Fill - The Toolkit (Girlguiding UK)

Recruiting new

members and volunteers

in primary schools:

A toolkit for volunteers

Girlguiding ts in really well with schools’ goals, including

developing pupils’ communication, leadership and teamwork

skills. We need to make sure schools know all about the

benets, and encourage them to work with us.

A great way to do this is by speaking at a school assembly. You

could also run a Girlguiding taster session, or have a stand at

a school event like parents’ evening.

But what if you don’t have a contact in the school you want

to approach? And even if you do, what’s the best way to

approach them? It can be tricky to get your foot in the door,

and then to explain all the benets of Girlguiding to staff

and pupils.

This toolkit is packed with tips to help you approach schools,

get them working with Girlguiding, and recruit new members

and volunteers.

Contents

Step 1

Preparing to approach schools 3

Step 2

Making your approach 6

Step 3

Putting your plans into action 10

Activity cards 14

Find out more online

In addition to this toolkit, we have lots of helpful information

and resources for you to read and download on our website.

You can nd these easily by going to girlguiding.org.uk and

using the search bar in the top right hand corner of the page.

Looking for new Rainbows, Brownies or Guides?

There’s nowhere more obvious than your local primary schools

to start recruiting. School staff and parents also make great

adult volunteers.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 2

What do you

want to achieve?

The very rst thing you

should do is think carefully

about what you want to

achieve by approaching a

school.

There are lots of ways you can work

with schools:

• Opening a new unit

based in the school

• Opening a new unit

based in the community

involving girls and

volunteers from the

school

• Recruiting girls for units

already in the area

• Recruiting adult

volunteers to run units

What’s your ideal outcome? Having

a focus will make your efforts more

likely to succeed.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 3

Step 1:

Preparing to approach schools

Questions to ask yourself

Run through the following owchart to make sure you and

the unit are prepared before you start approaching schools.

You might be better off waiting until you do have

space, thinking about opening a new unit, or targeting

a specic audience, for example Year/Primary 1s if you

have space in Rainbows.

Bear in mind too that recruitment for Rainbows may

then mean a lack of Brownie places in a few years – and

long waiting lists won’t help more girls get involved!

You’ll need to make sure this is in place before

starting to recruit girls. Think about how you can recruit

girls and adult volunteers at the same time, perhaps

through a parent and child taster session or doing

an activity at a school fair.

You may need to think about

changing your meeting place so everyone

can t in.

Take a look at Doing our best and think about the quality

of your programme and what your unit can do to improve.

Also make sure your volunteers are up-to-date on the

latest programmes and resources.

I want to recruit new Rainbows,

Brownies or Guides…

Once you’ve answered ‘yes’ to all these questions,

you’re ready to start recruiting new Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Do you have space in local Rainbow/Brownie/

Guide units for all the girls who might want to join

after your successful recruitment campaign?

Do you have enough volunteers in the units to

support the girls?

Is your unit’s current meeting place big enough

to hold new girls you might recruit?

Is your programme exciting enough?

If girls come along to a meeting, are they going

to want to come back?

YES

Check out our resource about opening

a new unit for more information.

Search ‘starting a new unit’

Have a read of our resources for recruiting

new volunteers. Search ‘recruiting and

retaining volunteers’

Search ‘Doing our best’

Questions to ask yourself

Run through the following owchart to make sure you and the unit are prepared before you start approaching schools.

You need to consider who you’re targeting and how you

approach them carefully. Offer potential volunteers the

chance to visit a unit. Think carefully about the rst

impression you give of Girlguiding – offering adults the

opportunity to get involved sounds much better than ‘this

unit will close without you’!

Not all volunteers can or want to be involved face to face

with the girls. Think about administrative roles or

other supporting roles. Have a look at our

volunteer roles and descriptions.

Think about how you’re selling Girlguiding. Talk to other

volunteers about what they’ve enjoyed most so you have

examples. You might also want to download our Guiding on

your CV resource.

Use our Volunteer Induction Checklist to make sure new

volunteers have all the information they need. Think about

a group induction session so they can meet other new

volunteers and ask any questions.

I want to recruit new adult volunteers…

Have you thought about how you’re going to approach

potential volunteers?

Are you aware of all the volunteering roles

in Girlguiding?

Have you made volunteering with Girlguiding sound fun

and benecial to the volunteer?

