Girls' Brigade
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The Girls' Brigade is an international and interdenominational Christian youth organization. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin,[1] Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structured UK-based organizations in 1964.[2] These organizations were the Girls' Brigade of Ireland (1893), the Girls' Guildry of Scotland (1900), and the Girls' Life Brigade of England (1902). The International Headquarters are currently based in Glasgow.[3]
The organization operates in over 60 countries worldwide and is divided into five Fellowships: African, Asian, Caribbean and Americas, European, and Pacific.[4] International Conferences are held every four years, this has been happening since 1998 when the conference was in Australia.[2] It was in Thailand in 2002 and Northern Ireland in 2006[5] The Queen Mother and Princess Alice were Girls' Brigade's patrons until their deaths in 2002 and 2004 respectively. There are, at the moment, no living patrons.[6]
Girls' Brigade England & Wales have recently teamed up with Viz-A-Viz ministries[7] to do the new initiative that has been called Arise.[8] It involves events such as roadshows and is a different way of spreading the Christian message.
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[edit] Girls' Brigade principles and motto
The Girls' Brigade's principles are as follows:[9]
- 1) The Brigade acknowledges Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord according to the Scriptures and seeks to fulfil its aim to the glory of one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- 2) The Brigade witnesses to the standard set by Jesus Christ and gives positive teaching on the Christian attitude to life
- 3) The Brigade promotes a just society where all people are equally valued.
The motto of the Girls' Brigade is "Seek, Serve and Follow Christ" and its Aim is "To help girls become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through self control, reverence and a sense of responsibility to find true enrichment of life".[10]
[edit] Girls' Brigade programme
The GB programme follows four themes: Spiritual, Physical, Educational and Service. These words spell SPES which is latin for Hope. It was said that each girl in Girls' Brigade was a hope for the future.[11] Also the girls are encouraged to participate in activities other than just badge work. These include leadership courses for 14-21 year old, and most companies or districts arrange camps or holidays, usually one per year. Moreover, GB helps its members with the Duke of Edinborough Award scheme.[12]
[edit] Girls' Brigade projects
The most recent project that Girls' Brigade England & Wales has undertaken is "Arise". This project involves many different events such as roadshows and the like. Arise is often quoted as standing for: Activities, Resources, Ideas, Support and Equipping. These mean that the children will be able to attend activity days to learn about Jesus and meet up with other GB members, they will also have resources adapted to meet the specific child's needs. Moreover, the ideas for activities will be new and made in a better way to encourage children, as well as supporting children with their work and helping to set up further youth groups. And the final idea of Arise is to train people to work with children so they are equipped for anything the children may do.[8] Premier Radio helped to promote Arise on their radio shows.[13] Arise is a joint project with Viz-A-Viz Ministries.[7]
[edit] Sections in Girls' Brigade
- 4 to 8 years - Explorer[14]
- 7 to 12 years - Junior[15]
- 13 to 18 years - Brigader[16]
- Optional 14-15 years (Year 10 in English school's system) - Leadership Training One
- Optional 15-16 years (Year 11 in English school's system) - Leadership Training Two
- Optional 16-17 years (Year 12 in English school's system) - Leadership Training Three[17]
- Optional 18+ years - Leader (Can take only after completing the three above stages as a Young Leader)[18]
However if just joining Girls' Brigade later in life and did not particapate in Girls' Brigade when young you can complete Officer Training in order to gain Leader status.
As of 31 March 2005, there were 6109 Explorers, 7534 Juniors, 4016 Seniors, 1913 Brigaders, 405 Warrant Officers, 124 Supernumary Officers, 1967 Officers in 707 Companies within England & Wales.[19] NB, All Officers are now been classed as Leaders.
[edit] The Girls' Brigade crest
The crest is a registered trade mark of Girls' Brigade England & Wales. However, all Girls' Brigade companies around the world have the right to use it.
In the centre is a Cross, which represents the symbol of Christ and his Church. Below the cross is a Lamp, which represents the light of the Girls' Brigade shining upon the World. Above it is a Crown, so that people recognize Christ as a King. Behind it all, is a Torch, the flame of Christ's living spirit, so all members can be devoted to him.
The badge incorporates symbols from the three original organizations and is, therefore, in itself a symbol of union, as well as faith and allegience to the Lord Jesus Christ.[20]. These organizations are: The Girls Brigade which formed in Ireland in 1893 which brought in the Cross. Next was The Girls' Guildry which formed in 1900 in Scotland which brought in the Lamp. Lastly we have The Girls' Life Brigade which formed in 1902 in England and brought in the Crown. They amalgamated in 1964.
[edit] International
The International President of GB is Mrs Ruth Chikasa from Africa. The International Treasurer is Ms Joyce Evans from England & Wales. The International Vice-Presidents are the Chairmen from each Fellowship[4]
All figures next to country names are of the number of GB members within the country, they are accurate as of 2004[21]
[edit] African Fellowship
Bridget Leher (Zimbabwe) is the Fellowship Chairman.
There are 14 African countries that have GB companies:[22]
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Botswana (149) |
Sierra Leone (338) |
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[edit] Asian Fellowship
Sally Chew (Singapore) is the Fellowship Chairman.
There are 12 Asian countries that have GB companies:[23]
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Bangladesh (215) |
Mongolia (55) |
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[edit] Caribbean and Americas Fellowship
Andrea Stevens (Cayman Islands) is the Fellowship Chairman.
There are 22 countries in the Americas that have GB companies:[24]
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Anguilla (132) |
Haiti (40) |
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[edit] Europe Fellowship
Vivienne Aitchison (England and Wales) is the Fellowship Chairman.
There are 7 countries within the Europe fellowship that have GB companies:[25]
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England and Wales (25155) |
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Note: Currently England & Wales run as one country for Girls' Brigade even though they are distinct countries.
[edit] Pacific Fellowship
Janice Zachan (New Zealand) is the Fellowship Chairman.
There are 13 countries within the Pacific Fellowship that have GB companies:[26]
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American Samoa (98) |
Samoa |
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ About GB. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b History of GB & info on International Conferences. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Address of HQ. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b International GB. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Newsletter mentioning where the 2006 ICGB conference was held (PDF). Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Patrons of GB. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b Viz-A-Viz Ministries partnership page. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b All information about Arise. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on principles. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on motto and aim. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ SPES files - GB Award Handbook
- ^ Further part of the GB proramme. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Premier Radio and Arise. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Explorer's Section on GBEW. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Junior's Section on GBEW. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Brigader's Section on GBEW. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on all three stages of young leader training. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on becoming a Leader of GB. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Statistics of 2005 Members of GB. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Leadership Training booklet 2001 (contains all information about the crest)
- ^ Anuual Report 2004. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on African Fellowship. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on Asian Fellowship. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on Caribbean & Americas Fellowship. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on Europe Fellowship. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Information on Pacific Fellowship. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
