Girlguiding Chippenham West Holiday Unit

The background

• Huge waiting list for Rainbows in our district• Slight drop in Brownie waiting list numbers in

the district• Discovery of Holiday Brownies pilot in

Gloucestershire• Sowing the seed of an idea

The plan

• Offer Rainbow programme to girls unable to access it due to lengthy waiting lists

• 5 full days of programme a year – 3 in the summer holidays; 1 at Christmas and 1 at Easter

• District unit run by qualified leaders from existing units (and an amazing YL!)

• Offer girls access to other section-appropriate activities/trips throughout the year

The benefits• Girls, who would otherwise have missed out

on Girlguiding experience, get access to programme (terms condensed into days)

• Potential improvement in Brownie numbers in the future (remains to be seen)

• Offers flexibility to leader struggling to manage weekly guiding

• Deliberate decision not to label unit as Rainbows as you never know what the future need will be!

What the parents said...

• “Thank you so much for a lovely few days. She has had the most wonderful time. Thank you for your time, energy and dedication.”

• “She has had a fabulous time at the Rainbow Holiday Unit. Thank you for having her and making it so fun.”

• “Good luck on the start of the new unit.”

The challenges• Challenging the view that Guiding can only

happen weekly• Holiday Brownies model of using student

leaders didn’t work for us• Communicating with parents is a challenge if

you don’t see them regularly!• Accessing girls on waiting lists – a leader

working in both units is very useful• Setting up a bank account is a nightmare!• Full days of programme can be exhausting!

The future

• How do we communicate with parents and girls in between programme days?

• Do we extend the number days we meet at Christmas and Easter if the girls want it?

• Realistic about the unit’s future – seeks to alleviate current waiting list difficulties for Rainbow units – will the need be different in the future?