Samantha Furbush Taraskiewicz was a guest on the Home Stretch on Today Radio and talked to RTL Today about the ramifications of the top-down decision to close the oversea branch.
In 1976 the very first unit of British Girlguiding Overseas (BGO) in Luxembourg was formed. It allowed girls scouts who moved from the UK to Luxembourg with their parents to maintain a little part of their routine. Until the Board of Trustees of Girlguiding UK took the decision to axe their oversea branch starting 1 September 2023.
A decision that left many people in shock and disheartened. Even more so as the Board of Trustees have stated multiple times that is a decision is not due to a lack of funding, as the units mostly fund themselves through their membership fees. Instead, they say that keeping the oversea branch alive was “too much of a corporate risk”.
Samantha moved to Luxembourg in 2016 and when she and her daughter Evelyn joined the Luxembourgish unit of the BGO as a leader and a girl scout, respectively. While often struggling to find a community, it was here where Samantha found an “instant family”.
The interconnectivity of all the BGO units with the main branch in the UK was one of its biggest strengths.
“Girlguiding UK has its own unique structure, badges and awards structure and it’s the same across all 36 nations that make up girlguiding overseas.”
For example, Samantha tells the story of a girl who started out in the rainbow unit for girls aged 4-7 in the Cayman Islands, but when her family moved to Luxembourg she was able to transfer all of her badges, activities and learning hours as she was working towards her gold award.
“BGO’s executive team are talking to a number of international organisations, that are global, to see if they can find a one size fits all solution for our organisation,” says Samantha.
The parents also voiced their concerns for the future of the unit to the unit leaders in Luxembourg. The parents would really wish for the space to remain girls-only. This is a mission that’s also near and dear to Samantha.
“As girls we face a lot of pressure in our day-to-day life. We are held back by a lot of gender stereotypes and we give girls opportunities to break these stereotypes and try new things in an environment that is safe.”
She states that some kids might thrive in co-ed spaces but that for others single-sex spaces are vital.
If you want to help, the BGO asks you to share your memories and what scouting means to you. You can read the testimonies of their worldwide members on their website.
To get more background information listen to the full interview on RTL Play.
The Luxembourgish girl scouting units will probably operate in some capacity next year, however it will be a big change for everyone involved.
For now all that Samantha can do is make sure to end on a bang. She makes a promise to all of her girls that the last few weeks under the Girlguiding UK branch will be the best they could possibly be.
