Ada lovelace

For finding out information on women in Science and technology  for the link.  Have a go and inform us what you want to do with the day.

Such a variety of things goes into Guiding.

Guiding provides a range such a variety of things to do that what the programs actually have included into them is as varied as the both the members, the families and the outside world have influences upon the choices of activities.

For instance when a group of Guides or Leaders are heading towards a badge or qualification there are always others who, once their interest is sparked will challenge themselves to widen their horizons as well.  Other who for their own reasons go along for the ride, and still others who ‘put up with it’ so that the more interesting (to them) stuff can be done.  This ‘get in there together’ is part of being a team member, supporting others and they in turn support you.

Because of copy write laws the syllabus of each badge, award etc can not publish.  However when there are a collective of people of different ages, skills level or a variety interests being satisfied in order for that person or group of people to achieve an overall objective then different things can pop up as challenges to different people.  In short with one overall objective there are many jobs to be done.  Each job has a variety people working at different levels to finish the ‘job’ and to collectively achieve the objective.  Along the way those who already know what needs to be done in one ‘job’ may either be showing someone else, or themselves doing another job and being shown by someone else.

Learning one skill can be utilised in may different ways.  We’ll pick on ‘food’.  There are a wide variety of tasks involved with ‘food’ where both the theory and practical emphasis changes depending on the outcome.

Alright.  Food and water is in themselves part of survival.  Over a extended period of time when a Guide learns about food she learns the safety measures with food ( cleanliness, personal hygiene, cooking, storage, carrying, presentation, carrying, washing up, putting away and even choosing the food types to suit the occasion, age range, religious and dietary requirements.}

Then there’s the deciding what to have, organising the menu, suiting the occasion to the menu and the activities, raising the money for, purchasing, storage, preparation, presentation, consumption of, removal, recycling.

The ‘Food’ theme may be used towards different size and complexity of activities. Starting with just having a cooking time in the Guide Program, discovering culinary items of interest and foods from other countries, becoming aware of the multicultural input back into this county, developing a culture with guiding itself, being aware of the Four World centers, being aware of the pioneering women in History, Guiding history, Guiding ways of the future, catering for a fundraiser, a dance, a BBQ, a cookout challenge, water activities, a penny hike, …. and so on,  These smaller activities will lead onto more comprehensive objectives. Which may include… an end of year Formal meal, an overnight stay, a camp, going away on State or International camps, helping with Patrol Service activities, being part of a World Wide service activity, [ Clean Up Australia, Kiribus Bus, East Timour, national and international disaster relief teams..] and the lists just go on.

Once the interest is sparked the future may have a direction. Wow.

No, ‘Food’ does not stop here.  There are other things to consider like the jobs connecting with the above linking words.  An obvious one is leadership for the activity. Leadership is learned, practiced and known about by watching and helping others with their leadership rolls.In essence Leadership boils down to encouraging others to willingly help get the job done, while collectively forefiling needs and desires.  On a three tier level these needs and desires are your own, their own, these who attend, those who obviously benefit.  Since everyone in these levels are ‘stake holders’ then an experienced adult Leader is capable of covering all these levels with the help of her team.

Now that how food may slot into the weekly or overall Program chosen by the Guides themselves.  However there are both tangible and intangible small stepping stones are available to the members that mark each Guides progress.

Most often the skills learning when doing one thing are brought back into the guiding Program at a greater depth of knowledge practice along with a wider variety of interests being sort to be done.    While in Guiding there are many ways of widening the interest range of the Guiding members.  in itself just the broodning and deepening of the interests, skills and knowledge basis of the members within Guides is a factor of why there are a variety of things that goes into, and come out from, Guiding.

What do I get out of this?

Everything we do as a person is knowledge gained that can be used towards something else. These are called stepping stones or gaining of life skills.

Some things we set out to do (our goals) are directly put towards badges.  Other things in the weekly program you helped organise may still go towards badges but we may not be sure where they fit in.  Talk to others around you (include the leaders as they may just know something too!!!) and find out where others have used these challenges. Activities, events and Service things are often being planned from the District and above level too. getting involved in these events again widens your views on what can and is achieved.

