At the start of April we ran our first County level Ranger Taster Day as we were keen to welcome Guides from all over the County to show them how much fun Rangers is and all the opportunities available to them once they leave Guides.
On the day, we had Guides from across every Division in Middlesex North West join us at Willow Tree. There was a really great atmosphere as the Guides got to know each other, with many of the Guides attending without knowing anyone else, and going away with lots of new friendships. We also had three current Rangers helping on the day to share their experiences of Rangers and help to encourage the Guides to mix and ensure everyone was included.
“It was extremely fun, I met many new friends and used skills both outdoors and indoors.” – Guide, Hillingdon North Division
We started off with a classic icebreaker, Guiding Bingo, encouraging the Guides to mingle and mix to try and fill in their Bingo grid. It is a great activity to help participants find out more about each other and to spark up conversation.
The Guides were then split into three predetermined groups with other Guides from the same division as them, each group also included a Ranger to lead the group and keep them on track.
Their first activity was an activity call GPYes! from the Explore Stage 5 Skills Builder. Using their phones to work out the coordinates of their locations, the groups had to explore the Willow Tree grounds and set a trail of coordinates for the one of the other teams to follow. Once the teams had all created a trail of at least five locations the groups swapped over and had to follow another
groups trail.
“The part I enjoyed the most was the group activities and the opportunity to make new friends as I made 3 new friends!” – Guide, Hillingdon North Division
After this they all had some free time to go on the adventure playground and get to know each other. The adventure playground is always a Ranger favourite, so the Rangers were also excited to join the Guides on the playground in their free time!
Next was a craft session, where everyone made friendship bracelets, one for themselves and one for someone they met that day. Everyone got so engrossed in going through all the different beads and finding the perfect ones for their bracelets. It was also a great chance for the Guides to chat to
each other and the Rangers.
“I found the event really helpful into knowing what Rangers is all about and the kinds of activities Rangers do. I enjoyed the bracelet making activity because I like doing craft activities” – Guide, Harrow and Pinner Division
We then had lunch; it was a sunny but chilly day but we still had some participants outside enjoying the sunshine during their lunch break. It was lovely to see everyone mixing and enjoying each other’s company.
After lunch, we had a whittling session. The Guides whittled sticks and then drew eyes and noses on to create little wooden hedgehogs. It was great to see everyone trying their hardest and following all the safety instructions so well, with everyone achieving creating their own unique hedgehogs.
“It was fun and adventurous. I enjoyed the challenges like finding coordinates and making a hedgehog out of whittled wood.” – Guide, Wealdstone Division
We then said our goodbyes, with each participant being given details of their local Ranger units and other opportunities open to them once they leave Guides. They were also given handwritten cards from current Rangers telling them why they should join Rangers and of course, a badge! It was so lovely to see the friendships that were formed in such a short period of time, with some
participants from different units exchanging contact details.
“A fun and inclusive activity day which enabled me to meet new people and build upon my skills. I had an amazing day and thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and being able to exchange contacts at the end to stay in touch!” – Guide, Hillingdon North Division
Overall, it was a lovely day, and we hope that everyone that attended got something out of it. It is really good to see from the feedback that we have collected that most participants are now more likely to join Rangers after attending the day. We look forward to doing this type of event again in the future.
If you are interested in finding out more about Rangers, Guides can go along to their local units to see what it is all about, and some Ranger units hold specific Taster Sessions for local Guides to come along to.
Lastly, I would like to say a massive thank you to Ranger leaders Anne and Hils, for helping on the day, to the Rangers who attended, and to all the Guides who came along to see what Rangers is all about.
Alice – Ranger Advisor
rangers@girlguidingmiddxnw.org.uk
