One programme from Rainbows to Rangers

On 21 July 2018 Girlguiding announced “more than 800 new badges and activities” for girls and young women aged five to 18. It called this the biggest overhaul in its history.^[1] The programme has four parts (interest badges, skills builders, group activities and awards), all built around six themes: Skills for my Future, Have Adventures, Be Well, Know Myself, Express Myself and Take Action.^[1][2]

Girls choose interest badges and do them largely on their own. Skills builders run in six stages from Rainbows to Rangers, in subjects such as camping, leadership and first aid.^[1] Press coverage counted 72 new interest badges: 12 for Rainbows, 18 for Brownies, 24 for Guides and 18 for Rangers.^[3] Girlguiding’s annual report counts differently, describing “more than a thousand new activities, badges and skills development resources”.^[4] The totals depend on what is counted.

The oldest section changed too. The Senior Section, for ages 14 to 25, was replaced by Rangers, for 14 to 18, from the 2019–20 academic year. Girlguiding said members had told it “the age range for The Senior Section was too broad”. The leaflet for parents gave the age range as 5 to 18, or 4 in Northern Ireland.^[5] See sections and ages.

How it was made

Girlguiding says the renewal followed a consultation with girls, parents and volunteers in 2015.^[5] In 2017 more than 5,300 units tested new activities, and 41,914 girls gave their views.^[6] By May 2017 about 15,000 girls had suggested or tested ideas, and the public was invited to propose badges on social media.^[7] The 2018 press release gives “more than 50,000” girls; the annual report says “over 50,000 girls and volunteers”.^[1][4]

Evidence status: Interpretation Girlguiding describes girls as having “led this transformation”.^[1] In our reading, the record shows girls taking part on a large scale as testers and consultees, while the decisions rested with the organisation, led by its staff and a lead volunteer for programme renewal.

What it replaced

Before 2018 each section had its own programme. Brownies had Brownie Adventure (2003) and Rainbows the Rainbow Jigsaw (2004).^[9][10] Guides worked on “Go For It!” packs from 1999–2000, and The Senior Section on Look Wider from 1994.^[9] Girlguiding later said the sections had come to look “quite different”. It wanted “to make girls’ experiences more consistent no matter how old they were”.^[8] Some older badges, such as Hostess, were retired.^[3]

Responses

A Girl Museum blog post welcomed the change. Its writer regretted, though, that fire, road and home safety and crime prevention were no longer separate badges, and that nothing appeared to cover online safety.^[11] Some Senior Section members were concerned about the new age limit.^[6]

Volunteers told Girlguiding that recording was slow, that not every girl could do badges at home, and that missed skills-builder sessions were hard to make up. Some said activities felt “too school-like”. Girlguiding changed the rules in 2020 and made the lower requirements permanent in July 2022. Skills-builder stages 1 to 5 now need four of five activities, and theme awards need one hour less of unit meeting activities.^[12]

Sources

1. Girlguiding, “Equipping girls to take on the world: Girlguiding announces all new badges and activities as part of biggest ever revamp”, Girlguiding (press release), 2018-07-21. Accessed 25 October 2026.
2. Girlguiding, “Our history”. Accessed 25 September 2026. Institutional self-description. Authoritative for what Girlguiding says about itself; not an independent evaluation.
3. PA (via The Sunday Post), “Revamp of Girlguiding sees traditional badges consigned to the past”, The Sunday Post, 2018-07-21. Accessed 25 October 2026.
4. Girlguiding, “Girlguiding's annual report: for the year ended 31 December 2018”, The Guide Association. Accessed 25 October 2026.
5. Girlguiding, “Girlguiding is changing: our new programme of activities (leaflet for parents of members of The Senior Section)”, 2018. Accessed 25 October 2026.
6. Girlguiding, “Girlguiding annual report 2017”, The Guide Association. Accessed 25 October 2026.
7. The Sunday Post, “Vlogging and app design considered as new Girl Guide badges”, 2017-05-18. Accessed 25 October 2026.
8. Girlguiding, “Over 110 years of change”, Guiding magazine, winter 2022, 2022. Accessed 25 October 2026. Members' magazine feature written ahead of the 2023 brand refresh. It says itself that it may contain mistakes and invites corrections; some of its dates differ from other sources.
9. Leslie's Guiding History, “Historian's Corner”. Accessed 25 October 2026. Enthusiast compilation of dated extracts from Guiding periodicals (The Guider, Guiding and others), arranged by month. Issue and page references are not given, so each entry is a lead to be checked against the magazine itself.
10. Girlguiding, “Leading and Managing People trainers' toolkit: Managing change”, 2015. Accessed 25 September 2026.
11. Girl Museum, “Girlguiding UK Makes Striking Changes to Its Programme”, 2018-10-05. Accessed 25 October 2026. A personal view posted on an online museum of girlhood; the writer appears to be a Guide leader who had seen the 2017 taster pack.
12. Girlguiding, “Our programme – what we're changing and why”. Accessed 25 October 2026. Volunteer update summarising feedback on the 2018 programme and the changes made in 2020 and 2022.