Near though far – how virtual meetings are keeping us connected
Five leaders share their experiences of the challenges and rewards of holding unit meetings remotely
If you’re beating yourself up because you can’t find the energy to run virtual unit meetings right now, please do give yourself a break! For many of us, it’s simply too much. It’s absolutely fine to take time out from guiding if you need to. But if you’re thinking about trying out a virtual meeting, or if you’re already doing them and would appreciate a few tips, help is at hand. This advice is from leaders who are passionate about helping others to dip their toes into the digital waters. Here are their top reasons to take the plunge, along with some practical tips to help things run smoothly.
Amelia, 2nd Amersham on the Hill Brownies, with her adorable owl – the result of a challenge set by leader Juliet in a virtual unit meeting
1 You’ll learn something new
As those famous lyrics go, ‘At first, I was afraid. I was petrified!’ says Wendy Swann, Leader, 2nd Chesham Bois Guides. ‘At 61, mastering technology doesn’t come easily to me and the thought of trying out an entirely new style of meeting was scary. But my husband, an Explorer Scout leader, asked one of his young leaders to give me a short lesson. That gave me the courage to reach out to our own network of young leaders and unit helpers. I thought, “I will survive!”’ Lucy Clark, 23, is an assistant leader who supports units in both Portsmouth, where she goes to university, and Buckinghamshire, her home. She was more than happy to help allay Wendy’s fears. ‘I understand why it’s daunting,’ she says. ‘No matter what your age or experience, it feels like a lot to use new software while trying to keep control of a meeting. ‘But there’s so much help out there – you just need to ask. I think Wendy found it reassuring to talk through the things that might go wrong and how to fix them, and also to think about what you can’t control. If the connection fails, it’s not your fault! Give it a second then start again.’ ‘I’m so glad of Lucy’s help,’ says Wendy. ‘In the end, learning what to do was simpler than I imagined. And seeing all the girls for the first time in ages was wonderful – an instant lift!’ Caroline Kendall, Leader, 100th Streatham Brownies, was also ‘really nervous’ about using the technology at first, but soon gained confidence. ‘A few times I’ve got confused with the dial-in details, but luckily we use WhatsApp to communicate with parents, so hitches are easily resolved.’ Remember, too, that mishaps can be funny: ‘One week I asked the girls if they could remember “Alice the Camel” (the song),’ says Caroline. ‘Several parents messaged me afterwards because they initially thought I’d asked if the girls could remember Alistair Campbell!’
Tips for starting out:
- Ask another leader in your district if you can sit in on one of her meetings as a guest before trying your own.
- Practise meeting with friends and fellow leaders first. That way you can play around with things like the mute button or the chat function and know how to backtrack if you hit something accidentally.
- Always begin meetings with just the leaders, so you can get relaxed and on the same page before the girls pour in. You’re in charge of when you admit them, just like opening the hall door at regular meetings.
- Younger girls can get restless after a little while, so limit meetings to a maximum of an hour at first. Once you’re more confident and they’re more interactive, you can make them longer.
- Read our guidance if you need a little help with technology and technicalities.
Lucy has helped other leaders overcome their doubts about running virtual meetings. She enjoys having meetings in her garden when the sun’s out, for a double whammy of human and natural warmth
2 The reward is worth the leap
Juliet Brown, Leader, 2nd Amersham on the Hill Brownies, was worried about virtual meetings for different reasons. ‘For me, it was mainly about finding the time and headspace. I was trying to work from home, run a charity and look after my own family – in short, I had brain and body overload.’ Her advice is to take things slowly. ‘For the first meeting, I asked my assistant leader, Sarah Flynn, to do the planning. All I did was dial in to watch and chat, which took the pressure off. We gradually discovered that it’s possible to be adventurous as long as you think simply. We have now held four virtual meetings and have a planned programme for the next few weeks, and I’m looking forward to it all. These meetings have become the highlight of my week.’ That’s a sentiment echoed by all the leaders, who said they were so focused on overcoming the first hurdles, and ensuring benefit to the girls, that it hadn’t occurred to them they might find comfort too. As Caroline reflects: ‘The meetings really help to lift our spirits. I’ve also been getting ideas from friends who are leaders, and from my own family, and the sense of everyone supporting each other is really encouraging.’ We may feel helpless and adrift in lockdown, but virtual Girlguiding meetings can be an anchor and a reminder that we are not alone.
