Taking the Lead
The Young Leader Qualification (YLQ), open to girls aged 14 to 18, is designed to help girls take an active, positive role in helping to run a Rainbow, Brownie or Guide unit. Girls develop their leadership, communication and team working skills – all of which make impressive additions to any CV or university application!
In February 2017, Girlguiding Edinburgh held a residential weekend at Bonaly Outdoor Centre just for Young Leaders. Here, Abi, Young Leader with 27th Edinburgh Brownies, and Emilia Young Leader with the 27thA Edinburgh Brownies, tell us more about the weekend and what they got out of it.
“At the Young Leader weekend we met lots of other Young Leaders from across Edinburgh. There were leaders from Rainbows and Brownies. We all made lots of new friends, and had time to socialise as well as think about and work on our Young Leader Qualification (YLQ). We did some really fun team building activities, and we learned lots of new ways of working with the younger girls. The weekend was jam packed, and we got lots done. By the end of the weekend, we were all well on our way to completing the qualification! We also had a campfire with some Polish Scouts who were staying at Bonaly that weekend – by the end of it we had all learned some new songs! The best part of the weekend was meeting so many young people. After the weekend we all felt much more confident working with the girls.
Working as a Young Leader teaches you important skills such as patience, communication, confidence, and leadership skills. It helps you to understand how to work with others in an effective, friendly team and environment. Being a Young Leader is great fun because you can forget your school worries and just relax and have fun for an evening. Guiding is a great place to make new friends and leave your troubles at the door. It is lovely to work with the girls and so rewarding to give something back to your community.
Our advice for girls thinking about becoming a Young Leader is: go for it! It is so much fun, and you can get as much out of it as the girls. It also looks great of your CV! Find out what Girlguiding groups meet near you and when, and contact Girlguiding Edinburgh to arrange to go along and volunteer.”