Less than 1%

Methinks it's time for an update. I was running a training on 'Basics of Guiding' the other day. This was geared to those working on the Leadership Qualification or interested in finding out more about Girlguiding.  I am always excited to meet people who are new to Girlguiding, particularly people I have never met, because this shows that our reach is extending and more volunteers are joining Girlguiding.  

I continue to be staggered by the fact that globally, Guiding reaches less than 1% of the eligible population - less than 1%!

This is what drives me to grow Guiding, to attract more volunteers so that we can provide more opportunities for more girls, in line with Being Our Best, Girlguiding's strategic plan 2015 - 2020.

One of our latest Rainbow units, 9th Petts Wood Rainbows, is being run by an interim leadership team from across the Division whilst we search for a new Leader.  This interim leadership team is asking parents to do various administrative and preparatory jobs, so that the leadership team can focus on leading.  We have a parent co-ordinating the helper rota; another purchases what we need for meetings; another is running the Twitter account and the comms more broadly.  This has come about because we have directly asked parents to help with specific tasks and this been really helpful in the running of the unit.  More adults are now engaging with Girlguiding and realising the value of the organisation.

We also have a strong team of Young Leaders and Rainbow Helpers who are Guides. They are a valuable part of the leadership team and take a full part on the delivery of meetings.

We were delighted that our first ever Facebook advert yielded someone interested in volunteering, who has since registered on Join Us after visiting a few unit meetings. She had been in Guides a few years ago and is now keen to be involved as a volunteer. This story is going to be shared at the forthcoming national Growing Guiding Innovation Event in Coventry in a couple of weeks.  Another Facebook ad will launch very soon, so please look out for it!

So what's next? We're going to have a presence at various events in the run-up to Christmas, and continue to raise awareness of the need for volunteers within Girlguiding locally and the amazing opportunities Girlguiding provides.

If you're reading this and you are already in Guiding, why not give some thought to how else you could engage more people in volunteering? In my experience, people are often scared of commitment, hence not putting themselves forward to lead.  Let's be clear - if someone can give any amount of time to Girlguiding, we can find a role for them. Please get in touch.  

Email ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com and tell us how you would like to get involved!

As ever, if you come across anyone looking for a new hobby, a community opportunity, the chance to spend some time with excited, engaged girls and young women, please ask them to get in touch.  Help generate more opportunities our existing members and for those wanting to join - let's reach out to that 99%.

If you haven't already, please consider 'liking' our page on Facebook and following us on Twitter.  Thank you and let's speak soon.  

I want a Roundabout

To date our campaign to #MakeARainbow in Chislehurst Division has had mixed results.
We have seen some great successes - more than 40 girls cleared off waiting-to-join lists and safely ensconced in new Rainbow units.

Three new Rainbow units have opened in the Division: 3rd Chislehurst, 2nd Chislehurst, 9th Petts Wood.

Adults interested in helping have emerged and have joined leadership teams.  Leaders who already run units have taken on new Rainbow units, sharing the mentality that 'If the Chief Guide can find time to run a Rainbow unit, then so can I'.

It could be argued that every unit should have its own leadership team; in an ideal world, this would be the case. But there are quite simply not enough people willing to volunteer in order to make this happen, therefore we must work with who is prepared to volunteer and support them to do so, being mindful of the capacity of the individual.

Things change, and they have. The one of the three units in Petts Wood which we did manage to open is sadly losing its main Leader due to a change in circumstances. So what shall we do?

There are two options. We could wring our hands in despair, or we could develop a strategy.

We've developed a strategy...

We are going to reinvigorate the search for more volunteers. It's September and term has started - this presents a great opportunity to make fresh attempts to reach out to new people. The first step is this: Facebook adverts. Girlguiding LaSER (the Region which we are part of) has used this method, with success, so we here in Chislehurst Division are giving it a go.

Now, if you live within a 5 kilometre radius of Petts Wood, are female, over 18 (or at least, if you have told Facebook these things), you may well see our adverts popping up in your newsfeed. This will occur for 14 days from midday today, at a cost of £1 / day. When the potential reach is in the thousands, this seems fairly good value compared to paper advertising. That's not to say that we won't keep writing articles and advertising in hard copy as well.

Just to confirm, adult men can join Girlguiding, but they cannot do the Leadership Qualification and our greatest need at the moment is for Leaders, hence targeting the ad at adult women.

