An authoethnographic study of the Malta Girl Guides Association’s work with young people

Abstract

The Malta Girl Guides Association (MGG) has been at the forefront of working with young people in Malta, particularly girls and young women, through the implementation of the girl guiding method by its leaders on a voluntary basis. This method has been used since the very beginning of the girl guiding movement and adapted to the Maltese scenario. However, little research has been carried out to explore this method academically. Inspired by my own experience of the local Girl Guiding organisation in Malta, first as a member and later as a leader, this dissertation aims to shed light on the methods used by this 90-year-old organisation with a focus on work with young people, empowerment and participation. This has been done through a literature review providing the context in which this research study has been conducted and by revisiting the concepts of youth work, empowerment and participation. The two main aims of this dissertation were to better understand how youth work is carried out by MGG and to get insight into whether girls and young female members feel empowered through participation in the MGG’s programmes by implementing the Girl Guiding method as proposed by WAGGGS. Using an autoethnographic approach I brought out the narrative of Girl Guiding by using my own knowledge and personal experience, and by bringing out the experience of young members and their leaders who are currently members of the MGG, using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were carried out with two cohorts of six members each, the Rangers Group (Ages 14-18) and the Ranger Leaders Group (Aged 18+). The interviewees were chosen to be representative of the three districts that make up the MGG: the North, the Central and the South district. On connecting the concepts explored with the analysis of the interviews, the study has shown that the MGG is fulfilling its own mission to enable girls and young women to discover their full potential.