Pat on the Back

On the way to my mentor’s meeting last night I pondered the position of our yellow blob unit (obviously my Guiding hat was firmly on, having just typed up the Unit Guidelines for a challenge badge ready for them to sign this week). Our yellow blob unit is back up to full numbers after a bit of an exodus to Guides at the end of the school year, all without trying, no recruitment needed! Guider wise we have 2 warranted and 2 pre-warrant Guiders (our old YLs, they would have been warranted by now had the county got themselves in gear to mentor train me before they hit 18), so we don’t need parent helpers and gel well as a team.

When it comes to District meetings, it often seems that we have the ideas that others copy (we even have exported our YGs to another unit to run a couple of nights), and giving inspiration of activities to do. Come census time I know we’re one of the largest yellow blob units in the district. Hence I think we’re one of the more successful units in the district, now our district it seems is more active and out there doing things than other districts (although in one district’s case you’d be lucky if the DC knew what the units were doing), hence I think you’d probably find we’re one of the better yellow blob units in the Division. Hmm I thought, although we don’t always get to do all we want, it doesn’t always go to plan; I think we can pat ourselves on the back that we’ve made a success of our unit, providing many yellow blob aged girls the opportunity to be kids, enjoy themselves and try lots of new experiences. We seem to be the most democratic unit in the district, but that something I’ve always had in my units, ever since I was a Brownie (I had a young newly warranted Guider at the time (I make her feel old as I was the first Brownie she enrolled!), who now has Region appointments, now assisted in the unit by my mum). Maybe I had the role model of a successful unit (they too don’t ever have to recruit) to work towards. Sometimes we just look at what goes wrong too much instead of what we do right.

With that I’m rather looking forward to seeing the 6 girls and 2 pre-warrant Guiders that will make their promise tonight, our soon to be ex-Brownie/ new Guide (she's a lovely girl, I wouldn't be surprised to see her as a YL in a few years time)undertake her Hostess badge. You know what, we’ve got a lovely bunch of girls in our unit, they’re all individuals (and like to show you this) but when it comes down to it will all help each other. The unit guideline discussion last week highlighted that they wanted Brownies to be a place where each other was respected, that they were nice to each other and thought about each others feelings. Out of the discussion came the top guideline, “treat others like you would like to be treated”, straight from the mouth of a Brownie and agreed by the Brownies as a really good guideline (hence its at the top).

So think about what's good in your units ....