The Girl Guides and The Referendum: An insight

I have been a member of the Irish Girl Guides since I was 12 years old. Although this is a later start than many (as you can join at 5), I never felt this was an issue. Growing up, I always believed in speaking my mind. Did this get me in trouble, absolutely. Did I stop speaking my mind, not at all! I just learned when and where I could do it, while weighing up the punishment I might get for doing it. As I got older, I realised that my honesty is what my friends valued most. They come to me when they want to hear the truth about a situation. Don’t get me wrong, if they’ve just broken up with their boyfriend, I’m ready with the ice-cream and soppy movies, but once that stage is over, I am right behind them, pushing them to be the best version of themselves that they can be. Sorry, I went off topic, back to the Girl Guides.

I joined as my local unit were short on numbers, so everyone was asked to bring along someone new. I stayed because I was now part of an organisation that encouraged girls and young women to be the best version of themselves, to have fun in the outdoors, to speak openly about issues that mean something to them, and do something about it. Hate rubbish? Then design a poster to stick up around your town to create awareness. Unhappy with the gender pay gap? Then do some research and survey your friends and family to see how much/little they know about the situation, and educate them. Disturbed by the way in which women are treated in third world countries? Then raise funding, and go to Kenya to teach young women like yourself lifeskills and sex-ed to help them in their lives. (I have done these three, plus many many more pro-active actions in my time in Guiding).

As I got older, I realised that the political stance of an organisation like Irish Girl Guides is a blurred structure. Yes, I could, and was encouraged to lobby outside Leinster house on International Women’s Day for gender equality. But I could not on a National Level promote or demote a political party, or an opinion about, for example, an upcoming referendum. This confused me at first. From a young age, we are telling these young girls that they are strong, independent women. That no one can force them to do anything they don’t want to do. We teach them about violence in the home, about safe sex, about what a healthy relationship is, and that if they work hard, they can do whatever they want to do. But then I realised, to quote Spiderman’s Uncle Ben “With great power comes great responsibility”, and as an organisation, it is not our job to force our political opinion on others, but to encourage our members to understand how and why a referendum takes place, and to encourage them to use their vote. This is why, although not on a national level, I have chosen to discuss the upcoming referendum with my local Senior Branch members.

For those of you who don’t know, Senior Branch is the oldest branch of the Irish Girl Guides, with members from 14 to 30. My particular unit has members aged 15 to 18. Most of my members are too young to vote, but does that stop me discussing important issues like the repeal with them? Absolutely not.  Because I have been taught since I was 12 years old to be an advocate. To discuss openly any issues that mean something to me, and to do something about it. I myself am Pro-choice. I encourage my girls to have healthy debates, to look at both sides of a referendum. To do research, but I am careful to encourage actual research, not just looking at what comes up on their Facebook feed as they scroll through. I was recently asked how I would handle the situation if one of my members was pro-life. I had to think about it for a while. At first, I felt a sense of failure. That I had failed them as their unit leader. Should I have been more direct about ensuring they knew that they were in control of their own bodies? That no one else is allowed to tell them what to do with their bodies. But after thinking deeply about the situation, I came to the conclusion, that I have not failed them. I have given them the tools they need to make a decision themselves. This organisation is not a dictatorship. They are free to discover for themselves their own opinion on the referendum. I would not treat them any different. I would ensure, just like I would with my members who we’re pro-choice, that they have researched both sides of the referendum, and come to a decision that they are most happy with. It is not my job to push my opinion on them, so to answer the question I was asked, “How would I handle the situation if one of my members was pro-life?” I would ensure that they check the register to ensure that they are registered to vote. Because at the end of the day, if you have a vote, and don’t use it, it doesn’t make a difference what your opinion is. So please, log onto www.checktheregister.ie and ensure that you are registered to vote.

I've seen a few sunrises, but the one which stands out the most for me is July 2012. I'm a leader with the Irish Girl Guides. It was the last night of a week long international camp we were hosting. Nearly three years of planning had gone into it, and after a very stressful exhausting week, I headed to the top of a tower with a jar of nutella and friends i had made during the week. In Ireland in July, you cant actually see the sun rise, as its completely clouded over, but it did get brighter as we stood there, catching a cold!! Definitelly one of my highlights of the Summer! :-)

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carriehopefletcher:

Love this cover!

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These performers without all limbs, but with amazing spirit. Spirit needed to perform this beautiful Ballet! It's just beautiful

carriehopefletcher:

-ducktape:

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tommcfly:

partyallthetimebaby:

itsmickyt:

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That darn Copycat Cullen! ;)