Training the National Board & Recruitment and Retention training

Our main objective here in Peru is to help the Asociacion Nacional de Guias Scouts de Peru (ANGSP) with some of the problems they face regarding recruitment and retention of volunteers. We will be delivering three types of trainings:

• Leadership trainings, run by Heather and Emma, to improve the quality of guiding and the support available for adult volunteers. 
• Sessions for trainers, run by Katherine and Hannah, to support the Peruvian association providing leadership trainings, after the GOLD project finishes, and to enable more trainings to take place in the provinces.
• Sessions on recruitment and retention techniques, run by Claire and Caroline, identifying what the needs are, overcoming barriers volunteers may face, as well as looking marketing materials and social media.

Claire and Caroline ran the two 3 hour sessions. The first was focused on recruitment, exploring the topic of flexible guiding. We discussed the reasons people volunteer in guiding and how this can be used in recruitment. Caroline facilitated a mapping exercise to help identify the association's strategic recruitment needs.

The second session focused on volunteer retention and marketing. We discussed volunteer recognition and supporting volunteers through mentoring. After that, we explored how the ANGSP is seen by the public in Peru and how they would like to be seen. We talked through the differences and used them to help develop key messages and the outline for a marketing strategy.

Both these sessions took place in the evenings, both following on from a four hour session in the afternoon. Even though they ran ´til late, all particiants were eager to attend the sessions, all leaving continuing their discussions and buzzing with enthusiasm the days trainings.

Fourth Briefing

The final meet!

So final briefing has been and gone! It is definitely feeling very real now. We are less than two weeks away from our adventure!

Hard at work

We have had a productive weekend finalising our planning, making resources and adding more and more to the kit list… 

We have also enjoyed exploring the farm and our evening entertainment of Monsters Inc and munching lots of Cadbury’s!

Team kit!

We were very excited for the arrival of our new team kit and name badges and have been showing it off over the weekend.

Cover of Country Life Magazine anyone?

Catching some fresh air with the dogs

 We were delighted to have six new additions to the team thanks to the lovely people at Minifigs! We have each created our own lego GOLDie. Look out for them on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout our project!

Our minifigs getting ready for the real Machu Pichu

Caroline’s family kindly put us up on their farm, Hoe Grange, for the weekend, where we had 250 acres to roam with the dogs during our breaks! We made some friends along the way…

Meeting Jess and Oliver

We enjoyed a lovely family dinner of fajitas and were joined by Caroline's grandma, a former County Commissioner and Trefoil Guild member who was very excited to hear all about our project.

Dinner with grandma

Our mascot from Girlguiding

Now we are ready and raring to go! Only 11 days until the adventure begins... Watch this space!

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Peru

Third Briefing

Planning underway....

Claire and Caroline planning recruitment sessions

Third briefing has really put our brains to the test. It has been an intense weekend of researching, planning, preparing resources and of course, sitting up chatting all into the early hours...

Hannah and Katherine planning training sessions

Heather and Emma planning leadership sessions

Project leader Caroline has guided us through the planning process. We have all made amazing progress and met our target for having all the training sessions planned!

Linlithgow Loch with the palace in the background

In between planning, Hannah took us out for a walk around Linlithgow to get some well needed fresh air. As a history geek, Caroline got rather excited by the palace on the edge of the loch - Mary, Queen of Scots was born there!

We are extremely grateful to Hannah and her family for inviting us into their home this weekend. We have been very well catered for and never allowed to go hungry. The amazing meals definitely kept us quiet, especially the ice cream sundae and sticky toffee pudding!

We really appreciate the effort that has gone in to keeping our stomachs full. Thank you very much!

Our first flag photo in Hannah's garden

With another briefing weekend done, we are all feeling well prepared and even more excited for Peru. Just one more briefing weekend before we go!

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Peru