Special Girl Edition 2021

You can download the latest edition of Trefoil News here. Previous editions of Trefoil News may be viewed in the Leader Area of the website.

Trefoil News is the magazine of the Irish Girl Guides. The aim of the magazine is to provide information which keeps members up to date and informed. There are five issues per year and it is mailed to every registered Leader, Senior Branch member and Commissioner at no cost to the recipient. As the mailing list is compiled from the Annual Census Forms, it is important that National Office is notified immediately of any change of address affecting this posting.

IGG is happy to carry advertisements from other organisations and related companies and details of advertising rates may be had from the Publications Officer at National Office.

Members of IGG who are overseas may also receive Trefoil News and are asked to pay an annual subscription to cover postage.

All members of IGG are encouraged to submit material for Trefoil News. Please check with the Publications Officer re the deadline.

Material can be emailed to trefoil.news@irishgirlguides.ie or sent by post to the Publications Officer, Trefoil News, Irish Girl Guides, 27 Pembroke Park, Dublin 4, D04 NV08.

The Publications Officer reserves the right to edit material submitted.

Reflecting on a life-changing experience at Sangam

Last August 50 IGG members from around Ireland took part in a special trip to Sangam World Centre in Pune, India, to mark the start of IGG’s Senior Branch centenary. Here two members of Tralee Senior Branch reflect on the trip. First up is Ailbhe Mangan:

I had high expectations for our trip to India but, as soon as we were greeted by the Sangam staff, I knew my expectations would be exceeded. We were provided with a trip of a lifetime that opened my eyes to the amount poverty in the world.

On our journey I had the opportunity to work in a school for children with special needs. The children in this school were some of the most amazing kids I have ever met – they didn’t let their disability stop them from living their best lives. My highlight of working in the school was when a boy with a hearing impairment sat down beside us and started showing us sign language. He immediately lowered the communication barrier.

Outside of our work in the school we got to experience a completely different culture to the one we live in. I was astonished by how creative, beautiful and busy their way of life is!

Here Aine O’Sullivan shares her memory of the trip:

I cannot speak highly enough of our stay in India. It really was the trip of a lifetime! It was such an honour to travel as part of the national contingent of Irish Girl Guides celebrating 100 years of Senior Branch in Ireland.

Every minute of every day was just amazing but for me personally the community action projects that we participated in were the highlight of it all. I worked with an organisation called Door Step School, which provides education for children who would otherwise be unable to access any formal learning. I was simply blown away by how much the teachers were accomplishing with such few resources. They kindly allowed us to spend time with their students and, despite the language barrier (we got a few giggles when we attempted to introduce ourselves in their local language), we had so much fun with them. We made crafts, did some action songs and showed them a little bit about Ireland. It was so rewarding seeing the smiles on their faces and so tough saying goodbye.

Other noteworthy experiences included the thrilling rickshaw rides, climbing to the top of Tikona Fort in the pouring rain and finding an Irish pub in India. Special mention must also go to Tarabai, the 94-year-old lady who invited us into her home and told us of the time she met Lady Baden-Powell, the founder of Guiding.

On our final evening we had a celebration of Indian culture. All of us wore saris in every colour imaginable as we enjoyed an Indian-style feast, had henna done on our hands and danced the night away to Bollywood music.

I never would have predicted how sad I would be to leave India behind. Inspirational people and life-changing experiences aside, I really miss the food! I learned so much about being grateful for life and truly embracing every moment of it. I have discovered what I know will be a lifelong love of travel and helping others. I want to offer my most sincere thanks to everyone who made this trip possible. It may have only been 10 days but I will remember them forever.

“Phir Milenge”- See you soon!

Newbridge Guides generously Share Food

Congratulations to Newbridge Guides on doing their annual shop for the Newbridge Share Food scheme that helps over 100 families a week. The Guides work in their patrols and learn to budget as well as learning the cost of food and developing their teamwork skills. Here Guide Sophie writes about what is involved:

We recently went up to Tesco to buy some food for Share Food.  We got food that will last a lot longer than most other food, so that the people that need it can save some for other times. It was a very good experience and we got four or five shopping trollies full of food.

It was also good because all the groups had to work together to buy all the food that we could with the limited amount of money.

I learned the following from the Share Food experience

  • Some families do not have much food over Christmas.
  • You can save money by buying larger packs rather than smaller ones.
  • You can save money by buying a particular brand, especially by not buying the really expensive brands!
  • You can save money by buying packs of items together.

I was very happy with all the food we donated. ????

Ailís strikes Gold!

Congratulations to Ailís Ward of Kinsale Senior Branch on receiving her Gold Gaisce Award at a special ceremony in Dublin Castle on 4 December 2019. Here Ailís writes about her experience working towards the Award:

I have been a member of Irish Girl Guides since the age of five. I moved through the ranks from Ladybirds to Senior Branch, enjoying every minute. I recently completed a pharmacy technician’s course in Letterkenny Institute of Technology and I am currently studying in Cork doing Applied Bioscience.

I started my Gold Gaisce in September 2015. My personal skill was literacy as I worked on improving my creative writing and functional writing. I struggled with the physical writing as there is a lot expected in an English exam. My high was staying calm during the exam.

For my physical activity I took up swimming at the local leisure club. I found this difficult as I suffer from dyspraxia. For my Gaisce adventure walk, I walked 80km over four days with Kilbrittain Venture Group. I enjoyed this as I had to plan and budget for the walk.

For the community part of my Gold Gaisce, I spent 52 weeks helping out with Ladybirds. I  helped the Ladybirds complete the enrolment challenges and then I helped them complete the Discover, Grow and Fly challenges over three years. We did games, outdoor activities, art and crafts. We also did trips to the cottage and worked on a number of badges, including Fire Safety, Bird Watcher and First Aid. By the end of their time in Ladybirds, the girls left the group as confident team-players.

My highlight of Gaisce was my residential, which involved going to Lourdes to help sick people and make their stay an enjoyable one.

My reason for wanting to do the Gold Gaisce was because I enjoyed helping people as I have a disability myself – I have autism. Things do not come easy to me. I wanted to give back to people because the Irish Girl Guides have very much included and encouraged me within Guiding.

I have reached for the stars regardless of my background and disability. I have gone on two Roverways – one to France in 2016 and another one to the Netherlands in 2018.

I hope this inspires other people to do the Gold Gaisce too.

Amanda O’Sullivan is our new Chief Commissioner

We are delighted to announce that Amanda O’Sullivan has taken on the role of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) Chief Commissioner.

Amanda, who has been an IGG Leader in Lucan since 1994, has already held a number of high-profile posts in the organisation. These have included Eastern Region Commissioner, Chair of Brownie Branch, Chair of the IT Strategy Team and two terms as Assistant Chief Commissioner.

Amanda, who joined Guides at the age of 11 while living with her family in Ashbourne, Co Meath, has been a Leader with three IGG branches – Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides.

Amanda took up her new role on Saturday 7 December at a meeting of IGG’s Executive Committee in the IGG National Office in Donnybrook. A specially crafted golden Trefoil badge was passed on to her from the outgoing Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon.

“The Trefoil symbolises the history of the organisation and the important role the Chief Commissioner plays,” explained Helen. “She is the Chair of the board and the lead volunteer. The Trefoil was introduced in 1957 by the then Chief Commissioner Eileen Beatty. Prior to that, the only Chiefs of this long-running organisation had been the Viscountess Powerscourts.”

Helen went on to say that she knew Amanda would make an excellent Chief Commissioner. “She brings a supreme knowledge of the organisation from grassroots to board table with her,” she said. “Having worked with Amanda in her role of Assistant Chief Commissioner, I have closely seen her dedication to the Girl Guides and, together with the board, she will lead the movement through the next three years with aplomb.”

Amanda said she was looking forward to the challenges and opportunities afforded by the new role. “Irish Girl Guides is a volunteer-led youth organisation and the role of the Chief Commissioner is a volunteer role,” she said. “The Chief Commissioner chairs the board and promotes the strategic direction of the organisation. I am looking forward to sharing this leadership journey with a fantastic team of volunteers and supported by the staff in the organisation.

“Over the next triennium, there are a number of challenges facing us. We must support our Leaders as we embed the changes that charity regulation and good governance rules and regulations have brought. We will have the excitement and challenge of the relocation of our National Office to an IGG National Training Centre in Tallaght and we must grow our membership and our external profile to support our aim of empowering girls and young women.”

Amanda said she was looking forward to meeting many of the inspirational women in IGG who, on a weekly basis, promote the girl-only space for the development of girls and young women. “I am excited to continue to deliver fantastic opportunities and programmes for all members and support our Leaders who will be the drivers for our success,” she added.

Even though she will be taking on the lead role of the organisation, Amanda said she was also committed to continuing her involvement with Lucan Guides. “I really enjoy my involvement at local level where I have had the privilege of being an active participant in the Guiding journey of many girls and young women,” she said.

“The mission of the Irish Girl Guides is ‘To enable girls and young women to be responsible citizens of the world’ and I have had the honour of being in a position to make a difference and be a positive influence on the girls and young women as they grow in confidence, making a difference to others and supporting the development of their leadership skills all through a non-formal education format. I have had the pleasure of being part of the journey of girls and young women as they take on leadership roles in the organisation, expanding their wings and taking flight.

“As a Leader at local level is where I get to demonstrate my ultimate passion for the organisation. The needs and promotion of the development of the girl is paramount. I have seen it through the empowerment, leadership and teamwork in the many girls, young women and adult members that I have had the pleasure of joining on their Guide pathway.”

IGG went from strength to strength with Helen Concannon at the helm

Helen Concannon has received extensive thanks for the six and a half years she served as Chief Commissioner of Irish Girl Guides (IGG).

Under her leadership, the organisation went from strength to strength. She spearheaded the development of a number of partnerships with high-profile businesses and organisations, including Aer Lingus, Engineers Ireland, Trócaire, Dublin City University, European Movement Ireland and Dragon’s Den investor Alison Cowzer. These collaborations have resulted in initiatives that see IGG members from as young as five developing confidence and life-skills as they earn Aviation, Engineers, STEM, Climate Action and Europe badges as well as participating in Lego robotics workshops and developing entrepreneur skills through a #FutureCEOs cookie-selling programme.

Helen, who originally hails from Furbo, Co Galway, where she joined Brownies at the age of eight, held the post of IGG Chief Commissioner since April 2013. On 7 December she passed on a specially crafted golden Trefoil badge to incoming Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan at a meeting of the Executive Committee at National Office.

Helen explained the significance of the golden Trefoil badge, which was presented for only the 10th time in 108 years. “The Trefoil symbolises the history of the organisation and the important role the Chief Commissioner plays,” she said. “She is the Chair of the board and the lead volunteer. The Trefoil was introduced in 1957 by the then Chief Commissioner Eileen Beatty. Prior to that, the only Chiefs of this long-running organisation had been the Viscountess Powerscourts.

“Pinning on a Trefoil is a symbolic ceremony that occurs for all 11,000 members of the organisation across the country. It means that each girl and young woman undertakes a Promise to do her best. Guiding gives girls opportunities to try a number of activities through the Journey Programme and, no matter what the task, girls are asked to always give their best.

“The skills of being forward-focussed, optimistic and dedicated to following through on their Promise is something special that Irish Girl Guides promotes. These skills, along with all the others they gain in Guiding, help them to become responsible citizens and leaders in their schools, families and communities.”

