Language notes

‘Our’, ‘us’ or ‘we’: used when speaking as the national and global organisations that make up the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Movement (both Member Organisations and the WAGGGS global team). 

members: the individuals, of all ages, who are part of the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Movement

Member Organisation (MO): the national Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting organisations that are members of WAGGGS. These may operate as single organisations or as a federation of Component Associations in their national context.

Youth members: the children and young people who participate in the Girl Guide and Girl Scout youth programme. This will generally include children, adolescents and early adults, and the specific ages included may vary according to each MO’s context. WAGGGS generally defines children as up to 18 years, and young people from 18 to 30 years old, however this may differ in some WAGGGS Regions.

Adult members: Those who play a role in the Girl Guide/Girl Scout organisation but who have completed or are not participating in the youth programme, generally over the age of 18. Mainly volunteers, adult members in the Movement are there to support the learning and development of youth members through a high-quality youth programme. They may do this directly by designing or facilitating the youth programme, or indirectly by supporting other adults or supporting the structures the organisation needs to function[1]. 

Learner: the person who is doing the learning. In Growing and Learning we use the word learner to refer to both youth and adults, as this framework applies to both.

Facilitator: the person who supports the learning experience for learners and creates the conditions they need to draw meaning from their experiences. Depending on the context, this can be anyone from a local group leader to a trainer of adult members.