Emily Milton Girl Guide Interview

Support the Empowerment of Our Future Leaders

Girl Guides Australia's much-loved annual Biscuit Drive takes place this month, when thousands of girls will set up biscuit stalls to fundraise for their Guiding activities. Purchasing Girl Guide Biscuits this month will help to fund programs and activities that empower girls, develop leadership and valuable life skills, boost confidence and help girls to reach their full potential in life.

Being one of the largest organisations in the country open to girls and young women from all backgrounds, cultures and religions, Girl Guides Australia provides informal learning programs, fun adventures, international travel, camps, outings and national events to its members.

Chief Commissioner, Rosemary Derwin says, "When people from the community buy Girl Guides biscuits, they are essentially buying into Australia's future female leaders. The public may feel like they are simply buying a delicious biscuit but it is important for the broader community to realise the impact of their support."

All the profits from biscuit sales fund programs that respond to the issues affecting Australian girls and young women, including promoting women in leadership, financial literacy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to increase gender diversity in future workplaces, awareness against body image stereotypes and gender-based violence.

Ms Derwin adds: "Ultimately, our annual Biscuit Drive is a celebration of the diversity, confidence, empowerment and friendship of Girl Guides, which is a platform the whole community can rally behind."

The iconic Girl Guide Biscuit range includes the flagship traditional vanilla biscuit, buttery shortbread (gluten-free), and the bite-sized mini chocolate chip biscuit with real chocolate. Girl Guides Biscuits can be purchased through local Girl Guides Units and from State offices while stocks last.

For more information, visit https://www.girlguidebiscuits.com.au/shop-now/.

Interview with Emily Milton, Girl Guide and NSW Young Volunteer of the Year

Question: Can you tell us about the Girl Guides biscuit drive?

Emily Milton: The Biscuit Drive is an annual campaign where Girl Guides across Australia sell yummy biscuits! We have been selling biscuits for over 60 years – a long-standing tradition for our century old organisation.

As a young girl, it was one of my first experiences learning money management, and I know what I learnt then continues to help me today! I used to door knock businesses and my local community trying to outsell my personal best. I had to think about how to sell, how to budget, how to store the product, how to manage my time around school and other activities to achieve my goals. With my group of Girl Guides we have set up at market stalls, local shopping centres, and sports matches!

But it's so much #morethanabiscuit – Biscuit selling is a tangible way girls learn through experience. It's about financial literacy, project management, business skills and entrepreneurship, marketing and communications, leadership and so much more! Girls are in the lead from the outset: planning, setting budgets, creating a market, reconciling…


Question: Where do the funds raised go to?

Emily Milton: Girl Guides Australia is a registered charity – so all funds raised are reinvested back into increasing the sustainability of Girl Guides and enhancing our capacity to deliver impact in our communities.

Girl Guides is a community-based organisation. The funds raised from biscuits helps these local groups. Whether it's facility management (up keeping Girl Guide Halls) or providing access for girls who might not have otherwise been able to participate in Girl Guides (i.e covering Uniform or activity expenses, or membership fees). These funds assist with the operational costs of Girl Guides, and better positions us to deliver our mission of empowerment.

Girl Guides is all about equipping girls and young women to be engaged community members. Education and transformational learning is at the centre of everything we do. We facilitate activities to inspire girls to be changemakers: to learn about issues they care about; speak out for change; and design action projects to make a real difference. This could mean setting up recycling or water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects; fundraising for animal shelters; tackling low self-esteem and eating disorders ... the list goes on!


Question: What originally inspired you to start at Girl Guides?

Emily Milton: I joined Girl Guides 20 years ago. My Mum was a Girl Guide when she was young for a few years, and she saw great value in having a space where I could learn more about myself, my peers, and my community and carve my journey.

I lived in a place where all the girls went through the movement. All my friends were Girl Guides and I wanted to be included.

I'm super glad I joined Girl Guides and have been on this journey of becoming the person I am today.

I'm glad my family encouraged me to join and gave me #aplacetogrow – and I know me becoming a confident and capable daughter and sister was also great benefit to my family. It really shows the opportunities for everyone when girls are valued and can thrive so that our communities are even more vibrant and diverse.


Question: Can you tell us about what generally happens at Girl Guides?

Emily Milton: At Girl Guides we are all about keeping it REAL for girls: relevant, exciting, accessible, and learner-led. But what is "it"? It's a learning experience with a mission to empower girls and young women to be self-respecting, responsible and confident community members. For every girl and any girl. For her world – all that it means for her and more!

Being learner-led, our volunteer Girl Guide Leaders facilitate learning experiences for Girl Guides where girls are in the lead! We use a structured program to deliver non-formal learning. We call it the Australian Guide Program, and the methodology is the same the world over. Helping girls learn about themselves, connect with their peers and their community, work in small groups and learn by doing.

Learning spaces come in all shapes and sizes; some Girl Guides meet in local schools, others in community centres; and others in Girl Guide halls. Some meet online! We have a dynamic movement and how we do Guiding is centred around the needs of the girls with whom we work. These meetings run to various times, often after school, in the evenings or on weekends. They can plan activities, run workshops, organise camps, design biscuit sales strategy – the works. Meetings are a space where girls can have fun, make friends and have adventure! Beyond meetings, Girl Guides connect at events, and activities where they are in the outdoors, or doing community service, or enhancing their leadership skills – even travel overseas! One of our favourite events on the calendar in NSW & ACT is the annual Girl Guide Sleepover at Taronga Zoo!