The Facebook ad invites anyone interested to message us, as I thought this seemed fairly friendly, though I will revisit this if need be. There are three adverts, all featuring happy Rainbows.  In one photo, all of which are stock photos from Girlguiding, three happy Rainbows can be seen stroking a donkey.  Everyone loves donkeys, except me - I don't trust them.  But that's another story for another time.  Here's the photo:

Of course, we would welcome new volunteers with any section, not just Rainbows - Brownies, Guides and Senior Section, but currently, it is particularly difficult to find Rainbow Leaders, hence the focus of our campaign.

What else are we doing to spread the word?

We're going to flood Petts Wood with flyers.  We've already covered all the shops and businesses with flyers, at least one of which as been seen.  We're going to flyer the schools, put posters up in as many community places as we can think of, link up with local residents' associations etc.  Any other suggestions? Please e-mail: ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com 

But ultimately - I want a Roundabout.

You know those adverts you see on roundabouts? They often advertise funeral parlours, nurseries, local businesses etc.  I envisage our very own ' Volunteer with Girlguiding' roundabout. But that is a long way off, as Roundabout adverts are not cheap. It's good to have something to aim for. 

The activity packs which Rainbows work on are called Roundabouts, so there is something wonderful about the idea of a genuine 'Rainbow Roundabout', although only this will only mean anything to anyone with any knowledge of the Rainbow programme. But why not tell someone anyway? They may find it mildly amusing, then find out more about volunteering with Girlguiding!

I eagerly await a flurry of renewed interest. Volunteer with Girlguiding - it is a wonderful organisation to be part of.  Speak soon. 

Email ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com or check out our Facebook page - have you liked it?  

Where are we now?

Sorry it’s been so long, faithful readers.  I know what you’re thinking - an update on Chislehurst Division’s massive project to open new Rainbow units is well overdue – what on earth is going on?! Work with me here – just because you haven’t had an update, doesn’t mean that nothing has been happening.  Au contraire.

The last blog was cheekily entitled ‘Reasons to not volunteer’, and was written more than two months ago! A lot can happen in two months.  And it has.

On June 1^st 2015, 3^rd Chislehurst Rainbows opened on Monday evenings at Christ Church Chislehurst.  Run by one qualified Girlguiding Leader, one very-nearly qualified Girlguiding Leader, 2 Young Leaders and 3 Rainbow Helpers who are Guides, the team quickly gained two keen parents who are happy to help each week.  By week 3, we had more than 20 Rainbows, many of whom had sat on waiting-to-join lists for some years.  When we go back in Sept, we will have even more Rainbows - safely taken off waiting-to-join lists and put into new units.  

Meanwhile, over in Petts Wood District, the other half of Chislehurst Division, the brand new 9^th Petts Wood Rainbows was evolving, thanks to an existing Qualified Leader and a Unit Helper.  It opened on June 5^th and is already thriving, with a number of girls due to join in Sept.  

But, there are still alarming numbers of girls waiting-to-join Rainbow units in Petts Wood and whilst one unit has opened and is thriving, there is scope for at least two more Rainbow units.

I know what you’re thinking – why don’t you open another two units then?!

Whilst many people are happy to help out with Rainbow meetings in Petts Wood once a month, we have as yet been unable to find enough people who want to and are able to commit to helping out every week and considering working towards the Leadership Qualification.  Whilst the scoping exercise showed that there are plenty of girls wanting to join Rainbows and venues to accommodate them, we cannot yet progress the growth plan until we have more volunteers.

So my challenge to you is this – help us to find these people! Help us to find people who want to work with this exciting group, girls age 5 – 7; people who are available early evening on Mondays or Wednesdays, in Petts Wood; people who want to enable girls to reach their potential by starting them on their Guiding journey; people who are looking for experience of working with children, perhaps for a future career, such as teaching or being a classroom assistant, or an instructor; people who are looking for a new hobby. 

Some people have a horse, or go climbing – why not make Guiding your hobby?

Watch this video to find out more about Guiding.  Why not share it on Facebook? In fact, why not share this blog? Why not follow us on Twitter? Help us to spread the word.  Change lives.

If you know of places where we could advertise for volunteers - places to put posters, groups we could flyer - etc. please get in touch!

