Meet the delegation - Ruth

Meet the delegation - Ruth

I'm the Deputy CEO and Strategy Director at Girlguiding. My job is to help Girlguiding's Trustees and senior volunteer set and implement the strategy for Girlguiding across the UK to ensure that we continue to support our volunteers to deliver fantastic experiences for girls and young women.

I've been in post just over a year and so far it's been an amazing experience. The commitment and passion of the UK's 110,000 volunteers is incredible and it's been a privilege to work with such a skilled group of women, not to mention our amazing young members.

I was lucky enough to be a young member myself and guiding gave me some of my first opportunities to travel independently - to an international camp in Switzerland and to Sri Lanka on GOLD project. Both were really significant experiences for me as a young person and I am passionate about enabling other young women to have the same chances.

I am really looking forward to my first WAGGGS Conference particularly the opportunity to learn more about how Guiding operates in other countries and exploring how WAGGGS can make a real difference to the day to day lives and opportunities of girls and young women across the world.

My favourite badge ❤

I don't have a camp blanket and wasn't big on badges as a Guide. However, the one that really sticks in my mind is my first aid badge. I have used the skills and knowledge I got through doing that badge numerous times since I got it aged about 14. The knowledge I gained was invaluable and it sums up the value of guiding for me. It's not just about developing key skills for life but it also giving you the confidence to use them.