For a global Movement spanning more than 150 countries and territories, creating a sense of belonging is both an opportunity and a challenge. Girls and young women come from diverse cultural, social, economic and geographical contexts. Their experiences of identity, opportunity and leadership can be very different.
Building an inclusive Movement is not the responsibility of one team, one programme or one group of people. Inclusion will also not always look exactly the same everywhere. The goal is not uniformity; it is a shared commitment to ensure that girls and young women can find meaningful opportunities to participate, connect and lead.
In this edition of Leadership in Action, we explore what equity, diversity and inclusion look like in practice, and how creating inclusive spaces can contribute to member experience, belonging, connection, international friendship and solidarity across cultures.
Leadership rooted in context
The Girl Guide and Girl Scout Leadership Model does not define leadership as one set of skills or a particular type of person. It sees a leader as a lifelong learner who consciously deepens their understanding of different contexts, draws on different wisdoms, and uses that learning to collaborate with others to make a difference.
Through applying an approach that is not one-size-fits-all, the Model allows for equity, diversity and inclusion. As one participant from Ghana at a 2023 leadership event described what leadership looks like for her:
“Learning from my own experiences and feelings, challenging myself to understand and take into account different perspectives, collaboration, leading for impact and leading for innovation."
This kind of leadership is about how individuals grow and how they enable others to lead. It is also about how we create organisations and spaces where others can contribute, influence decisions and thrive.
Creating spaces where everyone can fully participate
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting consciously tries to create a brave space for all that is safe, inclusive and empowering. This means breaking down potential barriers to participation and working with participants to shape the space. At WAGGGS, this commitment shows up in practical decisions that reduce barriers and make participation more meaningful.
Delivering activities in multiple languages, translating not only the words but also the cultural context of ideas. For example, the Girls for Green Energy programme translated its plans and budget into the local languages of participating Member Organisations.
Providing financial support to make opportunities more accessible, for instance Allyza, a participant in the 2024 Juliette Low Seminar, received financial support from her Member Organisation (Girls Scouts of the Philippines) to make her participation possible: “They were saying I am worth investing in, that my voice matters and just like that a door I thought was closing was opened even wider!”
Making sure participants see themselves represented in the delivery team. For a global youth leadership seminar this looks like a team of volunteers who represent each of the five WAGGGS regions and are at least 50% aged 18-30.
Organising events and meetings at different times. The WAGGGS Leadership Network, an online community of practice for leadership development, changes the time zone of their regular meeting for each edition to reach more and different people.
Implementing equity, diversity and inclusion training as part of both staff and volunteer roles. For example, World Centre volunteer training includes sessions on unconscious bias and working with people from diverse backgrounds.
Listening to people being represented. When creating an illustration of a Girl Guide/Girl Scout with a physical disability, the communications team reached out to a charity who works with young people with this disability to ensure genuine representation.
These practical examples, some of which may seem small, together contribute to a greater sense of belonging. They help create spaces where participants feel able to speak out for what they need, share what works and what does not and ultimately create a better space for all.
International friendship
It is hard to put into words the magic of a global Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting experience. Can you imagine lots of people, all from different backgrounds, all in the same place? Everyone bringing empathy and curiosity, a willingness to share, make mistakes and learn.
Yamina Sai, from Les Scouts Tunisiens, described her 2024 leadership event experience described it as “a unique opportunity to form deep friendships with people worldwide who share a common passion for leadership and service”.
This shared purpose is what unites Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across the International Movement. Together, we are building an equal world where all girls can thrive. WAGGGS supports this work by connecting its Member Organisations to continue to empower every and any girl to reach their fullest potential.
But for a girl who may never leave her own country, what does belonging to an International Movement look like? It starts with feeling welcome in her local group, being in a space that values and celebrates her for who she is. She has the confidence to try new things, take risks and what she is capable of.
As she connects with others in her group she grows her ability to understand different perspectives and how to adapt her behaviour to her context. When she discovers her Girl Guide and Girl Scout sisters from around the world, she feels connected to something bigger than herself and reflects on the different barriers they all face to an equal world where all girls can thrive.
From a local to a global level, the friendships made in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting are across many differences. They can be cultural, socioeconomic, religious, opinions... The connections do not happen just because people are put together, they are supported by considering what individuals need and what each person brings to the space.
As one 2023 Leadership Event Participant put it: “everyone in the room has their identities and their own habits, but we lived together and turned more connected at the end of the event.”
Equity, diversity and inclusion creates the conditions for these international friendships to form. Equity brings everyone to the same place/opportunity; Diversity celebrates the differences in the room; Inclusion finds a way for everyone to participate meaningfully.
Across borders, cultures and generations, that is how a global Movement becomes not just a network of members, but a community connected by friendship, solidarity and a shared belief in the potential of every girl and young woman.