What else has been happening in Chislehurst Division? Our initial call for volunteers a few months ago yielded a qualified Rainbow Leader who had just settled back in Chislehurst, after three years away at university.  Along with a new Unit Helper who has come forward, and a Young Leader or two, the brand new ‘2^nd Chislehurst Rainbows’ is opening at St Nick’s Village Hall, Church Lane in September! Now, this unit has plenty of places at the moment and everyone waiting-to-join the Petts Wood units has been e-mailed about the three new units.  So if you’re after a Rainbow unit for your daughter or someone known to you who is Rainbow age (5-7), go to https://enquiryym.girlguiding.org.uk/ and choose ‘2^nd Chislehurst Rainbows’.  Please tell your friends – I’ve told both of mine.

We are also delighted to welcome some new volunteers into the Division who are going to help with existing units, to enable them to build their capacity and continue to deliver good Guiding.  There is always room for more volunteers.  

Now is a very exciting time to get involved with Girlguiding.  The strategic plan, ‘Being Our Best’ is now out there and in motion: by 2020, we will empower more girls to find their voice and be their best through high-quality, girl-led programmes delivered by inspirational leaders.  Read more here.

Girlguiding is not just another after-school activity – Girlguiding helps girls to develop their potential and contribute to their community.  Why would you not want to get involved?! Feel free to e-mail ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com or call / message 07748 503689.

Reasons to not volunteer

This week, two brand new Rainbow units have opened in our Division, one in Chislehurst, one in Petts Wood. Around thirty girls who were waiting-to-join Rainbows are now in units.

So is that it now? Shall we call it a day and relax? Absolutely not! That was just the beginning! We still need more adults to come forward and train to become Rainbow Leaders. We have two more units poised to open in Petts Wood, with girls and venues, plus a unit with a confirmed leadership team in Chislehurst, opening in September.  

It's Volunteers Week, so in contradiction to what most people are doing, here are my thoughts on 'Reasons to not volunteer' and how to overcome them.  

Problem: I would love to volunteer but... I work so I'm not home in time

Solutions:

- could you work flexibly and leave early one day a week? I have negotiated this throughout my career, as have many other Leaders.

- if your organisation has a Corporate Social Responsibility agenda, they might support you with flexible working. Large companies often value volunteering for the skills it helps their employees to develop. Are there alternative ways in which your employer could support your voluntary work? Some employers may match-fund fundraised money or offer sponsorship opportunities.  

Problem: I would love to volunteer but... I don't have childcare for my brood of other children

Solutions:

- club together with other parents to look after each others' children so that you can volunteer

- can someone organise for some Senior Section members babysit whilst you're helping at Rainbows?

- is anyone qualified to run a crèche? Could they do this nearby or in an adjacent room during the session? You could even seek funding for crêchè workers in some areas.

Problem: I would love to volunteer but...I don't have time

Solution:

- you have the same amount of time as Mother Teresa. To be fair, she didn't have children, and she wasn't on Twitter. But work with me here: time is the most precious commodity entrusted to us. Giving your time to a cause is a big deal and one of the most rewarding things you can do. Here's my challenge to you - how much of your time do you actually give to something other than your family and your paid job?

It is a fair point that people all feel passionate about particular causes. If we all felt strongly about the same causes, society would cease to function.  My housemate's mother said this, so it must be true.

But consider this - what could you do to contribute to your community, for the greater good? And I don't just mean volunteering with Girlguiding. There are a million organisations who would embrace your help. Think about it. If you decide that you want to give some time to the most progressive movement of our time for girls and young women, drop us an email ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com and we shall be in touch!

I do love a Farmers Market

Where better to promote life-changing volunteering opportunities, than amidst an abundance of abnormally large cauliflowers, strange breads, jam as far as the eye could see and catchily-named businesses, such as 'Eat n Mess' and, erm, 'Villager's Fine Sausages'?

 

Yes, indeed, those lovely people at Chislehurst Farmers Market invited Girlguiding Chislehurst Division to have a presence, which we duly did. Equipped with postcards, flyers, broad smiles and positivity, we mingled for 4 hours, chatting to a plethora of locals about our need for more volunteer Leaders.

 

 

 

 

Never one to miss PR opportunities, I checked which stalls had a Twitter presence, then asked each in turn if they would promote Growing Guiding, which they all happily did.

