Girl Guides & Leadership

Well, this week at Guides has been activities for Leadership as their Patrol leader Elections are happening next week.  

Last night we ran some communication and team games with the girls and it was fascinating watching how they worked (or not) together.  It was also interesting watching who stepped forward in demonstrating leadership qualities.  

One of the activities was 'Coloured Dots' - where you place a coloured dot on the girls forehead and with NO speaking allowed, ask them to get into their relevant groups.  We then watched one little cherub step forward, move everyone into the correct group and put herself in one.  When we asked why she put herself there - she said 'I just chose a random group, and no one stepped up to move me, so I must have been right'  She was!  Patrol Leader material right there - and she is about knee high to a grasshopper!  

Another activity was 'Pots for Peace' .. I had about 40 plastic cups to represent flowerpots and we put the girls into small groups.  I handed them slips of paper with secret instructions for THEIR group, told them NO speaking, and they each had to use ALL the pots and sat back to watch the fun.  Some of the instructions were: Put all pots in a straight line/Put all the pots outside/Turn all the pots upside down/Someone in your group has to hold a pot in each hand at all times.

When you can't talk, and you don't know what others are doing but they keep taking your pots .. it was interesting!  We gave them 5 minutes to fight it out (silently) then told them they could now talk.  It only took a minute before they were setting them up in a straight line outside, upside down with someone at one end holding a pot in each hand.  Simples!  They agree that talking is a good thing to have and possibly appreciate the concepts of communication and negotiation a little better.    

We are planning to run the same program with the older girls tonight - with maybe a little tweaking as we have less girls there.  I'll be honest and say that I'm doubtful that it will work as well.  But .. you never know.