Helen has received extensive thanks and good wishes on finishing up her term as Chief Commissioner. One such message came from Nonie Hickey, who was Leader of Sí Gaoith Guides in Barna for many years and only retired two years ago. She said, “Where have the years gone? It just seems like yesterday when Helen was in Sí Gaoith Guide Unit, full of fun and determination. Helen always said ‘Yes, we can do it’ and was an inspiration to all her friends and especially to me, her Leader at the time.

“I was present the day she was appointed Chief Commissioner and it was obvious by the atmosphere in the room that she had amazing support. But there was no-one more proud than I to sit there and see her lead the most amazing organisation in the country. Thank you, Helen, for all you have done for Irish Girl Guides with all its challenges and changes during your term of office.”

Helen said, when she started out as a Brownie in the 1980s, she could never have imagined all that she would gain from being a member of IGG. “It has brought me such joy, great friendships and a unique opportunity to contribute to the youth and charity sector in Ireland,” she said. “Being over 100 years old means the organisation needs to continuously move with the times to stay relevant to the young female membership. I have been very lucky to be able to contribute to that development.

“Together with volunteers and staff, we have brought STEM to Guiding through the wonderful programme and badges. We have worked hard to continue the tradition of demonstrating best practice and to comply with all the new legislations and requirements on charities. For us, this is inherent in what we do as Guides because we believe in accountability and transparency.

“Our ethos is strongly built on the goodness of women around Ireland who volunteer every week with over 550 units and on their shoulders, our committees stand. It has been a privilege to work hand in hand with these inspiring women – volunteers who find time to give generously of themselves to ensure the next generations of females in Ireland can take a step further from discarding the glass slippers and shatter the glass ceilings instead.”

Helen is confident that IGG will continue to flourish under the leadership of new Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan. Amanda has twice been Assistant Chief Commissioner, including during the past year, and has also held other high-profile posts in the organisation, including Eastern Region Commissioner, Chair of Brownie Branch and Chair of the IT Strategy Team.

“Amanda brings a supreme knowledge of the organisation from grassroots to board table with her,” said Helen. “Having worked with Amanda in her role of Assistant Chief Commissioner, I have closely seen her dedication to the Girl Guides and, together with the board, she will lead the movement through the next three years with aplomb.”

An amazing opportunity to share IGG’s commitment to SDGs and Climate Action

Last Saturday 30 November I was invited to represent Irish Girl Guides speaking to the President of the United Nations General Assembly about our recent trip to Sangam World Centre in India, our work on creating the badge for SDG 12, the Climate Action badge IGG launched in the spring of 2019 and our work on Climate Action.

This was my first time attending an event such as this, let alone speaking at one. Although it was scary, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity. On the day, we arrived and they had laid out some mini pastries and tea and coffee for everyone attending to get a chance to talk to each other before the event began. While at the reception, we were told the format of how the event would run. We were asked to give a short speech about the work IGG is doing to raise awareness about climate change and about what we learned on our trip to India and the efforts they are making to be more sustainable. After that, there was to be a discussion where everyone attending could ask questions to the speakers and the President or could voice any ideas or concerns they had to the President.

The event began with Valery Molay, one of the Irish UN Youth Delegates, welcoming everyone and explaining how the event would be structured. Next the President of the United Nations General Assembly stood up and talked a bit about why he was here and what efforts the UN are already making to tackle climate change.

After that Jack O’Connor, the other Irish UN Youth Delegate, introduced the first speaker who was representing Fridays For Future Ireland, Beth Doherty. she spoke about the climate strikes that were happening, not only in Ireland but around the world. She also spoke about efforts individuals could make to be more sustainable on a day to day basis. After that Jack invited myself and Teagan Stanley to talk about IGG and their efforts.

When we finished, we all then moved on to a discussion. People asked us what it was like to be immersed in a completely different society and culture than what we were used to and also asked what are some things we believe should be done but are not. People also asked the President what they were doing in the UN to try and solve the issue at hand.

After about a half hour discussion, the event came to a close and Valery thanked everyone for joining. It was such an amazing opportunity to be involved with an event like this and I hope to get the chance again.

You can read the full text of Teagan and Patricia’s speech here

Senior Branchers address UN President about climate change and SDGs

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) was represented at a United Nations Youth Delegate event in Farmleigh House on Saturday 30 November by Senior Branch members Teagan Stanley and Patricia Gutteridge from Tralee and Mary O’Connell and Emma Lawlor from Dunshaughlin.

Also in attendance were the President of the UN General Assembly, Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Band, and many young climate activists from around the country. Teagan and Patricia were invited to speak about their experience at Sangam World Centre in Pune, India, this summer and the work that IGG members are doing to combat climate change.

It was an “absolutely amazing experience”, says Teagan, a member of Dílse Senior Branch, Galway. “It was incredible to be able to speak in front of, and to, the President of the UN.  The group of people there had so many amazing points and ideas and it was brilliant to be able to discuss climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals and global development with such intelligent and open-minded people.

“The work of IGG is just one of many steps communities are making to develop into a better, stronger and more sustainable future and I am so proud to be part of something so incredible. To be able to make a difference on a personal, local and global level is an amazing achievement for IGG and something that we can hope to continue to do into the future. The recognition that IGG is from Ireland and now the UN is a huge stepping-stone for us into building a brighter future for people and girls across Ireland and hopefully the world.”

This is the text of the speech Teagan and Patricia delivered at the UN Youth Delegate event:

Good morning Mr President, delegates, ladies and gentlemen. We would firstly like to thank Valery and Jack for this opportunity and inviting us here today.  We are here to represent Irish Girl Guides and to share the efforts the organisation is making to be more sustainable and to help the people of Ireland be more sustainable. We are aware that the Irish government and individuals are making a huge and commendable effort, but we believe there is a lot more that can be done.

In Irish Girl Guides we are working towards reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Tackling it goal by goal, badge by badge.

So far we have developed and launched our programme for SDG13 Climate Action, which we made available to all branches in spring of 2019.  Our aim for this programme is to introduce the SDG13 badge to Ladybirds, Brownies, Guides and Senior Branch units across Ireland and to show how we can help to achieve this goal.  And to show the importance of caring for the environment and how we affect it from a local and individual level.

We have developed different programmes and activities for each of the age branches in Irish Girl Guides, such as Daisy’s story for Ladybirds where the girls learn to appreciate the necessity of caring for the environment as well as connecting with people and their lives from across the world.  Brownies discover what they can take with them in a climate emergency evacuation.  The Guides’ walking debate allows girls to take on the roles of people all around the world and experience through role play how climate change affects everyone differently. The Senior Branchers work together to develop ideas of how they, as a group and as individuals, can help with climate action which allows and encourages the young women of our society to take a stand and make a difference.

Our programmes are widening girls’ perspectives on the Sustainable Development Goals and how that every small thing that we do has an impact on climate change and even the small individual changes that we make can make a huge change to climate action.

Irish Girl Guides is working towards becoming a total sustainable organisation. At the beginning of this year members of Irish Girl Guides went through all of the programme in an effort to remove any need for single-use plastic in activities, crafts or games.

In addition to this, Irish Girl Guides are making a huge effort to make all camps, pack holidays and events more environmentally friendly. Organisers of events are more aware of what they are buying and where they are buying from, buying local and plastic-free wherever possible. For events and ceremonies, plastic cutlery and plates are being replaced with paper or being avoided altogether.  Girls are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles to meetings and events and single-use plastic bottles are not permitted for camps.

In August 2019 a group of 50 Irish Senior Branchers and Leaders travelled to Sangam World Centre in India.  We went as part of a leadership programme running community action programmes while we were over there, but we also went to observe India in relation to SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

There were so many things that we observed in India that showed responsible consumerism.  The main thing that everyone noticed is that when people are shopping there are no plastic bags or generally bags at all handed out at all, everyone had their own reusable bags for everything to their clothes shopping to their produce. When we ate out one night there was no plastic cutlery given with our meals, they were all wooden.  Places in India didn’t have recycling and general waste bins, almost everything was recyclable or compostable. Any food that was not eaten was not thrown away but was either put into the compost bins or eaten at a different meal. The amount of single-use plastics that we used in India was minimal.  Instead of plastic or paper plates, plates were made out of banana leaves, which could then just be composted. These are things that we feel that Ireland should, and very well can, bring into our own economy.  If people in other places in the world can reduce their single-use plastic usage, then we in Ireland, as a very privileged country, should have no excuse to not also be doing this.

Coming back from India, we have learned and observed so much and we wanted to put this to good use by developing a national programme for IGG to help people in the organisation and in our wider communities to make that change, to reduce our single-use plastic usage and to become responsible consumers.

The girls who returned from India are now working on developing IGG’s programme for SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production.  We aim to get girls of all ages to be more aware of what they are buying and what they are doing with any waste and rubbish they may have. Through various activities, we aim to educate Guides on the effects of production on the environment and how we can make a difference.

Irish Girl Guides’ work on the Sustainable Development Goals can have a huge impact on how well and efficiently Ireland achieves them.  Girls are now developing a deeper understanding of what the SDGs are and what we can do to achieve them. Irish Girl Guides encourages girls to become leaders in their communities, from the youngest Ladybird encouraging her parents to be conscious about what they buy and how they use products, to the Senior Branchers leading their communities to being proactive about climate action.

We believe that we can all make a difference and that everyone working together and doing their bit, we will be able to reach all of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

You can read about Patricia’s experience of the event here.

There’s a place for everyone in Guiding!

Thanks to Rathdowney Senior Branch Leader, Alison Cahill, for writing this blog post about inclusion, diversity and equality following her trip to The Academy:

Wanna know something cool? Irish Girl Guides is a fully inclusive organisation!

That means that we have a place for every girl and young woman who wants to be a part of this amazing group. But not everyone has the same experience of inclusivity, just as not everyone has the same experiences in life. To help your girls understand that not everyone is walking the same path, try this activity with them:

Choose one person to be the ‘centre’ of the circle. Then divide everyone else into equal groups (three or four people in each group). Have the groups stand in a line each, stretching out from the centre. So, when you’re done, it should look like a sun with rays coming out from the centre. The first person in the line will be right next to the centre, while the person at the end of the line will be quite far away.

Now everyone begins to walk in a circle, keeping their lines. Slowly increase the speed from walking to running. The girls should notice that the person nearest the centre doesn’t have to move very fast to complete their circle quickly. But the person on the end of the line has to sprint to keep the line and make it around the circle. Even though everyone is in a line not everyone is able to walk the same path – some people are working harder than others, just to get the same result. Ask the girls closest to the centre how they feel. Then ask the girls furthest away. Repeat the activity with everyone in a different spot and ask again.

When the activity is over, sit down with the girls and ask them to think of examples of people who have to work harder for the same thing. Maybe they know someone who has to walk a lot slower and so takes longer to get to places. Maybe it’s someone who can’t explain themselves as well as some people, and so need patience to get their point across.

Now think of people who are left out of things altogether because they’re different. A good question might be – what might stop me from being able to attend Girl Guides? Really challenge the girls to look around them and think about what lets them come to Girl Guides and what might stop other people. Is your venue wheelchair-friendly? Who paid for your uniform? Do all your activities involve running, or talking, or a good understanding of English?

Explain to the girls that sometimes just saying that everyone is welcome isn’t enough. We have to think long and hard about what obstacles other people might have, that we don’t. It’s also important that we think about how we show ourselves, as a group. If we don’t see anyone ‘like us’ in a group, then we might automatically think that we aren’t welcome there, even if we are.

Then think about things you could do to make sure every girl in your community would feel welcome to attend Girl Guides if they’d like to. What changes might you need to make? Or what message might you need to put out into your community?

