All posts by : Celia Melcus

Girls and young women are challenging gender inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, malnutrition and other injustices

Irish Girl Guides and International Women’s Day both celebrate 110 years of empowering girls and women this year 

Dublin, 05/03/2021 – Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are among 10 million girls and women across 152 countries taking part in a Choose To Challenge campaign ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD) this Monday 8 March 2021.

As part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), a partner organisation with IWD, IGG members are joining a global call to end gender bias, discrimination and inequality around the world.

Girl Guides are taking up the 2021 IWD theme of Choose To Challenge by sharing #ChooseToChallenge posts on social media saying what injustice they are choosing to tackle. These include gender inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, plastic pollution, period poverty, malnutrition and other areas where they see injustice.

IGG volunteer Jemma Lee, who is a WAGGGS Ambassador for IWD this year, says Girl Guides are encouraged from a young age to think for themselves, to advocate for change and to transform challenge into change. She says, “IWD provides us with a platform and opportunity to celebrate the achievements of girls and women but also to come together across sectors to raise awareness of the need for greater progress. We are looking forward to sharing what our members will Choose to Challenge this year.

“Personally, I #ChooseToChallenge gender inequality. This might sound like a huge thing, but really we’re doing it every week at our Guide meetings. Every time we ask a girl to be a patrol leader, we are empowering a future female leader. Every time we do activities for the STEM, Aviation and Engineering badges, we are breaking down stereotypes and encouraging girls to explore the full range of their skills and talents.

“Every year our members get involved in IWD,” she continued, “And this year is a special one as both IGG and IWD are celebrating 110 years of empowering girls and women!”

IGG is holding a Soul Sisters well-being and resilience event on their YouTube channel from 12-1pm on Saturday 6 March. Members of the public are invited to join them in taster sessions of tai chi and chair yoga as well as warm-ups and stretches with IGG’s Honorary Ambassador, hockey trail-blazer Shirley McCay. Joanna Fortune of Newstalk FM will also share tips for well-being and resilience. A recording of the event will be available on YouTube following the event.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

communications@irishgirlguides.ie

085 8570565

Notes for editors:

 Irish Girl Guides – Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, STEM, Science Investigator, Climate Action and Global Traveller. www.irishgirlguides.ie

– ‘Peacebuilding is key to a sustainable and equal future for all’ –

Dublin, 21/02/2021 – Thousands of members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are engaging in peace-building activities, which are empowering them to become leaders for peaceful change in their communities and wider society.

Together with the 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across the world, they have been focussing on peace ahead of tomorrow’s World Thinking Day (WTD), a day celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide since 1926.

WTD provides an opportunity for girls and women to appreciate the international friendships they enjoy by being Girl Guides – the largest girl-only movement in the world – and to join together to take action on global issues.

This year’s World Thinking Day theme is peacebuilding and, since Girl Guides in many countries can’t meet in person at present, activities have been adapted so that they can be completed at home either by themselves or during online meetings with their fellow Guides and volunteer leaders.

Speaking ahead of WTD, IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan, said: “Millions of people today are suffering due to active conflicts but we believe everyone has a right to live in peace. Our members have been exploring the meaning of peace and discovering actions they can take that lead to a more welcoming, inclusive and peaceful society,” she said.

“Peacebuilding is key to a sustainable and equal future for all and we believe there is strength in acting together for peace. By adapting our behaviour and working together, we can help to resolve conflict and build peace.

“Girl Guiding impacts individually and collectively,” continued Ms O’Sullivan. “Through a variety of activities and challenges, our members from age five-plus experience positive change within themselves and are empowered to go on and influence positive change in their families, their schools and their communities and, as they grow older, in the wider world as well.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. No previous experience of Girl Guides is necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01-6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Tel: 085 8570565

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 11,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Climate Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, Europe, Science Investigator, STEM and Global Traveller.

World Thinking Day has been celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide since 1926. It is an opportunity for girls to appreciate the international friendship they find in Guiding, to raise money to help grow and share Guiding with more girls and young women around the world and join together to take action on global issues.

– Almost 3,000 Irish Girl Guides’ members have earned a Europe badge since its launch in partnership with European Movement Ireland in May 2019 –

Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) were thrilled to hear today [Monday 15 February 2021] that the organisation has been chosen to receive the European Citizen’s Prize in recognition of its exceptional achievements in promoting awareness of the European Union (EU).

Since launching its Europe programme in partnership with European Movement Ireland (EMI) on Europe Day (9 May) 2019, 2,957 of IGG’s youth members have earned a Europe badge. To earn the badge, girls and young women take part in age-appropriate activities that help them gain an understanding of the EU and how it affects the lives of Irish citizens.

The youngest members (Ladybirds aged 5-7) learn to recognise the EU flag, learn greeting customs from other EU countries and make rubbings of Euro coins. Brownies (aged 7-10) learn about other cultures and the role of MEPs while Guides (aged 10-14) learn about the formation of the EU and the advantages of being an EU member. They also celebrate international cultural festivals and invite politicians to talk to them about the EU.

