Welcome to Edinburgh!

When you move to a new city guiding is a great way to meet people and get involved in your community. I know this because I encouraged my mum to join Girlguiding Edinburgh when she moved to the city from York.

When I took on the role of County Growing Guiding Coordinator for Girlguiding Edinburgh I wanted to put on an event to welcome volunteers who were new to the area. At the start of a new term loads of people move to Edinburgh to start college, uni or new jobs so we decided to hold a Welcome Event just after university freshers’ week.

Although I’ve been involved in guiding since I was 5 I am relatively new to Girlguiding Edinburgh – but this hasn’t held me back. I get loads of help from fellow volunteers like Rhian and Susan. They were able to put me in touch with enthusiastic Leaders who were willing to help out at the Welcome Event.

As a volunteer I am constantly learning and developing new skills. I learnt loads about branding when tasked with designing the promotional materials for the Welcome Event which were used on social media and on our website.

On the night we had information stands representing each age group: Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Senior Section. We also showcased some of the amazing opportunities guiding has to offer its volunteers like Peer Education Training and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The Welcome Event was a real success – 11 new volunteers registered with us on the night and have already been placed in groups around the city! Plus the number of new people joining Girlguiding Edinburgh in September was double the number of a normal month!

This was just one event, finding new volunteers is a vital and ongoing focus for Girlguiding Edinburgh. I hope to help run more events like this in future!

If you are interested in volunteering with us we would love to hear from you.