A good follow on from this discussion would be to complete the Disability Awareness and Exploring Faiths badges. They both deal with the topic of what makes people different, but equal.

An incredible experience at The Academy!

Orla O’Neill, a Leader with Sí Gaoith Guides in Barna and with Galway City Senior Branch, attended The Academy in Slovenia with Alison Cahill, an IGG Leader in Rathdowney, and Emily Yule, an IGG Leader based in Carlow. Here Orla writes about her experience:

The Academy is an annual event which takes place in a different European country every year. At this event people on a national committee get a chance to network with Guides and Scouts from across Europe and attend workshops to improve their committee skills.

The 2019 Academy took place in Kranjska Gora in Northern Slovenia. It is a beautiful ski village but, unfortunately, the weather was not good enough to head out on a hike. It was raining the whole time we were there but that did not hinder the beautiful views.

The small town was overrun by 200 Guides and Scouts from 43 different countries, coming together with the similar aim of wanting to improve their Guiding or Scouting associations. We quickly made friends and shared ideas from our home countries. It was very interesting to learn about how different countries run their programmes. We were put into Patrols and, with them, we were able to bounce ideas that we wanted to bring home. I will continue to work with my Patrol after coming home; they are a great bunch of people, full of inspiration and knowledge.

During the daytime, we attended an assortment of workshops with loads of information to bring home. There were workshops on programme creating, making room for diversity, advocacy, leadership skills and much more. It was all very interesting and there was so much I wanted to do! I tried to attend as many as possible to better myself as a Leader.

The fun did not stop there! In the evenings there were different activities planned, including a karaoke night, an international night and a wide game where we learned about Slovenian culture. I particularly enjoyed International Night. It was amazing to see so many cultures packed into one room. I had a chance to walk around to every stall, try native foods and learn a bit about the different cultures. It was wonderful to see how different our homes are, but we were still united through Guiding and Scouting. At the Irish stall, we asked people to pronounce Irish names. The results were very funny!

I have learned loads about international Guiding and Scouting, how to properly run an organisation and a bit about other cultures. I have made new friends and I feel inspired to help Irish Girl Guides to grow into the best organisation it can be! I am excited to use what I learned, both at a Unit level and a national level. I hope that I will be able to share everything I picked up with as many Leaders as possible.

It truly was an incredible experience and I am already excited for whoever ends up going next year!

What’s in my Backpack?

Orla O’Neill, a Leader with Sí Gaoith Guides in Barna and with Galway City Senior Branch, learned a fun activity at The Academy in Slovenia that she would like to share. It sounds like a great ice-breaker or introduction to a workshop:

While at the Academy, I learned about an activity that I think would make a fun ice-breaker or introduction to a topic. When we played it in Slovenia, we used it as an introduction to advocacy.

We drew a backpack on a piece of paper. We wrote in the backpack skills we thought an advocate should have that we also had and, outside of the bag, we wrote skills that we would like to improve.

We then crumpled up the papers and had a ‘snowball fight’. We threw the papers around the room, making sure to get our own one as far away from us as possible. We then picked up one that was near to us and uncrumpled it.

We went around the room asking everyone if they had the skills that were on the page e.g. “Are you listening and confident?” When we found the person whose page we had, we linked arms with them. The game kept going until everyone was linking arms.

This can be adapted to an ice-breaker by writing three things you like/dislike inside/outside the bag or things you are good/bad at. It can be made into an introduction to a topic by writing the skills that a person from the topic would/wouldn’t have or things they would have/wouldn’t have or how they feel about the topic (good and bad feelings).

Voices Against Violence resource

Thanks to Alison Cahill, a Leader with Rathdowney Senior Branch, for writing this piece after attending the Academy in Slovenia:

Have you heard about the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) Voices Against Violence toolkit? A step on from the Free Being Me programme, this toolkit looks at the global pandemic of gender-based violence against girls and women. The programme has been tailored for different age groups, so it can be run with Ladybirds, Brownies, Guides or Senior Branch with age-appropriate discussions and activities.

Gender-based violence takes on different forms in different countries, but the stark reality is that one in three women around the world experience violence in their lifetime. As the world’s largest women’s organisation, this is something really important to WAGGGS. How likely we are to experience violence, and how likely we are to be protected from it, depends hugely on who we are and where we live.

An activity for the older age groups is to give every girl a piece of paper with a person on it. Examples of these people would be:

A 45 year old white man with a good job.

A trans-woman who was lost contact with her family.

An Indian woman with eight children, whose husband has left her.

A young man addicted to drugs.

A 30 year old stay-at-home mother of three.

The CEO of a big company.

A 15 year old girl who is married to a man twice her age.

A 17 year old boy who is scared to come out to his family.

No one tells anyone else who they are. Everyone stands in a line facing the same way and you call out statements. The girls take one step forward if they think the statement applies to their ‘person’ and one step back if it doesn’t. If it might be either way, they can stay as they are. After you’ve read a series of these statements stop and see who is ‘far ahead’ and who is ‘lagging behind’ on this journey. Ask the girls who are farthest either way to read out who they are. Once everyone has sat back down, have a discussion on how these people’s live are different. Ask the girls how much danger they think those different people were in from gender-based violence. What resources did their person have to protect themselves? Did they have any?

Examples of statements would be:

I feel I have a lot of job opportunities open to me.

I have the money I need to do the things I want.

I feel safe in my bed at night.

My future is bright.

I have suffered discrimination in my life.

I have access to any medical help I need.

I have control over my life.

I have friends and family I can turn to when I need help.

Did you know IGG has Voices Against Violence trainers who can help you run the programme with your Unit? Contact National Office at info@irishgirlguides.ie to find out more.

Ruby Nails Silver Gaisce!

Congratulations to Ruby Loughlin, a Leader with Cealla Guides and a member of Loughcrew Senior Branch, who was presented with her Silver Gaisce Award at a special award ceremony in Belvedere College on 7 November. Here Ruby writes about how she worked towards the award:

My Silver Gaisce journey began back in August 2018 when I completed the Chief Commissioner’s Award for the Adventure Journey Section. We hiked 60 kilometres through Co Waterford in pairs over five days. We didn’t have phones, so we had to use an OS Map to navigate! We had a spending budget of €28 between the two of us. Overall, I found the experience challenging but so worth it in the end when we received the Chief Commissioner’s Award pin.

I think my communication and teamwork skills improved massively. I really enjoyed participating in the Chief’s adventure challenge. It was definitely my favourite part of my Silver Gaisce journey and I have since completed the Explorer Belt!

As part of the community involvement section of my Gaisce Silver Award, I decided to help out and be a Leader with my local Guide Units. I started as a Ladybird when I was five years old. I helped at our Unit meetings, camps and different days out over the year.

As part of the Personal Skill section of my Gaisce Silver Award, I chose to learn Spanish on Duolingo. I did German in school. I had heard of people using the app Duolingo but I had never used the app myself and found it a very effective way of learning.

As part of the Physical Recreation Section of my Silver Gaisce Award, I chose to run. I knew the benefits of running but I had never run distances before. I wanted to improve my fitness and running is a great way to do so. By the end of the Award I had started to enjoy running and had improved my fitness considerably.

Learning to Lead Out Loud at Juliette Low Seminar

Irish Girl Guides members today (13 November 2019) welcomed 23 Girl Guide Leaders from 18 countries across the globe to the Juliette Low Seminar (JLS) Irish Hub at Gormanston Park, Co Meath.

This is the first time for us to host the international week-long leadership training for young Guide Leaders that is organised by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) every three years.

The seminar has taken place in many different countries since it was first held in Our Chalet Guiding World Centre in Switzerland in 1932 but this is the first time for it to come to Ireland. It is also the first time for it to take place in more than one location as there are 18 hubs around the world running simultaneously with a total of 500+ young women taking part and 150 facilitators and volunteers.

The Guide Leaders attending the Irish hub have travelled from as far away as Lebanon, Malawi, Ghana, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, USA and Barbados as well as other parts of Europe, including Spain, Italy, Austria, Croatia, Finland and the Ukraine.

Meanwhile, 11 IGG members have packed their suitcases and have headed off to hubs across the world, including Poland, Mexico, the USA, Nigeria, Oman and Madagascar.

The 500+ Guide Leaders will be following the same Lead Out Loud programme in each hub, which will see them develop their leadership skills and learn how to tackle gender barriers to leadership so that they can take the lead and bring about change in their communities.

Each participant will be asked to share their learnings with 100+ younger Girl Guides on their return home. By doing this over the next two years, it is expected that 100,000 girls and young women throughout the world will be encouraged and empowered to take on leadership roles in their communities and, in so doing, to have a significant positive impact on society.

Before heading off to facilitate the JLS hub in New York, IGG International Commissioner Jenna Goodwin said: “It is a privilege for Irish Girl Guides to have been selected as one of the 18 hubs hosting the Juliette Low Seminar. We are excited to welcome Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from around the world to Ireland and to host this seminar for them. In addition to this, we would like to wish our 11 members travelling to other hubs around the world the very best of luck. It will be a fantastic experience to be part of this massive global leadership event.

“We believe there is unlimited potential in girls and young women,” continued Jenna. “We encourage our members from age five-plus to develop, learn, speak out, demand change and take on leadership roles. We create future leaders by helping girls and young women realise their potential through innovative learning and leadership opportunities and by giving them the skills and opportunities to develop their leadership skills.”

Lorna Finnegan, Irish Hub Team Lead, said it was a unique opportunity for IGG to be involved in a historic event that would be shared with hundreds of young women globally. “It allows us to provide more international opportunities for more young women to develop their leadership potential and grow in confidence,” she said. “And we all know what confident young women can achieve when they put their minds to it!

“The young women who will attend this event in Ireland and abroad will return to their own communities to work on a self-directed project that will impact the lives of many more girls and young women in their local areas,” she added. “The possibilities stemming from the ripple effect of this event are immeasurable.”

Although the 500+ participants will follow a broadly similar programme no matter which hub they attend, they will all have an opportunity to experience local cuisine and culture as well. Guides from Co Meath will introduce those attending the Irish hub to Irish dancing. Participants will also visit Newgrange, the V&W Recycling Centre in Drogheda and Sonairte National Ecology Centre where they will lend a hand with weeding and other gardening tasks.

They will also hear three motivational speakers during an Empowerment Evening on Sunday when the speakers will be children’s rights advocate, former Senator and former IGG Chief Commissioner Jillian van Turnhout, award-winning STEM communicator and IGG Ambassador Dr Niamh Shaw and Ciara-Beth Griffin, an education rights’ activist and inspirational young Guide Leader from Galway who designed the Mi Contact app to help children with autism improve their eye contact skills.

Aisling Claffey, IGG Assistant International Commissioner who is one of the facilitators at the Irish hub, said she was looking forward to welcoming a diverse group of Guide Leaders to Ireland. “It is a fantastic opportunity to be able to facilitate alongside such a motivated, enthusiastic and passionate group of people,” she said. “We all attended a training in Uganda last year to prepare and we have been working together for months now and can’t wait to see our plans and sessions happen.”

Elizabeth Lynch, IGG’s North East Regional Commissioner and a Guide Leader in Kells and Mosney, is also be facilitating the Irish hub. She said: “I’m really excited to be part of the Juliette Low Seminar here in Ireland. I’m delighted to be sharing the theme of Lead Out Loud with participants from all around the world. It’s fantastic to think that they will go back to their countries ready to share the WAGGGS goal of empowering young girls and women to speak out in their communities and become change-makers.”

