4 August 2016

A voice for all New Zealand girls

GirlGuiding New Zealand has today announced the establishment of a Ranger Advocacy Panel to speak out publicly on issues affecting girls across New Zealand.

Some of the topics already on the minds of the nine Ranger members, aged from 13 to 16 years old, include Helen Clarke’s bid for Secretary General at the United Nations, family violence, cyber bullying and gender inequality. And these young women are ready to talk about them.

Selected for their understanding of issues affecting girls and their ideas for bringing about change, the panel marks a milestone for GirlGuiding’s transition to being ‘girl led’.

“It’s a long way from learning to be a good home-maker ” says GirlGuiding New Zealand CEO Susan Coleman “it’s about getting real and understanding the modern girl”.

“We now have a group of nine young women to help us all understand exactly what girls care about, what influences them and who they identify with.”

GirlGuiding New Zealand’s National Girl Led Adviser Rachael Hewton has been overseeing the ‘girl led’ transition and says the Ranger Advocacy Panel will shift the voice of GirlGuiding New Zealand to its members.

“We know that what matters to adults does not necessarily matter to our girl members. We want to hear directly from them what they want the organisation to fight for and what change they want to bring about.”

“The Ranger Advocacy Panel will also be involved in GirlGuiding New Zealand’s research programme, helping to inform our approach, evaluate research results and identify advocacy issues relevant to New Zealand girls.” she says.

The panel will take part in GirlGuiding New Zealand’s National Workshop, 5-7 August in Auckland, to discuss strategic goals and outcomes for the organisation.

Members of the Ranger Advocacy Panel

· Madeline Arps (13), 4th Pencarrow Regional Rangers, Wellington

· Alexandra Hall (15), Island Bay Rangers, Wellington

· Charlotte Howard (15) – Wakaaranga Rangers, Manukau

· Elizabeth Nahu (14) – Onslow Rangers, Wellington

· Shania Lahina (16) – Rawhiti Rangers, Wellington

· Mikayla Madden-Snoad (14) – Pakuranga Rangers, Manukau

· Sasha Meehan (16) – 4th Kokowai Rangers, New Plymouth

· Skye Richards (15) – Cambridge Rangers, Cambridge

· Briana Valgre (14) – Pakuranga Rangers, Manukau

ENDS

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