Glasgow Guides mentor young girls to grow in confidence
The 282nd Glasgow Guides are encouraging Rainbows and Brownies from their local community to move up to Guides by sharing their own experiences and helping them see that the next step in their guiding journey is fun.
The unit is supported by Generation CashBack, a Scottish Government-funded scheme.
The initiative seeks to ensure young people from deprived areas can benefit from youth work opportunities.
Carly, a Guide member with the unit in Glasgow, is one such volunteer who helps out with the Brownies and assists with games, writing, and drawing.
She said: "I wanted to start helping because I felt like it was really interesting, because then I get to know about them and what they do.
'The hardest part is when we're setting up a game and none of them can decide who's going to be it.
"The best part is helping them set up games, learning all of their names and seeing them run about and have fun.'
Anna, CashBack development officer for Girlguiding Scotland, said: "Almost all the Guides in the unit help at Rainbows or Brownies, with some helping at more than one unit.
'This started when one girl was nervous about leaving Brownies (she is autistic and struggles with change), so leaders suggested she helped with Brownies to make the move smoother.
"It meant that she could still see her Brownie leaders and have the familiarity whilst dipping her toe into being a Guide.
"Three years later, she's still at Guides.
"The other girls became interested in this, so also started helping.
'We've seen the girls grow in confidence since they've started volunteering and it helps foster a good sense of community.'
Like Carly, Mia, who helps out with both Rainbows and Brownies, said: "I really like working with kids.
"I enjoy watching Rainbows learn new things and make friends and watching Brownies have fun.
"I'd like to be a leader in the future."
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