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Girl Guides History
From Unwanted Girls to World Movment (1910-28)
Girl Guides officially started in 1909 when Robert Baden-Powell (B.P.) held a rally for Boy Scouts at the Crystal Palace in London, England. Along with the boys there was a group of girls that showed up calling themselves Girl Scouts. At first B.P. did not want to let them in. He finally did and asked his sister Agnes to be in charge of them.
The word Guide meant one who embodies all the desirable qualities, including industry, practical common sense, and self reliance."
In 1910 B.P. asked his sister Agnes to adapt his book Scouting for Boys for use with girls. That same year he retired from the army to devote himself to Guiding and Scouting. It was that year on a world tour on the Arcadian that he met Olave Sr. Clair Soames, his future wife.
Though Olave was 32 years younger then B.P. they shared many similar attitudes and a common birthday, February 22nd. This date, in 1926, became what is called Thinking Day for Girl Guides and Scouts around the world to think of one another with love and friendship. The two married after a short courtship in a church in Dorset, England. Olave also became involved in B.P.'s organization and began the Girl Guide Movement in Sussex, England. In 1916 she was elected to the Office of Chief Chief Commissioner and in 1918 Chief Guide.
In 1919 Olave formed the International Council to keep members of the Movement in touch with each other around the world. The first International Conference was held in Oxford, England in 1920 and was attended by members from 15 countries. In that year B.P. was elected World Chief Scout. Ten years later Olave was appointed World Chief Guide.
The 3rd International Conference was combined with the first World Camp in July of 1924 at Foxlease, United Kingdom. The following year the Council Published The World Bulletin for members world wide. It is now called Our World . It was at the 5th International Conference in Hungary in 1928 that the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) was formed to replace the International Council. The Conferences were renamed World Conferences which are now held every three (3) years in different regions of the world.
