Project Aims and Overview

The project is closely linked to one of Girlguiding’s main aims: to offer the benefits of Guiding to as many girls and young women in Scotland as possible. Our research showed that there are areas, like Additional and Special Needs, in which, thanks to the efforts of our Advisers and Leaders, we are doing a brilliant job. However, there are other barriers which still need to be overcome, linked to ethnicity, religion, language, income and the ever-present need for more adult volunteers. In the project we try to address all those issues and provide support to GGS members who decide to pick up the challenge and work on making our organisation even more inclusive.

One of the forms of support we offer in the project is the all-in-a-nutshell training, of which the main aim is to identify and address issues relating to inclusion and diversity, both by raising awareness around those matters and by providing support for Leaders’ initiatives and implementation of their Action Points. We hope that it will help to understand people from different backgrounds as well as provide tips on how to establish contacts with a variety of communities contemporary Scottish society consists of.

The training is divided into three to six sessions, during the final one participants analyse the strengths/weaknesses of their unit (District, County) and compile a list of Action Points which they intend to implement in the months following the training. They will also be given a Resource Pack containing materials from the areas covered during the sessions (e.g. other Leaders’ views on different religions in Guiding and advice how to provide for the girls’ religious needs) and additional resources (e.g. recruitment leaflets translated into foreign languages, activities related to diversity to be used with their units, ideas for fundraising, etc.).

GGS can also assist the volunteers during the implementation stage by linking them with individuals and organisations that might provide further support. Currently we are establishing contacts with a couple of Chinese cultural associations, schools and trusts to link them to volunteers who wanted to contact the Chinese communities in North Ayrshire and Edinburgh. We can also arrange a follow-up visit for teams who have undergone the training and would benefit from further consultations.

What has been going on?

In spring 2009, teams from three Counties - Angus, Clackmannanshire and Edinburgh - took part in the pilot training. Following the participants’ feedback, we modified the training to make it more Guiding-oriented. In the last few months we have been delivering tasters of this new training to the Commissioners, Guiding Development Advisers, Additional Needs Advisers and Leaders.

On 6 February 2010 we commenced our first full training with a committed group of Leaders and Commissioners from North Ayrshire.
 
We have been also continuously working on the Resource Pack which we hope will be available soon.

I want to get involved – what shall I do?

Girlguiding members who would like to take part in the project can come to a training organised in their County or Region (see the Training Options and Calendar below). Alternatively, if you have previously worked with girls from diverse backgrounds and would like to share your experiences and tell us how we can support you in your activities, please contact us directly. We would love to hear from you!

Training Options

Depending on your needs and the amount of time available, the training can consist of three to six sessions and last one or two days. The full training answers the following questions:

• What does ‘diversity’ mean for Girlguiding?
• How to contact girls and women from various backgrounds?
• How to tap into a source of potential new Leaders and Helpers?
• Which legal requirements relating to Inclusion and Diversity are voluntary organisations obliged to follow?
• What does Girlguiding Policy say about issues not mentioned by the law?
• What is it like to be in a majority and a minority position?
• Which factors can influence our perception of other people and make contact with them easier or more difficult?
• Cultural awareness: what is the background of the group we would like to contact?
• What cultural differences can hinder communication?
  How can we use our strengths and opportunities in our environment? How to tackle obstacles?
• What should be included in Action Points?
• Which Girlguiding resources and support are available?
• Why is it important to address the issue of diversity within Girlguiding even in the areas where there aren’t any easily distinguishable minority groups?

During the training we explore those areas through a variety of activities: awareness raising exercises, quizzes, short films, presentations and case studies.

 
Training Calendar

Past:

6 February 2010: North Ayrshire
20 March 2010: Ross-shire
4-5 September 2010: Shetland Islands
2 October 2010: Western Isles

22-24 October 2010: Diffusion 2010
20 November 2010: Argyll

26 March 2011: Inverness

21 - 23 October 2011: Diffusion 2011

Future:

To organise more events please contact Sylwia or Malaika

How to attend the training

If your County is on the above list, contact the organisers and sign up for it! If your County isn’t there yet, and you are interested in attending, contact your County Commissioner and ask how we can be invited to deliver the training. Alternatively, check with your County Commissioner if there is a chance to attend an event in one of your neighbouring Counties. Regional co-operation is by all means encouraged, whenever possible.

 
Call for Success Stories

In order to appreciate everybody already working with girls from disadvantaged groups and different cultural backgrounds, we are looking for stories from your units. In which way are we inclusive? How can everybody benefit from multicultural and ‘including all’ Guiding? We would love to hear from you and want to publish your stories in the members section of a new Girlguiding Scotland website in a few months’ time.

We believe that such success stories, apart from giving your unit a chance to show your achievements to others, could inspire more Leaders to follow your example. We even prepared a template to make describing things easier (available on request), but we would love to hear from you in any form!

 
Caledonia Camp

We were present during the Caledonia Camp in Netherurd (17-24 July 2010), running an Inclusion and Diversity tent with a number of activities for girls. You're welcome to have a look at our short report (coming soon).

Diffusion 2010

From 22 to 24 October we delivered a fully-funded residential training around inclusion and diversity in Guiding in the hospitable Netherurd House. The event was open to Senior Section members from all over Scotland. During those 2.5 days we trained together, had a lot of fun, took part in a variety of activities and participated in a Zumba workshop! Read the Diffusion Review.

Diffusion 2011

From 21 to 23 October 2011 participants from fourteen Counties gathered at Bonaly Outdoor Centre to take part in Diffusion 2011, Girlguiding Scotland's Inclusion and Diversity training event for Senior Section members. Read the Diffusion 2011 review.

Contact

If you would like to talk to us about any aspect of the project, send us an e-mail and we’ll be happy to get in touch with you: