Improving technology for everyone in guiding

Girlguiding helps all girls know they can do anything.

To achieve this, we need to use the right technology to stay relevant, inclusive and accessible.

We’ve been listening to everyone’s feedback, and we know a lot of your time is taken up by processes which could be smoother. We want to make sure that all girls, volunteers, parents, carers and Girlguiding staff can enjoy easy, efficient experiences when using our digital platforms. That includes things like the websites and online systems you use as part of day-to-day guiding. This work will be made up of lots of smaller projects, with each project focusing on improving experiences and meeting the needs of everyone who uses Girlguiding’s technology.

From joining as a member, to volunteer learning and development, to planning and delivering Girlguiding activities, we’re working to improve every part of our systems. By 2028, they’ll be more joined-up, easier, faster and more fun to use. That means you’ll get to spend more time on the guiding activities you love. We’ve already started to make changes, including improving the way you log in to GO and the learning platform.

What we’re currently doing

At the moment, we’re focusing on getting the basics right and laying the groundwork for future improvements. In 2024, we’ve started bringing together a team who can help make this change happen by planning the work and driving it forward.

We’re not only thinking about improving technology in the present moment. We also want to make sure Girlguiding is set up for the future, so we can continue to help girls enjoy fun, friendship, challenge and adventure for many years to come.

To do this, we’ll be working closely with a group of girls, volunteers, parents and carers who we recruited in April 2024. We recruited this group through an open application process, and worked hard to ensure that the membership of the group reflects our wider Girlguiding community. This group will be an important resource for us to listen to, test, design and learn from.

Their opinions, needs, feedback and input will be key to driving change, and at the heart of all the improvements we’ll be making. And we’ll make sure that as well as working with this group, we’ll still be talking to lots more of you as we put things into practice, and see what works on the ground.

Some of the things we’re working on will be big changes and some will be much smaller. Keep checking this page regularly to see what we’re working on.

These are the actions we’re taking in 2024:

Laying the foundations

• Learning about user needs. We’re working closely with all the groups who use our website, including volunteers, parents and carers, girls and Girlguiding staff. We’re learning from feedback that’s been shared with us before, and finding out more about their the needs and the challenges that people using our digital platforms are currently facing so we can develop solutions that really work for them.
• Developing the ways we’ll work with data. We’re setting up a central data platform which all systems will be connected to. This means we’ll be able to gather accurate data across every area, and make decisions based on solid information.
• Creating a framework. We’re developing and implementing the framework needed to connect systems and data together across all areas of Girlguiding.

Exploring how we’ll improve digital experiences

• Designing improved experiences for users. We’ll plan out how we can make life easier for our users as they move around the website and platforms.
• Innovating girls’ experiences. We’ll start to define how we can use technology to deliver the best possible guiding experiences for girls.

Delivering early versions of the new technology

• Delivering an early version of a new digital service. We’ll bring together everything we’ve learned to create the first version of a new digital service for volunteers. This service will be an optional process, exploring an element of the volunteer experience. This is an exciting area of work, and as soon as we have more details to share, we’ll be in touch.
• Creating girl experience prototypes. Working closely with girls, we’ll develop a digital prototype (a model version of the new digital service) aimed at improving their experiences.

What’s happening next

As we make progress, we’ll keep updating this page with all the information you need. You may also get updates through channels like our email newsletters and our updates for members page.

This won’t be one big transformation. We’ll be making small improvements over time. We’ll keep learning from what we’ve done, collecting data and identifying what’s working well. We’ll continue learning from volunteers, members, girls, parents and carers so we know we’re doing our best for them, and keep building on their feedback. Whatever changes we make, we’ll keep you up to date, and make sure that you’re prepared and ready for them. There will be plenty of opportunities to find out more and get involved.

As time goes on, the improvements we make will help us to deliver even more incredible experiences for everyone in guiding. That will impact every area of guiding, from helping volunteers to easily find the information they need, to keeping girls safe while that have fun, learn and grow.

We hope to bring you news about more specific changes very soon.