Tag: girls

Girlguiding unveils 72 new badges

Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, has launched 72 new badges offering even more amazing opportunities for girls aged 4-18 to grow in confidence, learn new skills, have fun and adventure, and to know they can do anything.

To help launch this exciting new project, broadcaster and presenter, Angellica Bell has come on board as Girlguiding ambassador. An active voice in the youth sector, the ex-CBBC presenter is dedicated to inspiring the younger generation and helping girls tackle the many challenges they face, all while having fun and adventures along the way.

Among the new badges, Rainbows (age 4-7) can giggle their way towards completing the Laughter badge; Brownies (age 7-10) might share the love for the Kindness badge; Guides (age 10-14) can creepy crawl their way closer to the Entomology badge; and Rangers (age 14-18) will be waxing lyrical about their favourite things with the Fandoms badge.

The 72 new badges were co-designed by more than 20,000 people including over 15,000 girls. Over 4,000 badge design ideas were submitted by girls and volunteers, and 11,000 girls from 753 Girlguiding units across the UK helped to test out the badge activities.

The badge activities were developed with Girlguiding’s youth panel Amplify, which is made up of 30 girls aged 12-18, and seven expert partners: The Royal Horticultural Society (Rangers – Gardening); Children’s Book Project (Guides – Bookworm); University of Reading (Rainbows – Laughter and Courage; Guides – Journalling); Wildwood Trust (Guides – Biodiversity); Bletchley Park (Codebreaking – Guides); the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (Rangers – Guiding world); and Wellbeing of Women (Rangers – My health).

The development of new, and the evolution of existing badges was a response to girls’ requests to add even more choice to the Girlguiding programme given the popularity of the first wave of overhauled badges released in 2018, with a phenomenal 1,551,087 completed across all four Girlguiding sections since then(1).

Coming on board as Girlguiding Ambassador to support the launch of the new badges, broadcaster and presenter, Angellica Bell said: “It was a real blast trying out the new badges with Girlguiding members.

“I know firsthand just how important it is for girls to have activities outside of school to educate but also have fun! As someone who thrives on challenges and is passionate about ensuring girls’ voices are heard, I feel extremely excited be joining Girlguiding as an ambassador.

“Girlguiding offers a safe and welcoming space for all girls, and I am so impressed by the work they do to build girls’ confidence and wellbeing, whilst tackling important issues impacting their lives such as online harm, sexism and misogyny.

“In a world where the voices of girls and young women are not always fairly heard, I am proud to stand alongside Girlguiding and will be using my voice to speak up for equality and to show that girls can do anything. Bring on the adventures!”

Fresh from her recent appearances presenting BBC One’s coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and as a Celebrity Big Brother housemate, Angellica will bring her adventurous, empowering, and inspiring spirit to the role of Girlguiding Ambassador.

As a trusted voice in broadcast, Angellica will help Girlguiding reach more girls by using her voice to amplify its work in making the world a more equal place for girls.

Girlguiding strives to be a place where everyone is welcome, is free to be themselves and has an equal sense of belonging – whoever they are and wherever they’re from. She will also bring her infectious high energy into supporting girls to have adventures and to break barriers by following their dreams, as she herself has.

Amanda Azeez, Girlguiding Acting CEO said: “The launch of these new badges is a huge moment for Girlguiding. They’ve been designed by girls, for girls which is so important to make sure we are staying relevant to girls’ wants and needs.

“The response from girls and volunteers during the consultation process was incredible and really inspiring. My personal favourite is the Bee rescuer badge for Rainbows – I just love it!

“There’s something for everyone among the new badges and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact these activities have on girls, building their confidence and helping them know they can do anything.”

Fatima, 18, from Girlguiding’s Amplify panel said: “I’m so excited for the launch because these badges reflect the real passions and interests’ girls have today and shows that Girlguiding is always evolving with us.

“Being part of the consultation showed that Girlguiding genuinely cares about what girls think and want. It’s empowering to know our voices help shape what guiding looks like for the future!”

Badges that have never been seen before in Girlguiding’s 115-year history include:

Interior designer:
This badge will see Guides planning designing, and decorating. They will discover the skills to transform spaces and let their creativity run wild

the interior designer badge for Guides

Courage:

Rainbows will learn to find their courage and know that trying new things doesn’t have to be scary.

the courage badge for Rainbows

Food critic:

Guides will embrace their inner critic to discover which flavours and foods make their heart sing, and which aren’t their thing.

the food critic badge for guides

Calm spaces:

Rangers will find some inner peace and unwind. They will discover what makes them relaxed and create their own calm space.

the calm spaces badge for rangers

This year, Girlguiding launched a new strategy to reach more girls where they are, building their confidence when they need it the most, so more girls will know they can do anything. Girlguiding’s programme provides girls and women with the opportunity to learn invaluable skills in the welcoming fun and supportive environment Girlguiding provides. Recent impact research found girls aged 11-18 in guiding to be on average, 28% more confident and 15% happier than UK girls.(2)

  1. As of 20 June 2025, 1,551,087 interest badges have been completed on the new programme
  2. Girlguiding Impact and experience survey 2024

Read the full list of badges and descriptions here

Future Asset competition encourages schoolgirls across Scotland to tackle gender disparity in financial services

Now in its fifth year, the Growing Future Assets Investment Competition challenges 13-18-year-old schoolgirls in Scotland to become investment whiz kids by identifying and pitching a company with great investment potential.

