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World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)

All members of Girl Guides Australia are members of the worldwide family of 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 145 countries. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is the largest international voluntary organization for girls and young women in the world. Girl Guides Australia is one of the Founder Members of WAGGGS, which was formed in 1928.

WAGGGS provides a platform for discussion, debate and decision making about issues that affect girls and young women. In 2005, WAGGGS conducted a survey in member organisations on adolescent health issues. The results of this survey turned into seven keys messages which WAGGGS is advocating on and empowering young women to speak out for themselves on the issues they are concerned about.

The seven key messages are -

  • girls worldwide say "fight AIDS"
  • girls worldwide say "make healthy food choices"
  • girls worldwide say "prevent adolescent pregnancy"
  • girls worldwide say "it is important to talk about sex"
  • girls worldwide say "let’s talk about the danger of drugs"
  • girls worldwide say "ban smoking in public places"
  • girls worldwide say "discover your potential"

    • The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts holds a World Conference every three years. A delegation from every member organization attends this conference to participate in deciding on policy and standards for Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting around the world and elect the World Board and the committees of WAGGGS. The World Bureau, the administrative offices or Secretariat of WAGGGS, is based in London and its job is to help put the decisions of the World Conference into action.

    Visit the WAGGGS website at www.wagggsworld.org or view WAGGGS News online here.

     

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    Girl Guides Australia's Role

    Girl Guides Australia’s responsibilities as a member of WAGGGS are to:

    The WAGGGS World is made up of five Regions –

  • Africa Region
  • Arab Region
  • Asia Pacific Region
  • Europe Region
  • Western Hemisphere Region

    • Girl Guides Australia is one of the twenty seven member organizations of the Asia-Pacific Region. The five Regions were created for management and administrative purposes and to ensure that WAGGGS is able to meet the needs of each country. Each Region holds a conference every three years at which all member organizations of that Region have the opportunity to meet, discuss progress, plan for the future and elect a Regional Committee. Each Region has an office in the World Bureau.

    The role of Girl Guides Australia as a member of the WAGGGS Asia-Pacific Region is

  • to help with training of leaders in other parts of our Region
  • to help raise the standard of leadership
  • to share ideas, resources, news and events
    • particularly within our cluster group of New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

    The Friends of the Asia Pacific Region raises funds to help with the work of the Region. There are special Asia Pacific Leaders’ and Commissioners’ Awards to recognize members for their excellent contribution in achieving the Mission of WAGGGS.

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    Links of Unity

    There are a number of things that Australian Guides share with all members of WAGGGS. These are:

    Girl Guides Australia participates in WAGGGS projects and fundraising projects for the World Thinking Day Fund, Walk for the World and the 75th Anniversary of WAGGGS.

    The Four Centres

    As individual members we also have opportunities to attend international camps in other countries and participate in seminars and events or volunteer at the four World Centres. One of these World Centres, Sangam in India, is in our Asia Pacific Region. The others are Pax Lodge in England, Our Cabaña in Mexico and Our Chalet in Switzerland.

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    Global Action Theme

    WAGGGS’ Global Action Theme(GAT) 2009-2015 is girls worldwide say “together we can change our world” was announced at the 33rd WAGGGS World Conference in 2008 and focuses on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The new theme follows on from Our Rights, Our Responsibilities which addressed our rights and responsibilities as global citizens, GAT addresses the most compelling global agenda of the moment: the Millennium Development Goals.

    Ending poverty was the historic promise made by 189 world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. It has eight areas of focus and through these interlinked areas, the aim is to improve the lives of the poorest people in the world as well as raise awareness in everyone about the situation. All UN member states signed up to measurable targets with clear deadlines, the ultimate deadline being 2015, by which all goals should be achieved.

    Ending poverty can only be achieved through addressing the issues of: hunger, education, empowerment of women, child mortality, maternal health, epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, and environmental sustainability.

  • MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
  • MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
  • MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
  • MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
  • MDG 5: Improve maternal health
  • MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
  • MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
  • MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

    • As a global movement, WAGGGS is stepping up to the challenge to build a better world. The MDGs represent the most compelling world agenda for young people right now. By aligning our work with the MDGs, WAGGGS is enabling girls and young women to influence issues that affect them. WAGGGS has strong, established links with the United Nations. The Millennium Development Goals address global issues. Australian Guides can explore the MDGs, partner with other organisations and make a difference. The MDGs are connected to Girl Guides Australia's vision and core values.

