The Queen's Guide Award is the highest award achievable by young women in Girlguiding. Aimed at members of the Senior Section between the ages of 16 and 25, the QGA is a 3 year programme similar to the DofE Gold scheme, designed to develop your commitment to Girlguiding and help you to develop skills in five key areas.
- Service in Guiding
- Outdoor Challenge
- Personal Skill Development
- Community Action
- Residential
Completing your QGA should be a challenge, therefore I have assembled some of the best tips that I've come across during completing my award and in my time as Queen's Guide Co-ordinator for my county.
1. Plan ahead
The easiest way to simplify your award experience is to make sure you plan ahead before starting your award. Keep an eye out for regional and national projects which can count towards element 4 of Service in Guiding, and find yourself a unit to volunteer with if you don't already have one.
These little things save you from wasting precious time during your award to get the most out of your three years.
2. Use your mentor
This sounds obvious, but the whole point in having a mentor is having someone who can support you. A relatively experienced Guider or member of the Senior Section, especially someone who has also completed their QGA is ideal, but not essential.
Your mentor's job is to help you to choose activities which push you out of your comfort zone, but remain achievable, so don't pick someone who will go easy on you! Your mentor can also help you to get in touch with other people in your area who can help with certain areas, such as local advisers and experienced leaders.
3. Use your break appropriately
If you know that you have a busy exam period coming up, or a particularly stressful year of work or studying ahead, plan for that. You can take a single break of up to 12 months during your award in which you cannot complete any clauses, but it stops the clock on your 3 year deadline to get everything done. One less thing to worry about when life gets in the way.
4. Choose activities you actually enjoy
This sounds silly, but don't go forcing yourself out to train for a half marathon for your personal skill when what you really want is to learn the piano. You'll lose motivation before you even start and make it harder for you to keep powering through to the metaphorical finish line (and even more so to the physical finish line)! The Duke of Edinburgh website has a handy activity list which can also be used for most of the sections of your QGA, or at least as an inspiration spring-board to work from.
These are a starting point, which I will continue to develop as I work with candidates and hear their stories. If you have anything you would add, please comment below!
