a display of the photos to show the changing seasons.

International Music inspires, empowers, celebrates diversity and crosses cultures. Make or play an instrument from another culture; Research the music composed by a famous composer from another country i.e. Mozart,

Chopin, can you play a piece on an instrument? Have a campfire and learn some new songs from around the world.

Fit for Life

PR

Check out the Change4Life website http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-

eating.aspx and learn about how to lead a healthier life by making simple changes to your diet

and lifestyle.

Download the 10 minute activity shake up cards and try them in your unit

design your own set of shake up cards using the templates

Take a photo of your unit taking part in a shake up and send it along with the accompanying

press release to your local paper.

Outdoors

There are many ways of keeping fit in the outdoors.

Take part in an outdoor fitness regime, it might be something you haven’t tried before ie.

Jogging, rambling, cycling; swimming, boot camp! Try the ideas at http://

www.seventeen.com/health/tips/outdoor-workout-ideas for a great work out in the park.

Play a range of tag games outside

Take part in an aerobic session.

International

Take part in a fitness regime which is typical of another culture ie. Tai Chi, Yoga, Sumo

Wrestling, Mexican wrestling. You may need to invite a suitably qualified person to your unit

to assist with this.

Research current health problems in another country, what is being done to help and is there

anything you can do.

Arts

Consider the importance of “5 a day” and discuss what counts - www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday .

Create a weekly menu plan ensuring it helps you have 5 a day;

Think of other 5 a day activities that might help to improve overall fitness such as exercise

and relaxation.

Try a 5 minute guided relaxation or meditation, the girls could write their own meditation or

creative visualisation scripts.

Guiding development

First aid is a life saving skill that the youngest to the oldest member of Girlguiding should have

some knowledge of.

Extend your current knowledge at whatever level you need to.

Create an emergency resources card for your home including what to do in an emergency,

how to stock a first-aid kit, where to call for help, emergency numbers etc.

Practise bandaging on a teddy or doll and talk about how to look after them when they are

unwell.

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

Independent Living

Outdoors

Plan an imaginary trip to some place new, it may be a town, city or a different country;

Draw a map or do bearings to get from your meeting place to your home or the County Of-

fice;

Write directions down to give to someone visiting your home for the first time;

Hold an explorer evening, make treasure island maps, go on an imaginary bear hunt - let

your imagination take you somewhere new.

International

Plan and prepare for an overnight stay or holiday by writing a list of things you need to take

(see http://www.theholidaylet.com/checklist for ideas);

pack a small overnight bag – this could be practical or virtual, girls could use pictures and

images to make a collage or draw or paint an image of what they would take;

plan a bag to take to Granny’s for the night or on a rainbow or brownie sleepover.

Arts

Learn to upcycle—make something useful out of something old.

Take your cooking skills to a new level by trying out something new —e.g. try making your

own puff pastry; try a new method of cake making, make bread

Design and create a painting on a canvas suitable for a room in your house

Create a memo board or pinboard for your home to display important reminders/notes

Learn to knit; crochet; sew; or some other home craft skill.

PR

Take a look at the new Girlguiding “Alpha” site http://new.girlguiding.org.uk/ to find out

about the “Girls Matter” campaign. Choose one of the 8 changes that could make a world of

difference and discuss this in your unit.

Make a poster or be recorded/filmed saying why the government should listen to girls.

You can take your support further by letting your MP know that you’d like them to listen to

girls and young women and consider their calls for change.

Guiding Development

Discuss independence skills with the members of your unit then challenge them to show pro-

gression in an independent skill, ie laundry skills, cooking or budgeting;

Consider how everyday independent activities we take for granted could be more difficult for

people with additional needs.

hold an awareness evening trying different activities as if you were visually impaired, deaf,

wheelchair bound etc

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

International

International

Girlguiding Essex North East offers girls many international opportunities. Girls from our

County will be visiting Peru in July 2015.

Support them by completing the Peru Challenge badge available on the County website —

http://www.girlguidingessexne.org.uk/Challenges+%26+Badges

Learn about or attend an international opportunities event i.e international funday, GOLD,

selection weekends etc;

Organise an international evening for your unit.

