14. Brownie points
Lord Robert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer who wrote the book
Scouting for Boys, which was an inspiration for the Scout Movement. He was the founder and first chief scout of The Boy Scouts Association and founder of the Girl Guides.
Brownies were first organized by Baden-Powell in 1914 to complete the range of age groups for girls in scouting. Originally the girls, aged seven to 10, were called Rosebuds. However, the girls complained that they didn’t like the name, so Baden-Powell renamed them Brownies. The name comes from an 1870 story by Juliana Horatia Ewing titled “The Brownies.” In the story, two youngsters named Tommy and Betty learn that children can be helpful Brownies (amiable household elves) or lazy boggarts (household ogres).
Brownies were first run as the youngest group in the Guide Association by Baden-Powell’s sister Agnes. In 1918 his wife, Olave, took over the responsibility for the Girl Guides and thus for Brownies.
Brownies work in small groups called sixes. Each six is named after fairies or woodland creatures. A six is led by a Sixer and has a Second who acts as deputy. The Brownie program is called the Brownie Adventure.
Brownies work toward Interest badges. To date, there are 57. These can be earned in meetings with the unit or at home or in clubs, such as swim clubs. Brownies can also work toward their Adventure badges. These are gained over a period of time and require girls to complete many different activities, such as going on an adventure, taking part in an activity with another unit and earning an Interest badge. The term “Brownie points” references the merit badges or six points that are earned by Brownies for carrying out good deeds.
The Girl Guide organization is active around the world, in countries such as Australia, Canada, the Far East, Ireland and the US.
In the UK, the Brownie Promise is: “I promise that I will do my best: To be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the Queen and my community, to help other people and to keep the Brownie Guide Law.” The Brownie Guide Law is: A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good turn every day. In 1937, Princess Margaret became the first royal Brownie.
In the US, Brownies use the same Promise and Law as the other age groups of the Girl Scouts of the USA. The Girl Scout Promise is: “On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” The Girl Scout Law is: I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.