Qualifications Information

Senior Section Qualifications

Look Wider

• Eight Octants
• Each Octant has three phases
• Phase 1: Try three new activities
• Phase 2: Do an activity for 12 hours
• Phase 3: Long term challenge:  30 hours, gaining a qualification or teaching something to others.
• If you complete all three phases in an Octant you get an Octant certificate.
• If you create all 8 phase ones and phase twos, you get the Chief Guide’s award.  This is the second highest award you can get in senior section.

Octants are: 

• Creativity
  Fit For Life
  Community Action
  Out Of Doors
  International
  Independent Living
  Personal Values
  Leadership

Young Leader Qualification

Can be done between the ages of 14 and 18
You don’t have to do the qualification if you’re a Young Leader
The qualification consists of two modules, completed practically rather than through tests or examinations.
 
Module 1 - Your role in the programme
This allows you to demonstrate how well you know and understand the programme for the section you're working with. For example, you can show that you can lead a Pow Wow if you work with a Brownie pack. If you change the section you help out with, you'll need to repeat this module.
 
Module 2 - Your role in Girlguiding
This module is about showing you understand The Senior Section Promise. It'll also test that you understand that Leadership is about the relationships between you and:
all the members of the unit
the rest of the Unit Team
other Leaders in your area
the wider community.

Leadership Qualification

You can start your Adult Leadership qualification from 16, but you can’t become a leader until the day you’re 18.
You need to do Module 1 and 2 (If you’ve not already done them as a Young Leader)
Plus Module 3 to become an Assistant Leader - Your role in safety and unit administration
 
Safety is covered by showing you can effectively communicate with parents and the local community, and that the unit's programme is carried out in a safe environment. Unit administration refers to your responsibility for unit funds.
 
And Module 3 and Module 4 to become a Unit Leader so you can run a Unit:  

Module 4, Your role in managing the unit
This is optional for Assistant Leaders but mandatory for Unit Leaders. Good unit management is measured here by maintaining effective record-keeping systems and ensuring that effective communication takes place locally.

Queen’s Guide Award

The highest award you can get in GirlGuiding
Can be done between the ages of 16 and 25.
It must be completed within 3 years of starting.
You may take a 12 month break while doing the award.

• Service in guiding - take an active role in guiding at a range of levels.
• Outdoor challenge - build your teamwork and leadership skills in a glorious outdoor setting. Where you go and what you do is up to you!
• Personal skill development - start a new skill and develop it, or take an existing skill to a new level for a minimum of 60 hours over 12 months. A personal skill could be anything from ballet to circus skills, or from performing magic tricks to playing a musical instrument.
• Community action - get more involved with the world around you and gain a greater understanding of it through practical and research projects of your choice.
• Residential - spend two nights and three days away from home with new people

Commonwealth Award

• There is no time limit or restriction on completing the award. You can do it by yourself or with other Guides or Senior Section members.
• Three compulsory challenges include:
• History of guiding: being able to chart guiding from its beginning at the Crystal Palace rally in 1909.
• Knowledge of the Commonwealth: knowing about another Commonwealth countries and the development of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• Community Action: carrying out a minimum of 20 hours' service in your community.
• You can then choose two further challenges from:
• health
• environment
• culture heritage
• fit for life
• out of doors
• public speaking and debating
• creative writing
• citizenship
• investigation

Overnight Permit
 
The Overnight Permit allows any Senior Section member to take up to eight people from The Senior Section or Guide section away overnight for no longer than 24 hours. Three modules must be completed.


Senior Section Permit
 
The Senior Section Permit allows any Senior Section member to do the same as the overnight permit but for a camp or holiday of two nights or more. A minimum of six modules must be completed, depending on the event and the age of the participants.


Camp Permit Modules

• Plan an event
• Organise and administer an event
• Plan for the safety and security of all
• Organise catering arrangements
• Make health and first aid arrangements
• Organise a programme of activties for participants
• Organise the care and maintenance of campsite equipment
• Prepare and run a mobile expedition
• Travelling abroad