Our new young leader development programme is here!
An offer for young leaders by young leaders
We’ve created a new offer to help young leaders develop their skills, grow their knowledge and celebrate their achievements.
In 2023, we launched welcome leaflets for young leaders and welcome leaflets for young volunteers to help them understand their role and all the amazing things you do in your units. They can be completed within the first term of a young leader or young volunteer joining a unit.
Once a young person has completed the welcome leaflet, they can now get a badge to recognise their achievement!
Get your I take the lead badge from the Girlguiding shop.
Young leader development programme
After young leaders complete the welcome leaflet, they can continue to build their leadership journey by working on the young leader development programme.
This is a completely optional, flexible programme for young leaders, made up of 12 modules, with tasks for them to complete alongside discovery resources to help support their knowledge and grow their skills.
Get started with the young leader development programme now!
Who can do the young leader development programme?
Any member aged 14-17 who volunteers with a unit can do the young leader development programme. This includes young external volunteers. Everything you need is on the young leader development programme webpage. This is a new programme, designed to be completed over the whole time someone is a young leader, so there is no rush.
Take a look at the modules and resources over the summer, and plan your next steps for the autumn term.
From July, it will be possible for leaders to use GO to record the modules their young leaders complete.
Why have we changed the young leader qualification?
We've changed our offer because young leaders and adult volunteers told us that the current young leader qualification didn't meet their needs. The new young leader development programme better reflects the areas young leaders, and their leaders, have said they’d like support with.
Read more about the reasons for changing the young leader offer in our previous update.
Who was involved in the creation of the young leader development programme?
We’ve worked with an amazing group of 12 young leaders from across the country for over 2 years. They helped to co-create the offer, from the initial concept, through to ideas for content and tasks, and designs for badges and illustrations. Their enthusiasm, knowledge and experience has helped to ensure that the offer really meets the needs of young leaders today.
Over 80 young leaders tested and gave feedback on the first drafts of the modules in autumn 2023, along with more than 30 leaders.
We also consulted with numerous leaders, commissioners, young leader coordinators, trainers and Girlguiding staff who shared their incredible knowledge, experience and expertise.
Thank you to everyone who's been involved in the creation of the young leader development programme! It has been a team effort to develop a programme which really supports, empowers and celebrates our wonderful young leaders.
Check out the young leader development programme.
Questions you may have about the young leader development programme
Yes, if you’d like to do the young leader development programme as well as the young leader qualification, go ahead! You can use some of what you have done you have done in the young leader qualification towards parts of the young leader development programme.
This table shows where elements of the young leader qualification directly match tasks in the young leader development programme. If you’ve completed the activity listed in the left hand column, you can sign off the task in the young leader development programme. You’ll still need to do the rest of the tasks and reflect on what you've done to complete the module.
|
Young leader qualification areas |
Task covered in the young leader development programme |
|
Module 2 part a – observe the leadership team |
Delivering activities module Task 1 |
|
Module 3 part a – gather ideas of what girls want to do |
Giving girls a voice module Task 2 |
|
Module 3 part b – attend unit planning meetings |
Planning your activities module Task 1 |
|
Module 3 part c – plan and carry out an activity about the promise |
Knowing Girlguiding module Task 4 |
|
Module 3 part d – plan and carry out 2 other activities |
Delivering activities module Task 2 |
|
Module 3 part e – discuss the planning, delivery and evaluation of the 3 activities |
Delivering activities module Task 2 |
|
Module 5 part a - discuss the structure of guiding in your area |
Connecting your community module Task 4 |
Although the other parts of the young leader qualification don’t have a direct overlap with the young leader development programme, the knowledge you’ve gained and the skills you’ve developed will help you complete some of the young leader development modules. In particular, keeping it kind, supporting inclusive spaces and knowing Girlguiding.
If you’re currently working on the young leader qualification you have until the end of the summer term 2025 to finish it.
Many of the tasks in the modules are things that young leaders will do regularly as part of volunteering in a unit; such as attending planning meetings, running different types of activities, supporting on trips or at events.
If you’ve been a young leader for a while, you may find you’ve already done part of or a full task. That’s great - have a chat with your unit leader about what you did and how it went, and they can sign the task off. You don’t have to repeat things you’ve already done, unless you want to.
The young leader development programme has been designed to help young leaders build up their skills and help with the transition to be an adult leader.
5 of the modules in the young leader development programme link directly with 4 of the becoming a leader courses. This means that if you have completed these modules as a young leader, you'll have covered the learning elements for the corresponding courses in the leader development programme. Mentors will still do the check-ins as part of the becoming a leader training to check people's knowledge and help them progress to be adult leaders.
This crossover is automatic and happens after the relevant young leader module is added on GO. You won't need to do any additional admin.
Although the other modules in the young leader development programme don't link directly, young leaders will still gain very valuable skills and experience which will be useful when they are adults.
You can choose! You can start the leader development programme at 16 if you want. However, the young leader development programme has been specifically created for young leaders, in a more accessible format designed for you.
5 of the modules in the young leader development programme link directly with 4 of the becoming a leader courses. These modules are clearly marked on the young leader development programme webpage. We'd suggest that you complete the linking modules as this will help ease your transition to becoming an adult leader. Plus, you’ll get a badge once you complete 4 of the young leader development programme modules!
You can find specific guidance for leaders about the young leader development programme in our information about working with young volunteers.
Have a look through the resources and guidance and share the details with young leaders in your unit.
The young leader development programme is optional. So although you can offer support, guidance and encouragement to young leaders, it’s also fine for them to just be happy to come along, help at your unit and not do anything more. They get a lot out of being with the girls and having a safe space where they can make a difference, which is great.
If you’d like more support, you can contact the young leader coordinator in your county or your local commissioner.
You'll be able to record the modules on GO from July 2024. Check out the GO help files for more info.
