Myanmar Girl Guides is the national Guiding organization of

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. The organization was founded in 2014 and is currently an associate member of the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its ...

. It serves 29,067 members (as of 2014).

History

The ''Union of Burma Girl Guides Association'' ( my, ပြည်ထောင်စု မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် ကင်းထောက်မယ်များ အသင်း) was the organization for

Girl Guide Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

s in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

and Girl Guides in Burma merged in 1962 to form the coeducational Union of Burma Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (UBBSGG), which was active until 1964, reaching a membership high-point of 93,562.

Uniform

The Girl Guide uniform consisted of a

royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The ''Oxford E ...

longyi A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...

, white blouse with royal blue

buttons A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood ...

, a Guide company

neckerchief A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), sometimes called a necker, kerchief or scarf, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still see ...

in company colors, royal blue shoulder tabs, and for patrol leaders, royal blue stripes, completed with white

slippers Slippers are light footwear that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors. History The recorded history of slippers can be traced ...

Disbandment

On March 1, 1964 the military government dissolved the Boy Scouts, Lieutenant Ye Htoon, the Director General of UBBSGG reported. The assets of the association were turned over to the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, which was authorized to form Programme Youth Organizations, the youth wing of the

Burma Socialist Programme Party The Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), ; abbreviated , was Burma's ruling party from 1962 to 1988 and sole legal party from 1964 to 1988. Party chairman Ne Win overthrew the country's democratically elected government in a coup d'ét ...

Girl Guiding A Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian co ...

was not immediately outlawed, and the standalone Union of Burma Girl Guides Association remained a member of the

, and was last mentioned by WAGGGS in 1969.

Legacy

Guiding traditions are still being passed down orally. An Australian Girl Guide leader says "I have warm memories of singing

Kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...

with some former Guides from Burma who were studying in Sydney - this was in about 1984 and Guiding was forbidden in Burma. The girls came to our Guide Unit's

campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

in Sydney - the Guides were amazed that the Burmese students knew so many of the campfire songs that they also knew. The Burmese girls taught the Guides to sing Kookaburra in Burmese."

Motto and slogan

The motto of Myanmar scouts and girl guides is (''Always prepared'') and their slogan is (''Do a good thing everyday'').

References

{{WAGGGS, asia World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Myanmar