What is the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Method?
The Girl Guide and Girl Scout Method is Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting’s way of facilitating non-formal learning and achieving our purpose. The method works as a balanced system to support self-directed learning. Its five interdependent elements interact with each other designed to support the learner to take the lead in their learning and to draw meaning from their experiences. Used well, it creates a learning environment where learners can take the lead, which ensures the learning is relevant to their needs, interests and context. It also creates the conditions for whole person development in a social context, stimulating peer exchange and group decision making, developing teamwork and giving the experience of positive co-existence.
Why is the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Method important?
Along with our purpose and values, the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Method is the unifying foundation of our educational Movement. Using our method well makes Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting unique, not just in the quality of the experiences we offer but in the transformational and lifelong impact those experiences can have. It creates a learning environment that lets learners orient themselves for life both in and beyond the group; to explore and construct learning and ideas together, to collectively mobilise, to learn to live in a common world, and learning to attend and care for ourselves and for others.
What does the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Method look like?
As a non-formal education Movement, all learning experiences in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting should use our method. Traditionally, this may be most associated with a Member Organisation’s youth programme however our method works because it makes the learning process relevant and accessible to different learners, engaging with them in a rounded way – and this applies to learners of all ages. Adults should also experience the method in all learning opportunities they have in the Movement – at local, national and global level. Powerful and transformative learning experiences can motivate adult members to stay active in the Movement and pass on their learning to youth members.
LEARNING IN SMALL GROUPSLearning to work effectively with others, and to be empowered in a group situation, creates a sense of belonging and helps us to reach our potential.
 |
We learn to: support each other, negotiate, make decisions by consulting each other, assert our needs, solve problems together and take the lead. What it looks like…
|
MY PATH, MY PACETaking the lead in our own learning journeys encourages us to celebrate our personal development over time and to set our own personal targets.
|
We learn to: respect individuals, make our own choices, learn in the best way for us, value our achievements, collaborate not compete. What it looks like…
|
LEARNING BY DOINGLearning through real experiences enables us to connect our learning to our own lives and builds our confidence.
|
We learn to: face challenges, learn through experience, take risks, make mistakes, get involved and pay attention. What it looks like…
|
CONNECTING WITH OTHERSLearning with and from different people helps us build meaningful relationships and expands or challenges our worldview. 
|
We learn to: value others, appreciate diversity, listen, connect, make friends, develop empathy and communicate, work in partnership What it looks like…
|
CONNECTING WITH MY WORLDLearning from the world around us deepens our understanding of what matters to us and helps us understand the impact we want to have in the world.
 |
We learn to: be active citizens, make a difference, connect with nature, get involved in our community, speak out for change and care for the wider world. What it looks like
|