International Women’s Day – 8 March

This International Women’s Day we want to help #InspireInclusion by shining a light on Girlguiding in Edenbridge and the words of Anna Segall, Chief Executive of the World Association of Girl Guide and Girl Scouts:

These are just some of the important reasons why we are pleased to have awarded a community grant of over £500 to 1^st Edenbridge Guides this year to help them run their activities. We would really encourage families to find out more about what girlguiding has to offer, either via the website www.girlguidingkentwest.co.uk/who-we-are/where-to-find-us/knole-division or www.facebook.com/GirlguidingKnoleDivision

“Girlguiding is slowly growing in Edenbridge,” says 1^st Edenbridge Guides Leader, Steph Harrison. “We have just opened a new Brownie unit, and our Guide unit continues to grow.  This has only been possible with support from the community, and the girls who want to be part of Girlguiding. Our supporters include Edenbridge Town Council, who awarded us a grant of just over £500 this year, and have also supported us previously. This supports enables girls to participate in activities that help to grow their confidence, share new experiences, learn new skills and learn that Girls Can Do Anything!”

Brownies meet from 5.15 pm to 6.45 pm for girls age 7-10

Guides meet from 7 pm – 8.30 pm for girls age 10-15

Thursdays (term time only) at Rickards Hall

This information is from the Girlguiding website:

“Girls can do anything. We help them know that.”

We know that girls face pressures and expectations in every area of their lives. They’re limited by gender stereotypes, and they can face barriers to accessing the things they need to be happy.

Research shows that half of girls aged 14-17 believe that girls are more likely to experience negative gendered stereotypes than boys. And over a quarter of girls aged 14-17 have had a stereotype stop them from doing something.  Girls also tell us about the discrimination they face in their daily lives – our research shows that two thirds of girls aged 11 to 21 report seeing or experiencing sexism at school, college, university or work.

But we know that Girlguiding can help change this. Girls in Girlguiding are more confident than their peers: nearly 9 in 10 of them say they like being the way they are (compared with just 6 in 10 who have never been in Girlguiding).

Girlguiding offers a safe, inclusive space for all girls – one where they can try new things with friends they trust and volunteers they look up to.  This will give them courage, connections, confidence, and memories they’ll never forget. And when girls feel confident, they are more likely to know that they can do anything

Source: edenbridgetowncouncil.gov.uk