What is "girlguiding"

Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association (originally The Girl Guides Association), the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 as an organisation especially for girls run along similar lines to The Boy Scouts Association. The Guide Association was a founder member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1928. At the end of 2013, the Association had more than 553,000 members and continues to be the largest girl only youth organisation in the UK.

At present about one in four of all eight-year-old girls in the UK are Brownies. Although, since January 2007, The Scout Association requires its registered Scout groups in the UK to accept girls, this has not affected the numbers of girls joining Girlguiding.

Girlguiding is a charitable organisation and adult leaders are not paid for their time. For this reason, and for its work aiming for the personal and social development of young people, Girlguiding is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).