    Girl Guides Australia held an Advocacy and Leadership training - Taking the Lead which focused on the MDGs in January 2009. Seven young women attended from each State Guide Organisation and two from New Zealand. All particapants received a copy of WAGGGS Advocacy Toolkit, an excellent resource produced by WAGGGS European Region.

    During 2009, WAGGGS and Girl Guides Australia will introduce further resources and ideas to help encourage Guide members in advocacy work. The GAT will be a thread in all WAGGGS events including leadership seminars, projects, events and advocacy. World Thinking Day will adopt an MDG as its theme each year. This topic will become WAGGGS’ yearly focus until 2015. The World Centres will run programs, activities and seminars connected to the MDGs, and the 34th World Conference will be an occasion to showcase WAGGGS’ contribution to the achievement of the MDGs.

    The WAGGGS GAT badge(will be available later in 2009) curriculum will have information and activities on each of the eight MDGs. There will be three levels to choose from: basic, advanced and specialist. The specialist level will give girls the opportunity to focus on one particular MDG topic of interest. Watch this space for further information.

    WAGGGS encourages everyone to take action and change the world around them. Action can happen at many levels. It starts with action on a local level and extends through state, national projects and campaigns to the international level as WAGGGS mounts an international advocacy campaign on MDG topics. ‘Our world’ starts at a personal level, and expands to include our local community, national and international levels. WAGGGS sees the initiative as an important method of educated the young people who are the leaders of tomorrow and raising the awareness of the wider public.

    WAGGGS Messages

  • girls worldwide say “ together we can end extreme poverty and hunger”
  • girls worldwide say “education opens doors for all girls and boys”
  • girls worldwide say “empowering girls will change our world”
  • girls worldwide say “together we can save children’s lives”
  • girls worldwide say “every mother’s life and health is precious”
  • girls worldwide say “we can stop the spread of AIDS, malaria and other diseases”
  • girls worldwide say “we can save our planet”
  • girls worldwide say “we can create peace through partnerships”

    • Imagine these young girls. Let’s call them Jenny, Priya and Mary. They’re all eleven years old and they could well be Girl Guides or Girls Scouts. By 2015, they will be eighteen. What will life be like for them in seven years’ time? They are the faces of the future. Achieving the MDGs matters because it will affect all of us, including them.

    "It is not in the United Nations that the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved. They have to be achieved in each of its Member States, by the joint efforts of their governments and people."
    Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

    Girl Guides Australia is one of WAGGGS ‘GAT Champion’ Member Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region, along with Girlguiding New Zealand, Pakistan Girl Guide Association and The Girl Guides Association of Thailand.

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    Girl Guides Australia Member Participation

    The four World Centres recommend to WAGGGS young women whom they consider to be “Outstanding Young Leaders”. Two members of Guides Australia have been recommended recently and may be offered opportunities to take part in seminars or lead workshops.

    Girl Guides Australia has a number of adult members on WAGGGS Committees:

    These members do not represent Girl Guides Australia on these committees, but Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting as a whole.

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    Mission Statements

    The Mission Statements of Girl Guides Australia and of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts reflect the same aims:

    Girl Guides Australia: To enable girls and young women grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members.

    WAGGGS: To enable girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world.

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    JOTA-JOTI

    What is JOTA - JOTI?

    JOTA is Jamboree-on-the-air. JOTI is Jamboree-on-the-internet. These are worldwide Jamborees open to Guides and Scouts of any age. It is an annual event in which Guides and Scouts around the world speak to each other via amateur radio contacts. They share Guide and Scout experiences and ideas over the air waves. JOTA is held on the third full weekend in October each year. It starts at 00.00 hours Saturday morning and continues until midnight on Sunday night. It is time when many Districts hold activity days and camps to coincide with JOTA.

    A number of Guides in NSW have recently trained and gained their amateur radio licenses to take part in 2008. Many other Guides around the country will take part in activities associated with JOTA and JOTI and gain first hand experience of the world of amateur radio.