Girl power: Chloe Reid, Billie Albert and Sadie Dobell are a part of the girls-led group Girl Guides with leader Rachel Sutton.
Photo by
Shannon Colee
Cherie Allen started volunteering at Girl Guides when her two daughters got involved, and she hasn’t stopped in the two years since.
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“I came for my two daughters but stayed for all of them. They are an awesome bunch of girls, and they make me smile,” she said.
“(My daughters and I) have never done anything like this before, but it has been good for all of us.
Teamwork: Hailey Sutton and Charlotte Harris work with volunteer Cherie Allen on their Australia-themed art at this week's Girl Guides session. Photo: Shannon Colee
Photo by
Shannon Colee
Her enjoyment of her time at Guides doesn’t surprise Guide Leader Rachel Sutton, who sees the same value in participating with the group.
“It’s always fun hanging out with the girls because you’ve got different personalities, you’ve got different temperaments, especially with this unit we’ve got with girls of such different ages,” she said.
Ms Sutton, who has been leading Guides in Echuca for the past five years, said they were always on the lookout for more volunteers.
“Getting another volunteer would really benefit these girls, and that’s what it’s all about, these girls,” she said.
“We’re only asking for a few hours on a Thursday night. It doesn’t take much. We want someone who wants to help empower girls.”
Young artists: Maddi Allen and Alicia Beecroft-Young practise their dot painting.
Photo by
Shannon Colee
According to the Guide leader, the whole mission of Girl Guides is about engendering ‘girl power’.
“We want to empower the next generation and inspire young girls so they can look beyond what is being shown at school and get them to think outside of that box,” she said.
“So we’re providing that safe space so they can be creative, they can be messy, they can be girly, they can be as crafty as they want to be.
“We want them to be confident and to know themselves how capable they are, and Guides is all about being girl-led and about them being the leaders.”
Outside of just the selfless motivation of being there for young girls, Ms Sutton said there were many benefits to getting involved.
“It’s a great thing to have on a resume. You can say I have led a program and helped young people. I have been able to overcome challenges,” she said.
Ms Allen agrees that there is something special about being a part of Guides.
“There’s nothing better than community, and the community here at Guides is awesome. I would definitely suggest that girls give it a chance and get involved.”
If people are interested in getting involved with Girl Guides, contact Rachel Sutton on echucagirlguides@gmail.com
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