About

Proficiency Badges

From the birth of Scouting, a range of proficiency badges existed, intended to encourage boys in their hobbies, and in due course, with the potential to turn hobbies into professions. When Guides started, they too had a range of proficiency badges with similar aims in mind, but with an especial focus on the skills they felt girls should be developing.

Brownie Proficiency Badges

But it wasn’t just Guides – Brownies too had their proficiency badges – although for many years, Brownies couldn’t earn any of them until they had earned their Golden Hand badge, and most Brownies only had a short time left in the pack by the time that happened, so little time to gain Proficiency Badges in, however keen. It was only from 1968 onwards that Interest Badges, as they were renamed, were open to all Brownies.

Ranger Proficiency Badges

From their founding and up to World War Two, Rangers also had Proficiency Badges to work for – and a regularly-growing range of them. It was the coming of war, and the need to focus training on the Home Emergency Service programme, and any free time they had on war work, which meant that Proficiency Badges were dropped from the Ranger programme – they returned briefly in the 1990s in the form of Staged Badges only to be dropped again, then returned again in 2019 with the new programme introduced then.

Extension Proficiency Badges

Extension Guides – the section for Guides with disabilities – did not miss out on Proficiency Badges. They had their own selection of badges, as well as being able to work on any regular badges they wished. Indeed, it is regularly reported that where handcraft was concerned, the testers of Extension Proficiency Badges expected a higher standard than they did from Guides tackling the regular Guide Craft Badge – and got it! In later years, the extension section closed as more and more Guides were living in the community, attending mainstream schools and mainstream Guiding units.

Awards and Qualifications

As well as Proficiency Badges, naturally Guiding had a number of other badges and awards – the Promise Badges and progress badges, specialist badges and higher awards. There were awards and special badges for all sections, Brownie, Guide, Ranger and Extension – and also for adults. The specialist Ranger sections – Cadet, Land Ranger, Sea Ranger and Air Ranger – also had their own awards/qualifications. I will attempt to untangle these, although doing so is a work-in-progress.