GIRLGUIDING FERMANAGH has issued a plea for more volunteers to join their staff and “help make a difference to a young girl’s life”.
The call comes following a report from Girlguiding UK that stated that the happiness levels of girls and young women has alarmingly dropped.
Revealed in the report that over past 15 years, only 17 per cent of girls and young women aged seven to 21 state they feel very happy, compared to 40 per cent in 2009.
Other figures showed that 89 per cent of girls and young women feel generally worried or anxious with the report’s authors calling on the UK government to take urgent action to revert the decline in girls’ happiness and address the sexual harassment, online harm and appearance pressures they face.
The Girlguiding units in Fermanagh help provide a boost to the confidence and self-esteem for their girls. But as Caroline Neville, the Fermanagh County Commissioner for Girlguiding Ulster, states, they need more volunteers to help them make a difference.
She said: “As you know, with Covid, a lot of the units closed down for those two years. Due to internet issues, we were unable to do Zoom calls. Since the end of lockdown, most of our units are back up and running.
“Being in the guides does help to boost the confidence and self-esteem of the girls and helps them be more at ease in working with others. As they go to apply for colleges and universities, being a guide member does help there as well.
“We are over-stretched – you could have one leader helping out at three separate units. Maybe even be on the County team on top of that as well. So we do hold a lot of hats in Fermanagh.
“We all help out to try and keep a unit running and we hope to get units that had to stop operating during Covid back up and running again.
“Leaders will come from different areas to try and help and support the volunteers who come in. Some volunteers come in and may only stay a couple of years. The days of volunteers staying 30 or 40 years doesn’t seem to be the plan any more.”
The Chief Commissioner of Girlguiding Ulster, Debbie McDowell added: “The results of this important survey are shockingly clear and a cause for concern. Having volunteered as a guide leader for 26 years, I’m only too aware of the pressures girls face and have seen some struggle to cope.
“However, I’ve also seen how involvement in Girlguiding can be game-changing. We know we have a wonderful programme for the girls and this survey shows that young girls are in great need of extra activities outside of school.
“But we need help to deliver this. There’s a misconception that you need to have been a brownie or a guide in the past. Not true – all we ask for are people who are enthusiastic and can help make a positive difference in a young girl’s life.”
For details on how to become a volunteer, log onto: https://girlguidingulster.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-volunteer
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