Attention feminists: want to help empower the next generation of girls? You need to watch Girlguiding’s latest recruitment campaign.
The leading charity has launched a kick-ass national initiative to find more volunteers, telling women to #KnowYourPlace.
The campaign features a film which will be shared on social media and celebrates how volunteers have found ‘their place’ motivating, inspiring and leading girls.
Because spoiler: a woman’s place is not in the kitchen.
According to Girlguiding, volunteers empower girls and young women across the UK by giving their time so girls can have adventures, make friends, build confidence and develop skills they will use throughout their lives.
But 70,000 girls are missing out on these opportunities because of a shortage of volunteers.
Sally Illsley, deputy chief guide, hopes the new campaign will change that.
“The spirit of the campaign is to turn the old fashioned idea that a woman should know her place on its head and reclaim it to make clear that a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be,” she said.
“If you’re someone who would like to help inspire and empower a generation of girls and young women to find their place in the world then volunteering with Girlguiding is the chance to do just that.”
In Girlguiding, girls can access a space away from school where they can escape the pressures in their lives and are supported by volunteers to gain skills and confidence, whether they are trying abseiling for the first time, having a go at science experiments or taking action on the issues that matter to them.
Without volunteers Girlguiding would not be able to provide girls and young women with these opportunities.
Gemma Rolls-Bentley, a volunteer at Guide groups in London who features in the campaign, added: “Some of the issues Girlguiding chooses to tackle around gender equality, professional opportunities and relationships and sex education are really important issues and I think a lot of women like myself, women in their 20s and 30s, are really struggling to understand how they can have an impact and how they can make a change and make a difference and Girlguiding really offers a way to do that.”
Over the past nine years Girlguiding has shone a light on some of the issues affecting young women through its annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey.
The latest research found 55% of girls aged 7-21 say gender stereotypes affect their ability to say what they think, while 64% of girls aged 13-21 say they’ve experienced some form of sexual harassment at school, college or university in the past year.
The 2017 research also highlighted what makes girls feel positive, such as spending time with friends, (51% of girls aged 7-21), being creative (22% of girls aged 7-21), being outdoors (22% of girls aged 7-21) and trying new things (one in five girls aged 7-10), all of which Girlguiding offers to girls and young women.
Maddie, a Girlguiding advocate who is also a volunteer, said: “Girlguiding is a place where girls and young women feel free to be who they are, where they can just let go and have fun. Being part of such an amazing group of volunteers is an unforgettable experience and something I am so proud of because we are making a change. We are helping girls to reach their potential.”
To find out more and to view the #KnowYourPlace campaign and how to register your interest as a volunteer, visit girlguiding.org.uk/knowyourplace.