Become a volunteerOne of the things I love about Inspire is the opportunities it gives me to learn more about what Girlguiding does and how we can volunteer. One great way I found of doing this was by joining the WAGGGS resource pool.
I had never heard of the WAGGGS resource pool before being part of Inspire and knew very little about what WAGGGS do at all (apart from producing a thinking day badge each year)! After a little research it turns out that the WAGGGS resource pool does a lot of really exciting things by getting together groups of volunteers from all over the world with relevant experience and training. They work on a variety of projects such as:
- Creating new resources
- Translating
- Providing opportunities at the World centres
- Running Campfire (an online platform for volunteers to undertake training and network).
- Providing training opportunities
- Ensuring Guiding is delivered at a high standard worldwide
- Facilitating worldwide communication between members
- Designing, creating and evaluating programmes
Joining the WAGGGS resource pool was surprisingly easy. It only involved completing an application form and getting a reference from my commissioner which was then also endorsed by Girlguiding UK. This was then submitted to WAGGGS and within two weeks my application had been processed and approved.
Upon approval I was able to create a profile on the online platform ‘Campfire’ and complete three very quick introductory courses. From there you can browse the opportunities currently available and apply for any you feel you have the relevant skills for and are interested in.
I am currently looking at different opportunities and deciding which are most suitable for me to be a part of and have created links with members in other countries to discuss guiding and Scouting and compare our experiences. I am excited to get involved with more projects run by the WAGGGS resource pool in the future and would like to apply to a team working on creating new resources (maybe even one of the thinking day badge packs)!
If you are interested in joining the WAGGGS resource pool and making a difference to Girl Guides and Scouts in your own country and across the world while also making new friends and developing yourself, you can find out more information here:
https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/volunteer-with-us/join-wagggs-volunteer-pool/
