Why Girlguiding?
Become an inspiring role model for our members – and help empower girls to be their best. Join the 100,000 amazing volunteers and supporters who make a real difference to nearly half a million girls and young women.
Our weekly unit meetings are at the heart of Girlguiding. When you volunteer at them you’ll have fun, get messy, meet new people and run activities that help our members discover their potential.
You can choose to work with girls in Rainbows, Brownies, Guides or Rangers, and you’ll be volunteering directly with them. Unit meetings are usually an hour to an hour and a half once a week.
As a unit leader, assistant leader or leader-in-training you’ll join a team of volunteers to run the unit, plan meetings, and deliver awesome activities. If you’d like to become a leader, we’ll support you to complete our leadership qualification.
Some of what you’ll do
Each unit leadership team does things a little differently. Here are some of the activities that are part of being in the team:
- Help plan and deliver activities which are based on our Girlguiding programme – These are accessible and inclusive. Often they’re planned by volunteers and girls at the beginning of term.
- You’ll go to your unit meeting each week and run activities with the girls and other volunteers.
- Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at Girlguiding, so you’ll help provide a safe space where every girl and young woman can take part.
- You’ll also be keeping up the Doing Our Best standards for your unit.
- You’ll complete training for the role and follow Girlguiding policies.
- You might communicate with parents, carers and other Girlguiding volunteers.
- Leaders usually spend two to five hours a week outside of the unit time on the role (depending on how the unit responsibilities are shared and what activities are planned). This might include contacting new members or going to district meetings.
- Leaders share issues and concerns with local commissioners.
Training
Being a volunteer within Girlguiding is a position of trust which can lead to some individuals having unsupervised access to girls and young women, to their personal data and to guiding funds. Any adult wishing to volunteer with Girlguiding in such a capacity will be required to complete an enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure check, Levels 1-3 Safe Space (depending on role) and 1st response training (depending on role).
Further training and support opportunities are also available:
- We’ll give you a thorough induction to your role and to Girlguiding.
- You’ll have lots of training opportunities – including e-learning, face to face training and live online classrooms that you can do from home.
- If you decide to do your Leadership qualification you’ll have a volunteer mentor to help you through the qualification.
- You’ll have a great support network from your fellow volunteers, including a local commissioner and Girlguiding advisors.
