Volunteering is a great way to gain a wide range of experience and skills. This page offers those who have recently volunteered a chance to learn more about the ins and outs of Girlguiding UK.

Girlguiding UK Leadership Qualification

You do not have to become a Leader or Assistant Leader if you’re a guiding volunteer. Thousands of people have a great time as unit or occasional helpers or enjoy working in roles such as Administrator or Public Relations Advisers. However, if you do decide to become a Unit Leader or Assistant Leader you must complete the Girlguiding UK Leadership Qualification. Based on practical experience as a Leader and linked with real experience within the unit, it provides a valuable introduction for all new Leaders.

Unit Leaders and Assistant Leaders will be given plenty of support during the qualification process by personal mentors, the local Commissioner and other Leaders in the local area.

As well as personal support there are also a number of publications available to offer guidance, including The Guiding Manual, the Guiding Handbook and the monthly guiding magazine.

Glossary

There are lots of different terms used in guiding, which are useful for people who’ve been involved for a long time but can be confusing for new volunteers.

Here are explanations for the most commonly-used terms:

4: A peer education initiative. Young people are trained as in4mers to facilitate discussion of topics such as bullying, stress management, sexual health, eating disorders and binge drinking.
Adviser: trained adult volunteer with special responsibility for a particular area of activity.
BIG GIG: Pop concert held once a year for Guides.
Brownie Adventure: The activity programme for Brownies.
Brownies: for girls aged seven to ten.
Brown Owl: The informal name often used by Brownies to refer to their Leader.
CC: County Commissioner.
Co-ordinator: trained adult volunteer with special responsibility for a particular area of activity.
CHQ: Commonwealth Headquarters.
Commissioner: An adult volunteer responsible for the management of guiding within a defined geographical area ­ usually a District, Division, County, Country or Region.
DC: District Commissioner.
District: Group of units, covering all age groups, which join together to provide a support network for Leaders and to organise events for girls.
Div Com: Division Commissioner.
Go for It: A resource aimed at the Guide section, providing programme ideas for Guide patrols.
Guides: for girls and young women aged ten to 14.
Guiding Star: Guiding Star is an exclusive X Factor style competition for ten to 25-year-old members of Girlguiding UK.
Leader: An adult who has completed Girlguiding UK's Leadership Qualification.
Leadership Co-ordinator: volunteer with responsibility for the Girlguiding UK Leadership Qualification in your area.
PRA: Public Relations Adviser. PRAs inform people in their areas about guiding and how it is changing using the media.
Project 50K: a project that aims to improve ways to retain and recruit volunteers.
Project Streamline: a new initiative that aims to help every level of Girlguiding UK improve the way it manages information about its members.
Project SWITCH: Lottery-funded project aiming to take the opportunities available through guiding into a more diverse range of communities.
Rainbow Jigsaw: The activity programme for Rainbows.
Rainbows: for girls aged five to seven. In Northern Ireland Rainbows are aged four to seven.
Rangers: sub-group of Senior Section.
Senior Section: for young women aged 14-25.
TACs: Training and activity centres such as Blackland Farm, Foxlease and Waddow Hall.
TG: Trefoil Guild.
Unit: group the girls meet in.
Unit Helper: adult who regularly helps run a unit.
WAGGGS: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Young Leaders: sub-group of Senior Section. Young women, aged 14-18, who help out at unit meetings. Some, aged 16+, may be working towards their Leadership Qualification.