Hello!
So we've said we want you to be the ones writing the content on here. The Hive is for you, after all, and everyone wants another badge or two... or three for their camp blanket.
But what we haven't said is what we're looking for in a post. We're going to have some regular posts/columns as well as free spaces for you to write whatever you want, and it doesn't have to be about guiding.
Badge of the Month:
Every month we're going to pick a different badge. The idea is that we can all try it together so that while we might not be a physical unit, there is still a sense of community within our Hive. If you've done any badges recently with your group or have some good ideas or examples for each section, we want to hear from you. Send us your photos, let us know which badges you're loving, or let us know which ones you want to try! We're planning on doing a whole wide range of them, even ones aimed at the younger units - because after all, Rangers are just Rainbows, only taller!
Don't forget to cater badge activities to your own needs. It's supposed to be fun - not too easy, not too difficult! Whatever our badge of the month is, we'd love it if you took the ideas to your units and gave them a go.
Queen's Guides:
All of your Hive admins are Queen’s Guides - some just finishing, some just starting. In fact, we're hoping to pass the admin responsibility onto a new group of Queen's Guiders next year. If you're doing your award, send us a couple of paragraphs about what you're doing: what you're looking forward to, what you're struggling with, etc.
The aim is to feature a different group of people each month with their photos and experiences. There are enough of us out there climbing this particular mountain that this should be doable. Let us know what made you want to go for it, and then come back and let us know how you get on. We'll definitely have a post about the people collecting their award when the big day comes!
Fundraising:
All of us have to fundraise for something, whether that’s for general unit costs or an amazing camp or trip. We're hoping to have a monthly post about a different fundraising activity that you've done. Send us photos of the crafts or bakes you're selling, Smarties tubes filled with money - whatever you're doing, we want to know about it! You'll hopefully be able to get ideas from here about how to raise funds but still have fun.
In and around LaSER:
There's loads going on around LaSER each month. The aim is to have a quick calendar at the beginning of every month talking about the things that are happening and how to get involved if you want to.
In the future, ideally we'll also have some things that aren't guiding-related but are just cool things happening in your area. This is a space for you to talk about things, and by letting people know what's happening around you there might even be some Hive meet-ups (and there would almost certainly be a blog post in that). We want to know what you're looking forward to doing each month, and you can use the Facebook pages, Instagram or the news form on the website to let us know what you're planning.
Trips:
Being in guiding is so much more than the hour and a half a week meeting with our units. Whether it's a night, a weekend or even longer, one of the best bits about guiding is the amazing trips we get to plan and go on. Plus, with things like LaSERIO and GOLD, you don't have to be one of the kids to go on trips and have fun.
Last year was Moot, a world camp especially for the 18-25 age range held in Iceland. The 2019 World Scout Jamboree is taking place in West Virginia, U.S.A, and the 2023 World Scout Jamboree will be in South Korea! It might seem like a long time away, but it will be here before you know it. But there are plenty of amazing trips coming up before then. Girlguiding Sussex Central county are going to Our Cabana next year, and I'm lucky enough to be part of the group.
Whether you're a participant or a leader, we want to know where you're going, where you've been and what it's all about! We're hoping to have two trip posts each month, one before the trip - planning, budgeting, fundraising - and one for after, filled with your experiences, recommendations and plenty of photos. Let us know what you're looking forward to/worried about before you go, and then let us know what you thought about it afterwards.
Something we'd love to try is an 'Ask Me Anything' (or 'AMA') where followers can comment with questions and those going or already on the trip can answer them! Questions can be about any aspect of the trip, from budgeting and fundraising to what camera, bag or other equipment you're using, or even what it's like being far away from home for the first time.
Guider's Lives:
We're lucky enough to be part of an organisation made up of a fantastic range of members and volunteers. Some of us are still at school, college and university, while some are travelling, and others are working. You could be doing a mixture or only one – it doesn't matter. What we want to know about is your life outside of guiding. Do you have a cool job? An awesome hobby? Is guiding the only thing getting you through all the essays? This is your space to tell us a bit about your life. There are so many different jobs, hobbies and experiences out there that we know nothing about.
Are you a dancer? Do you work in a theatre? An operating theatre? Are you an engineer? A pilot? Have you visited any cool places on your travels? Visited any other guiding groups?
This space is for life outside of guiding, and we hope it will help give some of our younger members a chance to see more of the wide range of jobs available to them. Has your guiding experience helped you in your job, or are there skills that you've picked up from guiding that you use all the time?
10 Tips/Top 10s:
We're hoping that this will be our most common column and will probably be the one that takes the least amount of time to write. These are our fun ‘10 tips…’ or ‘top 10 things to do’ posts, and there will be one of them a week. Currently the plan is to have '10 Tuesday' (purely because it sounds good - we love a bit of alliteration!) and we will alternate between ‘top 10’ and ‘10 tips’. These will be both guiding related and non-guiding related. It could be something along the lines of ‘top 10 ways to get to know new girls’, or ‘top 10 crafts for Christmas.’ Or it could be ‘10 things you need to pack for a beach holiday’, or ‘ways to not stress at uni’.
We're aiming for these to be completely varied and can be about pretty much anything. The only limit is your creativity!
Free Friday:
This is your space to write a post about whatever you want. It's a completely free section for you to have fun with - whether it's a film review, a blog about your favourite animal, creative writing or anything else.