One door closes, another opens
From digital camps to brand-new ‘virtual units’, how we’re guiding now has changed dramatically. Leaders tell us about the clever ways they’ve been keeping girls engaged, how they’ve managed to save units from closing and which changes might stick in our ‘new normal’
The coronavirus pandemic has altered how we interact with one another, and guiding is no exception. In a world where we’re separated physically and geographically, it’s more important than ever to come together. While lockdown has forced us to put the brakes on regular guiding activities such as in-person meetings and camps, for many leaders, keeping guiding going during the pandemic has opened their eyes to new ways of doing things. Jo Puddefoot-Gray is a leader in training with the 1st Grovesend Brownies, 2nd Grovesend Rainbows and 1st Loughor Brownies. She’s also a key worker who works as a warden across two residential complexes. When Jo found out her units needed a new leader, she stepped in – and then lockdown hit. Despite the challenges, Jo is helping her units thrive. ‘We started by sitting down and planning what we could do and how we could do it safely. We’re keeping in contact with the parents and asking how the girls are, and we’re trying to give them momentum to keep going,’ she says. For Michelle Lewis, County Commissioner Girlguiding Derbyshire, one of the first steps was to create new virtual units: the 1st Derbyshire Virtual Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers. Not only has opening these units created space for them to continue guiding online, it’s also provided an opportunity for girls on the waiting list – and those who previously hadn’t been involved in Girlguiding at all – to join in.
Zara and Sofia, 1st Oxley Brownie Guides, joined in all the way from Australia
Changing and adapting
After opening their virtual units, Michelle and Izzy Clarke, Assistant County Commissioner, brainstormed other ways they could engage with the girls online, and their hugely successful virtual camp-over was born. Part camp, part sleepover, it was held the night before the Adventures at home festival in May. More than 6,000 girls from Derbyshire and beyond took part in a night of fun that raised money for local NHS charities: ‘A virtual camp for real-life heroes,’ Michelle calls it. With thousands of girls and their families taking part from their own homes – many in Derbyshire, some as far away as Canada and Australia – it was clear that one size wouldn’t fit all. Izzy says: ‘We realised we needed to be flexible with the leaders, but we also needed to have a clear goal. So the aim of the event was simple: to sleep somewhere, not in your own bed, and to take part in a camp activity. It meant that anybody, anywhere, could join in, and they could all put their own slant on it and make it fit around what they had going on in their lives at the time.’ The flexible nature of the event meant that the girls could make it their own. ‘We probably had a 50/50 split of indoor and outdoor sleeping, and lots of campfires for those with back gardens. There was no end of toasted marshmallows!’ says Izzy.
Belle, 1st Somercotes Rainbows, enjoys a s’more by the campfire while watching a bedtime story
Unexpected upsides
For many leaders, virtual meetings have become the norm. Juliet Brown, Leader, 2nd Amersham on the Hill Brownies, has become an expert in running them, and says that for new girls in particular, virtual meetings can be even better than in-person ones. ‘They’re doing something new – for Brownies it’s often their first ‘big girl’ activity – which can come with some discomfort,’ she says. ‘But when you do it online, they engage from the familiarity of their own home. They don’t have to contribute if they don’t want to, and they know they can leave with the push of a button at any time if they feel overwhelmed.’ Juliet is also a mentor for new leaders and runs mentoring sessions through Zoom. ‘Most aspects of the qualification can still be undertaken virtually. I’ve signed off two young leaders in the past two weeks, with one young leader and two adults to do before the end of term.’ For Jo, keeping the girls engaged has been about adding a twist to the familiar. Badges have proven to be a useful tool: ‘With Brownies, we’ve done a badge where the aim was to explore where they live. I told them that they didn’t have to go outside if they didn’t want to – they could explore online and discover things like which historical figures have lived in their town. With Rainbows, we’ve done a healthy minds badge, which showed them how to be calm and think about the current situation.’ Like Jo, Juliet is seeing an increased value in badges, too: ‘The girls are now doing a lot of badges at home. They’ll receive their badge through their front door, with a gift – usually a craft for them to make,’ she says.
Ellie Mai, 1st Somercotes Guides, had an ideal camp set-up, complete with faux fire
A new (virtual) reality
We may be adjusting to guiding under lockdown, but many of us are keen to get back to the way things were – or something close to it. The camp-over was ‘an opportunity for all of us to feel part of something big again,’ says Izzy. And Jo is aware that many of the girls are struggling with the lack of in-person social contact: ‘I think everyone is going through the same process, no matter their age. The isolation is starting to affect people and the Brownies are missing their friends.’ So how might guiding look for these units as we return to our ‘new normal’? ‘I think there are some elements that we’ll take forward for our Derbyshire units,’ says Michelle. ‘We’re currently looking into a couple of other virtual events: one is a visual arts challenge about lockdown positives, and the other is a cooking challenge where you cook for someone in your household. I can really see the value of virtual meetings too, especially for the girls on our waiting list and those who can’t access physical units.’ Izzy agrees. ‘All of this has shown that leaders want flexible ways of joining in things. For example, perhaps you could have a virtual camp-over that’s attached to a real camp. ‘What we’re finding in this situation is that you need to keep constantly changing. You have to keep looking for different ways around things, and there’s a way to do everything,’ says Izzy. Juliet has seen surprisingly positive changes during lockdown. ‘Our unit isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving. And the best bit is, I know it’s making such a huge difference to the girls and their families.’
Millie, 1st Somercotes Brownies, tuned into a Zoom chat with her unit from the comfort of her tent
Tips for retaining – and growing – your units during lockdown
Like many leaders, Michelle Lewis was concerned that the coronavirus pandemic would affect her units’ ability to retain girls and volunteers. But, as she says, ‘We couldn’t have been more wrong.’ Here, Michelle offers tips on how to use the virtual world to connect, retain and grow your unit in these uncertain times. 1. Virtual units We created county-level virtual units for each section. The volunteers really got behind them and recognised that the idea wasn’t to steal girls away, but to keep them in the habit of guiding until physical units can restart. We also looked at our waiting lists and emailed all of the parents, offering the opportunity to get involved. We used social media to promote the units and ended up attracting girls who hadn’t been previously involved in Girlguiding at all. 2. Virtual events At a time when people were feeling more isolated than ever, we needed to offer our members the opportunity to get involved in an event that reminded them they’re part of something much bigger. And so our virtual camp-over was born. (See above for details.) Anyone could join in – you didn’t need to be a member to take part. 3. Sharing with pride We already have a closed Facebook group for the volunteers in our county, so we used that to ask leaders to share what they’re doing and to be specific so that they could be used ‘off the shelf’, including plans with detailed instructions, photos and top tips and how best to use technology to deliver them. 4. Caring for our volunteers We wanted to put on some fun activities for our volunteers to enjoy and for us to stay connected socially. We have so many skills among our volunteers, so we really didn’t need to look any further for help to do this. We asked our leaders if they had a skill they would be willing to share with others and were delighted that people came forward. These fun virtual sessions remind us why we love being part of Girlguiding.
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