We’re half way through week 2 of the Autumn term and what a term it is turning out to be. Tuesday we had some more new Rainbows visit and we had so much fun pretending to be cars and learning about how cars signal to show where they want to go, we thought about who can help us if we’re stuck too.
On Wednesday I got to run an activity all about being brave and then also showcasing our talents. We have some very brave girls who sang and danced and acted too, all towards some of our badges. After this Misty introduced two visitors to the unit, Tina and Jan… much to my surprise they were there to see me and to present me with a Girlguiding Hero certificate and Thanks badge for the volunteering I did over the last 18 months to take all 5 of the units I am involved with online so that the girls didn’t miss out on their guiding experiences.
Today on my social media feeds I shared the following. It’s true – this certificate isn’t for me it is for every single girl, parent and leader who did what they could over the last 18 months. I’m not just ‘super proud’ about myself… but every single person I have come into contact with who has challenged themselves and taken a step out of their comfort zone.
Feeling super proud to not only have been nominated but to have been awarded a Girlguiding Hero certificate and thanks badge for something that not only gave the girls in my units some normality during COVID. But gave me normality too. It enabled me to use skills I’ve learned as a Girlguiding webinar trainer for my weekly unit meetings.
I got to set up a Ranger unit through lockdowns after the Guides got to 14. I saw a Guide achieve her Commonwealth Award, countless Rainbows achieved their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. Most of all I saw over 100 girls every week developing online confidence. By our last online meeting they were helping one another to mute and unmute, suggesting activities we could do online and they still had their beautiful smiles no matter what was going on in the world. It also brought us closer with the families of girls in the units. Joining their daughters each week to take part in our activities and sometimes helping them with cooking or games or other activities.
COVID hasn’t been fun, but look at the benefits of girls developing all of these skills. We’d not have had this otherwise!!
This certificate therefore isn’t just for me… it’s for the girls, parents and leaders across all of Girlguiding who have learned new skills and developed during the last 18 months. Congratulations and Thank you!!