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.