A ‘HERO’ Girlguiding student volunteer from a village near Lutterworth has told of how the role helps her stay positive.
To mark Student Volunteering Week, Megan Jinks has been encouraging students to volunteer and help their local communities.
As a student working in and studying early years education, Broughton Astley-based Megan, 24, spends her days surrounded by children bursting with energy – and yet still has the stamina to spend her Thursday evenings surrounded by Brownies, aged 7-10.
Megan started volunteering with 3rd Broughton Astley Brownies when she was working towards her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award aged 14.
Now, 11 years on, Megan has never left. Since joining Girlguiding, she’s gained her Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and her Queen’s Guide award – the highest award Girlguiding members can achieve.
For the last three years, Megan – who received a Girlguiding Hero award for keeping her Brownies unit running virtually during the pandemic – has been distance-learning at Anglia Ruskin University and is in her final year of an early years and education foundation course.
Megan values the important space that her Brownie meetings have given her away from her studies, and feels volunteering gives her an opportunity to switch off, relax, and have fun with the girls.
She said: “When you get into the mindset of working towards a university assignment, you can get stuck in the world of working at your laptop. It’s nice to be able to pull away each week and get into the ‘Brownies mindset’ of leading activities, having fun with the girls, and teaching them new skills.
“You can have that space away from the assignment, then come back to it feeling more positive and relaxed from having spent time with the girls.”
Megan decided to continue volunteering alongside her studies and full-time job after seeing how much the girls enjoy the activities and experiences which she and her team organise.
“My favourite thing is being able to take the girls out on trips and days out – giving them the opportunity to experience new things that they might not be able to at home,” she said.
“Visiting Cadbury’s World or going to a pantomime, even group activity days, all give the girls the chance to gain new skills and experiences.
“I see the Brownies sitting together and helping each other, how happy they are doing these activities, and I think about how it helps all of us. It not only helps the Brownies, but it helps us leaders with our mental wellbeing week-to-week.
“We see the benefits we’re giving to these girls and come out feeling positive by the end of the meeting. It’s nice to be able to get away from work and uni and come together in that safe space.”
Megan also values the opportunity to mentor young volunteers in the same way that she was welcomed to the unit’s leadership team over a decade ago.
“It’s really nice to have a young team of people just starting out volunteering, to have that fresh perspective on how they want to run activities for the girls and letting them take the lead in meetings and share their ideas,” she said.
Megan’s team of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers is key to the Brownie unit’s success. When it comes to balancing volunteering with work and studying, Megan credits her fellow volunteers for their flexibility and leadership skills:
“As part of taking on this university course, I had a couple of sessions last term where I had to miss a little bit of Brownies, so one of the other leaders would take over as main leader on those nights and get the chance to experience leading the team herself. The other leaders pick up when I’m working on uni assignments and give me nights off when I’ve got a deadline.”
Megan’s advice to students who are considering volunteering whilst studying is to not underestimate how valuable their leadership, time and skills can be.
“Commit the time that you’re able to commit,” she advises. “Bring whatever skillset you think you can bring to the girls. You might not think that what you have knowledge or skills in would be helpful, but you’re bringing these whole new experiences to the girls. You can even bring in your university studies and share your learning with them, benefiting both you and your unit.
“I’ve been able to take what I do in my job at the pre-school and bring it to Brownies – even small things like games. The girls really enjoy that time to be messy and creative, and to have time to use their imagination.”
Megan added that it’s not just the volunteers who use Girlguiding as an escape from the stresses and pressures of everyday life.
“The girls have a lot of school and homework,” Megan said, “and we want to give them that break so Brownies doesn’t feel like work. It feels like playing, doing fun activities, and exploring new things to learn.”
Visit www.Girlguiding.org.uk for more information on Girlguiding volunteering opportunities.