Have you got a plan for welcoming and supporting

new volunteers?

YES

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 4

Step 1:

Preparing to approach schools

Search ‘volunteer roles’

Search ‘guiding on your CV’

Search ‘volunteer induction checklist

Have you sorted out these four questions?

If so, you’re ready to begin recruiting new adult volunteers!

What age group

are you targeting?

This handy guide to ages within school

year groups shows you which years you

should be approaching depending on

whether you’re looking for Rainbows,

Brownies or Guides.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 5

Step 1:

Preparing to approach schools

Early Years/Foundation

Stage/Reception

Ages 2-5 Rainbows

Key Stage 1 Year 1: Ages 5-6

Year 2: Ages 6-7

Rainbows/Brownies

Key Stage 2 Year 3: Ages 7-8

Year 4: Ages 8-9

Year 5: Ages 9-10

Year 6: Ages 10-11

Brownies/Guides

Playgroup/Nursery Ages 2-4

Primary 1-7 Primary 1: Ages 4-6

Primary 2: Ages 5-7

Primary 3: Ages 6-8

Primary 4: Ages 7-9

Primary 5: Ages 8-10

Primary 6: Ages 9-11

Primary 7: Ages 10-12

Rainbows/Brownies

Brownies

Brownies/Guides

Guides

Key Stage 1 Year 1: Ages 4-5

Year 2: Ages 5-6

Year 3: Ages 6-7

Year 4: Ages 7-8

Rainbows

Rainbows/Brownies

Brownies

Key Stage 2 Year 5: Ages 8-9

Year 6: Ages 9-10

Year 7: Ages 10-11

Brownies

Brownies/Guides

Guides

Scotland

England and Wales

Northern Ireland

Some of the best ways to get pupils and staff involved with Girlguiding

are speaking at a school assembly, running a taster session showing girls

what a typical meeting is like, or having a stand at a school event to

recruit girls, as well as parents and staff as volunteers.

But how do you go about proposing this to schools?

Contacting the school

It’s always easier to get a foot in the door if you already know someone involved with the

school. So have a think:

• Do you personally know any staff, governors or parents from

the school?

• Do any staff or governors have links with Girlguiding?

• What schools do the girls in your unit go to – could their

parents help you make contact?

If you don’t know anyone connected with the school, look at its website and see who

might be the best person to contact – perhaps the head, or a member of staff in charge of

engaging with the community.

Girlguiding staff and volunteers working to engage with schools tend to recommend you

contact the school by phone rst, as schools might not read emails and letters out of the

blue properly.

You can always follow up that rst call with an email or letter with more details (see the

template on page 7) then call the school to set a date.

On the phone, try to make a face-to-face appointment with the right person to discuss

what you can offer, and give them some promotional materials explaining more about

Girlguiding.

You’ll also need to nd out if the school is happy to have an assembly just for girls – our

experience suggests that it’s unlikely to be a problem. If you’re only able to see a mixed

group, take along some information about other youth groups or opportunities so that

everyone has something to take away.

Step 2:

Making your approach

‘Find the name of the head or another senior member

of staff before you call, so you’re able to request a

meeting with the right person. Have a look on the

school website and get a feel for what they offer.’

‘Think about what time of day you’re calling a school.

Avoid times when you know reception is going to be

busy (rst thing, lunchtime, end of school day). This

can be tricky if you’re balancing contact during a

working day, but it does make it more likely to get the

message through!’

‘When calling into a school to publicise your units,

parcel all of your leaets into batches of 30 – this

makes it easier to give them out to classes rather than

the school needing to count them out.’

‘I usually send a letter about two weeks before I want

to go into a school, letting them know the week I’d

like to come in. The week before, I phone the school

to make arrangements, asking for numbers so I know

how many freebies and leaets to bring. If they’ve

not read the letter, that’s no problem, I just let them

know I’ll resend it and call back. Occasionally a school

will say no to me coming in, and I just thank them for

their time and move on.’

‘Sometimes you have to work with a mixed group as

you’re the assembly speaker or that’s what works

best for the school. In that case, I ask them to listen

carefully and see if their sister, their mum, their

auntie or any other female child or adult might be

interested in getting involved with Girlguiding.’

Top Tips

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 6

Letter/email template

We’ve adapted the letter/email template opposite from a very

successful letter Girlguiding South West England uses to approach

schools.

