Nicola Coaker

Adult Support and Guiding Development Adviser - Somerset North

I hope you will find this helpful and that it will assist you in accessing the training and support you deserve as a volunteer Adult Leaders within Girlguiding Somerset North.

It is my responsibility to co-ordinate the Leadership Training and Programme Development within the county. My aim is to ensure that all adult members receive the training they need to give them the confidence to enjoy running a well organised, popular and effective unit, district and division.

The way training is delivered to our leaders will depend on their geographical location, work and family commitments. The types of training and development opportunities can vary and the format can differ depending on the leader’s needs, knowledge and experience. None of these are essential when volunteering for leadership just an enthusiasm to develop young women into responsible adults and have fun.

We offer some face to face trainings, some are designed to pass on information and are telephone or e-learning based, leaders can join a large group of members who attend a session to joined together and share information, learn new skills and develop their knowledge and experiences or smaller more informal training sessions.

Girlguiding UK delivers leadership training at our Training and Activity Centres (TAC) through out the British Isles as well as the training and development we undertake for our leaders here in Somerset North. The training subjects you could see advertised in Somerset North include new Adult Leader Introduction sessions for members working on the Adult Leadership Scheme, First Response-First Aid Training, Safeguarding, Programme Ideas to name a few. We will also ensure any changes, information and developments in the different sections are passed on to leaders including how they effect unit leaders a soon as possible. This is also the same for new resources we provide guidance on how to implement them and use it in your unit.

The county training sessions are run in a number of accessible venues throughout county where training has been requested. Most divisions have a Training Representative who will pass any training requests to me or one of my team:-Rainbow, Brownie, Guide, Senior Section, Baden Powell and Queens Guide Awards, Music and Members with Disabilities Advisers. Please look in the County Directory (sign in to the Member's Area of the website) or ask your Division Commissioner who they are.

Part of my responsibility is to co-ordinate the trainers and session topics with Frances Parrett, the County Weekend and Training Day Co-ordinator for these events. Her role is to undertake the administration and process the applications for the training days and weekend. The County Weekend generally happens once every two years and the County Training Days twice a year currently held at Chew Valley School (the most central point in the county) in late spring and early autumn.

Please look out for our County Training Programme available on the County Website. It is constantly updated with the training events we have planned for the coming year. Information for forth coming training events are advertised through our county on-line newsletter PATRIC (Programme and Training in County), and at your district and division meetings.

Another aspect of my role is to develop our team of trainers to ensure they are continually developments and keep up to date with changes in Girlguiding UK. We are very lucky to have a large team of trainers who are volunteer leaders themselves. They already give their time to running a unit, district and division and enjoy passing on their skills and knowledge to other leaders.

If you have any questions relating to the current programme, adult leadership development or have a training request I will do my best to provide you with the information and support you need. I can be contacted via the Adult Support and Guiding Development Advisers e-mail address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I look forward to meeting you at your next training event.

Nicola

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