Generation Cashback inspires unit leaders
This Challenge Poverty Week we have been speaking to leaders from units across Scotland who have been a part of the Cashback project.
Generation Cashback is a Scottish Government project which uses proceeds of crime to expand opportunities for young people in areas of need. It’s delivered by a partnership involving Girlguiding Scotland, Boys Brigade Scotland, Scouts Scotland and Youth Scotland. Check out our second blog in the Challenge Poverty Week series where we explore how Cashback has helped units across Scotland.
Margaret, 17th Hamilton Guide Unit
We guide in an area of high deprivation, where there is a high level of unemployment, drugs/alcohol abuse and crime. The Church Hall we meet in runs a Community hub where families can get advice on benefits, a free lunch & emergency food. Some of our guide families use this service. Some of the Guides have more turbulent home set ups, and sometimes we have Guides whose parents are in prison or awaiting sentencing. These circumstances bring challenges to guiding, when we are asking for weekly fees, but parents can’t afford it, or they left their guide bag at mum/dads. We always try our very best to be understanding to every member and never judge them regarding their circumstances. We would never turn a girl away because they couldn’t afford to come to Guides.
We recently took 10 girls to Guide camp at Gowanpark (South Lanarkshire) thanks to CashBack funding. We didn’t charge the girls for this adventure. Our theme for camp was Paris & the Olympics. The girls had an amazing time and visited places they had never been to before. We took public transport to New Lanark World Heritage Centre & learnt all about life as a Mill worker. We also visited Clyde Valley farm Park and interacted with some of the small animals, feeding and petting them. The highlight of our camp was an afternoon tea at Garrion Bridges (something none of the girls had ever done).
The girls also participated in crafts such as tie-dying t-shirts, keyring making and Olympic events, such as, welly throwing, foam javelin throwing, rocket launching and athletic events.
The girls had an amazing time exploring , making memories and gaining confidence. We also gave each girl a journal to record their favourite moments from camp.
I have been at 17th Hamilton Guides for several months now, and was very fortunate to be able to go to Gowanpark with them in August. Seeing the joy on the girls faces when they arrived at Gowanpark, or did something for the first time was extremely rewarding. I have now taken the decision to start my leader development programme training with the Guides, so that we can go on even more adventures.
St Andrews Hospice have contacted us to see if any of the older girls would like to do a leaflet drop around their local area, to highlight the Hospice’s “Christmas bargains” weekend in November. The Hospice are also willing to take on some older girls looking for work experience. This is a fantastic opportunity for our older girls, who are looking for work experience in order to gain confidence and experience in the world of work. It also ties in with the guiding programme themes and badge work.
