What is the Queen’s Guide Award?

The Queen’s Guide Award (QGA) is highest award you can work towards in Girlguiding. It gives you the chance to develop your skills, give back to guiding and support your local community.

Who can complete the QGA?

The QGA is open to members of Girlguiding aged 16 to 30. It must be completed within 3 years from the start date and/or before your 31st birthday (whichever is sooner).

It takes time, dedication, perseverance, humour, and passion to achieve this prestigious award, but in return you get amazing opportunities and memories which will last forever.

What do I need to do?

The QGA is made up of five sections*:

  1. Personal Development Challenge
  2. Guiding Challenge
  3. Community Action Challenge
  4. Lead the Way Challenge
  5. Social Experience Challenge

*more information about these sections can be found here Queen's Guide award | Girlguiding [external link].

These aim to help you develop 6 core skills:

  1. Resilience
  2. Teamwork
  3. Leadership
  4. Communication
  5. Independence
  6. Reflection

Starting your Queen’s Guide Award

Before you start your QGA you will need to do a few things:

  1. Familiarise yourself with the QGA Programme Resource: queens-guide-award-resource.pdf (girlguiding.org.uk) [external link].
  2. Choose a mentor and meet with them:
  3. Complete the registration form (bottom of this page) and email to: queensguide@devonguides.org.uk(link sends e-mail). This needs to be signed by the candidate (you), your mentor (see FAQs) and your District Commissioner.
  4. Consider each challenge with your mentor and discuss how you are going to be assessed for each section to show progression. Discussion should also involve consideration of assessor(s) (see FAQs).
  5. Discuss how you are going to evidence your achievements – be creative and use your imagination!
  6. Complete a three-year plan (blank at the bottom of this page). This is a visual representation of how you intend to complete your award, and it also helps you to see how it is all going to fit together.
  7. Send me (Devon Queen’s Guide Advisor) a copy of your registration form and a copy of your three-year plan. I will then register you on GO.
  8. Congratulations, you are now ready to start your QGA

Don’t forget to purchase a Queen’s Guide Record Book (Product Code 6109) this can be ordered from your local Guide shop (see Guide Shop page on here) or from Girlguiding Trading.

  1. Stay in contact with your mentor and Queen’s Guide Advisor – they can’t help you if you don’t talk to them!
  2. Gather evidence as you progress through your award to make it easier for at the end!

FAQ’s

  1. What does a Queen’s Guide Advisor do?
    A Queen’s Guide Advisor is predominantly a member of Girlguiding who supports Queen’s Guide Award Candidates and mentors. Some of the things that they do include:
    1. Promote and advertise the QGA to local members (Devon).
    2. Be the point of contact for those interested in completing the award in Devon.
    3. Share and promote opportunities for events that candidates can take part in to help earn their QGA.
    4. Keep up to date with the current QGA syllabus and any changes, informing candidates if this occurs.
    5. Be a mentor if a candidate cannot find one.
    6. Check in with mentors and candidates, supporting and answering questions as and when required.
    7. Register candidates on GO.
    8. Sign off completed awards, send record books off to HQ for verification.
    9. Arrange local award presentations with candidates.
    10. Answer queries about the award.
  2. What is it like doing the QGA?
    I completed my Queen’s Guide award in 2016, whilst at university and on the old programme. I am more than happy to speak with potential candidates about how I found the QGA. For more recent experiences, please see this article: What it's like doing the Queen's Guide award | Girlguiding [external link].
     
  3. Who can be my mentor?
    Your mentor needs to be someone you know through guiding. The role of the mentor is to offer you advice and guidance throughout your award. Therefore, it is advised that you select someone you are comfortable working closely with but who will also challenge you to do your best and problem solve along the way.

    For more information on what a mentor’s role involves, please visit:

    queens-guide-award-mentor-role-description.pdf (girlguiding.org.uk) [external link].
     
    1. This is my mentor’s first time, do they need to do anything?
      Here is some extra information from Girlguiding on becoming a mentor: Becoming a mentor | Girlguiding [external link].
       
  4. Who can be an assessor?
    Your assessor does NOT need to be a member of Girlguiding. They could be a specialist or someone with an interest in the area you are working on. It could even be someone involved in the challenge (but NOT someone who is also using that challenge for their own QGA).

    You must discuss with your assessor BEFORE starting the challenge as they may be able to provide help and support along the way. You must let your mentor know who will be assessing each challenge so that this can be agreed upon. If there is uncertainty, please check with me (Devon Queen’s Guide Advisor -

    queensguide@devonguides.org.uk(link sends e-mail)

    For more information on what an assessor’s role involves, please visit: queens-guide-award-assessor-information.pdf (girlguiding.org.uk) [external link].


     
    1. I can’t find an assessor
      If you struggle to find an assessor for a challenge, please get in touch with me (Devon Queen’s Guide Advisor) as I have a network of people who can and are willing to assess Queen’s Guide Challenges.
       
  5. Why complete a three-year plan?

I can’t provide you with appropriate support for your Award without one of these!

            By completing a three-year plan (blank at the bottom of this page) at your planning meeting with your mentor, it enables everybody to see what and how you are planning to complete your Queen’s Guide Award. It also allows us to ensure that you have appropriate support for your challenges and that you have completed any necessary pre-requisites and that you have appropriate assessors in place.

               

  1. Where can I get help/information?
    1. QGA Programme Resource: queens-guide-award-resource.pdf (girlguiding.org.uk) [external link].
    2. Queen’s Guide Co-ordinator – queensguide@devonguides.org.uk(link sends e-mail)
    3. Your Mentor
    4. Other Queen’s Guide candidates: within Devon we have lots of people completing their Queen’s Guide Award this means we have lots of ideas to share. This can also be done over Facebook with the national unofficial Queen’s Guide Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/2246578105/(link is external)  where lots of ideas are shared and questions raised and answered.

Links

I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours in Guiding,

Philly (Firefly)

Devon Queen’s Guide Advisor

queensguide@devonguides.org.uk

 

 

Document: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon QGA-award-plan.pdf27.98 KB
PDF icon Queens_Guide_Award_Reg_Form_05.23.pdf68.57 KB