Together with our schools leaet, you can use it to give the school

an idea of exactly what you’re hoping to get from them, as well as

explaining the benets of Girlguiding clearly.

Download an editable version. Search ‘recruiting in schools’

Dear ............

Reference: Extra-curricular provision – Girlguiding

I am contacting you to see if your school could work with us to offer Girlguiding to

your pupils.

Girlguiding is the leading organisation for girls and young women in the UK, with

around 550,000 members. We support girls and young women to develop their

potential and make a difference to the world.

Guiding encourages girls to participate in decision-making, to work together in teams

and to take part in a variety of activities and experiences that will help them develop

into well-rounded adults.

Girlguiding members choose activities from a structured programme, which includes

everything from camping and adventure to tackling mental health issues by building

resilience skills. Our programmes are girl-led and are designed to be relevant to girls

and young women across the UK.

Research by the Education Endowment Foundation shows that taking part in after

school programmes improves academic achievement, particularly Girlguiding’s key

characteristics of collaborative learning and outdoor adventure learning.

Guiding allows girls to further their knowledge, understanding and skills; build their

condence, aspirations and sense of achievement; try out activities and experiences

not included in the curriculum; make independent choices and decisions about their

participation; become involved in management and leadership of activities through

age-appropriate leadership roles; and make new friends.

All Girlguiding units are staffed by trained volunteers and supported by a volunteer

team at local, regional and national levels. Girlguiding volunteers are given training

and support by an experienced local volunteer team on everything from First Aid to

leadership skills, and volunteering opportunities range from running a local group to

helping out with accounting or other administrative tasks.

We would like to work with you to offer Girlguiding to the girls in your school. I would

be very grateful if you would allow local volunteers to come into school and run an

assembly. We would follow this up by sending information home in book bags for

parents.

Perhaps we could arrange a meeting, at a time convenient to you, to explore the

options. You can contact me using the details above, by email or phone.

Many thanks in advance for your time and support. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

[your name]

When you rst speak to the school, make sure you’re well prepared,

with all the facts and information you need to convince decision-makers

to get involved with Girlguiding.

You might want to:

• Look up the school’s OFSTED report:

– OFSTED report in England – reports.ofsted.gov.uk

– ETI report in Northern Ireland – etini.gov.uk

– Education Scotland in Scotland – education.gov.scot

– ESTYN in Wales – estyn.gov.wales

See what their ‘whole-school priorities’ are. Can you link these to

what Girlguiding offers and explain it to the school?

• Can you show how Girlguiding would ll a gap in the

school for extracurricular activities?

Take a look at the school website to see what’s on offer at

the moment.

• Think about the girls who attend the school

Do they have religious, language or cultural needs you’ll need

to take into account if they join Girlguiding? How will you do

this? Our Including All resources will help you think about this.

If you are a unit leader, don’t forget that your local Commissioner can

help you research these three points.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 7

Step 2:

Making your approach

In your meeting

When you go in to see the school, there are a few things you should

think about:

• Be realistic

Think carefully about what you can offer the school, but also

consider how you want them to support you, and explain this

clearly and concisely.

• Sell the benets of Girlguiding

Talk about what Girlguiding offers and give examples of how

Girlguiding has helped girls achieve this. From their rst night

staying away from home to building condence and leadership

skills, all these things help the school see the benets of working

with Girlguiding.

Research has shown that young people who take part in

extra-curricular activities achieve more than students who

don’t - nd out more about Girlguiding’s impact.

Search ‘impact report’

• Take resources

We’ve got lots of resources you can leave with the school, showing

the benets of Girlguiding and how the school can get involved

(opposite). You could also take some of the resources you use with

the girls to give the school an idea of what meetings are like.

• Think about language

You might want to send some information home to parents. Check

beforehand if there are any families who don’t have English

as their rst language, and see if you are be able to get some

information in their language. If parents are from another country

could you research Guiding or Scouting there to give them a

reference point about what Girlguiding is?

• Take information about what we offer volunteers

Most people don’t realise that we offer training, mentoring

and qualications for Girlguiding adult volunteers. Take some

information about opportunities for adults to develop their skills.

We’ve got lots of brilliant free resources to support you to approach schools:

• Schools engagement leaet

This leaet has been really successful in starting conversations with

schools (see the case study on page 18).