Tips for easy wins:
- Stick to tried-and-tested formulas at first. They’re easier to plan, and they’re given a fresh lease of life in this new context. Scavenger hunts around the home work really well, as do quizzes, repeat-after-me songs and visual games, like removing one object from a set to see who can remember what it was.
- Imagine trying to describe a task to the girls. If you get stuck, it’s probably too complicated. Simple games with a pen and paper are easy to achieve – like bingo. Ask girls to draw a grid three by three square, then write three numbers between one and ten in the top row, three between 11 and 20 in the middle row, and three between 21 and 30 in the final (older girls can make bigger grids).
- Rely on the programme resources. Particularly popular Brownie activities so far are the Pop up cards unit meeting activity, which you can find on Adventures at home, and Positive pebbles, which you can find in the Brownie unit meeting activity pack 6.
Penny, 100th Streatham Brownies, shares some important messages with her positive pebble
3 Meetings strengthen ties with parents
For many, the biggest concern is that asking anything of parents and carers at this time will feel intrusive. But for the leaders that have reached out, the opposite is true. Becky Phillips, Leader, Stoke Canon Brownies, explains, ‘When I first put the idea of virtual meetings out there in an email, only one parent came back to say yes. For me, even that was enough to take things further. I sent out consent forms, expecting maybe two or three to be returned. I had eight (half our unit) by the day of the first meeting! It was also encouraging to realise that other units don’t all have huge numbers of girls involved.’ Many parents are welcoming virtual meetings because they help give a bit of structure, while the badges or activities provide things to do in the week. We’ve had reports of siblings wanting to get involved, and whole families joining in with challenges. When Wendy contacted parents for some help setting up a St George’s Day challenge, she worried it was asking too much. But they were happy to help out, gamely hiding pictures of dragons around the house (cut from a sheet that Wendy emailed to them) in advance of a riddles treasure hunt. ‘Dragons ready to fly!’ reported one. Here are just a few of the heartfelt messages of gratitude these leaders have received: ‘Thanks so much for the Zoom meeting. It genuinely was one of the best things that has happened for her over this period of lockdown. She loved the opportunity to share with her friends, enjoyed the quiz and now has a huge smile on her face after doing something so lovely and normal. She wore her uniform with pride this evening.’ ‘As a mum of an adopted child with a communication delay that impacts on her social and emotional development, being able to see and talk to her friends every Wednesday has been such a positive experience. It has given her something to prepare for and greatly look forward to each week. Thank you.’ ‘My daughter loved the session – thank you! She said she didn’t like it – she loved it, loved it, loved it!’
Tips for easy wins:
- Some parents have been open about finding the technology off-putting. Once you have a rough idea of how to use Zoom (or whatever platform you’re using), send them a simple step-by-step guide or links to online support (or ask a young helper to put this together if you’re short on time).
- Be clear about any requests and keep them minimal until you can gauge enthusiasm.
- Provide reassurance about the safety mechanisms in place, for example virtual ‘drop-offs’ at the start, password-protection for all meetings, and the option for girls to dial in from a shared space within the house.
- Check out our advice on safeguarding for virtual meetings.
