GGC Girl Engagement: Building Meaningful

Adult and Girl Partnerships

March 21st, 2009 Facilitated by: Sara SomersetNational Networks Conference Coordinator, Girl Engagement

Objectives

• Define the girl engagement concepts

• Discuss the different ways to engage girl Members

• Describe the benefits of girl engagement

• Develop solutions to girl engagement challenges

Girl Engagement Concepts

• The process of involving girl Members as active participants

• An outcome of meaningful girl and adult partnerships

• A value, a way of work which can be reflected in all that we do at GGC.

• Programming

• Consultation (focus groups, surveys etc.)

• Planners and organizers

• Trainers

• Conferences/Forums

• Staff/Volunteers/Interns

• Advisory/Action Councils

• Funders

• Governance Roles/Girls on Boards

• Researchers

Methods for Engagement

Methods for EngagementNational Office

Go Girl Engagement!

What aspects of engagement are meaningful?

• Process: i.e. girl initiated, learning and changing,

attending weekly meetings, being involved in the decision-making process

• Outcome: i.e. networking opportunities, job

opportunities, recognition, making an impact

Benefits of Meaningful Engagement

Girl Adult

•Skill and confidence building

•Greater sense of civic responsibility

•Feel more connected within the organization, community and society

•Improved girl-adult partnership

•Improved girl-adult partnership

•Mentorship opportunities

•Better understanding of girl needs/desires

•Stronger impact on organizational growth

•More satisfaction from Membership

Benefits of Meaningful Engagement

Organization Community

•Enhance program delivery and accessibility

•Strengthens GGC’s ability to be experts on girl issues and relevant to girls

•Improved girl Membership retention and recruitment

•Community development

•Strengthen global movement

•Greater civic engagement

Girl Engagement Challenges• Difficulty understanding or “buying into” the concepts of girl engagement

– The organizational culture and structure

• Difficulty initiating girl engagement initiatives– The current program structure– The commitment level– Lack of committed resources to providing girl engagement opportunities– The planning policies and guidelines

• Difficulty recruiting girl Members to participate in the girl Engagement initiatives– The girl selection process for events, conferences, trips, advisory committees etc.– Lack of interesting and relevant girl engagement opportunities for both the girl and

adult Members

• Difficulty supporting girl engagement initiatives– Lack of resources committed to supporting girl engagement initiative– Lack of direct and effective access to both girl and adult Members

Girl Engagement Solutions• Difficulty understanding or “buying into” the concepts of girl

engagement– Educate, educate, educate

• Difficulty initiating girl engagement initiatives– Invest, invest, invest

• Difficulty recruiting girl Members to participate in the girl Engagement initiatives– Diversify, diversify, diversify

• Difficulty supporting girl engagement initiatives– Continue to educate, invest and diversify

Summary• Girl engagement is not a new concept to

GGC – girl Members are already being engaged

• There are many diverse ways we can engage girls

• We all benefit from meaningful girl engagement – girls, women, the organization and our community/society

• We need to educate, invest and diversify

Contact Information

Sara Somerset

Coordinator, Girl Engagement

somerses@girlguides.ca

416-487-5281 X 307