Search ‘recruiting in schools’

• Recruitment toolkit

This free toolkit has everything from postcards, posters and banners to

giveaways for girls like stickers and notebooks to encourage them to join

Girlguiding. You can even personalise the toolkit for your unit or area!

Search ‘recruitment toolkit’

• Section recruitment postcards

These postcards explain a little bit about each section and signpost girls to

Go to the Girlguiding Shop website and search ‘recruitment postcards’

• We are Girlguiding

This leaet introduces Girlguiding and each of the sections.

Go to the Girlguiding Shop website and search ‘we are Girlguiding’

• Shout Out About Girlguiding

This leaet summarises the key aims of Girlguiding to help you promote

the charity to people who’ve never heard of us before.

Go to the Girlguiding shop and search ‘shout out about Girlguiding’

These resources are free, and you can order them on the Girlguiding online shop

(girlguidingshop.co.uk). You’ll only need to pay for postage and packing, and

you may be able to claim these costs from District, Division or County.

Keep checking the online shop as new resources are released and others are

updated all the time.

What resources can I take with me?

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 8

Step 2:

Making your approach

Step 2:

Making your approach

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 9

How Girlguiding resources can help

Youth United Development Worker, Laura from Berwick in Northumberland, tells us how the

schools engagement leaet has worked for her.

‘My area is rural North Northumberland, so although I’ve worked with medium-sized schools

(around 200 pupils), the majority have been small schools with fewer than 100 pupils. Because

of the low population I’ve been able to take a much more personal approach when it comes to

talking to schools.

‘As a general rule, I’ve been phoning school receptions and asking if I can drop some information

into them personally. I’ve then taken the schools leaet with me, along with some generic

publicity materials such as the Shout out about Girlguiding and We are Girlguiding leaets, and

the relevant section postcards.

‘In the larger schools the leaet has led to an appointment with teachers with an interest in

community engagement. In the smaller schools I have often been able to speak to someone on

the spot when delivering the information.

‘The schools leaet has been particularly helpful in putting our services into ‘schools language’

so that they can see how our programme ts with their aims. In both cases it has led to ‘bag

drops’, where I’ve been able to send information home with pupils via letters. This has helped

to ll girl places, and also to nd volunteers from the parents at school. In one school, it led

directly to the opening of two units in a small village. It’s a great resource for teaching staff,

and having a school ‘on side’ with Girlguiding makes a huge difference in the community.’

•Briefintroduction(nomorethanoneminute)

Give your name (ideally your rst name, or if you prefer, a guiding nickname, to create a

relaxed atmosphere different to schools). Explain that you’re going to talk about an after

school opportunity that could take them across the world and will give them some amazing

opportunities…

•Playoneofourintroductionvideosorshowprintedpictures

withashortexplanation(3-4minutes)

We’ve got videos that introduce girls to Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. If the school has the

technology available, play the relevant one. If you can’t play the videos, you could print out

some pictures and talk the girls through what Girlguiding offers.

Search‘introtoRainbows/Brownies/Guides’

•Option1-Speechbox(seeopposite)(2-5minutes)

If possible and practical, the best way to sell Girlguiding is to have current members talk

about how great it is. If the girls are stuck for ideas create a ‘speech box’ to help them.

•Option2–agame,songoractivity

(2-5minutes)



You could show the girls exactly what’s involved in Girlguiding by playing a game. Try some of

the activities on our activity cards!

•Questionsandgivingoutsectionpostcards

(3-5minutes)



Our section postcards are a great resource to encourage girls to nd their nearest unit. If

you’re looking to recruit to a specic unit, you could use our template invite to invite girls to

your next unit meeting.

‘Ask questions and get the children involved in the assembly

– I always ask them to put their hands up to a series of

questions. I try to get current members up to the front

and ask them what their favourite thing about Guiding is,

and then ask the other children who also likes doing that. I

also try to get the staff involved, asking if any of them are

volunteers or were ever a Guide or Brownie themselves.’

‘Work out where the meeting venue is from the school – girls

will want to know exactly where the meetings are. Look

for local landmarks such as supermarkets that they’ll be

familiar with.’

Anexample15-20minuteassembly

Speech



box

At the assembly, ask current members to come up and choose

one item from a box you’ve made up of things that sum up

Girlguiding. You could get girls to help you make the box during a

meeting.