Top cookie sellers receive a visit from Alison Cowzer!

Dragon’s Den investor Alison Cowzer paid a visit to Carrigdhoun Guides and Carrigaline Senior Branch on 5 November to congratulate them on being Irish Girl Guides’ top cookie-sellers.

The Cork girls sold a total of 1,536 packets of IGG cookies during last year’s National Cookie Month and they hope to sell just as many during this year’s National Cookie Month. By selling so many cookies last year, the girls raised a whopping €1,536 for unit funds, which they spent on fun day trips.

Carrigdhoun Guide Leader Aisling Claffey says they managed to sell so many because the girls became very passionate about the initiative. “They all believed in it and worked really hard,” she said. She praised the local community for being hugely supportive, especially Barry Collins Super Valu, which allowed the girls set up a stall outside the supermarket.

“The Guide unit became the Carrigaline Cookie Company with all the Guides as employees working in different departments – management, marketing, HR, sales and distribution and finance,” said Aisling. “We continued the company after Cookie Month and into the New Year when they continued to work in their departments and earned a number of more Guide badges, including Money Matters, Healthy Mind and Online Safety.”

Selling the cookies was not only a fantastic fundraiser, but it also helped the girls develop business, money management, communications and other essential life-skills. Guide Christina (12) said: “I definitely think I was more confident afterwards and a lot more resilient as well.”

Carrigdhoun Ladybirds (aged 5-7) were also involved in selling cookies. “They were fun to sell – we made lots of posters and worked together,” said Natalie (6). “The cookies were yummy and we used the money to go on lots of days out and do lots of fun things.”

This year is IGG’s third National Cookie Month and, for the first time, the girls are selling two different products. As well as the original choc-chip cookies, they are also selling Irish butter chocolate-enrobed chocolate chunk cookies. This is thanks to a grant from the Ulster Bank Skills and Opportunities Fund, which helped fund research into a new flavour and develop new promotional materials. One hundred and twenty-five Guides participated in a taste test of seven flavours and the chocolate chunk cookies were a clear winner!

Both flavours of cookies are made in East Coast Bakehouse in Drogheda. Alison Cowzer, who is co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse, has proved an invaluable mentor for IGG members taking part in the #FutureCEOs initiative, sharing with them her insider tips for making sales.

Ms Cowzer is delighted to lend her support, given that, she says, “It could take centuries to achieve equality without serious efforts to bring women into male-dominated spheres such as business and politics. No other organisation in Ireland is specifically working with girls to tackle the gender imbalance in business and so I am very happy to be a part of this project, which is helping foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among Irish girls and young women.”

All set for National Cookie Month!

Thousands of members of Irish Girl Guides are aiming to address gender imbalance in Ireland’s boardrooms by selling 30,000 packets of cookies as part of this year’s National Cookie Month (November).

The money raised will be used to fund camps and day trips and to buy equipment for the girls to use at their weekly meetings. Some will be donated to various charities.

It’s not all about the money, though! By deciding how many packets to order, how to go about selling the biscuits and how to spend the proceeds of their sales, the girls will develop valuable decision-making, goal-setting, communications, business and money-management skills.

This year we have a new flavour! As well as selling our popular chocolate-chip cookies, our members from age five-plus will also be selling chocolate-enrobed chocolate chunk cookies. This decision was taken following a consultation with Girl Guide Patrol Leaders earlier this year.

The new cookies will sell for €3.00 per pack while the original chocolate-chip cookies will retail at the usual price of €2.50 per pack.

Every girl who takes part in the Cookie project will earn a cookie badge.

Leaders can order cookies and badges from our online shop. Posters advertising the original chocolate-chip flavour can be downloaded here and for the new chocolate-enrobed chocolate chunk flavour here.

For more details, check out our Cookie booklet. Any queries may be sent to cookies@irishgirlguides.ie.

Tralee Guides were delighted to introduce our Irish Girl Guides cookies to Roses during this year’s Rose of Tralee Festival (as pictured above).

The cookies are made in East Coast Bakehouse in Drogheda. Alison Cowzer, co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse and Dragon’s Den investor, has proved an invaluable mentor for IGG members, generously sharing her insider tips for making sales.

Ms Cowzer is delighted to lend her support to the cookie initiative, given that “it could take centuries to achieve equality without serious efforts to bring women into male-dominated spheres such as business and politics. No other organisation in Ireland is specifically working with girls to tackle the gender imbalance in business and so I am very happy to be a part of this project, which is helping foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among Irish girls and young women.

“The Irish Girl Guides is a proactive and forward-thinking organisation, which gives girls confidence and the opportunity to develop essential life-skills. I have seen my own daughters greatly benefit from their involvement in IGG.”

IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon says, “Cookie Month was such a success the past two years we decided to do it again this year. We have given the project the hashtag #FutureCEOs, which stands for Creating Entrepreneur Opportunities, and it is hoped that all girls who get involved will develop and strengthen their goal-setting, decision-making, communication and entrepreneurial skills.

“We want to change the imbalance of the number of women in decision-making positions across the various sectors of society such as business, communities, companies and boardrooms all around Ireland and beyond. And this begins by giving girls opportunities to develop confidence.

“We heard numerous stories from Leaders and parents last year saying how their girls started out as shy salespeople unsure of how to even begin and ended up savvy businesswomen. The number of units that came to us to order more cookies to sell is testament to the success of the girls developing their skills.

“As a non-profit organisation, all monies raised are invested in the organisation to help fulfil its mission to help girls and young women reach their fullest potential,” Ms Concannon added.

Best of luck to everyone taking part in this year’s Cookie programme! 

Bernadette earns all 60 Guide badges! Wow!

Congratulations to Bernadette of Edenderry Guides who earned every single Guide interest badge! What an achievement!

Here she tells us how she did it:

On Saturday 12 October 2019 I was very proud and happy to be one of the 135 girls who received the highest award in Guiding – the Trail Blazer National Guide Award. My Guiding journey began four years ago when I moved from Brownies to Guides after spending three years in Brownies and three years in Ladybirds.

When I joined Guides and got my Guide Travel Folder I was so excited to see all the badges I could earn. I made a promise to myself to earn all the badges in my four years as a Guide. This was greatly helped by the support of my Guide Leaders and my parents.

I worked on as many of the badges I could by myself at the weekend and doing a badge every four to five weeks in my Unit helped me work through all of the 60 Guide interest badges.

YEAR 1: PATHFINDER

I became enrolled and began working on badges. Some of the badges I worked on  were:

Green Fingers (I helped with my vegetable patch)

Camper Way Bronze (as I went on my first outdoor camp)

Care of the Elderly (I helped my mam with Meals on Wheels for the year)

YEAR 2: VOYAGER

Having completed some more of the badges during the summer, I returned for action to complete more. At the end of my year as a Voyager I attended IGG’s international camp IGGNITE2017. Some of the badges I completed that year were:

Car Care (my dad showed me how to maintain a car)

Lord Baden Powell (I learned the history of Scouts)

Childcare (I minded my siblings and cousin for one day)

YEAR 3: INNOVATOR

In my year as an Innovator I became a Patrol Leader and my sister Lauren joined Guides. Some of the badges I completed were:

Lady Baden Powell (I learned the history of Guiding)

Engineer (I completed this at a camp in Carne, Co Wexford)

Sportswoman (I completed this as I was playing for Offaly under 12)

YEAR 4: TRAIL BLAZER

In my final year as a Guide I became a Patrol Leader again and I completed my Trail Blazer National Guide Award. Some of the badges I completed were:

Aviation (I learned the history of women in aviation)

Team Player (I learned what makes a team work and about teams in the world)

Farming (I learned about the machinery used when farming and about farming animals)

Europe (I completed this during the summer so that I would have every badge in the Guide programme)

Over the years my three favourite badges that I worked on were:

Sportswoman

Team Player

Active Body

SPORTSWOMAN:

For this badge I wrote about the training and matches I took part in while playing Gaelic Football for Edenderry and Offaly. I also wrote about the clothing and equipment needed for Gaelic football eg. football boots. Finally, I wrote down some of the rules of Gaelic Football.

 TEAM PLAYER:

For this badge I wrote down about what makes a team and examples of good teams. I also made a poster on some of the qualities of a good team and some of the examples of the teams.

ACTIVE BODY:

When doing this badge, we did a night outside in the school yard where we attend Guides and we played some games and activities in the yard like basketball, captain ball, hot potato and chasing.

Now that I have joined Senior Branch I can begin working on Ladybird, Brownie and Guide badges and work towards my ‘I Am A Badge Diva’ badge!!

Looking forward to earning more badges!

Guiding does not end with earning your Trail Blazer National Guide Award. Once our members have completed their four years as a Girl Guide, they are encouraged to continue their Guiding journey by joining their local Senior Branch Unit where they will continue to grow in confidence and independence and will have opportunities to take part in national and international Guiding events.

Zoe of Ballybay Guides, Monaghan, thoroughly enjoyed earning a wide range of badges while she was a Guide and looks forward to earning more in Senior Branch. Here is the text of a speech she delivered at the National Guide Awards ceremony in Croke Park:

Hi, I’m Zoe.  One of the first things a new Guide does when she gets her Journey Folder is to look at the interest badges that can be earned. Whatever your interests, there are badges for you.

During my four years at Guides I earned numerous badges; some I worked on with a group and others individually. Some of these are: Guiding Traditions, Outdoor Cook, Campers Way, Drug Awareness, Global Traveller, Healthy Mind and, of course, everyone’s favourite – the Chocolate badge. The badge I would like to share with you is one I completed with all my Unit in my Trailblazer year and it is the Disability Awareness badge.

We completed this with Sinead who was a Gold Award Guide as a teen. We looked at deafness and we learned the alphabet in sign language. In week two Sinead brought in a wheelchair and we had to perform several tasks, including getting into the building, turning on the light, getting something from both a low and high shelf in the cupboard. We then discussed the difficulties faced by disabled people daily.

The highlight of this badge was our visit from Diane. Diane suffered a spinal cord injury after a car accident at the age of 21 while a student at college studying to be a Primary teacher. She gave us a detailed account of how she dealt with this change in her life, both physically and mentally. We then got to ask questions; we could have stayed all night as it was so interesting. Diane did go back to college and today she teachers Junior Infants.

In the final week, in our patrols we made sensory mats, three were donated to local schools with autism units and the other to a local family.

I loved my time in Guides and hope to achieve many more badges now I am a Senior Brancher.

135 Guides blaze a trail to Croke Park!

Congratulations to the 135 Guides who received the Trail Blazer National Guide Award – Irish Girl Guides’ highest award – at a special ceremony in Croke Park on 12 October 2019!

The 135 girls aged 14-15 travelled from all corners of the country to receive the award and, with their families and Guide Leaders, celebrate reaching the pinnacle of Guiding.

Each girl received a Trail Blazer gold pin from IGG President Maureen Murphy and a National Guide Award certificate from IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon.

Congratulating the recipients, IGG President Maureen Murphy said, “It is a privilege to be here today to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of our Trail Blazers who have all shown commitment in completing the challenges and, in doing so, putting your individual footprint on your tasks. You are inspirational, you will inspire younger members and take your learning and experiences gained into your communities and wider society.”

IGG’s Honorary Ambassador, Dr Niamh Shaw, said she was “especially excited” to attend the National Guide Awards to celebrate and acknowledge all the recipients’ outstanding achievements and contributions to the Irish Girl Guides. “I want you to keep contributing your very best to everything you pursue in life because you are our future, Ireland’s future,” she said.

