As the leading organization for girls and young women, WAGGGS and its Member Organizations have an important role to play in enabling young people to develop and participate in their own advocacy projects. Often young people’s voices are ignored – they can’t hold positions of power or vote.
Often, decisions are made about their futures, which don’t consider their needs or interests. That is why it is important to identify how you can enable your group of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to include advocacy in their programme.
The Girl Guide/Girl Scout educational programme is the way in which Girl Guides and Girl Scouts develop skills and attitudes which enable them to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. Giving young people the opportunity to develop their skills to become advocates for themselves and for others is another way of enabling them to develop leadership skills. It also empowers them to make a positive contribution to the world around them.
Let us remind ourselves of WAGGGS’ elements to influence people to take decisions that improve our lives and others: Speaking Out + Taking Action + Education
In reality, Member Organizations are already educating young people about issues of concern which affect their daily lives and Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are already taking action to improve the world around them. Community service projects form part of every Girl Guide/Girl Scout educational programme. With these existing activities and projects, developing an advocacy initiative to speak out on behalf of ourselves and others can be seen as a natural development of the activities carried out by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to achieve WAGGGS’ Mission and to build a better world.
One simple way to introduce an advocacy element into these activities is to present the outcomes of the project to a decision-maker. It should include an explanation of why Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have taken action, and what change needs to happen in order to tackle the root causes of the issue. Indeed, for every activity which is based on developing solutions to issues of concern of young people, an advocacy element can be included by taking this approach. There are other ways in which advocacy can be included in your Association’s educational programme:
Develop a badge curriculum based on the elements necessary to develop an advocacy initiative: Young people identify an issue of concern for them in their country or local community, and by themselves plan an advocacy initiative in the way it has been described in this toolkit. Identify the decision-makers who can make the change necessary to solve the problem and put the plan into action.
Develop activity packs on advocacy issues on which your Association has chosen to work and which can be implemented by leaders.
Organize an action day, where districts/regions/troops can spend one day doing activities and actions on a particular topic of concern to young people, and present the outcomes to decision-makers and the wider community.
If you take a look at your national educational programme or your group programme you will certainly find many more ways to add an ‘advocacy dimension’ to existing projects, programmes and activities.
TOOL:
Exercise on including Advocacy in the Educational ProgrammeStep 1
Assume the following situation: The Guide Association of Badenpowellonia has a membership of 10,000. It is quite a healthy Association and revised both its programme and its training three years ago. It is the largest youth organization in Badenpowellonia. As a member of WAGGGS, they are keen to get involved in advocacy and like the idea of working on healthy eating. At the same time, the Department of Health in that country has been issuing reports on the rise of obesity in children and the role that junk food plays in the poor health of children and young people.
What are the issues that the Guides of Badenpowellonia could address? Who should they be talking to?
What do their members need to know?
Step 2
Develop an activity for each of these age sections on Healthy Eating for the Guide Association of Badenpowellonia
Brownies/Cubs Guides/Scouts Rovers/Rangers
That includes the three principles of Speak out
Take action Educate
Step 3
How will you train the leaders on these topics and how to deliver the new programme material to each section? Will the leaders be willing to work on these issues?
EXAMPLE:
AIDS badge curriculumGirl Guides and Girl Scouts of all ages are able to earn the WAGGGS AIDS Badge, a project developed in partnership with ICASO (International Council of AIDS Service Organizations) and UNAIDS. The curriculum is formed of diverse activities that address key issues on HIV and AIDS awareness including: Prevention through change in behaviour: Girl Guides and Girl Scouts demonstrate that they understand some of the ways in which HIV is transmitted and that they have disseminated that information successfully to their peers.
Eliminating discrimination: Girl Guides and Girl Scouts successfully complete a task that educates others as well as themselves about the facts on HIV and AIDS, with the aim of eliminating discrimination.
Care and Support: Girl Guides and Girl Scouts learn how to care for and support members of their community who are living with HIV and AIDS. This includes caring for, and supporting, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts who are living with HIV and AIDS.
2.4 – Including Advocacy in your national programme and group programme continued