Arts

The world is full of wonderful foods. Take your senses on a taste journey and try cooking and

tasting foods from around the world. You might like to have a themed food evening from one

country or go on a food journey visiting different countries in one evening.

work in small groups and create and taste a starter from one country, a main course from

another and a delicious dessert from a third;

explore food from the World Centres - English, Swiss, Indian and Mexican;

make exotic fruit kebabs using fruits from around the world;

decorate cakes or biscuits using icing colours representing other countries.

Guiding Development

Guiding is a worldwide organisation which encourages girls to develop their knowledge and

understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Chose a country where there is a guiding community and explore and compare the promise

that the girls make in that country to the promise you make as a member of Girlguiding

Essex North East; the differences or similarities in the uniforms you both wear; the badges

and challenges you work towards and the way in which the different sections are formed.

Present your findings in a creative way.

Dress paper dolls in uniforms from different countries

PR

Through international opportunities girls are encouraged to learn about other cultures and explore guiding in other countries. Find out about the four WAGGGS world centres in London, Switzerland, India and Mexico. Hold a themed evening based around Switzerland, India or Mexico and send an article to SEAXE our County magazine. Don’t forget to include a photograph!

Outdoors

Prisoners of Wars had to learn to track when they escaped, Lord Baden-Powell learnt to track

in Kenya. Tracking is a traditional guiding and scouting activity and involves leavings signs or

symbols made from natural materials on a trail or course for others to follow.

Lay a trail and have a tracking evening, this can be indoors or outdoors.

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

Leadership

Guiding Development The girls in our units are the leaders of the future. There are many ways to explore leadership skills and for us all to grow our ability to lead. As a group or individual lead an activity in your unit this may be a craft, a song or a game; Get involved in planning your units programme for the term Take on the responsibility of arranging a unit outing or trip Assist your leader with budgeting and accounts. As a group work on imaginary situations where important leadership decisions are needed.

Look on the County website for further ideas. Have a games evening - sharing and turn taking is an important leadership skill. PR If I were the Chief Guide I would… or if I were a Unit Leader I would … Record you thoughts (most smartphones have a voice recorder and send them to the GENE

radio show team. They may be included on a GENE radio show! Record your thoughts of what it is like to be a rainbow/brownie/Guide/Senior Section and

what you might be looking forward to as you continue your guiding journey. Ask the GENE team to come along and help you with your recordings and tell you more about the GENE team. pr@girlguidingessexne.org.uk . Outdoors Gaining the confidence and trust of others is a leadership skill as is the ability to work as part of a team. Plan an evening of outdoor team building activities Hold a team games evening, this might include crate stacking, blindfold trail, using grass

skis, blind soccer International There have been many worldwide inspirational leaders in the past. Explore what the word inspirational means to you personally and what you think makes a

good leader. Find out about a famous inspirational leader from another country and present him/her to

your unit – what traits did he or she have that made them a good leader; you could use the computer to make a visual presentation; design a flyer highlighting them or write a piece of creative writing about them.

Research on the internet and make a poster of inspirational quotes from leaders Devise your own inspirational quotes based on your beliefs to share with others. Think about what makes a good rainbow or brownie leader and design a poster for recruiting

a new leader. Arts Having self-confidence is an important part of leadership. Confidence comes from good self-esteem. Hold a “This is Me” evening with lots of creative self-esteem boosting activities and games.

Look on the County website for further ideas.

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

Out of Doors Outdoors There is something very special about camp cooking. Everything just seems to taste so very good at camp! Camp cooking requires a different set of rules and equipment then those that we use at home. Have a camp cooking session this might include making an outdoor oven and cooking buns,

tin can cookery, cooking over night lights, making dampers over a campfire, cooking marsh-mallows, popcorn or crumpets over a fire.

International There are so many beautiful places to see in the world and many hundreds of famous land-marks which have become the most recognizable in the world. Make a collage of pictures of famous landmarks; Devise a landmark quiz or a photo quiz and hold a competition to see how many can be rec-

ognised; Make a famous international landmark out of natural materials, this could be a picture or a

model; Challenge yourself to plant some seeds, nurture your crop and feed your family with the resultant crop - younger members could grow cress seeds and make sandwiches!

