Express Youth Forum
Join Express! Our Region Youth Forum
What is Express!
Express! is a Girlguiding Youth Forum for the North West Region. Like our name suggests, our aim is to provide a platform which elevates the voices of girls and women in North West England, allowing them to express their opinions on a wider, regional scale.
Each county/division can have up to two members in Express! One aged 14-18 and one aged 18-25. The term of office is two years, which means you can see various projects all the way through, from their inception to their completion. To become part of Express talk to you leader or contact our County Commissioner
Express! are always looking for new voices and new members to get involved, so if you’re enthusiastic about Girlguiding and interested in playing a slightly bigger role in how its run, perhaps consider joining us!
Why Join Express!
Our forum is made up of representatives aged between 14 and 25, hailing from all the different counties and divisions in the North West. Express meets every other month or so, to check in on projects and develop ideas further. Express! meets in a mix of online meetings and face to face catch ups at the Region Headquarters in Preston.
Getting involved in Express! is a great opportunity for so many reasons. Not only do you get to help run and organise guiding at a higher level, but you can represent the interests of your local guiding community and make a difference to the experiences of your peers. Representatives work closely with their county and division commissioners, becoming a point of contact between the girls in their area, and region as a whole.
Benefits of Joining Express!
Are you doing your Queen’s Guide Award? If so, Express is the perfect platform to join to sign off the Service in Guiding Module 4! It can also be used for your Duke of Edinburgh Volunteering section.
Aside from all these practical and organisation things, Express! is also a way to meet with new people from all over the region. Although joining Express! does require commitment, it’s also a lot of fun and a great way to build new connections and friendships. The meetings are a great way to develop your skills in communication, organisation, confidence, and team-work, as well as stretch your creative muscles.
Express! plans and supports many projects across the North West Region including planning, designing and releasing the very successful 50th Anniversary Challenge Badge. Working on this badge and seeing it go out to units all over the North West was really rewarding. In fact, there are plans to develop another unit challenge badge for release later in the year which is super exciting.
We also work together to develop other events and activities for the units in our region. For example, we’re currently in talks with various organisations operating in the North-West to coordinate collaborations and provide exciting opportunities for girls to get involved in – so keep your ears open for those!
If this is all sounding absolutely fantastic and definitely up your street, get involved by contacting your county commissioner about your interest, and email the current Express! chair – you can find their details on the region website here.
We would really love to see you and have you join our lovely and friendly team!
Express! allows you to connect with new people, challenge yourself and acquire new skills.
Volunteer for us
Could you give your time to make an impact on the lives of girls and young women across South Cumbria?