Pippins to Rangers

What sort of things do girls do when they come along to their weekly meetings with other girls? The answer is heaps, especially outdoors, and the focus is on having fun! If there are any questions, please contact us and we will do our best to help.

Pippins

Pippins do lots of cool stuff and learn the Pippin Saying: Pippins care, Pippins Share, with other Pippins everywhere.

Pippins get together with other Pippins each week and learn to share and how to help others and that there are other girls like them all around the world - in England, pippin-age girls are called Rainbows, in India they are Bunnies and in Canada they are called Sparks.

Pippins learn to work together and families / whanau can come to Pippins sometimes to help the Pippin Leaders.  They can earn special badges such as Hands of Friendship or ANZAC Heritage.

In 2009 the special Pippin event Big Sista Little Sista is held all around New Zealand – it is run by Rangers especially for their little sister Pippins.

When girls are too old for Pippins they move on to Brownies.

Brownies

One of the best things about being a Brownie is being able to work for badges and certificates.  There are lots of fun things to do and see.  Some badges can be earned at Brownies when everyone works together.  Other badges are your choice and done in your own time.  You will do lots of different things that you won’t do at school.

Everything you need to know about Brownies is in your special Brownie Girl’s Guide and you can use the record pages to see all the exciting things you have done.

Brownies have fun in small groups of six girls called Sixes and can choose a special name and which badge they would like for their six.  Older Brownies can be the Sixer who is the leader of the Six or her helper.

When a girl makes her Brownie Promise there is a special celebration and a special silver badge is pinned on her uniform just like all the other Brownies.  Now she can begin to plan her path to gaining the top Brownie awards, 8-Up and Challenge 9. 

Along the way Brownies earn badges such as Band Aids ‘n Bee Stings (all about First Aid) or Out ‘n’ About (lots of fun doing stuff like cooking outdoors, enjoying nature and how to be observant!) or how about Animal World (caring for our furry friends), Jazz it Up (singing, dancing…) Science Whiz (a bit experimental) or Pen ‘n’ Ink for budding writers?

When a Brownie is ready she moves on to Guides.

Guides

Guides is fun because there are so many activities to do together with your Guide friends and Leaders or challenges you can do in your own time.

If you haven’t been a Pippin or Brownie, that’s okay – you can join Guides and catch up fast and won’t miss out on the opportunity to make your Promise and receive the special silver Promise Badge which shows you are a member of a world-wide organisation for girls and young women.

Guides have fun in smaller groups called Patrols and are led by Patrol Leaders and their assistants.  Patrol time is a lot of fun when all the girls in the patrol plan what they would like to do as a patrol and at Guides.  They can even do special Patrol Patches.

If you are keen to achieve, you will begin to plan how and when you will do the badges and certificates along the way to the highest awards Senior Guide and best of all the Guides Aotearoa Award which is a very special badge and certificate.

Just like other Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, the Guide motto is Be Prepared and Guides in New Zealand know to be prepared for new adventure!  Guides are also prepared to help others and enjoy community action – everything from cleaning a river bank to entertaining the elderly!

During your time at Guides you may be lucky enough to go to a New Zealand jamboree or even an international event!

By the time Guides are ready to move on to Rangers they will have happy memories of the challenges, the things they’ve learned, the camps, the friends they’ve made (often the friends include their Leaders who have as much fun as the girls!), the people they’ve helped and most of all, the fun they’ve had.

Rangers

Rangers will tell you they are the luckiest of all.  They have opportunities to travel to attend international camps and events, make new friends from here, there and everywhere and learn so much stuff that you don’t get anywhere else. 

One of the best things about being a Ranger is the opportunity to develop leadership skills working with Pippin, Brownie or Guide units. 

Rangers enjoy adventures (everything from abseiling to zorbing), setting their own goals and achieving them; learning what is important to them, developing their own values and a personal code to live by; understanding the importance of communities and learning more about the world and most of all having food and fun with their friends!

If you haven’t been involved before you can join Rangers and begin to work through the programme and earn the special badges.  There’s a huge range of activities and if you like a challenge, you may aim for the ultimate goal of achieving your Queen’s Guide Award and personally receiving your certificate from the Governor General.

Outdoors Programme

As part of the programme all girls have the opportunity to experience fun outdoor activities and camps, and work towards badges and certificates that teach them outdoor skills.

Camping is one of the most favourite activities in Guiding.  Some camps are for girls in the same section, while others include all ages.  At camp girls will be able to do cool activities and hang out with their friends.

• Pippins have the opportunity to go on indoor camps
• Brownies start to camp in tents
• Guides can work towards running their own camp
• Rangers can run camps for Pippins, Brownies and Guides 

Outdoor Discoveries are small camps that can involve girls from all over New Zealand.  Some past Discoveries have been:

• Splashing Out – a week long camp in the Marlborough Sounds for Brownies - sailing, dolphin watching and much more.
• Winter Wonderland – Skiing at Porter Heights for older Guides and Rangers
• Milford Track – Tramping for older Guides and Rangers

Keep an eye out for 2009 Outdoor Discoveries coming up

Young New Zealanders’ Challenge (YNZC) – Duke of Edinburgh Award

Girls aged 14 plus can enrol in the YNZC through GirlGuiding NZ and work towards an award that is recognised worldwide.  There are aspects from the GirlGuiding New Zealand Programme that can be cross-credited into the YNZC which is great.