Nicola Sturgeon visited 5th Dreghorn Brownies, her former unit, on Thursday
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited her former Brownie pack this week ahead of International Women’s Day.
She dropped in on 5th Dreghorn Brownies at their reopening ceremony on Thursday and told them if they stick at Brownies and school they’ll learn that they can do anything in the world.
Sturgeon, who was a member of the Dreghorn Brownies 35 years ago, heard the girls make or reaffirm their Brownie promise and spoke to them about what activities they had been up.
“I was delighted to visit my old Brownie unit,” she said.
“Organisations such as the Brownies provide young people with a wide range of opportunities that nurture and develop their ambitions, their sense of achievement and the skills they need to succeed in life.
My message to the girls was - aim high. Wee girls from Dreghorn can achieve anything!
“My message to the girls was - aim high. Wee girls from Dreghorn can achieve anything!”
Sue Walker, Girlguiding Scotland chief commissioner, said: “It’s was really inspiring having the First Minister come along to talk to the Brownies and showing the girls that the sky’s the limit.”
The First Minister has already signed up to Girlguiding’s Girls Matter campaign but following her visit the organisation reiterated its call for more MSPs to show their support.
The campaign, in the run up to the general election, is calling on politicians to pledge to implement eight calls for change and push for girls’ rights to be a priority for international development.
These include committing to tackling sexism, making life fairer for girls and making girls’ rights a priority in international development once the Millennium Development Goals officially come to an end this year.
Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday and this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women, which takes place from 9-20 March, Rosy Burgess, a Girlguiding Scotland Brownie leader from Edinburgh, said: “The Girls Matter campaign gives girls a way to speak directly to our politicians – we are calling on them to back the campaign and show they are putting girls and young women’s rights at the heart of global development this International Women’s Day.”
