Girl
- Dec 15, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 30, 2024
For my Guiding Challenge 'Girl', I will be supporting my unit at 2nd Kendal, which will include volunteering with Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. At the beginning of this element, I am supporting just Brownies and Guides, and I will be creating, setting up and running a brand new Rainbow unit. I will use this section to show my continued support and growth at my Guiding unit over the year, starting from April 2023.
Updated hours from June 30th 2024: 123 hours
Prepping for my Rainbows Unit - 4.5 Hours
Over the Easter holidays 2023, and prior, I have been beginning to look into beginning my own Rainbows unit, these included looking for volunteers, applying for our bank account, risk assessing, term planning, organising letters and information for parents, etc.
One of our local Rainbows units had unfortunately closed, just weeks prior to my Rainbows opening. Due to this we have had many girls transfer from their waitlist to ours, as well as some of their Rainbows, and volunteers, joining us!
Over the few weeks, I spent time discussing unit plans with other division volunteers for support and using the Girlguiding new unit support documents, which have been really helpful!
Below is a few photos from setting up my new Rainbows account!
Opening Night - 3 Hours
Rainbows - For our first session at Rainbows, I began by introducing the Leadership team, introducing everyone and showing our new Rainbows around our meeting place! A few girls already knew each other from their old Rainbow unit or from school which was lovely - I was surprised how excited and confident they all were. We then jumped straight into the programme. For the term we are looking at the 'Know Myself' theme to help everyone get to know each other and learn what everyone likes - We began by playing a fun get-to-know-you UMA before settling down and chit chatting whilst doing drawing and art for a Skills Builder, we then finished the meeting with a game!
After Rainbows I jumped straight into Brownies and Guides who also had a fantstic evening back after Easter. We played lots of games and began looking at badge work for the term! The Brownies worked on Be Well and Have Adventures themes as well as doing a promise activity and the Guides worked on the Have Adventures theme.
Overall it was a really fantastic night and we've had some lovely emails saying that the Rainbows had a great time!
April 17th to July 17th 2023 - 27.5 Hours
This last term has been absolutely amazing! All 10 Rainbows in our unit have attended almost every single session! We completed the 'Know Myself' theme award, and all 10 girls earned their Animal Lover interest badge, Reflect Stage 1 skill builder and their Theme Award. As well as 8 girls making their promise on July 17th! Over the 10 weeks we met, here are some of the things we got up to:
Played the corners game
Learnt the Rainbows song
Learn the Promise
Began working on Interest Badges and learning what they are
Learnt more about Girlguiding through 'Guiding and Me'
Created s'mores
Made friendship bracelets
Made promise potions to prepare for our promise ceremony
Brownies and Guides also had a fantastic term, they got up to the following:
Brownies
Celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III
Had a cook out and a promise ceremony
Built Hedgehog houses with their parents and carers
Walked to the chip shop!
Worked towards the Be Well and Have Adventures themed!
Guides
Celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III
Worked on the Have Adventures theme
Older guides began working on the Commonwealth Award
Had an Interest Badge evening
Build Bird Boxes with parents and carers
Did a penny hike
September 11th to December 11th 2023 - 24 Hours
This term we have had 1 new Rainbow starting, we had a successful term working towards the Take Action theme award. By our last night, we handed out 6 Rainbow Bronze awards! Some of the things we have gotten up to this term include:
Working on Cumbria South's Operation Curlew
Visited our local RSPB
Worked on the Helper interest badge
Raised almost £180 for a local animal rescue
Had a dance-a-thon
Wrote to pen pals in Canada
Went to watch Wish with other units
I started a new job this term, meaning I missed a session every 3rd Monday, but the fantastic leadership team managed to run our meeting successfully! With my new job, I am now stepping back slightly from Brownies and Guides, becoming more of a unit helper role rather then leading, meaning my main focus within Girlguiding will be Rainbows, however I am continung to support them!
Brownies
Began working on the Operation Curlew Challenge badge
Worked towards the Take Action and Skills for my Future theme awards
Made winter bird feeders
Went to the RSPB
Worked on interest badges
Had a halloween themed party
Began planning an idea for a coffee morning fundraiser
Had a Christmas party and celebrated Cumbria Souths 50th birthday!
Guides
Began working on Operation Curlew Challenge Badge
Worked towards the Take Action theme awards
Made winter bird feeders
Went to the RSPB
Carved Pumpkins
Had a Christmas party and celebrated Cumbria Souths 50th birthday!
