Running a young leader and peer education event

On 14 and 15 September, young leaders and peer educators across Girlguiding Midlands gathered together to learn new skills - and have lots of fun.

What's a young leader and peer education event?

A young leader and peer education event is a brilliant opportunity to showcase 2 of our amazing opportunities for girls – the new young leader development programme and our peer education offer. It’s also a great chance to celebrate and thank young volunteers for the support they give and give them space to learn new things and develop their skills further. 

Who's responsible for organising these events?

Every county or region has young leader coordinators who support young leaders in their area, as well as peer education coordinators who look after peer education.

Together they can organise joint events with the support of other members of the country or region team, such as our peer education trainers (who can train young people to become peer educators) and other trainers who can run bespoke training on the modules in the young leader development programme.

Find out more on our volunteer roles in guiding pages. 

What are the benefits of holding a young leader and peer education event?

Running events specifically for young leaders is a great way to give them support, help them build friendships and feel part of a wider community.  

Peer education training weekends are a brilliant opportunity for Rangers, young leaders and young adult members to upskill themselves and build their confidence to run peer education sessions in their local area.

These events can be run separately, but the benefits to running a joint event include sharing the accommodation and catering costs, being able to join together for evening social activities and networking, and sharing responsibilities for organising and planning.  

Can my area benefit from the DCMS Uniformed Youth Fund?

Thanks to the DCMS Uniformed Youth Fund, we've been partnering with the English regions to open new Guide and Ranger units, create spaces in existing units in areas with waiting lists, and support the rollout of our new young leader development programme. Do get in touch with your region office if you need support responding to local Guide and Ranger waiting lists or organising training.

Useful tips for holding your own event

It can be difficult to get young volunteers to commit to a weekend event – they have lots of things going on outside of guiding too. Try to avoid holding events during exam times (April-June).  

Use social media for advertising, but remember that young volunteers find out lots of information from their unit leaders. So it's a good idea to talk to leaders in your area and ask them to pass the information on.