Our Voice
Australian Guides say…
Girl Guides Australia instigated the Australian Guides say… project in 2007 to listen to Australian girls, to become the voice of girls and young women to help build a better world. Australian Guide members thank WAGGGS for speaking on their behalf on the important adolescent issues. Australian Guides have had the opportunity to have their say in the issues of concern to them in 2007 at a global level, national and local level.
Girl Guides Australia will advocate on behalf of Guides on the key issues of concern, giving girls a voice. New resources and program activities are under development to empower Guides to speak out in their communities on the issus important to them.
Rather than a tick box survey, this project contained a kit of activities to encourage Guides to raise and discuss their issues of concern with their peers and then vote which 3 issues were the most important to the patrol at the three levels. This empowered the girls to openly discuss and advocate with their peers the issues.
Many Leaders were delighted with the passion of the girls from a young age to have their say. The girls were delighted to think that WAGGGS, Girl Guides Australia and the wider community will listen to them to help build a better world. The girls raised so many issues that they often found the hardest part deciding their top three issues. Each patrol filled in a special guide postcard and returned it to GGA for collating.
The data collected will provide Australian Guides with the platform and opportunity to advocate and speak out as one voice on those issues which concern them to help to build a better world as well as the worldwide adolescent issues. The formal report will be distributed to key decision makers via the Girl Guides Australia website in March 2008.