March 26th.

March 26th? Is that a special date to you? Now, unless it is your birthday it probably isn't a special day. But for millions of people worldwide it is the day when their medical condition is spoken about for people to learn more about. That condition is probably one you have heard of, but know very little about. That condition is Epilepsy. 


The reason I decided to dedicate my blog to this condition is because I myself have the condition. I was diagnosed in January 2011 after having a seizure at a friends house and subsequently having a series of tests including an MRI on my brain and an EEG (Which is where  they stick sensors to your head and measuring the brain waves through a serious of different situations and tests) Anyway, this blog today isn't about my own personal journey with coming to terms with the diagnosis, it's about epilepsy generally and improving people's awareness about the condition.

• Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures and tends to be diagnosed after 2 or more seizures through a series of tests.
• Epilepsy is a medical condition not an illness. 
• Epilepsy can affect anyone, the condition does not discriminate nor does it tend to affect certain people, anyone can have the condition and can start with the symptoms at any point in their life. I was diagnosed at age 19 after never having had any seizures before, there has been no cause found for the condition coming to light at this age, it is simply described as 'idopathic.'
• Epilepsy can KILL. Yes I know that it isn't a very cheerful thing to be writing on a Monday morning, but if someone has a seizure in their sleep, their airways can become blocked by a pillow and they could suffocate. Anti-suffocation pillows are available but these are expensive. 
• You probably know someone who has epilepsy, even if you do not realise it. In the UK around 600,000 people have the condition, which is about 1 in 103 with another 87 people being diagnosed each day. 
• People with the condition can live a 'normal' life. 

I could talk about Epilepsy all day and how it affects not only the person with the condition but also their families, friends and partners. But i'm sure you can imagine the effect it will have, so instead I want to leave you with a piece of helpful advice. Please spend 2.12 minutes watching the next video. It is all about what to do if you see someone having a seizure. You never know when you may come across someone having a seizure, and by following the simple steps the video highlights, you could save someone's life.

If you want to know more about Epilepsy please visit:

Epilepsy Action

To learn more about Anti-Suffocation pillows and a charity who fund raise to provide them free of charge to people who need them:

ESUK

A first blog about Girlguiding UK.

I have noticed in the paper recently a few articles about how Girlguiding UK have been grooming girls into only caring about their appearance and how they have lost their 'values.' As a dedicated member of the organisation I can only say the opposite about the organisation which I am so proud to be a member of.

Girlguiding UK pride themselves on being modern and relevant to their members, and covering issues and topics which really affect them. In this day and age it is obvious that body image and beauty are going to play a part in girl's lives. The issue covered in most of these articles which have been published are mainly about the Glamorama pack for Guides (10-14 year olds.) The articles posted on some newspapers websites are simply talking about one element of the pack, a pack which aims to give girls a balanced view on beauty and looking after themselves.

Within the resource there are sections about make: applying it without using too much, but the most important parts of this specific pack (in my opinion) are the parts about boosting self confidence and being yourself- something which has been overlooked in any article. In today's media culture, most (if not all) images within the media are airbrushed, giving girls and young women an achieveable target for their beauty aims. The Glamorama pack helps girls understand about natural beauty and airbrushing, allowing them to understand that they may not be able to look like the women in glossy magazines, but that they are beautiful and that inner beauty is more important than external. 

In 2010 members of Girlguiding UK spoke out about this issue and started a petition for the compulary labelling of all airbrushed images in the media. This was an issue raised by members as something they thought important enough to speak out about. The petition was launched at an event in August in 2010 and by November 2010 it had over 25,000 signitures on it and was presented to the Houses of Parliament. If Guiding was all about being beautiful, do you believe that girls would have raised this as an issue and wanted to act upon it?

The resource is just one part of a balanced programme provided by Girlguiding UK for this age group. Girls weekly experience a wide range of activities, from cooking to sports to learning about different cultures. The girls are encouraged to make their own decisions about the activities they undertake, giving them the opportunity to speak out and make a difference. In the last week my Guide Unit have been learning about different cultures through making kites for kite festivals as well as learning about film classifications and what they should/shouldn't be watching. Through Guiding girls also get the opportunity to try new activities from climbing to camping to sailing. The girls also get the chance to learn skills which former Guides will have learnt such as cooking to first aid- a skill which really could save someones life.

As well as simply being 'fun' Guiding can help girls learn about more difficult topics such as mental health - a topic which is often overlooked and seen as a taboo in everyday society. Girls get the opportunity through recources to learn about who can help if they have a problem or if they have one of these issues. They are also encouraged to develop self confidence through trying new activities and being encouraged to find things they like about themselves, rather than simply thinking about their outwards appearance. 

So, before you believe all that you read in a newspaper, take a look at the websites of the groups involved- I could talk about how the Guiding programme for girls (5+) differs from the views a few newspapers have been publishing. Or if you want to see Guiding for yourself, why not get in touch with someone from your area and go along to a meeting, you'd be given a warm welcome and I believe that you would be amazed by the determination and enthusiasm for all projects and activities by today's girls and young women.