Promises, Promises

You may have seen on the news that Girlguiding has changed the wording of the promise – a ritual that has been part of the organisation, I think from the beginning (correct me if I’m wrong on this fact, internet research on this fact was not fruitful). It has changed 11 times before, most recently in the early 1990’s, but as that was before I joined the organisation I have only known one promise up to this point (well two if you count the fact that I used a simpler version in Rainbows). And I’m really happy for the change this week, for the organisation and for myself. 

The change follows extensive consultation with members of all ages as well as non-members from different interested parts of society – the new wording is what people want and it more fully encompasses what Girlguiding aims to deliver in a phrasing that is relevant to now. There’s more information on the Girlguiding website, but here’s the new wording for Brownies upwards*:

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 Laws.

And for Rainbows:

I promise that I will do my best to think about my beliefs and to be kind and helpful.

Girlguiding seeks to offer girls and young women spiritual development as one of the pillars of the programme, and this is so much broader that what might fall under loving one’s god. It’s explained in the FAQs on the Girlguiding website (members only) as follows:

“Spiritual development is one of the six aspects of development of girls and young women that Girlguiding focuses on, alongside the social, emotional, moral, intellectual and physical aspects. Spirituality is open and accessible to everyone. It is concerned with the inner life and its meaning and purpose, and with making sense of the world around us. Spiritual development is an independent journey that continues throughout our lives. Within the guiding programme we define spiritual development as making your own spiritual choices, respecting the spiritual choices of others and achieving inner peace.”

I would think that the majority of people, regardless of religious persuasion, would agree that faith or spirituality is a personal journey – even in the largest, most traditional, congregation each person is walking their own path. 

Three years ago I organised some debates where young Girlguiding members spoke out on issues in the organisation that they wanted to see change on, and the promise was one of those areas. I identified with the arguments used in those debates, and on a personal level, I have to admit I have been making a promise that I didn’t entirely believe in for many years. I spent a lot of time reasoning with myself as I could see how the sentiments behind it, which I did support, were more important than the semantics I didn’t like but had to use to express them at the time. I have faith, I have beliefs, I don’t have a religion, and I don’t have a God.

I remade my promise in several locations that it just wasn’t easy or appropriate to abstain from – not least on a live video stream broadcast across the country at the end of the year of centenary celebrations in 2012. When you’re surrounded by a crowd repeating words in unison, it’s difficult to not feel apart, separated and somewhat unwelcome by an internal conflict over the words being used. 

But Guiding and Scouting is a movement I fully believe in and has made me the person I am today. I can see the potential for what we can all achieve together and that is why I continue to be part of Guiding. 

The new wording brings me a lot more internal peace, whilst, I hope, still conveying the same meaning for those people who identified word for word with the previous incarnation. I believe this isn’t a change to the promise, but a change to the words making them more open, more relevant and clearer.

*The previous wording was: 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 Guide Laws.