Leaders in Training and Mentors – Facebook Interactive

On Saturday 21 November we held another of our popular Facebook Interactive sessions, this time aimed at the many Leaders in Training across our region and their Mentors.

Here we have gathered the information and links shared as well as answering some of the questions from the day. You can still find the full morning’s Facebook posts and make comments on the Girlguiding Anglia Facebook page.

The Leadership Qualification

You could get parts of your Leadership Qualification underway right now, whilst still meeting virtually or even if you’re not able to meet at all.

All you need to do is read these page links and make a few notes to discuss with your mentor at your next meeting. Why not get a difficult one out of the way straight away?

Quick win 1 – Module 3 Part 3 (a), read the ‘financial management’ section of the Girlguiding website. Discuss with your mentor the need to budget for the day-to-day running of the unit and the requirement to prepare unit accounts.

Quick win 2 – Module 1 Part 1 a), b) & c) of the Leadership Qualification asks you to use the Five Essentials in the unit programme over a period of three months.

Do you know what the Five Essentials are?

How do you think we can maintain the 5 Essentials when delivering a blended Guiding offer?

Check out this video from Girlguiding on the five essentials to make sure you’re familiar with them.

Read these pages and make a few notes to discuss with your mentor at your next meeting. Module 1, Part 1 a) read the Five Essentials page on the Girlguiding website and see also the relevant guidance notes for leaders for your section.

Quick win 3 – Module 1, Part 3 e) read the evaluation activities on the Girlguiding website and, with your mentor, discuss how you evaluated activities with the unit members and other leaders who were involved.

Keeping a commitment to a common standard is another one of our Five Essentials, and the Promise is a key part of that. Module 1 Part 3 a) of the Leadership Qualification asks you to plan and carry out an activity that helps unit members gain an understanding of the Promise. Watch this video for a couple of ideas.

Girlguiding Anglia is creating a folder full of possible Promise activities; this will be loaded on to the Adventures at Home section of the region website soon. Keep an eye out on social media for the link.

What does the Promise mean to you?

Module 2 Part 1 of the Leadership Qualification asks you to discuss your understanding of the Promise with an adult member of your choice and make or renew your Guide Promise. What does the promise mean to you?

Quick win 4 – Module 3 Part 2 (a) Read the safeguarding and risk pages on the Girlguiding website and discuss them with your mentor.

Quick win 5 – Module 4 Part 2 (e) Read the ‘Policies’ section of the Girlguiding website and understand your responsibility to uphold the policies of Girlguiding.

Quick win 6 – As a member of Girlguiding, we are part of a worldwide organisation? Watch this video and find out where you fit in.

Read these pages and make a few notes to discuss with your mentor at your next meeting. Module 4 Part 2 (a) Read ‘What makes guiding special’ and ‘the structure of Girlguiding’ on the Girlguiding website.

Programme

It’s important to be as inclusive as possible in everything we do and attendees discussed ideas on how they are currently adapting to needs. There are many useful documents on Girlguiding’s website to help with adapting activities for running sessions online or in a socially distant way, why not have a look to help you with your planning to make sure you’re offering variety to the girls in your unit.

This video, ‘Going beyond scavenger hunts’, is brilliant for virtual guiding ideas – save the link to access the recording from the June 2020 webinar and download some useful documents with activity ideas from fellow volunteers.

Anglia Region have also produced a range of resources for Adventures at Home in the member support resources section of their website, these include;

• Newsletters written for each section that time-poor leaders can just pick up and send to their girls
• Fun games for virtual meetings
• Home activities
• Virtual software guides on how to use Zoom, Facebook, Google etc
• UMA and Skills Builders for virtual meetings
• Virtual Guiding FAQs

Training

You can choose whether you do the modules you need online via e-learning or participate in live online training, so you can learn about the programme in real-time with a Girlguiding trainer and ask questions from the comfort of your own home. The choice is yours.

Live online training (webinars) – to attend a live event online, check out the schedule in your events pages on GO. The trainings are booked on a first-come, first-served basis so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.

E-learning – to access the programme e-learning, select the relevant module links from the Girlguiding website e-learning page.

Girlguiding Anglia has launched a new region and county calendar for training and events on their region website. This will allow you to find suitable online or face to face training in your area or in the wider region.

First Aid

Did you know there is a new First Response certificate process that will start from January 2021?

To complete module 3 Part 2 d) you need to gain a First Response certificate. The training consists of a 6-hour course, split into three sessions and an e-learning which can be completed before or after the full training course.

The training course may be delivered as a full 6-hour course or it can be split into three 2-hour sessions to allow for flexibility and is delivered both face to face and virtually using an online platform.

If you attend these virtually you will need to do a short follow-up practical session face to face to demonstrate CPR and a few other practical skills that are required.

If you already have a first aid qualification, follow this link to the Girlguiding website to check if it is suitable for guiding.

Safeguarding – Safe Space

We’re sure you’re all aware of the current requirements to complete necessary A Safe Space training before the end of the year.

To complete Module 3 Part 2 f) you need to complete levels 1 and 2.

Go to the Safe Space area of the Girlguiding website to find the 25-minute e-learnings. Upon completion, these will be added to your ‘GO’ record.

GO – the membership database

If you are don’t have a GO login as yet, click here for a useful video to show you how to get one.

If you’ve forgotten your GO user ID or password click here for useful guide.

Need to find the help files on GO that will help you complete Module 3 Parts 1 a) and b)? This video will show you how.

Mentoring

Attendees discussed how they were keeping in touch remotely with their mentors/leaders in training; here are some of their ideas:

• Using Zoom for regular catch-ups, sharing screens to discuss evidence
• Email and Google docs as a portfolio of digital evidence
• Outdoor walks and take away coffee in the park (when regulations allow)
• WhatsApp
• Messenger

Further information on supporting leaders in training is available from the mentor area of the Girlguiding website.

Who can be a Mentor?

You can!

A leader with the qualification to match the one that the mentee is working towards i.e. a qualified unit leader can mentor a leader in training; a leader with a Going Away With qualification can mentor a leader working towards going away. The ‘becoming a mentor’ area of the Girlguiding website has more information.

If you think you would like to be a Leadership Qualification mentor, then tell your local commissioner. She will talk it over with you and then recommend you to the leadership qualification (LQ) coordinator. The LQ Coordinator will then match you with a new leader.

There should be no cost to you. Expenses are paid at a local level for meetings, visits and your training.

There is e-learning, local face to face training (when allowed) and online sessions for existing, new and prospective mentors.

Look at the region or your county newsletter; check on Facebook, read county mail outs and look to see whether there’s ‘online training’ you could apply to join. Chat to your commissioner and your counties Leadership Coordinator (contact through the communication area of GO).