“We can create any future we want if we dream big enough and work hard enough,” she continued. “I can already see that working hard comes easy to you all, so nothing can possibly stop you from becoming whatever you want in your life.”

Carol Stanley, Assistant Chair of IGG Guide Branch, said that, without the hard work and commitment of the 135 girls, there would be no celebrations: “This award is made in recognition of the successful completion of a series of challenges, including teamwork activities, outdoor survival skills, community service, global awareness and working with younger members of Irish Girl Guides to help them develop confidence, independence and essential life-skills.

“We are delighted for you all and we all know that you have worked to your fullest potential to receive this award and hope you continue to use many of the life-skills you have achieved wherever life takes you in the future.”

You can see lots of photos on our Facebook page!

Leading Out Loud on Day of the Girl!

Girl Guides in every county in Ireland are getting ready to celebrate International Day of the Girl (11 October) by leading out loud.

Our 11,000 members will join millions of girls and women, including the 10 million members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), in celebrating unscripted and unstoppable girls around the world.

They will learn about girls’ rights in different times, countries and cultures and through their involvement in the Girl Guides will develop their leadership skills and make a positive impact on their communities.

One hundred and thirty-five members who have already demonstrated leadership in their communities will head to Croke Park the following day to receive their Trailblazer National Guide Award at a special ceremony.

“By participating in a range of activities, projects and challenges, our members demonstrate leadership and develop confidence and independence while learning how to speak up and take action to make the world a better place,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon.

“The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl is #GirlForce – Unscripted and Unstoppable and many of our members, including the 135 girls receiving our Trail Blazer award, are unstoppable in that they have blazed a trail for our younger members to follow. These amazing young people are 14 and 15 years of age and have already carried out projects in their local communities and have scripted their own paths by choosing the challenges they undertake.

“Our organisation empowers girls to be unscripted and unstoppable by giving them the opportunity to lead, to speak up and take action on issues that are important to them, for example gender equality and climate action,” says Ms Concannon.

“We do a lot of work around the Sustainable Development Goals and we encourage girls through non-formal education to undertake new challenges and step out of their comfort zones in order to develop to their full potential and become responsible citizens.”

A fantastic weekend at Ventact!

About 20 IGG members took part in this year’s Ventact South camp. Here Aishling McCarthy of Bandon Senior Branch describes the weekend:

Hundreds of Senior Branchers, Rangers, Rovers and Venture Scouts arrived at Kilcully Campsite in Cork on Friday 6 September for what can only be described as a fantastic weekend and, for many, a highlight of their summer.

Ventact is an annual event organised by the Joint Committee of Scouts and Guides in Cork. I signed up as staff for the weekend and can gladly say I enjoyed it just as much as the participants. The theme for this year’s Ventact was ‘Disney’ – a fitting theme with the recent remakes of some classic Disney movies.

Friday night’s activities included a campfire, a movie (Disney, of course!) and the infamous madness that is the swapping of activity tickets. For those of you who have attended Ventact in the past, you know what I’m talking about!

On Saturday we were woken by Robin William’s ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, another Ventact tradition. After the raising of the flags, we headed for the bus pens to head off for the day to our activities in Cork city and county. This year some of the activities included Ballyhass Lakes, West Cork Secret, Zip It, Dragon Boats, Awesome Walls, water skiing … and that is just to name a few.

As staff, we accompanied the participants to these activities and were free to join in any activity, if we so wished. So I headed off to Cobh for the day where we headed out on ribs around Cork Harbour – a first for me, even though I live in Cork, and I’m so glad I got to do it!

The participants then completed a WhatsApp Challenge around Cobh in the afternoon. We returned to Kilcully for a jam-packed evening, including music from Rebel Brass, Ventact’s Own, a fire display and a disco, where we saw some fantastic Disney costumes on display.

On Sunday morning we woke to the sound of ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ again, although not quite as early as Saturday morning. Some of the morning’s activities included a tug-of-war and the water slide before everyone on site gathered to create a drone image of Ventact ’19 before striking camp.

A great weekend was had by all. Don’t forget to keep an eye out in January for the Ventact 2020 announcement!

Learning leadership skills with Trócaire

On 23 August Senior Branch members from Cork, Westmeath and North Longford joined young people from Foróige, Youth Work Galway and Adamstown Youth Club to take part in a Trócaire leadership weekend in Larch Hill International Scout and Guide Centre. Here Olivia Hoysted, a member of North Longford Senior Branch, gives an account of the event:

On arrival at Larch Hill, we were invited to participate in many activities that the wonderful team representing Trócaire had planned. We had fun with the ice-breaker games, which helped expand our knowledge on what leadership means. We drew our favourite leadership quotes and chose people to go to a desert island with. The team conveyed to us that leadership is more than just being direct with information.

We had an exhilarating experience as we participated in the famous Tròlympics. This was a competition in which four groups partook in four games. The winning group was noted by the fastest times and the correct answers to the questions about Tròcaire’s work. The first station was about folding a ground sheet until all the members in the group could fit on it. The second station involved running back and forth with a water bag 100 times (1km). The third station involved putting together 13 Trócaire boxes within an allocated time and the fourth was based on how fast items of clothing could be put on one person.

After a fantastic night, we woke to anticipate an eventful day outdoors with Scout Leaders. We played a game based on the importance of communication in a Leader. We all had ropes and we had to direct each other to pick up a peg. The other game consisted of gutters and a ball that couldn’t touch the ground. This showed the types of leadership that could be used in different situations.

That evening we were all delighted with the fantastic news on Trócaire’s proposed plans for a youth panel, which would tackle newer problems arising from a youthful perspective. We all showed extreme enthusiasm toward this exemplary project, as the team got us to explore the positive and the negative results that this could have.

After that, we were all treated to an interesting night of games that people had created for Trócaire’s game-changers contest. We played a virtual game that gave children’s knowledge about climate change in Honduras. “The Game of Life” was designed to educate children about inequality in the world. We also tried a game designed for primary school students about preparing for school (i.e. buying school books) and we played a game for an older age group explaining the production of clothing. The last game was extremely anticipated by everyone as it was interactive in teaching us about the atrocities that refugees suffer.

On Sunday we had a quick reflection on the weekend before the Trólympics winners were announced. The group was presented with the legendary Trólympics mug and a box of chocolates each.

We had a thrilling time and would like to extend a warm thanks to the Trócaire team (Aine, Karen, Laura, Steven and Conor) for making the weekend an informative and memorable one.

‘A little piece of my heart will forever be in Sangam’

To mark the start of the Senior Branch centenary year, a group of Senior Branch members and Leaders went to Sangam World Centre in Pune, India. Here Chris Cumiskey, a Leader with Dundalk Senior Branch and Boyne Valley Brownies, writes about her experience:

I didn’t sleep much the night before. I had signed up for the Senior Branch trip to Sangam the year before, but I really wasn’t sure what it would involve. All I knew was that I had dreamed of going to India since high school and Sangam for many years and that day was almost here!  Could I do it or was it all going to be too much?

The alarm went off at the crack of dawn and my adventure began. I met the other Leaders and Senior Branchers at the airport, some faces familiar, many not. Most were still sleepy but there were nerves and excitement to be felt as well as we waited to check in. By the time I was settled into my seat on the plane I was tired but excited and a little overwhelmed by this adventure that was turning from a dream into reality.

The journey was long but comfortable. We arrived in Sangam 24 hours after leaving home the day before exhausted, disoriented and a little bit overwhelmed. I had gotten glimpses of India during the four-and-a-half-hour bus journey from Mumbai but really couldn’t appreciate it. It all felt like a dream. I was invited into the dining room for my first breakfast at Sangam and ate in exhausted near silence before listening to Sangam’s welcome talk and then finally falling into bed for a much-needed nap.

That afternoon I was woken up by my roommate because I had slept through lunch and a contingent meeting was about to start. I raced down to the hall, took off my shoes and entered the hall. There were a lot of new faces and I was wondering how I was ever going to learn everyone’s name. We had a chat, introduced ourselves and we were off. Everything was starting and it was exhilarating!

We were broken down into groups and taken on a tour of Sangam. It was absolutely beautiful. The complex with its landscaped gardens surrounds its centrepiece – the large pool where we had quite a few evening pool parties. The place was a lot bigger than I had expected, with gardens and green spaces everywhere. There was even a yoga studio for anyone who wanted to try early morning yoga. I was never able to wake early enough to attend but I heard it was amazing.

I started my days with a not-so-early morning swim and finished many of my days that way as well.  After the dust and heat of the day it was so refreshing! Other than the main hall, where we had our workshops, with its huge arched windows overlooking the pool and gardens, we were outside most of the time. I especially loved eating outside at the tables overlooking the pool.  Sangam is a little oasis of tranquillity from the noise and chaos of the street just outside the gates.

Walking through the gates of Sangam took me into another world. My first impression was absolute chaos!  Cars and rickshaws and cows and people were everywhere, going in every possible direction and making as much noise as possible. Ladies of every age wearing beautiful, bright saris contrasted with the dusty, run down store fronts. The smells of incense and street food distracted from the stink of the rubbish that was piled everywhere.  And the feel of the dust that seeped into my pores and tickled the back of my throat thanks to the traffic was constant.  It was all so new and overwhelming, exciting and wonderful! I was here! I made it! The adventure was really beginning!

After our first walk around Pune, a few Leaders and I decided to explore a side street before returning to Sangam. That’s when I realised how amazing the Indian people are. They were as curious about us as we were about them.  As we walked, we were met by a few young girls in their school uniforms who smiled at us shyly.  One of them raised her hand for a high five, so I gave her one.

We walked on and were met by more and more children, smiling at us and calling ‘Hello lady’ and putting their hands up for high fives.  By the time we had walked about 200 meters we had a swarm of about 50 kids surrounding us smiling and looking for high fives. I felt a little like the Pied Piper when we decided to turn back.

The main focus of our stay was our Community Action Project (CAP) where we would be going out into the community to volunteer. This was something that we had all been thinking about and planning for months now. I was really excited about meeting people from the community and seeing what life was like in this part of India and, hopefully, make a difference.

During one of our workshops, we were told of the six places available for us to do our CAP.  They ranged from schools for able children, disabled children to a school on wheels visiting the poorest of communities in Pune to old age homes and homes for mentally challenged women.  We were asked to list our top three choices with the reasons why we chose them.  We were advised to pick places that were out of our comfort zone as this trip was meant to challenge us.

I chose, and was assigned to, a school for the mentally and physically handicapped.  This was going to take me way out of my comfort zone as I had never had any dealings with children with disabilities and the idea was pretty scary to me.  We arrived the first day and got to observe some handicapped kids taking part in a PE class.  The kids had varying degrees of disabilities and we tried to assist in any way we could. I wasn’t quite sure how to help so I observed as they did some exercises and played some games. There were other classrooms where the kids were doing Indian dancing, music and singing. There was also an art competition going on. The teams I observed were deaf and it was amazing watching them communicate and seeing the standard of artwork they produced.

I finally ended up in a hall with one of the deaf teachers from the art department who was busy preparing some decorations for an upcoming festival. He communicated to us that we were to cut triangles and diamond shapes from a bunch of heavy-duty cardboard tubes with some small blades. This was no easy feat as the blades were small and not very sharp. We also had to paint the tubes with thin white undercoat which, though less difficult, was very tedious. Things were going very quietly until two of the deaf teenagers joined us and tried to communicate with us. Luckily, I remembered how to sign the alphabet and was able to spell out everyone’s name to the students. From then on, things got to be much more interesting! We chatted with the students who wanted to know all about us. Between signing and writing things down on post it notes, we learned about each other.  Even the teacher got involved and we found out that he is a swimming instructor in his spare time!  We are Facebook friends now and he Skyped his wife one of the days so I could meet her. I ended up sending her one of my homemade swaps that I had brought from home. She was delighted and Skyped back the next day to thank me.

