I am broadly supportive of the new programme. It contains a lot of great activity resources, and it has significantly broadened the programmes of most units. It has created a ‘minimum standard’ in each section which has made it much easier for Commissioners to identify and support ‘failing units’, and it has supported less confident leaders to plan and run activities.
And I don’t mind most of the recent tweaks, which I have seen as a positive thing.
What concerns me, though, is one of the recent tweaks.
Naturally, the new programme has meant some expense for units – and in some sections, significantly more badge expenditure than they had been accustomed to. For whereas before, Guide units had accepted the need to suck up the cost of GFI packs, GFI Cards or Badges, Adventure Badges, Interest Badges, welcome packs – as well as of G-Files if the unit opted to provide them – on top of the standard Promise badge & certificate, Patrol Badge, unit name tape etc – once Rainbow units had covered the initial recruit expenses, they only had Roundabout badges, Pot of Gold, and the occasional new Roundabout pack to pay for – Rangers even less. Their only other expense being on activitiy equipment as for all sections. So their unit admin/resources spend was much lower compared to Guides or Brownies.
Whereas with the new programme all units need to invest similarly, either solely or jointly, in packs of UMA cards and Skill Builder Cards. Each girl other than those in Rangers needs a ring-bound badge book rather than just a paper booklet. All sections now have interest badges, and skill builder badges, and theme award badges.
But the thing which has bred, especially in recent months, is certificates. For no longer are there just Promise certificates, leaving certificates, and optional extra certificates for those units which choose to present extra certificates. But there are now Bronze, Silver and Gold Award certificates. And one might say, fair enough, for those are intended to be high achievements. Ah, but no. Not satisfied with that, we now have Theme Award certificates too, one for each Theme Award, even though every other Theme Award certificate will be handed out at the same time as Bronze or Silver Award and certificate are. And there are those who are advocating for Interest Badge certificates – yes, one for every Interest Badge gained. And completion-of-UMA-minutes certificates – one per theme. And Skill Builder Certificates – one for every Skill Builder completed. Despite the fact that badges are already presented to mark Promise, leaving, every Interest Badge, every Skill Builder Badge, every Theme Award, Bronze Award, Silver Award and Gold Award. So for almost all of these things, the certificate is a duplication of the badge which is already earned and presented.
Won’t anyone think of the trees? Or of the expense?
It’s not as if most of these events aren’t already marked and rewarded in some way. All but completion of UMA minutes is already marked by badges. So issuing certificates is 100% duplication – two prizes per achievement instead of one.
This leads us to two questions. The first is expense. Whilst in no way grudging the marking or rewarding of effort, fact is that many of the badges cost 55p each, which isn’t much singly, but starts to add up when your unit of 25 are all working on Skill Builders, and Interest Badges, and starting to clock up Theme Awards. Still, they are earning the badges, so it is only right that they should receive them. But certificates are 50p each – so adding a certificate onto each badge means instantly near-doubling the expense. Is that really justified?
The expense might be neither here nor there if there was evidence of a real desire amongst the girls to have certificates. Maybe attitudes differ in other areas, but never, upon presenting a badge, has a child asked me if there is a certificate to go with it. Are certificates valued if they are dished out too often, or for occasions where the recipient isn’t entirely clear on what they have done to earn them? Or is it fair to say that the more a person receives, the less special each one is?
The other consideration, as we suggested, is ‘the trees’. Issuing both certificate and badge is a duplication. As a way of making some things extra special, and marking achievement beyond what is expected, it may be justified. For the likes of Theme Awards, and Bronze/Silver/Gold, where the reward isn’t just for turning up at meetings and taking part in whatever activities the Leaders happen to organise, but also involves giving up their own time and making a personal effort to work on an Interest Badge. But to issue them for every Skill Builder, as we now may – and for every Interest Badge and set of UMA hours if some get their way – does seem unnecessary, it’s effectively just a back-door good attendance certificate. And on that basis, it’s hard to justify ‘another tree’. And at this point, we can consider all of the environmental costs. For an organisation urging it’s members to make a ‘plastic promise’ for the planet – what price the cardboard, the printing, the warehousing and distribution, the shop/depot storage and distribution costs?
I appreciate, people want to encourage the girls to achievement by rewarding achievement. But we need to face up to the consequences of doing so, and consider how much reward is enough, not rush to add on more rewards, for minor as well as major achievements. To pause and think of the trees . . .
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