Teenage girls in Scotland can register for the competition now and are in with a chance to win prizes of up to £1000 for their school and up to £200 in vouchers per student.

Until recently, there were more men named Dave working as UK fund managers than women in total. Today, only 12% of UK fund managers are women. Future Asset aims to close the gender gap in this sector, empowering teenage girls across the country by teaching them the skills they need to consider a career in investment management.

Scotland is the 2nd largest financial hub in the UK after London, yet a poll commissioned by Scottish Financial Enterprise found that almost 60% of 16-24-year-olds were unlikely to consider a career in financial services, while just under a quarter (23%) of people in Scotland do not believe financial services represents an attractive or secure career for young people.

Another study reveals that many women lack confidence around investing, with one quarter stating that they don’t know what to invest in, and 19% saying they don’t know how to invest.

However, there is clear evidence the sector would benefit from eliminating gender disparity. Analysis by Fidelity Investments found that on average women’s holding outperformed men’s annually by 0.40 percentage points.

Spaces in the competition are in high demand both in and outside the central belt. 110 teams competed last year from 30 out of 32 council areas of Scotland. Since inception in 2020, over 1800 students across the country have taken part.

Successful applicants will take part in a “Dragons’ Den” style competition over 10 weeks, which allows them to experience the role of an investment manager.

Competing teams each work with a professional “Competition Coach” – volunteer investment professionals from leading firms such as Martin Currie, Baillie Gifford and Stewart Investors who coach teams online and in person – to learn how to pitch a company with great investment potential.

Jen Mair, Chair of Future Asset and CEO of Martin Currie Investment Management, said: “Careers in finance can be rewarding, creative and lucrative, and we remain committed to eliminating gender disparity in this sector so that anyone can consider working in investment.

“In the last half-decade, it has been inspiring and encouraging to see girls from every corner of the country take advantage of the competition and the resources we have to offer, and we look forward to seeing them enjoy successful careers in the industry It’s clear that diversifying the financial workforce brings many benefits for all, and while there is still much work to be done,

“I believe the future of the investment sector looks very bright.”

Registration for the competition closes on 6 September 2024.

Competition Kick Off  workshops take place in August and September in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Inverness, and the competition deadline is on Friday 29 November 2024, with winners announced on Friday 07 March.

Period Products Act comes into force

Legal right to access free period products in Scotland

Scotland is to become the first country in the world to protect in law the right to access free period products.

Councils and education providers will be legally required to make period products available free of charge to anyone who needs them when the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act comes into force tomorrow (Monday 15 August).

Since 2017, the Scottish Government has invested more than £27 million to fund access in a range of public settings and the new law will cement this progress.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “Providing access to free period products is fundamental to equality and dignity, and removes the financial barriers to accessing them.

“This is more important than ever at a time when people are making difficult choices due to the cost of living crisis and we never want anyone to be in a position where they cannot access period products.

“Since 2018, we have delivered ground-breaking action by providing free period products for pupils and students in all our schools, colleges and universities. We are proud to be the first national government in the world to take such action.

“The work we are doing in Scotland continues to be world leading, going goes beyond provision of free products. We have also provided funding for an educational website for employers, run a successful anti-stigma campaign, and improved menstrual health resources available for schools.

“I’m grateful to all the young women and girls who have been crucial in developing the best ways to access products to meet their needs.”

People can find their nearest collection point through the PickupMyPeriod mobile app which was launched earlier this year by social enterprise Hey Girls with Scottish Government support.

Celia Hodson, founder of Hey Girls, said: “The Period Product Act shows Scotland is leading the way in recognising that period products are not a luxury and should be freely available to all.

“Through our PickupMyPeriod app, we work to ensure no-one in Scotland is left without access to period products and are well on the way to achieving that with more than 1,000 locations highlighted to users.

“We hope the Act will help those in need and that our app will be of support to many more as our network continues to grow.”

SHE Scotland SQA Mentoring Award

Please see the new flyer for the forthcoming SHE Mentoring SQA Award in partnership with Edinburgh College starting in August 22. 

This course is perfect for anyone starting their journey in working with communities, youth work and is particularly beneficial to developing skills to support others. Can also add to existing skills or as a refresher.   The course is a mixed gender group and will aim to be 12-14max participants.  Support for childcare and travel costs will be provided by Edinburgh College.

There is a small application to be completed. Please contact either Lauren or Lynn to find out more.

Please share with your staff, volunteers and community.

