#GenerationGreen News Update – Girlguiding leader hopes to make hiking cool and becomes a much-needed positive role model

Generation Green funding has turned a dream into reality and an opportunity for a longstanding member of Girlguiding.

Georgina Barrett (28) is on course to completing a combined Level 3 Leader and Hill and Moorland Leader qualification, which will enable her to take younger members of Girlguiding to more exciting places and make hill walking cool. She said: “I think there is a little bit of a preconception amongst young people, particularly teenagers, that hiking is something that old people do. I’m hoping that, because I’m a bit younger, it will just make these young people think twice and see actually this person is not that much older than we are, at least not at first appearances, and they’ve been doing it since they were 18 and it’s something that they’ve enjoyed and maybe it’s not as uncool as we thought.”

Generation Green funding has enabled Georgina to access the Level 3 course at minimal cost and she hopes to complete her final assessed walk in April 2022. She explained: “The financial assistance made it a lot more achievable for me.

The funding turned it from something I wanted to do into something I knew I could actually do.” Involved with Girlguiding since the age of 9, Georgina has progressed through the sections to become an advisor at the regional level and achieving her Queen’s Guide Award - the highest possible level you can reach in Girlguiding,

She already holds a number of outdoor instruction qualifications, however, the Level 3 qualification has boosted Georgina’s confidence and prompted her to apply for positions she wouldn’t have thought herself capable of before. She is now considering pursuing a freelance career in outdoor leadership.

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