Show your badge books to your friends and family they may have ideas too.  Your friends might even want to be invited to do something with you too.

Every time the challenges are used or done they take on more dimensions.  We develop what we do.  First by learning from someone else, making mistakes, redoing the challenge, improving on how things work, having the skill to use the equipment in a ‘funner’ way… or on why the thing did not work out.

Oranising ourselves, team members, the public and even our families and friends. Knowing what to take, the jobs and activities that go into making this an event to remember (and want to remember!)  Talking and communicating with each other is a good skill to always improve on. Having a voice (advacacy) as well as using the governance skills gained where you and your friends can represent yourselves as individuals, or as a group/ team.

Working through the evaluations, then the pre-programing for the next time the challenge is run is a built on experience. Knowing how the thing is meant to work, the program and then what actually does happen to make it work.

Next level of gaining the skill is doing the job as a full member of the team or by yourself.  This greatly depends on what the challenge is, the job is.  Once you have the hang of this then your next challenge is to show someone else how and what to do.  Let them have the fun of just doing something, being part of the team, making the mistakes, correcting them too, including  them in the next adventure.

Gaining a skill, then showing others how to do this skill, learning another skill and repeating the basic process  is part of skill gathering and may be even ‘maturing’ – not necessarily getting older either. Do we ever stop learning.  I hope not. But as we progress in  Guides there are different ways of  wearing badges.

Lapel badges not often seen

In the beginning of anyone’s Guiding experiences the gaining of badges may happen quickly.  Then they get a little harder.  There is going to be gaps to fill in now on different badge requirements.  So now you set out to fill in these gaps either by yourself, with family, friends, peers, other Guides (at Guides or not).

When badges are presented please remember that some Guides may have taken a long time to actually finish off a few which seem to be be given out at the same time.  This is just how things happen.  The impression is false if one thinks that someone is a ‘better’ Guide, or better at Guides than someone else because of the badges on a sash or a shirt.  This is not the case.  Take into consideration how many years has that person been in Guides, is her family involved, does she include other activities into her Guiding awards?  Does she choose not to wear her badges on her sash?  Was there a problem where the sash or shirt was destroyed (accident, fire) or lost (when moving, or put down on a train, at a camp?)   Simply is she not interested in awards, unable to afford the sash or badges?  Or is she busy finalizing a handful of others but has not finished them yet? May be she just wants to do one at a time and do that one well.

Encouraged to be written by Clear Vision

What do you need to do before you come down to Australia Day

• Full Uniform (as much as possible until the uniform change has occurred)  Blue polo shirts are available at Big W, Target, Kmart for about $ 4 to $ 5 at this time of year.  They will do until the new shirts are available from Guide Shop).
• Are all the badges sewn onto the sash?
• Have breakfast.
• Take a drink bottle with cold water inside it.
• Sunscreen yourself.
• Have you checked on your own presentation?
• Fill out the activity paperwork and have parent sign as you arrive.  Look for a leader.

Begining the Olave Baden-Powell award.

Having made their Guide Promise members of the Gipps Guides are choosing to begin their journey through the Olave Baden-Powell Award.

These 18 to 29 year olds are challenging themselves to that both their Guiding Promise and their Guiding into the wider community.

Quite often bringing back to those around them different lessons and influences that they have experienced. Often not realising just how much influence on other peoples lives, thoughts and interests that being involved with activities, events and programs which appeal to them can have.    Part of the Olave Award progress is to present what you have done to your peers.   If you are working in any youth organisation/ work place as a Leader/ teacher or Adult Carer your experiences will transfer to others.  When an event/activity/ service is described, it’s successes, and flops along the way, the struggles/ surprises and things that go right all combine to challenge others in how different to do their chosen things.

Setting out to do something is often a challenge rewarded and supported by others already travelling or who have travelled along that path too.  There are many friends you meet and make within this Olave Program.  people you may have met at school, work, camps or round the block even.