For example:

•

A tent peg – this could represent the rst time she slept

in a tent, or planning and running her own Guide Camp as

part of her Permit

•

A badge that she’s enjoyed completing

•

Something she’s made (food or craft)

•

A souvenir from a trip

•

A photograph or video from an activity she’s done

Girls can then explain the story behind the item to the audience,

and how it connects to Guiding. The audience might like to guess

what the story is!

You could also get girls to prepare their answers beforehand

if you think that might work better. Or they could create

something that represents Girlguiding to them and explain it at

the assembly if they’re feeling particularly inspired.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 10

Step3:

Puttingyourplansintoaction

Planningarecruitmentassembly

Iftheschoolhasagreedtoyoudoinganassembly,it’stimetogetplanning!

In the assembly you need to give girls a realistic idea of what Girlguiding has to offer in your

area. Involving current members in the assembly can be really effective.

Make sure you stick to the timings you’ve agreed with the school for the assembly so you don’t

disturb the school’s routine. This might mean cutting or extending your session at the last

minute, so be prepared for this with an idea of what to cut and a spare activity.

TopTips

If you’re recruiting girls…

If you’re recruiting adult volunteers…

Following up your assembly

It’s really important that you follow up your assembly as quickly as possible.

You might want to invite potential members to a unit meeting after your

assembly. Try handing out invites at the end of the assembly, or leaving them

with the school to send home in book bags. You could

use our section recruitment postcards or our invite template to create the

invites.

Thank the school

Before you leave, call into the main ofce and thank the secretary, or if

possible, the head for the chance to promote Girlguiding.

Then write the school a thank you letter, letting them know how much you

value their support and saying you’ll let them know the impact of the assembly,

and how many girls/volunteers join Girlguiding.

Text message follow up

You may want to ask the school to send a text to parents via their usual system.

You could use our sample message:

Today, volunteers from Girlguiding came to talk to our girls about joining

the organisation. Girlguiding is for all girls aged 5+* and welcome volunteers

from all backgrounds. For more information, please visit www.girlguiding.

org.uk/interested

Email follow up

If the school regularly uses email to communicate with parents, they might be

able to send a more detailed message home.

You can use our sample messages, opposite.

*4yrs in Northern Ireland

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 11

Step 3:

Putting your plans into action

Today, volunteers from Girlguiding came in and spoke to girls about joining the

Rainbow, Brownie or Guide group nearby. Girlguiding offers a number of exciting

opportunities for girls, from residential experiences to trying new things. Groups are

run by trained volunteers and are open to all girls aged 5+. For more information,

please visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested or visit our taster session.

Local volunteers from Girlguiding have asked us to make you aware of a

volunteering opportunity as part of the UK’s largest organisation for girls and

young women. Girlguiding offers a number of exciting opportunities for girls, from

residential experiences to trying new things. Volunteers can do anything from

working with girls to advising on a specialist area, such as canoeing or taking on

administrative roles. If you’re interested in developing new skills, and have some

spare time, for more information, please visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested.

Running a taster session

You might also want to think about offering a taster session after (or even before, or

during) school, where girls come along and see what a meeting would be like. You could

do this instead of, or as well as, an assembly.

If this is the route you go down with the school, below are a few things to think about:

• Advertise

Try to spread the message about the taster session as much as you can. If you

do an assembly, you could send out an invite after. You should ask the school to

publicise your taster session too. This might be on the school noticeboard, in a

newsletter or on social media.

• Give all the information

Make sure you’ve included clear information on your publicity materials – which

classes/age groups can attend? Which unit are you recruiting for? How do they

• Get parental consent

Make sure every child has returned a consent form before the session. Also

ensure you know about any faith considerations or disabilities.

• Set a deadline to sign up

Make sure you have enough resources by setting a deadline to book a place in the

taster session… and then take a few extra for girls who sneak in on the day!

• Sort your team

Think carefully about who should attend the taster session – you don’t want too

many adults overcrowding the children, or too few. Young Leaders or Rangers can

be a big draw for younger children, who look up to them. Consider if you want to

invite current members of Girlguiding too.

• Think about safeguarding

The school may ask you for copies of disclosure certicates, or to complete

school DBS checks. Some schools will ask for a member of staff to stay with

volunteers at all times. Work with the school to nd a solution that satises their

safeguarding requirements and those of Girlguiding.