Arts

Go on a “nightwalk” around your meeting place then use it for inspiration for a themed evening.

have a treasure hunt with torches finding things that you can use to make a collage when you return inside.

look closely at the sky at night, can you see any stars; when you return indoors use art ma-terials to create star related crafts

decorate star shaped boxes with star sequins, stickers etc. write night time poems or stories; find out about the stories behind each constellation; plan and perform a night themed sketch. Guiding development Exploring the great outdoors with others is fun! Take part in an activity outside of your meeting place with other Girlguiding members from

different section such as a ramble, a theme park trip, a scavenger hunt, pond dipping, going on a bus ride, taking the train to the seaside, an evening in the park, a trip to a different town.

PR Being seen out and about in the community is an important part of publicising Girlguiding. Wear your uniform to a non-guiding event or even just walk around the town. Make sure you

look smart and have a friendly smile. If anyone asks you about your uniform be sure to tell them how much fun it is being a member of Girlguiding and all the opportunities you have.

design some cards with the Join Us details on to hand out to anyone interested in becoming part of the fun!

Younger members must have a leader with them at all times.

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

Personal Values

Arts What do you understand by personal values and how they affect our behaviours; Think about your own personal values then explore them artistically or creatively for

example make slogans about “peace” and display them in the unit meeting place; sculpt “freedom” from a piece of clay; draw “simplicity”; dance “co-operation”; bake “happiness”; sing “love”;

think about “what makes me ‘me’” and create a “this is me” image. Guiding Development We all make a promise when we join Girlguiding. Explore what is meant by a promise and what other promises we might make in our lives.

Look at how difficult it might be sometimes to keep to a promise we have made and when it’s not safe to promise to keep a secret.

Hold a promise evening exploring creatively through various activities the elements of the Girlguiding promise that we make;

make a promise tree with pledges of other promises that you might want to try and keep. Younger members could start to explore the promise they will make as they continue their guiding journey.

PR Read the Guide Law. Consider how you keep the Guide Law. Write one word that could describe a personal value for every letter of the alphabet. So they

could be C = confidence, D = determination etc; Make a poster with the Guide Laws in the centre and write all the desirable personal values

for a Guiding member around the edge of the poster then display this on your unit notice-board.

Outdoors Find out about the countryside code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code). Use it on a walk, or another outdoor activity Find out signs that you might find in country and create a game so everyone can learn and

understand them. Complete the countryside code quiz or wordsearch or make up your own International Explore the values associated with other cultures for example the Yamas and Niyamas from

the philosophy of Yoga or the faiths and beliefs of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and then creatively represent them.

Please ensure you are allowed to do this clause within your meeting place as some faith organisations may have rules regarding this.

Don’t forget, check out the resources page...

To achieve our Senior Section Challenge, we completed the following activities.

If you have any photos to share, please email the files to the address below. Please ensure that you

have permission for the photos to be used within guiding.

Return your report/badge order form and

payment to:

Senior Section Challenge

Girlguiding Essex North East County Office

7 Park Farm, Kelvedon Road

INWORTH CO5 9SH

Report

Community Action International

Creativity Leadership

Out of Doors Independent living

Fit for Life Personal Values

If you have any questions or queries please

contact the County Office on:

01376 570464

or

office@girlguidingessexne.org.uk

Unit

Rainbow / Brownies / Guides / Senior Section / Trefoil Guild (Please circle)

Division

Leader’s Name

Address

Phone or email in case of queries

Number of badges required at £1.00 each

Please add postage according to the number of badges you order:

1-20 £1.20

21-50 £1.49

51-100 £1.80

101-150 £2.23

151- 200 £2.70

200+ Price on enquiry

Collection from County Office Free of charge

Total amount en-closed: £

Once your unit has completed the 8 challenge sections please return this form to order your badges

Please give details of the challenges you have completed on the report page and send this and the report page with your cheque (payable to Girlguiding Essex North East) to the County Office, Unit 7 Park Farm, Kelvedon Road, Inworth, Colchester, CO5 9SH.

We hope you have enjoyed our Senior Section Challenge. Don’t forget to look out for our next challenge in 2016.

Badge Order Form