I’ve been involved in guiding for 10 years now and, in that time, I haven’t experienced a situation as odd as this. At first I was gutted that my regular unit meetings (as leader-in-training at my Brownie pack and as a Ranger at my own pack) would have to be temporarily closed, as I knew that I would miss all of the girls and the activities that we do. However, the lockdown has opened my eyes to a new and rather interesting type of guiding - ‘remote guiding’. This involves using social media and group-call platforms to meet up with my Ranger unit and keep in touch with my local district and other guiding groups that I am involved in!
‘Houseparty’ with the Rangers
Usually, my Ranger unit meets up on a fortnightly basis and we complete a badge or activity of our choosing. This week, however, we held a virtual meeting online - all from the comfort of our own homes! We had a chat and a cup of tea whilst playing some online games and then we talked about all the things we will do when we meet again. I think that this aspect of remote guiding was very successful as it was wonderful to see everyone again and know that we could keep the guiding spirit alive (even if we couldn’t meet in person!)
Activities and virtual camps with the Brownies
I have been a young leader at my Brownie unit for a few years now and last year I decided to start my Adult Leadership qualification. I do miss meeting my Brownies every week, but we have been able to find and send loads of amazing activities that the girls can get involved in! For example, there is a ‘camp at home’ event where the Northumberland Scouts have organised a virtual month-long camp for the whole of April!
You have to:
- Pack a bag
- Build a den
- Sleep in the shelter
- Build a ‘campfire’ (real or virtual)
- Help to cook a meal
Blogging with The Hive
The amazing thing about The Hive is that, because we are an online community, we can still continue to operate as usual - this means you can still send in lots of fantastic blogs, comment on our Facebook and like our Instagram posts! You can write about anything, from a ‘Top 10 Tuesday’ to 'my favourite vegan recipes’. Don’t forget to check out our Badge of the Month series too and send us any pictures of your results via Instagram or Facebook!
For me, this difficult time has been made much easier through the use of things like social media and group-call platforms - but I know that, like the rest of you, I’m very much looking forward to the day when our meetings resume again!
How have you managed to #carryonguiding? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram!