Become a volunteerWhat I love about being a part of Girlguiding is how unpredictable and unexpected my best experiences have always been. From abseiling off a bridge with passing cars in Switzerland to a 10 mile walk that became far longer when we took the wrong turn, the spontaneity is always the best bit. However, I could never have possibly predicted such a world-changing event as coronavirus and how that would impact us as a Guiding community. I never expected to do “remote” Brownie meetings and keep girls entertained from behind a screen but here I am having helped to deliver 18 remote sessions alongside a team of the most amazing and dedicated leaders. I have loved being able to continue volunteering and help the girls to gain their badges and it’s been great to know we give them something to look forward to and a chance to still see their friends weekly while distant.
What I’ve loved most about Guiding over Zoom is how we never quite know what we’re going to get! We’ve had scuffles with siblings, surprise cats and dogs and plenty of whacky drawings on the Zoom whiteboard. The spirit and the fun of Guiding has remained the same as ever, even when we can’t be in the same room. Our Brown Owl has worked tirelessly to set us up remotely and make sure the girls have a great experience and still get to complete UMAs. It’s been very challenging at times to set up a programme so different to anything we’re used to delivering and work out how to adapt our plans but through trial and error, I think our girls have had a great time. We’ve had special guests join us too who showed us their birds of prey, taught us how to drum and helped us calm down with yoga! It’s been wild, difficult at times but always a laugh and very rewarding. It turned into one of the highlights of my week and sometimes I think I was having more fun than the girls. The biggest downside was assessing baking badges without getting to taste any cakes – a real tragedy!
We finished off our final remote Brownie session for the term with a Zoom disco. We had breakout rooms with different music tastes and the girls got dressed up in their best party gear to celebrate the end of 18 very unique meetings! We had parents and pets joining in, special party backgrounds and some disco lights too. To see the girls dancing around, laughing and having the fun that kids should be was such a lovely thing to experience at a time like this. It’s so rewarding to know we’ve given them a little bit of normalcy in an unpredictable and confusing time for everyone, especially children. I’m happy to have been a part of bringing some fun to their Wednesdays! In short, Guiding is just as fun on Zoom but I can’t wait until we can all meet together again.
