The Mission

In Chislehurst Division, which is made up of Chislehurst Village and Petts Wood Districts, we have over 100 girls who are the correct age to join Rainbows (5-7), but we have just 3 Rainbow units in the Division, all of which are full.

This reflects the situation nationally, which is why the Chief Guide has launched the #MakeARainbow campaign to encourage the opening of new Rainbow units, in order that all those who would like to join, can join!

In Chislehurst Division, we have made an ambitious plan to bring more volunteers into Guiding. You may well be reading this because you saw the link somewhere. We have written articles for all sorts of community magazines and newsletters, to explain how great Girlguiding is and to encourage potential volunteers to get in touch. We are distributing posters, flyers, placing advertisements, using social media and blogging, as well as having a presence at local events such as Chislehurst Rocks and the Petts Wood May Fayre.

We are in the process of identifying venues for new potential Rainbow units. We are writing to the parents of the 100 or so girls who are waiting-to-join Rainbows to explain the situation - we have the venues, we have the girls, what we need is more adults to help run units.

We are asking those on the list to let us know if various days and times suit potential Rainbows, then we will look to open more units which will be sustainable.

What's it all about? Girlguiding is the largest charity for girls and young women in the UK. Part of a global movement of 10 million members across 146 countries, we are for all girls; we give girls a voice; we give girls a safe space; we change as the lives of girls change. We provide a wide range of opportunities to support every member to reach her potential.  Read more about what the different sections do here.

We are going to use this blog to document our journey to find more volunteers and ultimately, to open more units.

Maybe you are interested in helping with another section - Brownies (7 - 10) Guides (10 - 14) Senior Section (14 - 25) - there are units across the area which would welcome you! If you're definitely interested, register here or if you want to have a chat about the opportunities, email chislehurstdivisiongrowguiding@gmail.com and we'll be happy to chat to you about what you could do.

Please keep reading our blog for insights into how our campaign progresses and if you tweet, please use #GrowingGuidingGLK 

Thanks for reading and do check back soon!