Why a taster session?

Alison, a Development Worker from Lanarkshire, Scotland,

tells us about her success with taster sessions.

‘It was great to see girls from different year groups and classes

mixing together and making new friends – in the following

weeks we had an incredible 14 new girls join the unit!

‘Since April last year we’ve run a number of school taster

sessions for Rainbow and Guide units in the area and they’ve

been successful every time. The head teacher at one school

has suggested we hold another taster session during school

lunchtimes rather than after classes have nished. This way

even more girls would be able to join us and they wouldn’t be

restricted by other commitments or transport arrangements.

‘There are lots of other ways to reach out to schools too –

giving presentations during school assemblies or attending

school fêtes and parents’ evenings. In schools I have worked

with, I’ve designed and distributed brightly-coloured yers

to advertise taster sessions to girls, which have been really

effective.

‘Above all, it’s important to plan, and create an environment

where girls feel at ease – having current members attend really

helps, as they talk openly about what they enjoy and are very

good at encouraging new girls to join.

‘Thanks to our work with local schools, we now have three new

and thriving groups in the area with lots of exciting plans for

the future.’

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 12

Step 3:

Putting your plans into action

Getting school staff to volunteer

By regularly going along to school events and building a relationship with staff, you

may well recruit some new volunteers into Girlguiding.

Be prepared to discuss exible volunteering options, such as an instructor, residential

volunteer or administrator roles, as well as different ways of committing to leadership

roles, like attending fortnightly or monthly.

Having a stall at school events

Another way you can work with schools is by having a stall at a school event like

parents’ evening, a school fair, or sports day.

This is a great way to speak to lots of parents/carers, staff and children.

If you’ve agreed with the school to have a stand, some good advice is to make it

look professional and attractive. Not only will this attract more people, it will help

parents appreciate how much Girlguiding has changed since they were involved!

Have a look on our website for more information on recruitment stands, and contact

your county ofce to see if they have any resources you can borrow.

Search ‘recruitment stalls’

‘If you have free pens or other items,

leave a selection with the reception on your

way out, ensuring that you have one for every

adult who works in the school – you never

know who might be your next volunteer!’

Benets of volunteering

Wendy, from South West England, tells us how she combines a

busy role as a Head of Year with her Girlguiding volunteering and

how it has helped her professionally.

‘After university, I did a post grad training course to become

a health service manager and, to feel part of the community,

decided to start volunteering as a Guide Leader. I loved working

with young people and retrained as a teacher. When relocating and

trying to nd a new job, I know that the experiences I had gained

through taking girls on camps and international trips helped me

obtain my current post where extra-curricular activities are a

major feature.

‘My Guiding experience and its values of treating each person as

an individual were also a part in my successful application a few

years later to become a Head of Year.’

Wendy currently volunteers with Girlguiding as a District Leader,

helping with units and events as and when required, rather than

a xed weekly commitment.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 13

Step 3:

Putting your plans into action

Top Tip

As a relay:

In teams stand in lines and pass the ball over head and under legs as a relay - the

person at the front who receives the ball last runs to the back and the winners

are the team that have the original person back in front rst.

Alternatively get the girls to pass the ball using their elbows, knees or feet. Use a

water balloon or a plastic cup of water to add a bit of drama!

In a circle

Throw the ball as quickly as possible across the circle, saying the person’s name

as you throw the ball. Use a number of balls to make this more difcult, or

challenge the participants to do an action before they catch the ball, perhaps

spin around or kneel down.

Target practice:

Use a container like an empty bin or you could use a skipping rope or hula hoop

to make a circle-shaped target on the oor, and set up a line for people to stand

behind. Give each girl three turns to throw the ball/beanbag into the target. The

challenge is to get all three shots into the target. If it gets too easy, move the

target further away or use a smaller container.

Human croquet:

Ask one girl per team to be a croquet hoop. The team’s aim is to roll the ball

through their team-mate’s legs, once each, as quickly as possible in a relay. If a

team member misses, they have to go and collect the ball and try again. Once

one person has played, it’s their turn to be the croquet hoop.

Activity 1

Pass it on!

Try these quick throwing,

catching and relay games

to ll a spare ve minutes

and burn off some energy!

They are also a great way

to develop skills.