Lunchtime saw everyone go outside to eat. We took our packed lunches from Sangam out and picnicked with all of the kids and their teachers. There were maybe five schools visiting each day so there were over 100 kids there each day. Once the kids finished eating, they were allowed to play in the grassy field. I noticed some of the deaf boys were kicking a soccer ball near me so I left my lunch and asked them if I could play. They were a bit confused at first as to why an adult wanted to play with them, as I don’t think adults tend to play in India, but they quickly included me and we kicked the ball back and forth like any other kids anywhere else in the world. Eventually other Leaders joined in as well as more and more kids. We all had a great time and the lunch hour passed much too quickly.

The next day we decided to bring some toys for the kids to play with during lunch, so we packed a parachute, balloons and some badminton equipment. The kids were so excited and there were almost riots over the balloons – they all wanted one of their own. Once the equipment was passed out and the kids were assured that there were no more balloons to be had, they broke off into groups. The younger kids went to play with the parachute and the squeals of delight were heard throughout the school. The boys very quickly ran off with the badminton racquets and refused to let the girls play, a familiar struggle. I played catch with a bunch of the girls with their balloons. It was a pretty quiet game as they were deaf, and we couldn’t use our hands for signing but we had fun anyway. I eventually noticed a little girl who was standing on her own. I left the older girls to see if she was ok.

She was blind and mute (I’m not sure if she was deaf as well) and had no-one to play with so I gave her my balloon. We worked out fairly quickly how to have a game of catch and spent the remainder of lunch playing catch together. She had the most glorious smile on her face as we played together that I was reluctant to stop, even when her class was being called to go inside. That is one of the experiences that I will never forget. I found out later from one of the teachers that that group of kids came from a very disadvantaged background. Most of the parents work very long hours and are too tired when they get home to parent their children, so the kids pretty much raise themselves. The teacher explained that the kids ‘come to school to receive love’. I hope the kids remember us and that day we all played together.

As the days passed, my confidence grew. Walking to Wadi, the next neighbourhood, that started as such an adventure became commonplace, taking a rickshaw was no longer a big deal and even crossing the street was now easily done. I had settled into life in Pune quickly and easily with the help of the Sangam team. Each day they gave us another small challenge so that I didn’t even realise that I was gaining confidence, so by the final day I was ready for my ultimate challenge – the Pune Leadership Challenge.

In teams of three we were to travel around Pune and visit three assigned destinations – a temple, a museum and a park. We had to get ourselves to each of these destinations and do the assigned challenges there, returning to Sangam by a certain time. This would have been unthinkable when I arrived in Pune just over a week earlier, but now we were able to do it with ease and the three of us thoroughly enjoyed the challenge , right down to trying out some of the wonderful street food!

Going to Sangam World Centre was so much more than just visiting India or doing some community service. It added an intangible element to the trip that is impossible to define. I could see the group bonding and gaining confidence by the day. From campfires to pool parties, to planning and organising our CAP we came together. Our Senior Branch girls amazed and inspired me by both what they had to say and how they said it. Their insights were profound and their public speaking skills were amazing. Their ability to try new things, organise and get things done were inspirational. I was so proud of them all and honoured to be part of this trip of a lifetime.

When I look back to how worried I was at the start of the trip, I can see how far I have come.  It has been challenging but I did it and I am very proud of myself. Saying goodbye to Sangam was not easy but a little piece of my heart will forever be there.

An amazing cultural and educational experience!

On 12 August 39 Senior Branch members and 11 Leaders travelled to Pune in India where they stayed 12 days at Sangam World Centre (one of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts’ five world centres). Here Marie Taylor, a Leader with Monasterboice Guides, writes about her experience:

The trip was an amazing cultural and educational experience, which I can only describe as being that of a lifetime.

We all stayed in Sangam, which is a Guide World Centre. While there we had the opportunity to experience the local foods and meet up with people in the local area who were all very friendly and happy. The children all wanted to know our names and, whenever we went out into the community, they would always gather and follow us.

During the trip we did community projects. I went to a special needs’ school, which was the first in India. The children do art, swimming, sport and dance. Others in the IGG group went to other community projects, such as a travelling school bus and local schools, while others visited a school in the slums along with other projects.

While there we visited a family and shared in their local way of life, which is a side you wouldn’t see as a tourist. We went on tuc tucs, which was an experience never to be forgotten! Also, the local market was a sight to behold. I have never seen so many people in one area and then to come across someone driving down through the middle of this was unbelievable.

One day we did a hike up a mountain – the views and scenery were just amazing. During the trip one of the Senior Branchers had her 16th birthday and we celebrated with a cake and candles!

We all had the opportunity to buy saris and, before we left, we all dressed up and did a Bollywood dance. Overall, it was an experience of a lifetime and one I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Reigniting the Guiding spirit at Sangam!

Thanks to Vera O’Riordan, a member of McEgan Senior Branch, Macroom, who sent us the following:

I wrote this poem while on a two-week trip with Senior Branch to Sangam, the Guide World Centre located in Pune, India. As part of the Sangam Challenge, we were encouraged to participate in the campfire Sangam has. Campfires are great for sharing songs, but I also love campfires that involve storytelling and skits, so I decided to write a quick poem for everyone there!

The programme we undertook at Sangam was called Discover Your Potential and we all felt the hospitality and activities that were ongoing at Sangam were a great way to reignite our Guiding spirit! Just for fun, in this poem I chat about the hiking we did, the lovely people of Pune we met and the jokes we shared along the way …

All the places we’ll go

In Sangam and beyond

Hundreds of miles from home

As we jump from the cosy Irish pond

 

We heard tropical birds

Went for a trek

Hiked the beautiful countryside

Embraced the monsoon’s wet

 

All the people we met

From lands far away

The meals we shared

And their games we played

 

All the stories we shared

I knew I’ve a fair few from Cork

We laughed at our Irish dancing

And how we couldn’t eat dinner without a fork

 

All the lessons we learned

About community strength and resilience

Our batteries came home restored

Ready to share our inner Guiding brilliance!

Olave 2019! A week to remember!

Thank you to Ella Murtagh of Lucan Senior Branch and Aoife Murtagh of Lucan Guides for the following account of their trip to Camp Olave:

Twenty-four members of Lucan Senior Branch, Guides and Leaders started our adventure at 7.15am at Dublin Port as we met in the car ferry carpark and hauled our bags out of the boot and raced to our friends at the StenaLine check-in point. Soon after, we were on our way.

We had breakfast and a nap, then 3.5 hours later we were at Holyhead, Wales, refreshed and ready to continue our journey to Olave 2019 in East Sussex. Three trains, one more than planned, and a bus later we arrived at the campsite. As it was late when we arrived, all we could think about was whether we would be getting food or not (we did, so it was all good)!

Once we had food, we headed straight to the opening ceremony. Aoife brought up an Irish flag to represent our group. We saw that there were visitors from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Greece, Nigeria, St Vincent’s and the Grenadines, Australia and two other IGG groups. There was a fantastic fireworks display. We were then assigned our subcamps. I was in Ranger Rays and Aoife was in Green Octopus. Once the ceremony was over, we found our tents, set up our bedding and we headed straight to bed for a well-earned rest.

The next morning we were on early breakfast at 7.30am.  This was different to other camps as we went to the ‘Sussex Diner’ for all of our meals at pre-set times. Once we cleared our plates, we were free to swap badges, have a shower or meet new friends.

A day of activities lay ahead. A number of weeks before the camp Guides and Senior Branchers were given a list of activities from ‘Get on Board’, ranging from abseiling to blind-folded 4 x 4 driving.  We also had a camp badge to complete, which involved another set of compulsory activities to complete over the six days. Both groups’ activity that day was ‘Ocean Commotion’ where we made smoothies, tasted fish, crafted octopuses and much more. Later on, we had dinner and free time; then at 10.30pm it was lights out.

Day 2 the Rangers Rays had a lie in and had brunch at 10am – waffles and pancakes! Ranger Rays were split into two groups – our group went on a hike. Unfortunately, we were given the wrong map so our hike was shorter than we expected. We then made facemasks. The other group went to ‘Branching Out’.

Aoife, as part of the Green Octopus, went on a day trip to Hastings. They went to the Smugglers’ caves and learned all about smuggling in England way back.  They also had an opportunity to visit a seaside theme park and ended their day with ‘chipper’. That evening Lucan Senior Branch got to lead campfire. We sang campfire songs that we would use back home in our own Unit and had everyone up and joining in. We also learned new songs from other countries too!

The next day was the ‘Open Day’ and this is when Rainbows and Brownie Units were invited to attend for the day.  The Rangers had to dress up as it if it was a day at the races, the Guides had to dress as a seaside theme. Unfortunately, dresses and shorts were NOT suitable for the weather. It rained all day! We also lost a few tents to the wind on our subcamps too. We performed the Siege of Ennis with the other IGG groups for the visitors. We also had an impromptu disco in the middle of the campsite, which was great fun.

That evening the Talent Show auditions were held in each subcamp.

It was mid-week at this point and Rangers attended their activity choices. I was given Blindfolded 4×4 Driving and Dizzy Mobile. I really loved the Blindfolded Driving – I was blindfolded and my partner had to direct me around the course, trying not to have a collision!

That night the whole camp had a disco or, as we called it, ‘The Rave in the Wave’. We had mocktails and we danced till dark!

On the second last day my Ranger Ray group went to Branching Out, an adventure centre. We did ziplining, wall climbing, bounce about and a giant swing. We also got ‘chipper’ too.

Aoife’s subcamp went to an activity called ‘Coral Reef’ where they went swimming and got a pamper session too. Facials, nails and hair were done and it was really fun. They also had afternoon tea with visiting members of Trefoil Guild.

On the Friday evening we had the Talent Show and international performances where we got to fill the stage with IGG members dancing The Siege of Ennis again. Lucan Guides and Senior Branchers got through to perform after sub-camp auditions and both groups performed ‘If I were not a Girl Guide’ and added our own twists to the song. It was lots of fun getting to perform in front of everyone!

On the last day the Green Octopus sub-camp got to do their activities. Aoife got to do Segway and abseiling. It was amazing! My subcamp went to ‘Treasure Island’ where we got to make food in the Gruesome Galley, make crafts, get our faces painted and learned how to be a real pirate!

That evening was the closing ceremony and a mini disco to end the day.

On Saturday we took down the tents, said our goodbyes and started the same 12- hour journey back to Dublin that we had completed one week earlier.

We arrived back in Dublin Port at 11.45pm tired and weary from our journey.  It was definitely a week to remember where challenges were met, new friends were made and lots of fun and laughter was had along the way.

We couldn’t have taken part in this trip without our leaders Amanda, Jenna, Siobhan, Sue, Beth and Alex.

‘I’m far more resilient than I thought!’

Anna Higgins, a Leader with Navan Guides, was one of 10 IGG Leaders to successfully achieve Explorer Belt! Here she writes a full account of her experience:

It was early on a Sunday morning and a gang of determined, slightly delirious Girl Guides made our way to Dublin airport from near and far. Where were we off to, you may ask? Well, we still didn’t know!

