Appeal for volunteers to support Girl Guiding in Monkstown

First Monkstown Girlguiding unit is held in Church of the Good Shepard on Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm and they welcome new leaders to join their Girlguiding unit which offers a safe space for girls and women to build their confidence, have adventures, develop their skills and have fun.

There are currently 829 girls in Northern Ireland who are missing out on opportunities for adventure and trying out new activities with their friends because there aren’t enough volunteers to run Girlguiding groups.

As a leading charity for girls and young women, Girlguiding builds girls confidence and raises their aspirations. They give girls the chance to discover their full potential and encourage them to be a powerful force for good.

Earlier this year the charity unveiled a revamped programme of activities and badges, bringing everything up to date to create a

unique and extensive choice of activities which reflects the diversity of girls and modern life in the 21st century. New badges include Entrepreneur, Inventing, Navigator, Craftivism and Self-care.

Brenda Herron, Chief Commissioner, said: “We want to give more girls and young women the chance to join Rainbows, Brownies, Guides or Rangers but for this to happen, we need more people to volunteer. The most important thing is just to be yourself. No matter what, skills, interests or experience you have we can find a role for you and, you can give whatever time you’re able to, all you need is enthusiasm and a willingness to laugh and have fun.”

Sarah, Northern Belfast Leader said: “I heard my local Guide group was in need of volunteers and thought, why not? It was the best decision I ever made. I never realised it would be so much fun and I’ve made a fantastic group of friends among the other volunteers. It’s been such a privilege to witness how the girls, who have come into Guides, grow so much in confidence during the time they’re with you. We’ve been on camping trips, played games, welcomed our local MP to our meeting and had discussions about careers – there’s always variety.”

Some 100,000 volunteers across the UK currently give their time to enable 400,000 girls and young women to enjoy all that Girlguiding has to offer.

Interested in volunteering? For more information about how to get involved with Girlguiding, the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK, visit www.girlguidingulster.org.uk.