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A Brownie is a girl aged between her seventh and 11th birthdays, who is a member of the Guide Association, the female form of Scouting.
History Brownies were first organized by Lord Baden-Powell in 1914, to complete the range of age groups both for girls and boys in Scouting. They were first run as the youngest group in the Guide Association by Agnes Baden-Powell, Lord Baden-Powell's younger sister. In 1918 Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, took over the responsibility for the Girl Guides and thus for Brownies. Originally the girls were called Rosebuds, but were renamed by Lord Baden-Powell. Their name comes from a story by Juliana Horatia Ewing, written in 1870. In the story two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful Brownies or lazy boggarts. Organization Brownie "packs" are divided into groups called sixes or circles. Each six or circle has either the name of a fairy creature (Leprechauns, Pixies, Elves, Kelpies, Bwbacods, Ghillie-Dhu, Gnomes, Imps, Sprites, Dryads, etc.) or a woodland animal (rabbit, hedgehog, fox, badger, mole, squirrel). The brownie in charge of the six is the Sixer or Circle Leader, and her helper is the Second (not seconder as most would automatically use) or the Circle Second. Activities Activities a brownie may undertake vary between packs and also varies from country to country. Most will play games, work towards badges, make things, cook, go on trips and holidays, camps etc. Brownie uniforms vary from country to country. In many countries, a girl can choose from a variety of different uniform items. In Canada, the uniforms have recently changed from the traditional all brown (with choices including brown t-shirts, sweaters, sashes cargo pants or skirts, along with extras such as camp hats) to dark orange with a navy sash and a navy skirt or pants, as in the older girl guides. The Girl Guides movement in the United Kingdom remains popular - one third of all 8 year old girls in the UK are Brownies. Many Packs have long waiting lists and struggle to find enough adult volunteers to cope with demand. When a person does nice favors for another (especially for an authority figure), the person can be said to have done a Good Turn. This can earn you Brownie points. Motto, Promise And Law The motto of Brownies is Lend a Hand. In Canada, the Brownie Promise is: I promise to do my best, To be true to myself, my God/Faith And keep the Brownie Law. In Britain, the Brownie Promise is: I promise that I will do my best, To love my God, To serve the Queen and my country, to help other people, And to keep the Brownie Guide Law. The Australian Guiding Promise is: I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to god, to serve the queen and my country and to keep the guide law. The Canadian Brownie Law is: As a Brownie I am honest and kind. I help take care of the world around me. The British Brownie Law is: A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good turn every day. See also | ||||||||
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