Here is our happy day at the Farmers' Market:

 

With the German Wholegrain Baker's Shop

With Eat 'n' Mess




With Nut Farms (may contain nuts)




With Villager's Fine Sausages



Thanks to Dine Thyme

 





With those lovely people from M Farmers Market





The previous weekend, a few of us had had an informal presence at Chislehurst Methodist Church's annual plant sale, where we chatted to potential Rainbows and volunteers.  Here's a photo:

 

I've attended various meetings this week where I've fed back on our mission to open more Rainbow units locally.  We have confirmed three units will open in June and September - 3rd Chislehurst Rainbows at Christ Church (Mondays), 6th Chislehurst Rainbows at St Nick's Village Hall (Wednesdays) and 9th Petts Wood Rainbows at Garden Estates Association (Fridays).

I am still working on the other two new Petts Wood units - I have the girls, I have the venues, what I need is adults who are prepared to help out on a weekly basis, to provide continuity for the group, and who may be thinking about doing the Leadership Qualification, which would enable them to actually run a unit.  I'll get straight to the point - could this be you? Are you free early evening (term-time only) on Mondays or Wednesdays, local to Petts Wood (or prepared to travel there).  But I hear what you're saying - what is the Leadership Qualification? Read more about it here:

In Girlguiding, the Leadership Qualification supports you to lead Rainbows, Brownies, Guides or Senior Section units. You need to be over 16 to start work on the qualification, although you can't become a Leader until you are 18.

As a Unit Leader you learn and develop skills on the job and through formal and informal training sessions. You are also supported by a Mentor, who will be an experienced Leader.

What does the Leadership Qualication involve?
There are four modules, completed practically rather than through tests or examinations. They can be completed, and in any order:
Module 1. Your role in the programme Module 2. Your role in Girlguiding
Module 3. Your role in safety and unit administration
Safety is covered by showing you can effectively communicate with parents and the local community, and that the unit's programme is carried out in a safe environment. Unit administration refers to your responsibility for unit funds.
Module 4. Your role in managing the unitAchieving the Leadership Qualification You need to gather evidence to gain the qualification e.g programme schedules, letters to parents, records of discussions had with your Mentor (whom you are allocated when you start) and so on. This could include details of what worked and what didn't, and what you might change in the future.
 
Your Mentor will sign off the completed modules. Any member, from a Young Leader or Unit Helper to the girls in your unit, can sign off the different parts of a module if they see you perform the requirement.

It should take around six months. Throughout the qualification any relevant prior knowledge, skill or experience will be accredited, including any work on the Young Leader Qualification. And when I've finished?
When your Mentor has signed off all the modules required, your workbook and any evidence will be sent to the person appointed by the County to ensure the Mentor has met a common standard. This is not a check on you - it's to ensure your Mentor has helped you in the most appropriate way.
After the final meeting with your Mentor, you will meet with your Commissioner who will end your 'Leader in Training' role and add the Leader or Assistant Leader role, as appropriate. You will also receive a Leadership Qualification certificate and badge, and a Training and Activity Centre voucher.

Interested? E-mail ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com and we'll be in touch.

If you'd rather work with older age-groups, that's fine too, groups across the area and beyond would embrace what you could contribute.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

The Petts Wood Growing Guiding Roadshow

I decided after spending two out of three days trying to find new volunteers in Petts Wood, to declare that there had been a 'Petts Wood Growing Guiding Roadshow'.

On Saturday, members of the ever-faithful Chislehurst Division Growing Guiding Sub-Committee (I do like a Sub-Committee) met at Petts Wood Methodist Church for the first of two Growing Guiding Coffee Mornings. Piggy-backing on the regular Coffee Morning, we had fruit kebabs aplenty, bracelets to make, plus a table of Girlguiding resources, a brand new Guiding sale declaring our presence, plus a steady supply of happy smiles.

Attendance of potential Rainbows and potential volunteers was not overwhelming, but several people who had received letters and emails about the #MakeARainbow campaign appeared, including a local parent who is going to help run a new unit in Petts Wood every Wednesday and has put the word out to her peers to help out!

Several people with Rainbow-age children were persuaded in from the cold to hear about our exciting campaign to grow Girlguiding locally.  

A number of those who had heard about the campaign appeared two days later, when we proudly stood at Petts Wood May Fayre at Petts Wood Hall, in our legendary gazebo, encouraging passers-by to make bracelets, collages and chat to us about volunteering with Girlguiding.

