CC(3) VS21

Girlguiding Cymru is currently in receipt of a grant towards management costs.  In 2004 the application was made for this grant and the application form was completed by volunteer members.  Girlguiding Cymru is the largest voluntary led organisation for girls and young women in Wales. Our youth workers are all volunteers, as are Girlguiding Cymru’s Trainers, Advisers and Executives/Commissioners.   These people have committed themselves to work, unpaid, with young people and are dedicated to helping them produce a programme of worthwhile and exciting activities relevant to today’s girl.  It therefore means that their first commitment is to the young person rather than to the completion of application forms, especially when the time they are able to offer to Guiding is limited by full time employment and family obligations etc.  The policies of Girlguiding require considerable administrative procedures to be followed and therefore numerous forms to be completed in order to safeguard young members from physical, sexual and emotional harm while participating in Guiding activities. Whilst we are experts in completing our own Girlguiding forms, we do not always find it easy to supply the required information in a timely manner.  One of the problems that we do encounter with the NVYO form is that some of the local authority areas do not coincide with our Guiding counties.  In our one hundred year history, we have developed administrative areas tailored to Guiding’s specific needs.  These may be geographical or traditional (e.g. along road, railways or grouped around parishes or diocese).  The size of Guiding counties may also be planned to ensure that they are manageable by one County Commissioner and also acceptable to Girlguiding UK.  Although we work hard to ensure that we are involved in partnerships; sharing one local authority with three Guiding Commissioners (Powys) or covering five local authorities with one Guiding Commissioner (Gwent), we sometimes find it difficult to provide all the information requested within the timeframe allotted. To answer Question 8 of the current form, we have to contact our volunteers for each area concerned and ask them to inform us of their answer. The responses from each county volunteer could take an inordinate amount of time to be received.  However we also feel that this question is unclear as the question is two fold and in some instances counties may have excellent relationships with the local authority but little or no contact with their YPP.  

We have no issues relating to the duration or timing of the funding or difficulty in complying with the constraints placed upon the funding.  The amount currently being received covers approximately a quarter of Girlguiding Cymru’s annual expenditure. Whilst this amount is small in relation to the total annual subscription being received from our members, it is nevertheless most valuable for covering the expenses incurred in providing an administrative centre to support all Girlguiding Cymru’s volunteers in Wales.

Girlguiding Cymru would be willing to contribute to the compilation of a new grant application form or assist with providing further information should this be necessary.

Cathryn F Brooker, J.P.
Chief Commissioner
Girlguiding Cymru.