Generation Cashback supports leaders and raises girls’ confidence
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 Challenge Poverty Week series where we explore how Cashback has helped units across Scotland.
Evelyn, 3rd Cardonald Guide Unit
As volunteers we feel valued by our girls and their families as CashBack means being a Guide offers girls a chance to do adventurous things that are beyond their usual expectations. Parents tell us how much their girls benefit from the confidence gained by being encouraged by their Guide friends to take on new challenges and the stay in guiding longer.
When we got CashBack money years ago, we wanted to spread the goodwill. We fundraised £90 for a ‘big shop’ of groceries, filled 3 shopping trollies & donated it to the local Foodbank. This has grown & now all the Guide, Brownie & Rainbow & some BB units donate a week’s collection to the ‘big shop’ which we buy & take in November to the Foodbank.
CashBack has inspired us and the church congregation has also got involved. We now donate throughout the year and it has grown beyond our dreams.
We have used some CashBack in the past to buy Guide hoodies for families to buy at reduced prices for their girls. That was a great success & girls were proud to all have uniform. We ask for old uniforms to be handed in & we distribute them to families who cannot afford uniforms.
The partnership between CashBack & Girlguiding Scotland makes a big difference to our Guides’ confidence. Their ‘have a go’ attitude comes from CashBack improving their lives, enabling us to help girls push their own boundaries in a girl only space where nobody will make fun of you.
Shaunagh, 303rd A Glasgow Guides
The area in which my Guide unit is located is within a housing estate in the south side of Glasgow. We have a variety of diverse backgrounds. Many families have been affected by recent financial hardships which has negatively affected some of the children’s ability to join clubs which otherwise might be too costly for parents, the benefit of the generation CashBack scheme takes away a lot of extra costs that the parents would need to pay to allow all the children to have the same guiding experience without the financial barrier.
Our unit are keen to be involved in the community, we have taken part in litter picks around our local meeting point, keeping our local area clean and tidy. The Guides also have an annual bake sale where parents and family members of the Guides as well as members of the community are encouraged to come along and purchase some home baking or even just come for a free tea or coffee and a chat.
Through the CashBack scheme we ensure every new guide is supplied with a guide top which takes away the financial pressure of parents having to pay this and also ensures the Guides are all in the same uniform which is essential for us when taking the Guides out of the regular meeting place.
Karen, 1st Prestonpans Guide Unit
1st Prestonpans Guide Unit in East Lothian has been supported through the Generation CashBack project to attend residential events and trips and for the leaders to attend trainings. The unit meets in an area of deprivation where there is a lot of youth crime and not much else for young people to do.
CashBack supported the leaders to attend their county training weekend. At this they learned how to programme plan and balance the programme with other activities. They shared ideas with other leaders from our County and met new leaders, which means that they have been inspired to do some different things within the unit.
The CashBack project supports the leaders to give the Guides more opportunities out with the unit. We have subsidised a sleepover at Jump In, a one night camp at our county festival in the field and a trip to Foxlake. These opportunities wouldn’t be possible without CashBack. These have been good and enjoyed by all the Guides. They’ve made new friends, learnt new skills and definitely had fun. They’ve now been asked to organise their own weekend away by the Guides. This is definitely a huge step forward for our unit as many Guides missed out on sleepovers in Brownies due to covid.
CashBack has also supported the unit with their hall rent. This enables them to keep their fees at a low rate to help families. They help families access guiding if they’re struggling. Girls also donate their uniform back when they leave so it can be reused by other Guides. This means that more girls can take part in the unit and have all the brilliant experiences the unit provides.