Duration:

5 mins

Sections:

All

You will need:

A ball, balloon or beanbag

When to use it:

A small year group or

class meeting, as part of a

taster session.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 14

Choose a group of six to

step outside the circle and

close their eyes.

Ask the group of six to

open their eyes and try

to untangle the human

knot by directing the

girls in the circle. It

often proves difcult!

Activity 2

Human Knot

This game is quick, but not so easy and helps the girls

to practise working in a team.

Duration: Up to 10 mins

Sections: Brownies, Guides

When to use it: A small year group or class meeting, as

part of a taster session, in a large assembly venue.

Ask girls to form a

circle, all holding

hands.

Give the rest of the group two

minutes to make the biggest human

knot that they can by moving around

in the circle. They should hold hands

all the time.

Activity 3

Me too!

Most getting-to-know-you games focus on what is

different about everyone. This game will help your girls

to realise that they are alike in many ways.

Duration: Until they get bored or run out of questions!

Sections: Brownies, Guides

You will need: One chair per person

When to use it: A small year group or class meeting, as

part of a taster session.

Ask each girl to get a chair

and arrange them in a

circle, facing inwards. One

girl should be without a

chair and standing in the

middle of the circle.

The girls who have stood

up and shouted, and the

girl who was standing in

the middle, must then run

around and nd a different

chair to sit on.

The girl in the middle shouts

out a statement such as, ‘I

have two sisters’. If that is

true of someone sitting down,

they should stand up and

shout, ‘Me too!’

The girls are not allowed

to sit back on their

original chair.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 15

Activity 4

The one-minute

game

What can you do in a minute? This

game is quick, and will help develop

the girls’ coordination skills.

Duration:

As long as you like

Sections:

All

You will need:

Depends on what activity you choose

When to use it:

A small year group or class meeting,

as part of a taster session, in an

assembly, on a stall.

Ask the girls to think of something that

they are able to do for one minute and get

them up to the front to demonstrate.

1545

55 5

Just a minute – speak for

a whole minute without

pausing or repeating

yourself on one subject

Make as many

sandwiches/drinks as

possible without making

a mess

Here are some ideas to help you:

Keep a tennis ball

in the air

Score as many

baskets as you can

Do star

jumps

Run really

fast

Do sit ups

Name as many of one type of

thing (animal, object, things

beginning with a certain letter

etc) as you can.

Teach each

other a skill

Find an object

Tell everybody in the

room something good

about themselves

Guess when a

minute is up

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 16

Activity 5

That’s me!

This game requires girls to be fast and to

listen carefully.

Duration: Until they get bored or everyone has

joined the line.

Sections: Brownies, Guides

When to use it: A small year group or class

meeting, as part of a taster session, in a large

assembly venue.

Everyone sits on

the oor except

one person.

The girl who is stood up shouts out a

statement such as, ‘I have two sisters’. If

that is true of someone sitting down, they

should stand up and shout, ‘That’s me!’

Activity 6

Duvet charades

This game requires a lot of acting skill and attention

to detail.

Duration: Until they get bored or run out of ideas.

Sections: Brownies, Guides

You will need: A duvet cover

When to use it: A small year group or class meeting,

as part of a taster session, in assembly.

Ask two volunteers to work

together to act out a charade

(you can give them one or they

can choose their own).

The only catch is they

must act out from inside

the duvet cover!

Once in the duvet, they can’t

speak. Ask the girls to guess as

many as they can in three minutes,

then move on to a new team.

They then have to run and be

the rst to link arms with the girl

who is stood up. There is only

one winner.

The winner shouts the

next statement.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 17

Activity 7

You’re My Star

(from Free Being Me)

Duration: 10 mins

Sections: Brownies, Guides

You will need: Star shaped cards, pens

When to use it: A small year group or class

meeting, as part of a taster session, in

assembly.

Activity 8

Triumph Bunting

(from Think Resilient – Take it Forward

(Activities for Leaders))

Duration: 2 mins

Sections: Guides

You will need: Triangles of paper, pens

When to use it: A small year group

or class meeting, as part of a taster

session, in assembly.

Give each girl a

triangle of paper or ask

them to cut one out

themselves.

Ask the girls to decorate

the borders of the

triangles as they wish

– leaving the centre

empty so that they can

be written on.