Question: Can you share your most memorable moment from participating in Girl Guides?
Emily Milton: There are so many! One of my favourite memories as a young girl was learning about girls my age in other parts of the world, and their experiences. Girl Guides is in 150 countries and growing! For me, this was a cornerstone of building empathy and recognising I was part of something so much bigger! Learning about global Guiding also showed me how Girl Guides was making impact the world over. It made me super passionate about making a difference in the world and using my voice to amplify others.

At 21 years old, I travelled to the United Nations in New York to speak out about girls' rights! I represented the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, our international body. We were a small delegation from a diverse range of countries – most of which I had never met a person from i.e Burkina Faso, and Madagascar.

It was a life changing experience. I took all the skills I learnt as a Girl Guide to speak out for change and influence decision-makers who make international policy and drive change internationally and in their home countries. It also required me to bring everything I knew about empathetic leadership and the power of human connection to ensure our delegation maximized our efficacy and built lasting friendship. I've been to the United Nations 3 times now, representing the 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. These are powerful memories grounded by a lifelong learning journey - coloured with such richness!


Question: Congratulations on being named NSW Young Volunteer Of The Year, how did it feel to be recognised?

Emily Milton: Thank you! The recognition was a few years ago, around the same time I was announced as one of the first winners of the Queen's Young Leader Award. Both Awards recognised the important contributions I was making to my community and Australia. At the time, it was overwhelming. To be celebrated amongst so many peers and other changemakers was very emotional. It also validated the value of my efforts and vision for a world where girls are engaged citizens and empowered community members, to be all they can be and more.

There is a lot of media attention that came with being named NSW Young Volunteer of the Year and a Queen's Young Leader Award Winner. I felt then and continue to feel now the great responsibility of having a platform and how I can best use my voice to speak out and try to bring others along on the journey. I hope my story inspires other people to volunteer their time, get involved in their communities and feel connected in making an impact for a better world.


Question: What's next for you and Girl Guides?

Emily Milton: The Girl Guide values are at the centre of the movement. These values include empowering girls and young women through learning experiences. This is the fire that ignites our movement. I sit on the Board of Girl Guides NSW and ACT. I see this role as being a keeper of the flame – ensuring Girl Guides continues to shine bright and shine long! The Board sets the strategy for an organisation and I believe it is such an important place for diversity. As a young woman, I bring different experiences and perspectives valuable to the vibrancy of a Board like Girl Guides.

Diversity in decision-making is an increasingly strong focus in the governance space. Being on a Board exemplifies how Girl Guides empowers girls and young women. I'm a product of decades of leadership training where girls are encouraged to raise their voice, and people are encouraged to listen! This also fuels my passion for ensuring the vibrancy of Girl Guides and our vision for girls! So this is a huge feature of what's next – we've been around for over a century and we are looking forward to #thenext100years!

I'm really lucky that I get to be involved in so many powerful circles of changemaking. Whether that's Girl Guides, or the various other amazing organisations I have the privilege of working with, for example the voluntary work I do for UN Women National Committee Australia – another organisation dedicated to empowering the world's women and girls. Even being an advocate for volunteering in the community. Did you know according to the Australian Charities Report 2016, nearly 3 million Australians are volunteers! And nearly 50% of our charities have no paid staff, so volunteer power is critical to the success of the community and charity sector - A sector that is focused on better outcomes to improve our lives and those of the people around us. So, it's worth being an advocate and something I continue to do!

A big focus of mine right now is ensuring as many people as possible learn about the Global Goals – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Also known as the #SDGs, I know how important individual action is, and I've seen firsthand the power of one voice. Imagine what can transformation we can lead when we lend our collective energy to making the world a better place for all! We all can make a difference, and there are so many ways for young people especially to make an impact. Check out the Youth2030 Challenge! It's a super clever way all of us can support to inspire young people to take action to achieve the SDGS. It's free, so get involved! Or if you are an organisation or company partner with the Youth2030 Challenge and offer incentives and rewards for young people to help them amplify their impact and increase their reach!

Question: What advice do you have for girls who want to get involved with Girl Guides?

Emily Milton: You get out of life what you put in! So get involved, lean in to all the experiences life can offer and make the most of it all! Girl Guides is a place for that; a place where you will be supported and empowered to learn and grow and make a difference. For women looking to volunteer, this is a perfect way to pass on all your passion and learning to the next generation, while also being supported by other women to thrive!

Girl Guides is a global movement and it's a place where you are in the lead! So you can learn about mental health, leadership and climate justice, for example, and figure out ways to take action and make a difference. You can connect in with your communities in new ways, and build lasting friendships. It made me a better person and I think that is even more relevant for the world we live in today!


Question: How can Australians support the Girl Guides?

Emily Milton: There are so many ways Australians can support Girl Guides Australia and the community-based groups of Girl Guides around the country. Here are just some key takeaways:

1. You can buy a pack of bickies! It sounds small, but it's part of the solution for realising our mission.
2. Tell your friends, daughters, sisters, cousins, neighbours about Girl Guides! Get them involved so they can be part of this wonderful movement.
3. Come and volunteer with us!
Our leaders are all women and amazing volunteers who provide important inspiration and intergenerational support, which we know is important for improving community outcomes and enhancing wellbeing. But, there are great ways to support Girl Guides even if you aren't a woman! As a volunteer organisation, whether it's helping local groups in a working bee, or lend your skills to applying for a property grant, or helping with local marketing! There are plenty of ways to help inspire and empower girls in our movement.

4. Donate to Girl Guides – this is a super simply way and with the end of the financial year, now is a perfect time to make a donation, and include Girl Guides in a bequest! Your donation will go to amplifying girls voices and ensuring this century old movement continues for the #next100years because we are for every girl and any girl.

Head to GirlGuides.org.au for more information!


Interview by Brooke Hunter