The scoping exercise continued to evolve, with parents who had heard about our campaign coming to speak to us, as well as numerous others, some of whom had never heard of Girlguiding but liked the sound of it.

We have a good number of parents considering volunteering once a month and good numbers of girls wanting to join new units.

We were pleased that Olaf, everyone's favourite snowman, endorsed our Growing Guiding campaign.

We are still looking for more adults who are prepared to help regularly with the new Rainbow units. If you are considering giving some time and energy to the most progressive movement of our time for girls and young women, drop us an email ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com and we shall be in touch!

Three new Rainbow units - yes, really!

Greetings faithful readers - apologies that it's been a while - bronchitis got the better of me. There is a A LOT to report, so why not go and make a cuppa, then settle down and read the happy news...

We are delighted to confirm that we have not one, not two, but three new Rainbow units opening in Chislehurst & Petts Wood.  If all goes to plan, this three may increase to as many as six new units.

Word has been getting out, via good old traditional methods - articles in newsletters - as well as social media, which has boosted the reach of our campaign, reaching people in all sorts of ways.

There is a lot of learning to take forward. One article in one newsletter won't work. One plea to one community group won't work. A targeted approach to as broad an audience as possible, might just work. It has done so far, but there is always scope for improvement.

I recently ran a training for new Leaders. I asked them how they had come into Guiding. Some had been Guiding since birth and before, due to the unstinting commitment of their mothers, who didn't let the small matter of childbirth stand in the way of Guiding; others had heard about it through friends or community groups; one had seen a poster on a tree!

The advent of social media has brought a plethora of things to the table. Whilst social media takes the blame for all sorts of things, it can be used advantageously to reach people. A Facebook page presents a non-threatening, clear way of enabling Facebook users to read about what Guiding is doing locally and reach new audiences.

You will find our Facebook page here. Feel free to like it and to share it with your friends. One of the Rainbow groups is opening thanks to a Leader who saw the Facebook plea. She was thinking about returning to Guiding, after a university-shaped break, and is now opening a Rainbow unit!

Chislehurst Division now also has a Twitter account, which merrily tweets links to articles, retweets things of note and has a steady, albeit small following.

What else has happened? If you're reading this as a frustrated Leader who can't find any helpers, consider this - have you actually asked for help? It is human nature that we don't like to ask for help. We might be seen as incompetent, unable to manage. Asking for help is often viewed as a sign of weakness. However, this is absolutely NOT the case when we are trying to grow Guiding and is, in fact, positively encouraged.

The populace do not realise that Girlguiding Leaders are volunteers, committing their spare time to something they really believe in. It pains me when parents tick the 'I am unable to help, ever' box. Whilst some may have a valid reason as to why they can never help, I think perhaps that it doesn't occur to some that they could help. Girlguiding isn't just another after-school activity to occupy the children. Girlguiding is the most progressive movement of our time, inspiring girls and young women to reach their potential, to be who they want to be.  We need more inspirational adult Leaders to make this a reality for more girls and young women. 

When new volunteers do come forward, we must nurture them, not frighten them by buying them a t-shirt on their second week; wait till the third week, at least.  That is a joke - we must embrace them, get to know them (and then see if they would like a t-shirt).

We must understand what new volunteers want to gain from being part of Girlguiding, then give them relevant opportunities to explore this. Girlguiding offers all sorts of experiences for adult members, which I shall blog about another time.

Returning to the point.  We have now made concrete plans to open 3 Rainbow units in Chislehurst Division so far - two starting in June and one in September. This is thanks to a mixture of people coming forward - qualified Leaders keen to become Rainbow Leaders; Leaders returning to Guiding; and volunteers brand new to Guiding, who have responded to our call for more volunteers.

Of course, we still need more volunteers to facilitate more opportunities for more girls.  Many of the existing units for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Senior Section in Chislehurst and Petts Wood would welcome more volunteers.  So if you are thinking about doing some voluntary work, don't hesitate to e-mail 
ChislehurstDivisionGrowGuiding@gmail.com and we can tell you more about the opportunities to volunteer.

We have had plenty of responses to our scoping exercise and the first of our two Growing Guiding Coffee Mornings is tomorrow, Sat 2nd May 2015, 10am - noon, Petts Wood Methodist Church, Queensway (opposite the petrol station by Morrisons). Come along and meet us - we're lovely.