Becoming a leader in lockdown
Coronavirus doesn’t have to stop you working towards your leadership qualification – lots of volunteers are starting or continuing their journey online.
We speak to Zoe Jones, 22, who has been making progress virtually since the first lockdown in March.
For anyone who wants to become a unit leader, Girlguiding’s leadership qualification is the route to take.
It’s made up of a series of tasks you can mostly work through during the normal running of your guiding unit, with support from an experienced mentor. It will help you develop the knowledge you need to be an effective leader, making sure everyone in your unit, including you, enjoys and gets the most from guiding. The great news is you can start or continue your leadership qualification, despite the Covid-19 restrictions. You can work through the qualification during virtual meetings, and communicate with your mentor online. The training you need to do, for example on safeguarding and the Girlguiding programme, is all available online too. Zoë Jones, a trainee primary school teacher from London, has been working on her leadership qualification virtually throughout the restrictions. She spoke to us about the experience:
"I want to be a role model for them."
What’s your background in Girlguiding? Why did you decide to start your leadership qualification? I’m only 22, but I’ve been involved in Girlguiding for 15 years! I started as a Brownie, and went right up to The Senior Section [now Rangers]. While I was in The Senior Section, I was a young leader with Rainbows, and did my young leader qualification. Then I moved to Ireland, and helped out with Brownies there, before moving back to London two years ago and joining the Brownie unit in Clapham where I’m now a unit helper. I started my leadership qualification at the end of 2019. It felt like the right time as I’ve been involved in Girlguiding for so long, and want to be involved far into the future. I also like the idea of becoming a leader at a young age, when I can relate more to the girls, and support them with things like pressure at school and from social media. I want to be a role model for them.
How has doing your leadership qualification online been? Overall, it’s been great, and I’ve managed to keep ticking boxes on the qualification checklist. I did parts of it before the pandemic started. But because my unit moved to virtual meetings in March, I’ve been able to continue fairly seamlessly. My mentor and the other volunteers in my unit have been really helpful. We’ve communicated well over Zoom before and after meetings to plan. Communicating effectively with parents is a big part of the leadership qualification too, and the current situation has allowed me to get involved with that – both online and over the phone. I did my A Safe Space safeguarding training on Zoom too – I’d recommend that. It’s much easier to do from the comfort of your own home. There are also more slots available so it’s easier to arrange and fit in.
What have you enjoyed most about doing your leadership qualification so far? I really enjoyed planning and running the activities for an online sleepover we put on. I worked with my unit leader to make up packs with things girls would need for the sleepover. The girls collected them, outside and socially distanced. Then from Friday to Sunday we ran all sorts of sessions on Zoom, including dance, art and bingo. We also asked girls to go outside and do a treasure hunt, finding things like pinecones. We sang lots of songs we would usually do at camp too. I also enjoyed leading a food bank collection, and last week we all made chocolate apples in our different houses. That was great fun!
Has anything surprised you while leading online? What’s surprised me is how different it’s been to leading activities face-to-face – but in a good way. You learn different skills working online. Some girls are shy on Zoom, and you need to work out how to make each one comfortable. I’m proud of how some girls have grown in confidence, and of how much fun they’ve had with us online over the past six months. I’ve learned how to adapt activities, communicate with girls in different ways to get the best from them, communicate with parents online, get resources I need online. All things I wouldn’t necessarily have done if I had done my leadership qualification face-to-face. Also, when I’m leading an activity on Zoom it feels like I have more responsibility than I did in ‘real life’. There’s no place to hide. It’s just your face on the screen, there’s no one standing beside you to jump in.
Have you had any challenges working online? I’d say the most challenging thing for online is adapting the activities while making sure you’re sticking to the programme. A lot of the programme is about being together and working in pairs and teams, and that’s more difficult virtually. It’s also been a challenge to keep up with the changing restrictions, understand how this impacts Girlguiding, and communicate this to girls and their parents.
In-person training sessions are not the only way to learn in guiding!
Has doing the leadership qualification fit in well with the rest of your life? It has fit in really well. I’m studying to be a primary school teacher, so am very busy. Usually the leadership qualification takes around six months to complete, but that’s flexible, and I’m taking a bit longer. It’s actually easier to fit in online! You don’t have to physically go to training, for example, and you can fit it around your schedule better.
What would you say to any volunteer thinking about starting her leadership qualification soon? I would say 100% do it! A lot of people have more free time at the moment with lockdown and restrictions, so it could be a good time. Doing it online is actually quite a good way to ease into it – you don’t have to stand up in front of a room full of girls. I find leading on Zoom easier in many ways. Also, with breakout rooms, leaders can work with fewer girls, get to know them better and really see their progress.
“I’ve learned how to adapt activities, communicate with girls in different ways to get the best from them, communicate with parents online, get resources I need online.”
Has Zoë inspired you to start your leadership qualification? Check out all the info about our leadership qualification and speak to your local commissioner or unit leader to find out more.
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