The anticipation was killing us, but we managed to keep it together until Jemma and Katherine – our wonderful organisers – presented us with golden envelopes which had hidden inside the location of Destination X. After the big reveal, that’s when the reality of what we were about to do set in. We were going to Belgium!

A quick flight and a train ride saw us in a hostel near the beach in Ostend. The next morning, we were set to begin our adventure into the historic Flanders Fields of the Flemish Westhoek region.

Explorer Belt is a 10 day international expedition where teams of two must walk 180km and complete various geographical, cultural and historical projects as well as find somewhere to pitch their tent each night! The aim of the award is to fully immerse oneself in the culture of the country and enjoy the challenge that is the Belt. The teams must rely on the kindness of strangers for campsites as well as assistance with projects. They must also manage their food budget by living on €3.25 each per day and carefully plan the best route to take.

Myself and my partner, Lucia McNally, began our Belt in a little town called Eernegem (don’t ask me to pronounce it)! It was here the bus full of the other teams left us, not far from an Aldi. We sat down outside the shop where we eventually figured out where we were, the route we were going to take and what we were going to eat for the week.

Day 1 was very hot and after 11km we could not walk another step. Finding a campsite each night was daunting at first, but we quickly discovered the deep generosity of the Flemish people and found kindness around every corner.

The days consisted of repeatedly putting one foot in front of the other, eating up the kilometres and the journey was broken by meeting the most fascinating and friendly individuals. Whether it was filling our water bottles, giving us directions or, even letting us use their toilets, we were always greeted with warm smiles.

By Day 3 we had made it through the rain to the town of Veurne, which is known as mini-Bruges. It was here that we completed the first of our five compulsory projects. We had already made a start on our seven optional ones – one was to compose a song about our travels! After making our way to the tourist office and finding out about local traditions we met up with the staff – Jemma, Katherine and Cate. It was so lovely to see familiar faces and read all the good luck messages from home!

By Day 5 we were certainly feeling the heat and the weight of our bags. As the perspiration rolled down our backs, our shoulders ached and our feet screamed from the blisters, we ploughed on. Another one of our compulsory challenges was to climb the highest peak in Flanders – Kemmelberg. At 156m high and at a 15% incline, it was an onerous task with our heavy rucksacks and tired feet. But was it worth it? Absolutely!

Having conquered the so-called mountain, we came upon two of our own. Ruby Loughlin and Shauna Flynn had taken a break in the Belvedere café where we bumped into one another. We were offered beer and chocolate from the bar woman. She couldn’t fathom why we declined the beer. “When you are in Belgium you must drink Belgian beer!” she exclaimed. While it was so lovely to catch up with Team A and share stories of our travels so far, the Belt beckoned us back to the road.

By the end of Day 5 we had surpassed the halfway mark of 90km. This alone was a major achievement. We could do this! To top it all off, that night we were truly spoiled as we were offered indoor accommodation! Not only did we have a comfortable bed for the night, we were also fed a delicious, traditional Belgian dinner. We devoured a fillet of steak, chips and the most divine mushroom sauce I’ve ever had. The family who took us under their wing had very little English, yet they had hearts of gold. Communication was never an issue on the Belt. Between Lucia’s fluency in French and my hand gestures and facial expressions we were on the same wavelength as the locals.

By now it was time to head north: our pick-up point in the town of Kortemark beckoned. Day 6 slipped into Day 7, slipped into Day 8 as the kilometres rolled by and we edged closer and closer to our final destination.

We found ourselves completing our final compulsory project in the town of Zonnebeke where we learned all about the battle of Passchendaele in the Memorial Museum. Both Lucia and I were shocked by the powerful impact the First World War has on people’s daily lives in this region of Belgium 101 years on. Many locals had told us about the bombs, spoons and guns that they collected from the ground when building their homes. One man pulled a fragment of a bomb from his vegetable patch and handed it to us as if it that were the norm. The harsh reality of war still lives on in the battle-scarred Flanders Fields.

That evening we struck gold again as we were invited to stay in a family’s pool house! There was a long dining table where we spent the evening totting up our mileage, completing projects and writing our daily log. Once that was out of the way we dipped our tired feet into their heated outdoor pool! The aches in our toes slipped away as the warm water lapped against our shins. I won’t forget that wonderful feeling for years to come.

We had planned to have an easy Day 9 with a direct route on a cycle trail to bring us to our collection point. As we stumbled closer and closer to the town of Kortemark, the top of the steeple began to rise in the distance. We could see our final destination! The sense of achievement that evening made finishing up the projects and logs all the more enjoyable. We had walked 181km and we were on the home stretch.

Day 10 – our final day began with yet another chorus of cock-a-doodle-doos. We collapsed the tent poles and packed our bags for the last time before setting off on our final five kilometres. We made it to the church in Kortemark after 9am where we decided to explore the town. We had a really enjoyable morning spending the last of our budget and finalising our logs, projects and distance covered. We walked a total of 186.3km in 10 days, completed all 12 of our projects and managed to have amazing experiences along the way.

At 12:30 a big white bus swung around the round-a-bout with women in yellow tops waving frantically through the windows. The bus pulled in and we ran onto the cool, air-conditioned, music-playing, snack-filled bus. Sharing stories from the week with the other teams on the way back to the hostel was really special.

We had all undertaken this challenge and entered into the spirit of the award completely and whole-heartedly. After more stories and listening to one another, it was evident that each and every one of us benefited in a personal way from this once in a lifetime experience. We all gained new skills and pushed ourselves in the best way possible.

Personally, I realised that I’m far more resilient than I thought I could be. By signing up I wanted to be an inspiration for my own Guides and Senior Branch. I proved that if I can do it, anyone can!

Last year I completed the Chief Commissioner’s Award and that was amazing preparation for the Explorer Belt. The mystery location of Chief’s and the Belt and walking into the unknown is character-building, testing and exceptionally fulfilling. West Flanders will forever hold a special place in my heart. I achieved what I thought was impossible and I have 10 days of memories that will last a lifetime.

Where will you end up? Where will your travels take you? I would encourage everybody to sign up for Chief’s and get that experience ‘under your belt’ first. You have four years until the next Explorer Belt… starting now!

Stepping outside my comfort zone!

Helen O’Reilly, a Leader with Stillorgan Guides, was one of 12 IGG Leaders who took part in the Explorer Belt challenge in Belgium. Here she writes about her experience:

I always enjoy a new challenge outside of my comfort zone so when the Explorer Belt challenge opened to the over 30s age group with a special Centenary Belt this year it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

We walked for about six hours each day and were thankful that the heatwave from earlier in the summer had passed; it was a more manageable 25 degrees.  We passed through plenty of beautiful sleepy villages and were surrounded by farmland each day.

The projects that we had to complete gave plenty of focus to the 10 days and were a great conversation starter with the local people.  We really enjoyed the projects in the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Mesen, the witches’ parade in Beselare and finding out about Guiding and Scouting in West Flanders.

As the Explorer Belt allows you to pick your own route to cover the required 180km, our team opted to cross the border and spent a night camping in France.  That night we shared our camping field with an ageing horse but it was by no means the most unusual place that we pitched our tent.  We also spent nights in a restaurant garden, on a pig farm and in a large-scale commercial garden centre.

Each day we were amazed by the hospitality of the local people; they were so welcoming, were so generous with their time to help with our projects and were so genuinely friendly.

I was delighted to have been awarded my Centenary Belt*. It was a surreal moment to hear our names read out and it was an amazing end to the months of training and the few challenging moments along the way.

I am hugely grateful to IGG for opening the event to the over 30s category this year and the support that we got from so many of you was amazing – thank you!  When you see the application form for the next Explorer Belt in four years’ time, fill it in and take on the challenge – it will be one of the best experiences you could ever wish for!

*Successful participants aged 18-30 receive an Explorer Belt. The Centenary Belt was a special one-off belt awarded to participants aged 30+ in this year’s event to mark the Senior Branch Centenary.

Explorer Belt – Guiding’s ultimate challenge!

Congratulations to the 12 plucky IGG Leaders who took part in Explorer Belt – Guiding’s ultimate challenge!

Explorer Belt requires participants to hike 180 kilometres over 10 days in teams of two while carrying all their camping and cooking equipment, food and water, and surviving on just €3.25 a day.

Successfully completing the challenge also involves keeping a log book and completing a series of projects along the way … all without the use of a smartphone! And, just to add to the challenge, participants have no idea what country the event will take place in until they turn up at Dublin Airport and receive their boarding passes!

Reading the snippets below from participants’ log books will give you some insight into the event and what it felt like to take part:

  • I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, if it weren’t for the walking!
  • Our high point today was helping children with pony-trekking at a stables.
  • I’m happy I took the plunge to seize the opportunity!
  • I realised I can be personally resilient; once we took that first step, I wasn’t going to stop – even if I had to lance blisters!
  • Then all our prayers were answered and we came across a little stable.
  • We got some ice-cream – very nice ice-cream! – and some cold drinks, and we sat down and consulted our map for the 1,500th time that day.
  • He said, “Have a great holiday!” and we cracked up – this is no holiday!
  • It turns out throwing your rucksack around the place isn’t a great idea.
  • I know this is cheesy but, when I waved my necker, another pointed at his and it felt great to have a connection with a complete stranger.
  • They must have thought I was so weird!
  • I could almost imagine what it would be like to go over the top of the trench on the sound of the whistle.
  • I was tending to my feet once again and I prayed that I would make it to the end of the Belt – or rather that my feet would make it.

Five of the six teams successfully completed the challenge and received the much coveted Explorer Belt. Unfortunately one team had to pull out of the challenge three days before the end for medical reasons.

To read a full account of the challenge, see Anna Higgins’ blog post here.

Explorer Belt is usually only open to Senior Branch members aged 18-30. To mark Senior Branch’s centenary year, however, this year’s Explorer Belt was open to members aged 30+ too. Helen O’Reilly, one of the over 30s who took part, also wrote an interesting account of stepping outside her comfort zone, which you can read here.

You can see lots of photos of all the teams in our album on Facebook.

Completing challenges with style!

Members of Centenary Guides and Senior Branch from Dundrum, Dublin, are just back from a week in England. During the week the girls were awarded their Aviation badge (launched earlier this year with Aer Lingus) while on an Aer Lingus flight (!) and worked on their Europe badge too.

Here their Leader, Jillian van Turnhout, reflects on learnings from the experience:

The words endurance, challenge, leadership, confidence and awesome are foremost in my mind. Last week I had the honour to lead a group of 21 girls and Leaders on a trip to London and Foxlease (Hampshire). The girls were aged between 12 and 16. We had planned this week-long trip for over a year and it couldn’t have gone better. The words I am thinking of sum up my current thoughts.

Endurance: We faced record-breaking high temperatures over the past week. This group of girls also camped with me during the May bank holiday weekend when it was minus 0 degrees. Now we were at the other end of the scale. We all looked out for one another to ensure everyone was drinking their water and had enough sun cream on. We did many activities out in the open and yet none of us got any sunburn or dehydration.

Challenge: We signed up for several activities and completed each with style. We did high-ropes (leap of faith), raft-building, and tunnelling. It was fascinating to watch and support each girl as they faced their fears, managed the adrenaline rush and embraced the challenge. I know this will stand to them as they go through life.

Leadership: I was proud to be a member of the leadership team. We had done the preparation; we each knew our role and seamlessly stepped forward and back, as needed. We played to one another’s strengths not just in theory but in practice. I also observed, when given the space, how each girl demonstrated their leadership. When considering future employees, if you see they were a Girl Guide, remember they will have been equipped with leadership skills.

