Girlguiding Anglia News and Events

NORFOLK GUIDES AND SCOUTS SHOW HOW THEY'VE BEEN ‘CHANGING THE WORLD'
                        Royal Norfolk Show July 1st - 2nd  2009

Young people these days have a bad reputation for either staying indoors all the time playing computer games or hanging around in groups annoying the neighbours and not caring about the wider community they live in.

Members of Girlguiding Norfolk and Norfolk Scouts disagree! As well as taking part in adventurous activities, learning new skills and having fun with their friends they also combine all three whilst taking an active and responsible role in the local, national and global community. This was shown to great effect at the Royal Norfolk Show where the combined Norfolk Guide and Scout stand won the ‘Bond's Challenge Cup' for the best stand by a charity or voluntary organisation.

Each year hundreds of young members across Norfolk take part in a number of community- action projects from helping to tackle climate change by planting trees to learning sign language and raising money for deaf charities, to sending books to disadvantaged young people in Africa. This is what was celebrated this year at the joint Scout and Guide stand.

In September 2009 Girlguiding UK launches its Centenary celebrations and in the run up to this landmark event the organisation launched a year-long Changing the World challenges  for its 500,000 members across the UK  in partnership with 19 charity organisation to  show the positive force that guiding has in local communities and across the world.

The scouts - who celebrated their own centenary in 2007 - also want to show what they have learnt and how they have made a difference to the local community.

Along with the usual displays & games visitors experienced:

•·         Taking part in a number of ‘green' crafts including making a wind turbine

•·         Having some refreshments provided by the Trefoil Guild

•·         Seeing the recycled Junk monster made by members which will hopefully be on show at the Maize maze in Hemsby this summer and the Guiding hippo designed for the North Walsham charity trail.

"The girls have really enjoyed choosing which charities they want to support and feeling like they have made a real difference," said Helen Green, County Commissioner for Girlguiding Norfolk. "The range of projects and activities on offer from helping runaways and street children to tackling bullying and domestic abuse show that we not only actively promote equality and diversity but we are as relevant to today's girls as we were a hundred years ago. "

Richard Butler, County Commissioner for Norfolk Scouts, said community action projects are an integral part of scouting. "Our relationships with other organisations and charities in the local community and throughout the world lead our members to a better understanding of people and issues," he said. "Scouts can and do make a difference."

Carol Bundock, BBC Presenter and President of Girlguiding Norfolk, was at the stand on Wednesday, chatting to members and taking part in activities.

So why not come along to the Norfolk Guide and Scout stand next year and come and see and hear how young people in Norfolk are having fun and making a difference.