Recently in my guides group, we have been talking about what guiding means to different age groups. This got me thinking, why do people want to join guides? So, I decided to ask why exactly they joined.

The first question I asked them was: why did you want to join guides?

I got answers like “I was in Brownies so I wanted to take the next step.”, “I wanted to learn new responsibilities.” as well as “I joined because of the fun activities and it gives me the chance to make new friends.” along with some other opinions. A common answer I received was that they had heard it was fun and they were in brownies so they wanted to carry on.

I also asked the guides: Why do you enjoy guiding?

Some of the answers I obtained were “because I get to meet new friends and have friends there, we also get to learn new things.”, “it is fun and there is lots of things to do.” and “I like meeting my friends and getting to know new people.” The majority of the answers were to do with making friends as we regularly get new people joining.

Finally, I decided to ask the leaders: why did you want to become a guide leader?

Hanna replied “Because I like meeting new friends, I like the activities and going on the camps.” Linda said “To give something back, to be part of a family, to have fun” and last but not lest Rachel “To continue the fun and meet new people, because guiding has given me a lot and it should continue.”

I found out that the answers I got and what we talked about in guides were very similar. We joined because we like to meet new friends, there are many activities to do and we enjoy it. No matter how old, we all join for the same reasons. That is why guiding should continue as it brings people together.