Dear Girlguiding
I'm a new volunteer! What are the things I need to know before I start guiding?
Illustrations by Hikimi/agencyrush.com
Dear Girlguiding is our question and answer feature exclusive to the magazine. In this issue, we’re exploring some Girlguiding basics for new volunteers.
As a volunteer, you help girls know they can do anything. Starting your guiding journey is exciting, although it’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed at first! There's a lot to take in as you get started.
We’ve designed this guide to give new volunteers plenty of information to help them settle into their role. If you’ve been with us for a long time, we hope this guide is an accessible resource to easily share with your new recruits.
Whether you’re a new volunteer, or welcoming someone to your unit, read on for some key Girlguiding phrases, different volunteer roles and other handy things that are useful to know.
Guiding basics
When you’re new to Girlguiding, some of the terms might seem unfamiliar at first. Here is a glossary of basic words and phrases you might come across.
UMAs
This stands for unit meeting activity. These are step by step activities, printed on cards that are completed in unit meetings as a group.
Skills builders
Skills builders are designed to help girls learn skills like camping, first aid and communication as a group in their unit meetings. They’re completed across 6 stages, so girls can grow their skills throughout the different sections (also known as age groups) in guiding. You can find these on the Girlguiding shop.
Interest badges
These are based on what girls like to do and let them explore new hobbies or dig deeper into their passions. Psst! We just launched 72 new interest badges last month. Take a look.
Programme
The Girlguiding programme includes the opportunities and activities offered to girls when they come to meetings. It’s the UMAs, interest badges and skills builders.
Non-programme activities
Activities you deliver to girls don’t all have to be in the programme. You can bring your own ideas! Whether it’s a Brownies summer festival, 5-minute filler games or a special adventure, feel free to get creative. Depending on your country or region, girls may also have challenge packs they can complete which are independent activities specific to where your unit is based.
Planning your next adventure? You can find information on a range of activities at our adventure activity finder on the website.
What are the different Girlguiding badges?
Badges have been a part of Girlguiding for more than 100 years. They are an important part of our identity. Our badges challenge young members and celebrate their achievements, while some badges mark occasions and events. There are 4 types of badges in the Girlguiding programme: programme awards, interest badges, qualifications and skills builders. Girls can also do adventure badges. Volunteers can earn them too with our volunteer adventure badges.
Explore more about our programme and the badges girls can earn.
What are the different types of volunteer roles available in guiding?
There are lots of ways to get involved and help us create amazing opportunities for girls across Girlguiding. You can commit as little or as much time as you want.
Unit leader
Unit leaders run the unit and plan and deliver a programme of high-quality activities and events.
Unit helper
Not everyone who volunteers with Girlguiding is a leader. Becoming a helper is a great introduction to guiding, without the responsibility of running a unit. You could help with shopping, organising meetings, trips or events, or simply be an occasional pair of extra hands.
Young leader
Some units might also have young leaders as part of their leadership team. These are volunteers aged 14-17, who plan and run weekly meetings where girls explore new ideas, gain new skills, build friendships and have lots of fun.
Supported volunteer
This role would be suitable for anyone who would not be able to carry out the full responsibilities of a volunteer role without support.
A quick overview of the different levels
Girlguiding is a big organisation, but it’s broken down into smaller parts to help everything run smoothly.
- A unit is the local group a child goes to.
- A district is a group of units in a local area.
- Divisions are made up of several districts.
- Counties bring together all the divisions in a wider area.
Depending on the size of the area, some places may only have districts or divisions, but not both.
What development opportunities are there for volunteers?
Our learning platform offers lots of opportunities, from webinars to e-learnings. Some you need to complete, others are optional extras to boost your knowledge and confidence.
We also offer lots of additional online and in-person training sessions, like disability and inclusion or managing unit accounts, which you can take part in. Each one will support you in your volunteer role and your personal development.
Top tip
It’s important that you know what modules to complete as part of your volunteer role. You must complete safer guiding training before you start, but check if there is anything else (such as a first aid qualification) that you need to do. For example, every meeting must have at least one first aider present.
What is GO and why is it important?
At Girlguiding, you may hear people mention GO a lot. GO is our membership system. You can keep records for members up to date, as well as unit, district, division or county information. We don’t just use it for finding things out about the girls in our units, it’s also a tool to check who is on our waiting list.
How do I get the best experience at my first meeting with girls?
Excited about your first Girlguiding meeting? Here are a few tips to ensure you get the most out of it:
- Make sure you meet the other volunteers in the unit beforehand.
- Share any additional needs you have with the unit leaders so they can support you.
- Meet the girls in your unit.
- Discover the structure of the meetings and key things such how they start and finish.
- Join in with the activities. Some people won't feel comfortable leading activities straightaway and may prefer working in a small group.
Other things to think about
- Find a buddy, someone outside your unit, who you can talk to. It’s a useful way of learning about Girlguiding culture or having someone to bounce ideas off. This could be arranged through senior volunteers in your region or by meeting people at local training sessions.
- There are also lots of ways to find support online, from visiting our website to following us on social media.
- Get to know our uniform! All volunteers wear a uniform top, but they can choose from a range of pieces for a style that suits them best. Find out more about what our volunteers wear here.
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