Jolene King, HR Operations Manager for the Cleaning & Security Services at King’s College London, shares her volunteering story with Girlguiding in Northampton.

Jolene first joined Brownies in Barbados when she was 7 years old, and she received the Barbados Brownie award at age 11. She then joined the Guides at age 11 and achieved the Queen’s Guide award, the highest award, when she was 15.

Jolene began volunteering as an Assistant Leader at a Brownie unit in October 2019 and then became Unit Leader for a Guide unit in November 2020 after when the previous leader took maternity leave and moved house.

When face to face training and Girlguiding activities were paused for several months during lockdown, Jolene began hosting weekly Girlguiding meetings online via Zoom. In September 2021, face-to-face meetings resumed.

Her volunteer role includes planning the programme of activities for the upcoming term, preparing materials, running events and activities, communicating with parents/guardians, supervising activities and attending leadership training. She gives about five to ten hours a week, sometimes more, depending on the planned programme and whether there are any upcoming special events. Most of these hours take place in the evenings, after work or at the weekend.

In early June 2022, Jolene was presented with her Leadership Qualification certificate and pin – which she earned in May 2021 from the District Commissioner alongside one of the former Guides who earned her Gold Award, the highest award Guides in the UK can achieve between ages 10 - 14. In addition, Jolene’s unit enrolled four new recruits and two Guides received their Bronze awards that evening.

When we asked Jolene what motivates her to volunteer, she said: “I enjoy giving back to the organisation that has given me so much. It really has shaped the woman I am.”

Jolene also volunteers as a Committee member on the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Northamptonshire branch.

To manage her time, Jolene describes herself as a scheduler and a planner. She blocks out her days and weeks in advance and plans the Girlguiding programme in advance of the school year.

Jolene says “Volunteering really helps with self-care and mental wellbeing. It will help you to learn new things and interact with different people. You can develop new skills and it is so rewarding.”

There are also travel and experience opportunities, not just for the young girls in the unit, but for the leaders, too. In March, Jolene went to a District event at Legoland with the girls in her unit, and they plan to go to the Cotswolds next year and to a planned Girlguiding event called Swiss Bliss in Switzerland next August.

If you would like to volunteer with Girlguiding UK, or, if you are interested in giving a talk to a Girlguiding group near you, you can visit the Girlguiding UK website for more information and contact details.

Questions about volunteering? Schedule a one-one with Abi Micallef, Volunteering Partnerships Manager, to discuss your ideas and get advice.