Mum Anna says: ‘Brownies was a positive and important part of Clara’s life before coronavirus and it’s wonderful to continue being part of the community during lockdown. Clara’s loving all the activities – Juliet’s challenge to build a mini garden kept her busy for hours! We’re very grateful that the pack has found a way to keep meeting’
4 The contact is helping our young people feel less alone
Cancellation of exams, loss of contact with friends and mental health issues all take their toll, and many of our leaders have said they’re worried about our young women in particular. People tend to assume that social isolation is harder for older generations, but a survey conducted for insight company BritainThinks, quoted on the BBC news website, found that 42% of 18-24-year-olds say that they aren’t coping with lockdown – more than twice the proportion of those aged over 65. YoungMinds conducted a survey early in the pandemic to find out how it was affecting young people aged 13-25 with a history of mental health problems (the average age of respondents was 16-17). Unsurprisingly, 83% said it had made their mental health worse. Happily, seeing another person face to face can be a wonderful tonic – even if it has to be on a screen for now. Lucy, whose exams have been cancelled, confirms that helping to run meetings has given her ‘purpose and connection – when I’m stressed about other things, I find myself looking forward to my Brownies’ smiles.’ Lucy also believes that an unexpected benefit is emerging. Running virtual meetings is a challenge that requires everyone to pull together, and with leaders so busy responding to the increased demands of work and home life, they’re looking to their young leaders to step up. With social lives and exams on hold, many are finding that guiding provides an opportunity to feel useful and motivated. ‘They’re getting a real taste of responsibility and a sense of progression,’ explains Lucy, who credits Young Leader Ella Reilly, 16, as a shining example of the contribution these members are making right now. ‘Ella’s phenomenal at coming up with great ideas and running activities,’ says Lucy. ‘I couldn’t do it without her.’ Caroline agrees: ‘I have two brilliant unit helpers who I’m relying on to come up with great ideas and to support me and the girls during the sessions. They’ve both adapted really well to the virtual meeting format. Even more importantly, they both say they find the meetings uplifting.’
Tips for including young leaders and helpers:
- Lean on each other. It’s okay to ask for knowledge and ideas. Just make sure anyone you ask understands that they can say no if it’s too much.
- Set specific and achievable tasks so the request doesn’t feel unmanageable. This could be taking over an activity, coming up with ideas for challenges, or even taking to social media to see how other units are approaching virtual meetings.
Young Leader Ella Reilly, 16, leads the 3rd Portsmouth (St Cuthberts) Brownies through fun activities during a virtual meeting
5 Girls are rising to the challenge
Our leaders said that, when they held their first virtual meetings, they were shocked to realise it was the first contact most of the girls had had with friends in weeks. It’s worth remembering that, although teenagers in particular may be struggling with their mental health in lockdown, they do tend to have more opportunity for communication with the outside world. Rainbows and Brownies don’t tend to have phones and aren’t on social media, so they may be feeling more limited when it comes to contacting friends. Either way, the feedback is that girls of all ages seem extra keen and appreciative when it comes to joining in and making the meetings work for everyone. Becky says, ‘Knowing our Brownies, I had expected to need to use the “mute” button, but I didn’t have to do this once – they were all respecting each other and put their hands up without me asking.’ That said, other leaders have found the mute button critical in preventing meetings from descending into chaos. They were relieved to find that the girls didn’t mind being muted at all. Caroline advises: ‘Make sure they have a chance to speak out and share things, but do it in a staggered, structured way, like you would if you had a Brownie chat in a normal meeting.’ As in ‘real life’, you don’t want interaction to be too restrictive or school-like but, equally, the more considerate the girls are, the more they’ll get out of the session. ‘This is teaching them new ways of listening to others,’ reflects Juliet. ‘Maybe I’ll try a “mute button” hand signal for future in-person meetings!’ Overall, Juliet’s Brownies ‘continue to astound’ her. ‘We had an open discussion on the kinds of things they want to do in future virtual meetings. They all made some smart, sensible suggestions. In time, I’ll let girls pitch and run short activities, too, to help develop their leadership skills. ‘Asking for their input keeps things girl-led and reveals what they’re thinking about. For example, one relatively new girl wanted to talk about the NHS clap, so I gave her the floor. She delivered the most beautiful, impassioned speech about why she wanted everyone to take part. I was so impressed.’
Tips to bring out the best in girls:
- Allow the girls to interact via the chat function, even while others are talking, as this helps keep them engaged.
- Ask other leaders to run activities while you ‘drop in’ on girls one-on-one to catch up on a more personal level. This helps them feel heard among the noise.
- ‘Break-out rooms’ also work well because they replicate the experience of Sixes and allow girls to catch up with particular friends they may be missing.
Janet Boustred and Becky Philips, both leaders, and Bella, Anna and Lily, Stoke Canon Brownies, enjoy a virtual VE Day party. ‘We each brought a special tea, played musical statues and had a go at some deportment challenges using books (as suggested by my nanna!)’ says Becky
All of our leaders were keen to emphasise that they don’t want others to feel pressured to hold virtual meetings – only empowered. If you do decide to give them a try, the very best of luck to you! Share how you got on by emailing yourvoice@girlguiding.co.uk
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