Interest badges
Volunteering
Take action
One person can do so much
Volunteering comes in all shapes and sizes. No matter what your skills are or how much time you have, there’s a role for you. From fundraising to campaigning, you can make a massive impact.
In this badge you’re going to take on three volunteering challenges:
Challenge one – volunteer supporting people
Challenge two – volunteer supporting places
Challenge three – volunteer supporting animals
Where to volunteer
When doing each challenge decide whether you’re going to have an impact:
- Locally
- Nationally
- Internationally
When doing the challenges, you can only choose each of the above options once. For example, if you volunteer with animals locally, you then can’t volunteer with animals or volunteer locally again. You have to choose from the other options.
Get creative and think outside the box about the roles you do. There are lots of opportunities to make a change and support causes you care about – you can even support an international cause without needing to use your passport.
Make your volunteering a challenge and try something new. Look at the lists below for some inspiration. But remember you can do anything you want – don’t feel limited!
People
Local
- Be a young leader at a local unit
- Volunteer on a university helpline
National
- Help take a unit to a national guiding event
- Help at a charity event
International
- Run a WAGGGS activity or event for your unit
- Collect donations for an aid appeal
Places
Local
- Do a litter pick
- Volunteer at a local museum
National
- Take part in a conservation project
- Help look after an historic building
International
- Write a blog for an international environmental charity
- Fundraise for a charity that protects the rainforest
Animals
Local
- Volunteer at a local rescue centre
- Muck out for a donkey sanctuary or horse charity
National
- Fundraise for an animal charity
- Support the National Bat Monitoring survey
International
- Run a campaign raising awareness about an endangered species
- Support the admin work of an international animal charity
Volunteering
- Work with an adult to arrange your volunteering and keep them updated every step of the way.
- Only volunteer with organisations you know to be legitimate and trustworthy.
- Only undertake volunteering tasks that you feel safe and comfortable doing.
- If you feel worried about anything you’re asked to do as a volunteer, speak to an adult you trust straight away.
Including others
- Make sure your parent/carer knows you’re talking to other people and who they are.
- Never talk to strangers on your own.
- If you feel worried or confused by any of the answers given, talk to an adult you trust straight away.
Out and about safety
- Plan your route before you go.
- Make sure someone knows where you're going and when you’ll be back.
- Pay attention to what’s happening around you. Only do your activity when you are somewhere safe.
- Always keep to the Green Cross Code and remember to wear reflective or bright clothes/accessories. When you’re out at night, wear reflective clothing or accessories like reflective armbands.
- Have a way of contacting someone if you get stuck (for example, having a charged phone).
Internet safety
To keep safe online, I will…
- Not share any personal information on the internet (my full name, my home or school address, my phone number or my email address).
- Only download files on to my devices with permission from my parent/carer.
- Always ask permission before uploading photos or videos online. If I send pictures, I am aware that these can be forwarded onto others.
- Tell my parent/carer, teacher or leader if something online worries or upsets me.
- Only add people online that I know in the real world.
- Be wary of emails that contain unknown links. I know clicking links can download viruses or other harmful files onto my devices.
- Treat people online with the same respect as I would in the real world. I will never write anything that might hurt or upset someone.
- Not meet up with someone that I have met online and if someone asks me to do so, I will tell a parent/carer.
- Think carefully about what I read, hear and see online, and not trust information unless I have checked it on other websites or in books, or have asked an adult about it.