Each girl should write their name on the edge

of the triangle, and design/decorate it to reect

their personality. Once everyone has completed

their triangle, pierce two small holes at two

corners of the triangle. Thread the string through

each triangle to make a line of bunting and put

them up around the room. Once you have put it up,

explain that the girls will use this bunting to record

their own achievements.

They could add on the back something that they’d

like to do once they have joined Girlguiding.

Give each participant a star

shaped card and help them to

write a positive message that they

would like to share with others,

encouraging them to celebrate who

they are.

They could add on the back

something that they’d like

to do once they have joined

Girlguiding.

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 18

Activity 9

Blindfolded

pitch a tent

Duration: 10 mins

Sections: Guides

You will need: Two tents

When to use it: A small year group or class meeting,

as part of a taster session, in assembly.

Make two small teams

(maximum of

3 people) and

challenge them to

pitch a tent.

Blindfold two of the three team

members and say that only the

blindfolded people are allowed to touch

the tent, but only the non-blindfolded

one is allowed to speak.

Have a tent

pitching race!

Activity 10

Jam sandwiches

Duration: 15 mins

Sections: Guides

You will need: Paper, pens, bread,

butter, jam, knife, plate

When to use it: A small year group or

class meeting, as part of a taster session,

in assembly.

Split into small groups.

Give each group a

sheet of A4 paper.

Explain that they need

to write instructions for

making a jam

sandwich.

Ask for a volunteer

group to read their

instructions out.

Follow the instructions

literally – for example,

if they don’t say to

open the jar, then don’t

do it!

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 19

Activity 11

Stand up/sit downquiz

Duration: 5 mins

Sections: Guides, Rangers

When to use it:

A small year group or class meeting, as part

of a taster session, in assembly.

Using the ‘Facts about Girlguiding’ quiz below, ask the girls to stand

up if the question is true and stay sat down if it’s false. After each

question, give a little bit of information to back up the statement.

a. Girlguiding is in 100 different countries around the world. (False – it’s 146)

b. Every year, Girlguiding host a massive pop concert that only Guides can

attend. (True)

c. Guides can travel abroad with Girlguiding. (True)

d. Guides decide their own activities for meetings. (True)

e. Guides have to wear dresses for meetings.

(False – they can if they want, but the uniform also includes a long sleeved

t-shirt, a hoodie, a polo shirt, a skirt – and whatever trousers they like)

f. Guides make a lot of craft items. (Both true and false – the correct answer

is only if the Guides want to)

g. Guides have to promise to serve God. (False – Guides do not have to

make the Promise if they don’t want to, the Promise is to

develop their beliefs – whatever they may be.)

Activity 12

Maltesers in the air

Duration: 10 mins

Sections: Guides

You will need:

Maltesers, straws

When to use it: A small year

group or class meeting, as part

of a taster session.

Give each

member of the

group a straw

and a Malteser.

Lie down on the oor on your

back and try to balance the

Malteser on top of the straw.

Once it’s balanced, blow

through the straw and the

Malteser will rise into the air.

Try to keep it in the air by

continuing to blow.

When you’ve mastered this, try

it without the straw – be careful

not to swallow your Malteser!

Is it easier with or without

the straw? Who can keep their

Malteser in the air the longest?

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 20

Remember

not to eat

your Malteser

after it’s

been on the

oor!

Show the participants the

video ‘Evolution – Dove’

from YouTube. Explain

this is one of the topics

Girlguiding educates girls

on.

Ask everyone to draw and cut out their own

large speech bubble, and write in big letters

their message that they want to shout out to

other young people around the world, thinking

about the video they have just seen.

Activity 13

Beauty Bubbles

(from Free Being Me)

Duration: 5-10 mins

Sections: Guides

You will need:

Pens, paper, video projector

When to use it:

A small year group or class

meeting, as part of a taster

session, in assembly.

You may want to ask if anyone

wants to hold up their speech

bubble and read out what it says to

the rest of the group.

Rangers might want to engage with

#FreeBeingMe on social media.

To order more recruitment resources go to:

girlguidingshop.co.uk to shop online or call 0161 941 2237

To download and print copies of the school engagement leaet go

to girlguiding.org.uk and search ‘recruiting in schools’

17-19 Buckingham Palace Road,

London, SW1W 0PT

www.girlguiding.org.uk

Registered charity number 306016

Recruiting new members and volunteers in primary schools 21

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