Would-be Girl Guides are facing a waiting list to join up amid fears the island’s only expat-centred group could be under threat due to a lack of volunteer leaders.
Guide group leader, Inge Michiels, recently put out a call on social media seeking new volunteers fearing that the transient nature of Bahrain’s expat workforce could spell trouble for the existing group, which meets weekly at the Dilmun Club.
She said: “There is never a shortage of girls who want to get involved, we could easily run more groups. The problem is that, though the meetings are only an hour and a half, there’s a heck of a lot more work than that that goes into it.”
Inge set up the Guide group when she moved to Bahrain from Riyadh five years ago. She had previously run a Scout troop in the Saudi city and was soon put in touch with Sharon Niklin, who had started the first Brownie and Rainbows groups in Bahrain, along with another mum, six months earlier.
Sharon says: “I started it with a friend, Karen, who has now left. She had girls the same age as mine and we were both Brownies as children. We felt it was a good thing; it teaches children a bit about community awareness and shows ways to participate in your community at the same time as having fun.
“I currently have 24 girls in my [Brownie] group, but also have 24 on the waiting list. The problem is that we simply don’t have enough leaders.”
And, with Sharon herself due to step down, due to other commitments, Inge adds: “We need at least three new people, just to cover those who are leaving. It would be great to have a few more as it would enable us to do more and would be great for bouncing ideas off each other.”
As well as getting involved in Guiding International activities, such as working towards competency badges in a range of disciplines, the groups also join in with initiatives such as beach cleans, dog walks, food donation drives and more. They’ve also travelled to adventure camps in Ras Al Khaimah where they got to take part in outdoor sports such as canooing, abseiling and wind surfing.
“That kind of thing is great for the girls and a lot of fun, but is also a huge organisational task,” says Inge.
All the activities are girl-led and the Brownies are even working on guided meditation and a Zen Garden!
There are currently five units, two Rainbows, two Brownies and one Guides, running out of the Dilmun Club but Inge says she would like to open a group in Amwaj in the future, if she can get enough help. Rules for the number of volunteers necessary are set down by Guiding International and she is not keen to start a group only to be forced to close it if leaders leave.
Since Bahrain has its own thriving national units, the Dilmun groups are designated, by Guiding International, as UK and Commonwealth (though they do accept other nationalities) which can make recruitment of local volunteers difficult, but both women say they are keen to hear from absolutely anyone who would like to step up and help keep the tradition of Guiding, as well as Brownies and Rainbows, going in Bahrain.
Anyone who would like to get involved can register their interest at https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-volunteer/register-your-interest/
