girls colouring in sat at a table

Set up a group

Setting up a new Girls’ Brigade community group is easy and the GB support team is always available for any questions you might have. 

Leading a group offers you an opportunity to connect with children, young people and their families locally.

Around 80% of those we work with connect to church through the work of GB, providing your church with a great tool for mission and outreach into your local community.

Once your group is set up, our support continues with advice on a variety of issues including mission development, resources and uniform, admin, media, membership, marketing and training either directly or through our networks. 

How to set up a local community group with Girls’ Brigade

1. Contact us

Contact the GB Support Centre to organise a phone call or meeting about how we can support you.

2. Recruit a volunteer leadership team

You’ll need a minimum of 2 adults, aged 18 plus, working with any group of children and young people. 2 of whom must have completed GB’s equipping training and registration process.

DBS check
Each volunteer is required to have an enhanced disclosure for working with children. This is easily done online at no charge. 

Training
At least two volunteer leaders will need to complete our GB’s n:fluence 18+ training. The training has been designed to reflect some of the key foundational elements in mission among children and young people and running a GB group. Training can be delivered in a day or over 2 or 3 evenings. 1 volunteer leader will also need to complete an additional team leader module in order to oversee the group.

3. Approach your church to get agreement

We require a franchise agreement and mission relationship document to be signed by both you and the church in order to set up a group. 

Discuss with your minister the age groups you want to work with.

Decide when and where your group might meet. 

4. Confirm franchise details with GB

You’ll need a franchise agreement to formalise the working agreement with GB.  

In order to send you the paperwork, we need the following information:

  • The specific group that you’re launching i.e. n:vestigate; n:gage; n:counta; n:spire
  • The day and time the group plan to meet
  • The name of the person who will take up the role of team leader
  • The name and address of the church which the group belongs to
  • The name and address, phone number and email address of the minister.

Please email these details to us and we’ll send you the franchise agreement.

5. Complete forms

After the training and DBS checks have been successfully completed and returned to GB, you’ll need to complete the following forms. 

Volunteer registration form: This is required for those who have trained to be a volunteer leader and we’ll send it to you once your group set-up is underway.

Mission relationship and registration: This outlines our commitment to working together.

Franchise agreement: This formalises the working agreement with GB. Please complete 2 copies of this – we’ll then sign them and return 1 for your records.

6. Approval 

Following successful approval by GB, we’ll send to you written confirmation and an insurance certificate, showing that you can officially meet under the umbrella of GB and its insurance.

Six young people playing problem solving game

Contact us

If you’d like more information about setting up a GB community group, please email us or call 01246 582322.

Email us

Other considerations 

Uniform

Girls’ Brigade community groups require volunteer leaders and children to wear a uniform. Members of each age group wear a different coloured polo shirt with their section name on the back and leaders may wear any of these colour polo shirts, with a plain back.

Both children’s and leaders’ uniforms can be ordered from the GB Trading website or by phone, 01246 582322, or email to the GB Support Centre.

NB: Leaders can only order uniform (online or on the phone) once their team is a fully affiliated member.

Activity support packs

To support our leaders, GB has developed a set of programme pack which contains at least 3 years’ worth of detailed activity programmes for each age range.

Our tested activities help children to explore and develop their understanding of themselves, the world around them and the Christian faith. 

Packs are £50 each (to cover printing) and available to order from our online shop; GB Trading. 

GB Trading

Membership fees

GB is a membership organisation. Every year, we require local teams to pay subscriptions to the GB Support Centre. This is usually done in March/April.

The current fee rates for 2022/23:

Per girl   Per group Per leader Per helper
£36 £36 £27.50 £7

What do your membership fees cover?

  • Public liability insurance – including providing support for any claims you might make (as long as the safeguarding/relevant requirements are met). 
  • Volunteer and group support – providing practical advice and pastoral support for groups and leaders, administration of leader registrations and awards, and DBS.
  • Charity governance costs – legal requirements relating to audit, trustees, Charity Commission and Companies House.
  • Programme development and delivery – including support for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Queen’s Award and residential events.
  • Volunteer equipping – GB holds 3 conferences a year but also offers training and equipping events and resources to support our volunteers.
  • Enabling new mission opportunities – to provide further support to connect churches with children and young people in their communities.
  • International GB costs – being part of the international family, working together in mission.
  • Communications, media and networking – to maintain a good presence in the public eye, on the internet, and within the youth sector as well as providing regular communications to our leaders.

Group subscription rates

Many groups cover these membership fees by charging their participants a weekly, or termly, charge. They may add a little to this to cover materials and activity costs.

Different GB groups collect these subscriptions in different ways.

Subscription options 

  1. Groups charge a small lump sum to parents at the beginning of the term and then a weekly rate of £1.50/£2 or spilt the cost over 3 terms.
  2. The church covers some of all of the fees in recognition that GB is a missional tool of the church.
  3. Small grants from local councils or grant-making trusts. 

GB’s Support Centre provides some fundraising ideas in the Resources section, or you can visit Funding Central.

Part of something bigger

3 or more local GB groups together form a district, a local network which works together. Districts in a geographical area are then joined together to form regions – of which there are 10 in England and Wales. These geographical networks (districts and regions) arrange shared events ranging from worship experiences to swimming galas; from outreach events to sports days; from fun days to charity work; from equipping days to leaders’ retreats. Leaders share resources, expertise and knowledge and encourage one another in mission.

Learn more

three Girls' Brigade volunteers sat on wall laughing

Volunteer with us

Experience the benefits of volunteering either by setting up your own GB community group or as a parent volunteer.

Volunteer