January 8th to March 25th 2024 - 28 Hours
This term we again had 1 new Rainbow starting! We have been working towards the 'Be Well' theme! I'm continuing to miss each 3rd meeting due to work, but we have a fantastic leadership team and someone comes in from another unit to cover me. When I'm not at the unit, the girls are working towards the Cumbria South 'Twinkle for Heather' challenge, although I did support them making their boxes for this challenge.
We had a bit of a change this term, we made the decision at a leadership team to merge our Rainbows and Brownie units together to meet from 6pm to 7.15pm. This was to help with finances and due to having a limited leadership team with the correct requirements for ratios. This seems to have had a positive impact on the girls and they seem to be enjoying spending time alongside the Brownies.
The girls have learnt lots of techniques for supporting their mental health, and have enjoyed the activities for the Be Well theme. Things the Rainbows have gotten up to this term:
The Twinkle for Heather challenge
Attended our Division World Thinking Day event at our local town hall
Worked on the Healthy Minds interest badge
Merged our Rainbow unit so we meet alongside Brownies
Guides
Began working on the Twinkle for Heather Challenge
Attended our Division World Thinking Day event at our local town hall
Attended a silent Disco
Unfortunately in May, we had to make the difficult decision to close our Guide unit due to lack of volunteers, our Guides have now moved to join another unit in town. From May onwards, I'm now only supporting Rainbows and Brownies in their joint meeting.
April 22nd to July 22nd 2024 - 15 Hours
This term 3 Rainbows moved up to Brownies and we had 1 new Rainbow join us. We have been working with the Brownies on the Have Adventures theme award. Alongside the theme award, we have chosen to do the Incredible Insects Unofficial Challenge Badge too, which a lot of the activities fit alongside Have Adventures. Alongside badge work we have also gotten up to:
Holding a fundraiser event
Had a American Summer Camp themed evening lead by one of our Leaders doing Camp America this summer
A book themed evening for my Community Action project
Worked on the Nature Interest Badge
Brownie
Learning about fire and camping with Have Adventures theme award
Attended the fundraiser evening
Supported the books2Africa book drive
County Curlew Camp! - 21 Hours
On the weekend of June 28th to June 30th, all members of Girlguiding Cubmria South were invited to the Golden Curlew Camp, to celebrate the counties 50th birthday. Rainbows were invited to attend for the day on the 29th, arriving at 9.30am to complete a range of fun activities throughout the day. I attended from the 28th to the 30th to support 5 of our Brownies on their camp. 4 of our Rainbows also attended!
I completed my Inclusion project during this camp, however have deducted the time I spent on that away from the total I was supporting Brownies. Althought I wasnt with them for their main activity day, I was with them at meal times, campfire, helping get ready for bed, and went on the Railway with them to celebrate the Brownies turning 110!
Reflection
Describe your activity or role. | I opened and ran a new Rainbows unit for my Girlguiding division, being Leader in Charge. |
Why did you choose it for this section? | I wanted to open my own unit for some time to be able to do more fun activites and plan new ideas which I wasnt able to do at my last unit. 2nd Kendal had a Brownie unit and a Guide unit, but didnt have a Rainbows. As I was already helping with Brownies and Guides, I saw this as an opportunity to open a new unit for the younger members, including being a feeder unit to Brownies. |
What have you learnt from the activity or role? | I have learnt alot whilst being in this role, as well as being supported by a fantastic leadership team. I have learnt more about myself and grown in confidence. I have learnt more about completing risk assessments, admin, communication, planning and preparation and managing accounts. |
What core skills have you developed and how? | I think I have developed all 5 of the core skills: Resilience - I've had to overcome many problems and dealt with them accordingly whenever they came up, such as engaging ith parents, helping with disputes between girls, managing accounts which was a bigger challenge for me, having never done them before and more. Teamwork - I have worked as a team, especially when Rainbows and Brownies came together as a joint unit, working as part of a larger team to plan a joint programme which works for both sections. Leadership - Supporting the young members as well as the volunteer team. Encouraging girls who are slightly more nervous to participate in programme activities. Communication - Learning more about communcating with young members and parents as well as the leadership team to express my ideas for the terms activities. Independance - Being leader in charge I had a large say in what the unit did and I was responsbible for how it went. |
What would you change or improve on if you did this activity again? | One of the things I need to improve on and learn further is definitely the accounting side of running a unit, this is something I struggled with an had to have help from another leader with. However, when Rainbows and Brownies merges, the Rainbows bank account was shut down to merge with the Brownies. |
If applicable, how has it made a positive impact in Girlguiding | A new unit section was opened which has helped grow Girlguiding members within Kendal division. |
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