What does leadership mean to you?

From 2010 – 2012 we are celebrating the centenary of international Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting.  When several girls demanded a place for girls at the 1909 boy Scout rally at Crystal Palace, a Movement was born where girls and young women took the lead to make a difference on issues they cared about. 100 years on we would like to know from you how you view leadership and how you think girls and young women, and Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, can change lives.

Depending on your age, you can respond to one of the following questions:

• 20-30 year olds - “What does leadership mean to you?
• 15-19 year olds and 11-14 year olds - “How can girls and young women change lives?”
• 7-10 year olds - “What does Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting mean to you?”

WAGGGS members aged between seven and 30 can participate in the Education First Changing Lives essay competition and win a trip to one of the WAGGGS World Centres (Our Cabaña, Mexico; Our Chalet, Switzerland; Sangam, India; Pax Lodge, London). Other prizes include two lots of £500 for a project on our Centenary theme – 100 years of changing lives. And loads of centenary gifts! Please see more details below.

You can submit only one entry per person. We will accept submissions as a written essay, visual project (such as photos or graphic designs) or a film. Submissions can be in English, French or Spanish. Please read the terms and conditions for more details.

The competition begins on 3 August 2010 and final entries are due by 3 November 2010.  Winners will be announced in December 2010.

What are the prizes?

• Winners from the 20-30 year old category will win a trip to the Young Women’s World Forum at one of the four World Centres in either the UK, Switzerland, India or Mexico. There are four prizes up for grabs which include flights, accommodation, meals and forum fees.

• Winners from the 15-19 and 11-14 year old category will win funding of up to £500 to run a centenary project. After the winners are announced, they will need to submit a project plan for WAGGGS approval.

• Winners from the 7-10 year old category will win centenary gifts, including watches, teddy bears and t-shirts.