I recently spoke with Kirstin Roberts, a young leader at a London Brownie unit, to gain an insight into how the charitable organisation was coping, both on a national level and within her pack specifically. 

 

We began the discussion by establishing how (and whether) it was still running, and it was interesting to hear how some units, such as her own, were holding weekly meetings online however others have not managed to continue in this manner, perhaps due to a lack of resources or volunteers. The organisation runs solely upon these volunteers who have the time and availability to be able to run the sessions, and whilst they were difficult to find before the pandemic, the situation has only been worsened due to COVID and lockdown. 

 

Despite the barriers they are facing, the organisation has set up ‘Adventures at Home’, aimed at all their members from 4-18, which attempts to emulate the activities and outdoor adventurous that form much of the Guiding culture. Kirstin described how their meetings incorporated taking the Brownies (aged 7-10) through making crafts at home, which they often enjoy. With school closings the children are mostly online the whole day, so activities such as these, which are encouraging them to get away from a screen, are obviously of utmost importance for their wellbeing. However, attendance dropped significantly at the beginning of the pandemic, meaning it was difficult for young leaders such as Kirstin to be able to contribute and interact as much as they would like to. On the upside, as time has passed, things seem to have been looking up, with attendance increasing and the capabilities for more interactive and engaging sessions increasing too.

 

We then went on to the more large scale threat to the future of Girlguiding, as with less new members and volunteers to run the sessions, the prospects seemed rather bleak. However, the website states how ‘with guiding girls have fun, adventure and the space to discover their potential’, and it is this attitude that is so important for girls and young people to uphold, especially during the COVID crisis.

 

Their motto is ‘we discover, we grow’ and I am sure that this mission will mean a positive future for Guiding and it’s volunteers.