Traditions with a Future

It seems we used to talk about the latest craze, but the trend nowadays seems to be towards the latest revival. Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and now Cabbage Patch Kids are back in fashion. Yes, it’s a good commercial ploy: the 1980 generation are now ripe for parenthood themselves and to fondly remember your Cabbage Patch doll, surely means that you will be swayed to purchase a similar one for your own off-spring. Yes, we are certainly caught up in materialism these days ….. we don’t just purchase a doll, we purchase a series of doll’s. Think of the Barbie – the doll itself remains much the same but we get caught up in the concept of buying the newest, most fashionably dressed icon of the moment. The advertisements on television and in our junk mail are designed to make us fall for the concepts “new, improved” or “special deal, cut price”.

So what about that treasured doll’s house you’ve had tucked away in the loft? When you do pass it down to the next generation, is it still a treasured possession? I like to think it is.

So with Guiding we look to our new updated programme, the great ideas that come out in our themes, Our Rights and Responsibilities and all the additional resources we have to hand. We keep an eye on the latest trends: for example Harry Potter has been an excellent source (or should I say sorcerer) of residential camps! The Spice Girls did their turn a few years ago and no doubt there have been a few “NZ/Other Idols” in more recent times. We owe it to the girls and, in turn with girl consultation, they owe it to us to keep Guiding in line with their lives.

However, think of the treasure tucked in the attics. Guiding has a wealth of tradition and history to be shared. We have our Promise and Law – the values of our organisation. Like stories passed down from generation to generation, values and traditions are to be shared and passed around. A fashionable Barbie can still sit comfortably in an old doll’s house.