Confidence: I watched as each girl grew in confidence during the week. The influence of role models was evident. We all know the importance of diversity, having different voices and perspectives. Recently a female pilot visited our group and spoke with the girls of her work, her challenges and what were her first steps. We need to see more of these types of interactions. More about how you can play a role is at the end of this blog.

Awesome: Each day, when we are away, I have a ‘word of the day’ and the words above featured. My word for the last day was AWESOME. It was a fun-filled week of adventure and kindness. Most of all, each girl showed us how awesome she was – they were amazing! I think it is obvious how highly I thought of each girl and Leader. It was an immense privilege to lead this group.

To end on a lighter note, Barbie: I like to get up early when I am away with a group and have a cup of coffee in the calm and stillness of the day. One morning as I sat outside, admiring the blue sky and reflecting, two of the girls joined me. They asked me about my career and I shared my journey. One of the girls said, ‘You are Barbie; you are just like Barbie!’ I have to admit I was taken aback and felt a little disappointed that this was the word she used to sum up my achievements. Working with young people, I have learnt to be like a swan – calm on the surface even if you are paddling furiously. So, I asked ‘How so?’ The girl replied, “You have done everything and been everywhere, you are awesome”. In a thank you card, the second girl wrote, “I hope I can be like you someday”.

I cannot put a value on the immense return you get when you know you played a positive role in the life of a young person. We can read and see all the negative in the world. What are you doing to make it more positive? My challenge is to ask you, “What have you done to support and inspire young people”? I would encourage you to contact your local Girl Guide unit and see how you can support their work with a visit, with funding or the ultimate – to volunteer. You could also support the national organisation! I am a lifetime volunteer with the Irish Girl Guides and find the more I give – the more I get back.

As a final thought, when we were in Foxlease, we had the opportunity to see the original Guide Law as written by our founder Robert Baden-Powell. I was reminded of the 11th law, [this law is unwritten but is understood] ‘A Guide is not a Fool’. From my week away, I can endorse his words. Great to be part of this growing global movement!

Aviation badges awarded mid-flight!

Members of Centenary Guides and Senior Branch, Dundrum, were hugely surprised when they were welcomed on board their Aer Lingus flight to Heathrow by Captain Peter McDonnell.

The girls were already in high spirits with the anticipation of their stay at Pax Lodge World Centre in London and then at Foxlease Girlguiding Activity Centre in Hampshire. Hearing the welcome over the intercom by the pilot added to the level of excitement!

The girls were then presented mid-flight with their Aviation badges, which they had worked on before the summer break. It was a truly special journey and, once the plane had safely landed in London, each girl had a turn sitting in the pilot’s seat and trying on the Captain’s hat.

The girls went on to have a fabulous week, which you can read about in Jillian van Turnhout’s blog post. As well as trying out activities like raft-building, high ropes and tunnelling, they worked toward their Europe badges, which they were all presented with on their last day.

Jillian and three members of Centenary Guides – Breda, Isobel and Molly – did a brilliant interview on Near FM about their recent trip to England and about their experience camping in sub-zero temperatures earlier in the summer. Jillian talked about the rewards of being an IGG Leader, saying it’s great to see the girls grow and develop. “Nothing beats the magic of working with girls of this age,” she said.

You can listen to a podcast of the interview here.

‘Charnmud’ – a soggy camp experience!

Well done to the IGG members from Kinsale and Macroom who remained in high spirits despite challenging conditions at Charnwood in Leicestershire … and not just because they met Chief Scout Bear Grylls!

Read all about their experience in this blog post written by members of Kinsale Senior Branch:

Saturday: Up at 4am, into my Senior Branch uniform, quick check on wallet, passport and Charnwood hoodie, then off to Cork Airport for our 5am start. I met up with the two Senior Branch Leaders and six Senior Branch girls and we checked in our rucksacks at the over-sized luggage desk. We got onto a tiny plane with propellers and flew to Birmingham Airport. After breakfast, we gathered with Macroom Guides and Scouts to wait for the Charnwood bus to arrive where we were joined by some German and Spanish Scouts.

We arrived into the rain of Charnwood. On the way to our sub camp, we met Chief Scout Bear Grylls and managed to grab a few words and a photo with him. Then we arrived on Sound Sub Camp to meet our hosts – 1st Bingley Guides from Yorkshire. After putting up tents in the rain, we changed into our Water Sub Camp t-shirts (Ranger age) and headed to the Opening Ceremony where Kinsale Senior Branch Guide Sophie was the Irish flag-bearer. This was followed by a disco where we sang and danced until bed-time, to be ready for our first full day at Charnwood. (Emily)

Sunday: We woke up at 7.15am and it was still raining! We explored the campsite and did as many of the 100 Atoms challenges as we could, given the bad weather. We made friends with a group of Scouts from Leicester and we hung out for a while in their mess tent on the Water sub camp. There was already a possibility of evacuating – ditches and moats had been dug and straw laid down but neither really helped to control the mud. We were happy out though. (Sophie)

Monday: We were woken by the pleasant sound of chirping birds, excited Bingley Guides and the distant chatter of other Charnwood campers – no rain pelting against our tent, no gusts of wind threatening to lift our tents off the ground. This peaceful wake-up was immensely appreciated. We zipped open our tents to the surreal sight of blue skies. We all let out a sigh of relief. We had some of our hosts’ renowned eggy bread to set us up for the day and then we made our way to soak up the buzzing atmosphere of a sunny day at Charnwood.

Reunited with our new friends from Leicester, we took part in lots of the free-flow onsite activities, including obstacle courses, surfing, virtual reality games and much more. After tucking into tuna sandwiches for lunch, six of us were invested (enrolled) into Kinsale Senior Branch. Then we headed back to activities or to hang out with the Leicester Scouts, listening to music, playing cards and making fun of each others’ accents!  The Water sub camp had its own disco that night, led by two young Scout DJs. They were brilliant and the atmosphere was buzzing. Tired from the mosh pits, we trudged back through the mud to our host camp and wrapped up warm as the rain was due to start again, although for some of us our sunburn kept us warm enough! (Rachel)

Tuesday: We woke up to the sun still shining, but this changed very quickly through the day. We got up and off to activities early to make the best of the good weather. I did the ‘last man standing’ inflatable challenge, abseiling and caving! After lunch we decided to relax as the bad weather was back. We explored the Breathing Space tent and watched some auditions for Charnwood’s Got Talent. The rain had really picked up, so much so that it formed a stream through our campsite that we named the River Bingley.

There had been a lot of talk about evacuation so I went to the evening meeting on Water to find out what was happening. In reality, no-one knew. At this stage our hosts, 1st Bingley Guides, had made their decision to go home to Yorkshire. Kinsale Senior Branch decided to try to stick it out for longer! (Grace)

Wednesday: We woke up to pouring rain. We decided to vote on whether we should stay at Charnwood or have an early departure and drive three hours to Yorkshire with our hosts. We knew it would be nice to have luxuries like a hot shower and a bed, but we voted against leaving and decided to stay at Charnwood. We went off in the rain to do activities such as zip-lining and abseiling. We then met up with our new friends and had lunch at one of the onsite cafés.

At three o’clock our Leader came to find us to tell us that unfortunately the camp was closing and that the International Team wanted us off-site as we had somewhere to go to. We had two hours to pack our bags and say goodbye to our new friends. We were devastated.  As we climbed onto the bus, we waved goodbye to our friends. We were sad at the time but we knew that this was only part of our adventure.

Three hours later we arrived at Wynches Activity Centre in Yorkshire. People from Wynches and the Yorkshire Trefoil Guild were kind enough to have a warm dinner ready for us when we arrived. They also helped us get settled in and even offered to help with our laundry! We were all extremely grateful for how kind everyone was. Another Trefoil Guild lady arrived later with her husband for tea and doughnuts – they told us lots of stories and told us the next day was Yorkshire Day. They sang us a funny song called ‘On Ilkley Moor Bar T’at’, which all the locals sing on Yorkshire Day. As sad as we were to leave Charnwood, we were excited to see the adventure that was ahead of us. (Caoimhe)

Thursday: We woke up feeling refreshed and clean after our first night at Wynches. The weather was finally sunny again. Everyone’s mood lifted. We had the place to ourselves so, after a late breakfast, we explored the lovely grounds which had a pond, playground, outdoor campfire circle and rolling lawns. We even saw squirrels and bunnies! We gathered firewood for the next day’s campfire with the Bingley Guides.

As well as groceries, one of our host Leaders had supplied us with a projector and DVDs. In the evening after dinner, we set up the comfy chairs in the main activity room and watched Ghostbusters. It was a nice end to a relaxing day. (Síomha)

Friday: On Friday morning we got up early to have a quick breakfast to get ourselves off-site for a few hours, as we knew our hosts would be arriving after lunch with muddy camp kit for us to help clean. We took the train to Saltaire in Shipley, Yorkshire. Saltaire is a UNESCO Heritage Site. It is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill there called Salt’s Mills. The village is perfectly preserved and all the old buildings have been refurbished so that they can still be used today. All of the houses built for millworkers in the 1800s are now lived in by local people. We even saw the village’s one pub –  ‘Don’t Tell Titus’ –  which refers to Sir Titus’s ban on pubs as he didn’t want his workers drinking. We went into the old Salt’s Mill. which now houses shops, restaurants, art galleries and a museum that showed the mill when it was still operating.  Saltaire has a pretty park with a caf called the Half Moon Café. The manager is a Guide Leader, so she had organised for us to have a free lunch. We were treated really well and enjoyed eating outside in the sunshine.

After lunch it was back on the train to Wynches where the Bingley Leaders and their Guides had already started the big Charnwood clean-up. We got to work cleaning groundsheets and putting up tents to clean them properly. After dinner, we had a lovely outdoor campfire with the Bingley Guides, some of the Yorkshire Adventure Team (outdoor Leaders), local Guiding people, and some US Scouts who were staying in the area. Then we exchanged swaps with the Bingley Guides, thanked their Leaders for having us and sang Taps together around the campfire. (Anna)

Saturday: We woke up to another dry day. After breakfast our Bingley Leaders started to arrive to finish cleaning and re-packing the camp gear. Our hosts had organised a bus to bring us back to Birmingham Airport so we had a lot to do. Our Senior Branch girls headed outside to start packing up the clean tents, while us Leaders stayed inside to tidy up the centre and get our belongings sorted. The boot room was still full of muddy boots, mucky camp stools, unsorted laundry, and borrowed bath towels! Some of Wynches’ lovely wardens and the County Commissioner turned up to help. We had been overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity since our arrival, and the final few hours were no different. Of course, we ran out of time and left our poor Bingley hosts with a lot of work still to do on the Charnwood camping equipment, but we promised that when they come to Octagon 2021 as our guests, we will replay all the favours.

We had lots of fun re-packing our rucksacks, this time also fitting in the muddy hiking boots we had worn on the way out and also the emergency wellies we had bought on Charnwood Day #2 when we realised we had no way to dry our faithful hiking boots on camp. At 2pm our bus arrived and we said our goodbyes, with promises to visit Wynches again, pledges to catch up at Octagon, and invitations to visit us in Cork.

All in all, an eventful week. First the constant rain, wind and ever-encroaching mud, then the uncertainty and eventual disappointment of Charnwood’s early closure, ending with the wonderful hospitality of Yorkshire Girlguiding UK. The trip showed us the resilience and strength of character in our girls and in ourselves as Leaders, and also brought home to us in the most concrete way that Guiding is an international sisterhood that is always ready to lend a helping hand. (Leaders Carol-Anne and Anne)