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?