Karen

SHEscotland@outlook.com

SHE Scotland to hold Funders & Partners event

We are looking for like minded business, community groups, school leaders and charity owners to join us for our funders and partners night so we can work together to provide more opportunities for girls and young women.

This evening is a great opportunity for networking and explore potential synergies with other local groups.

The evening will be held on Thursday 26th May from 6-8pm in our space at 525 Ferry Road, EH5 2FF and will include talks from our members at SHE Scotland so you can find out more about what we do and how you can help us provide more opportunities for girls and young women.

This is a great opportunity for networking and we would love to see like minded business, community groups, school leaders and charity owners attend so please do spread this invite far and wide!

If you would like to come along, please do RSVP via the link below! We hope to see you there!

shescotland@outlook.com

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Samba queen hangs up her whistle

AFTER 30 years pioneering the women’s Samba movement in Scotland, Beat That’s musical director, Erin Scrutton, is hanging up her whistle.

One of Scotland’s longest-running Samba bands, Beat That, is winding up too, going out with a bang at COP26 on Saturday 6 November 2021, playing in the parade for the Extinction Rebellion campaigners.

CALL TO SAMBA SISTERS


Beat That is putting out a call to women Samba players, past and present, to join in the finale celebrations at COP26. Samba sisters are invited to sign up on the band’s team site (https://teamer.net/p/fbWeZgnIPx7Zslron) to join in.

They will be sent music files to listen to and will be invited to join rehearsals in Stirling in October in preparation for the COP26 parade on 6 November.

Banging the drum for 30 years

Popular with programmers and gig organisers across Scotland, Beat That regularly led the annual Glasgow Style Mile Christmas Parade and played at the Merchant City and West End festivals. They have been stalwarts at Paisley’s Sma’ Shot and Hallowe’en festivals – always game for a dress-up.

Back home, in Stirling, each year Beat That took to the stage and streets in Stirling for events like Reclaim the Night to Hogmanay celebrations.

They’ve performed at festivals in Dublin, Berlin, London, Liverpool, Amsterdam, Italy and Spain.

A key part of the women’s movement and an expression of feminism, women’s Samba bands have featured in many International Women’s Day celebrations over the decades. To celebrate 100 Years of International Women’s Day, Erin led the drumming for an event called HumDrum when 70 women came together to sing and drum on the steps of Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, part of the Scottish Wave of Change.

Making a noise for women and LGBTQ+ rights

Erin, and women’s Samba bands, have played a key role in promoting the Pride movement in Scotland and abroad, celebrating LGBTQ+ people. Erin led She Boom, Scotland’s first women’s Samba band, opening the Stonewall celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall, sharing the bill with Elton John and George Michael.

Erin and drummers attended the Stonewall 25th anniversary celebrations in New York.

Beat That’s last foreign foray was leading the first Pride festival in Manilva in 2019 and they were booked to return when Lockdown hit and live events were put on ice in 2020. Beat That continued to play together right throughout Lockdown, keeping spirits high with a weekly practice for the two dozen women from central Scotland on Zoom.

A leader in her field

Erin led, kicked-off, composed music for and coached the leaders of women’s bands in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Aberdeen, Irvine, Dumfries and Stirling.

Erin Scrutton Samba leader

Over the years, Erin studied percussion in Brazil, Cuba, Salvador. A skilled player and composer, she has performed with Jools Holland, The Pet Shop Boys and Horse. She has taught thousands of beginners in community and corporate workshops and been a guest tutor for groups from the Isle of Wight to Ireland and Wales.

She has been MD with Stirling-based Beat That for 30 years and in that role has taught scores of women who have become part of the Beat That family and performed at festivals, parades and gigs from Belladrum to Berlin, Ireland to Italy.

Says Jenn Pow, the community group’s chair: “We were lucky to keep Erin as our leader for 30 years. She’s been a field-leader and built a career as a samba drummer when no such thing existed. We feel privileged that she stayed loyal to our group all these years.

“Erin is an amazing teacher – a patient and kind soul. Many of us would never have lasted this long without her. Being in the band has been one of the best things in my life.

“We’re a strong tribe and we’ve grown together, supporting each other through major milestones and life’s ups and downs. We’ve gone through births and deaths together… and many a party night. With Erin calling time, it just felt like the right time to hang up our sticks and wind up the group. It’s been a blast and I’ve made friends for life.”

Recognition and legacy

Erin has a shelf dedicated to her as part of Glasgow Women’s Library’s Women on the Shelf project, recognising all she has done to ignite the women’s drumming movement in Scotland.

Film-maker, Dianne Barrie, has been commissioned by the band to document the COP26 finale and capture stories that recall the essence of the 30 year wave of change.

The band is talking to Macrobert Arts Centre about how they might plug a gap and provide drumming classes going forward, to meet the creative, social and political desires of local women. The band is prepared to donate all its kit and Erin is prepared to donate all her compositions and music files to support passing on a legacy.