The European Citizens’ Prize is given to organisations and individuals around Europe that contribute to European cooperation and the promotion of common values. Thirty awards were announced today with two for Ireland – the other recipient being Family Carers Ireland.

Jenny Gannon, IGG’s Programme and Training Commissioner, said, “We are thrilled to win a European Citizens’ Prize. We were delighted to get the opportunity to work with European Movement Ireland when putting the criteria and resources together for the Europe Badge, so a big thank you to them. The Europe Badge is a welcome addition as members of all ages get the opportunity to learn more about the European community they belong to, while encouraging them to be empowered and take action in the European movement.”

“We in IGG strive to develop programmes that are responsive to our girls’ needs and the needs of our society. We have developed mutually beneficial partnerships with a number of organisations in recent years, including EMI, and we are always on the lookout for partners to develop badges with that will add to the depth and breadth of our programme.”

Jillian van Turnhout, a volunteer with IGG and former Chair of the IGG board as well as former Vice Chair of EMI, said, “I am ecstatic the work of Irish Girl Guides’ volunteer leaders and girls to earn the Europe Badge has been recognised through the awarding of the European Citizens’ Prize. From its launch, the leaders and girls have demonstrated their quest to learn more about the European Union, and they have clearly shown they wish to influence and shape the European project.”

Noelle O’Connell, CEO of EM Ireland and Vice President of European Movement International, said, ‘Almost 3,000 Irish Girl Guides’ members from age five-plus have gained Europe badges and learnt about our shared European home and Ireland’s EU journey. It is a great tribute and testimony to their hard work and accomplishments that it is being recognised by the European Parliament through the awarding of the European Citizens’ Prize. EM Ireland was delighted to partner with the Irish Girl Guides in helping so many girls and young women influence Ireland’s European project.”

Deirdre Finlay, member of the Irish national jury for the 2020 European Citizens’ Prize, said, “The 2020 entrants for the European Citizens’ Prize from Ireland were of a very high standard, representing the realities of EU citizens in current times. I am delighted to see the Irish Girl Guides Association and Family Carers Ireland announced as winners and wish them continued success in their work.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS –

Contact details:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides – Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, STEM, Science Investigator, Climate Action and Global Traveller. www.irishgirlguides.ie

The European Citizens’ Prize – Each year the European Parliament awards The European Citizens’ Prize for exceptional achievements in the following areas: projects promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens of the Member States or facilitating cross-border or transnational cooperation within the European Union; projects involving long-term, cross-border or transnational cultural cooperation contributing to the strengthening of a European spirit; projects linked to the current European Year; projects giving concrete expression to the values enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

Citizens, groups of citizens, associations or organizations can apply for the European Citizen’s Prize for projects they have carried out, or can nominate one other citizen, group, association or organisation for the European Citizen’s Prize. Each year, a National Jury prepares a shortlist of up to five nominations.  The Irish National Jury for 2020 consisted of: Ciaran Cuffe MEP (Dublin), Billy Kelleher MEP (South), Chris MacManus MEP (Midlands North West), Deirdre Finlay (The Wheel/Learghas) and Jean-Marie Cullen (National Youth Council of Ireland).  National shortlists are considered by the European Citizen’s Prize Chancellery which made the final decision on the Awards at its meeting on 9 February.

The 2020 Award was delayed by the pandemic.  The 2021 Prize will be launched at the start of March and the deadline for applications will be 15 April 2021 (23:59, Brussels time).

European Movement Ireland – Founded in 1954, European Movement (EM) Ireland is the longest established Irish NGO working on European affairs. A non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit, membership-based organisation, EM Ireland works to develop the connection between Ireland and the rest of Europe.  For more information, visit www.europeanmovement.ie

– 11,000 Girl Guides from age five-plus will camp with their families this weekend –

Dublin, 29/10/2020 – The 11,000 members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are bravely preparing for a spooky Halloween Camp At Home this weekend and they would love members of the public to take part too.

Children and young people throughout Ireland are invited to join them in this fun event. They have compiled a Halloween Camp At Home activity pack with lots of ideas for spooky games, crafts and activities that will appeal to all ages. There are recipes for tasty Halloween treats and there are some scary stories too.

There is no need to own a tent to take part in the camp. Participants can make a blanket fort under their kitchen table or pile up some cushions in the living room to make a makeshift shelter for the night.

With trick or treating postponed until next year, IGG volunteers decided to come up with an alternative way to celebrate Halloween at home. The idea is for children to use their imagination and have some fun. It is up to them how spooky they’d like the experience to be!

Using the ideas in the activity pack, which is available to download from the news section of the IGG website www.irishgirlguides.ie, participants can decide if they want to head outdoors to make a Magic Potion or play Spooky Bingo, or whether to stay indoors and make bats, mummies and ghosts. Those who dare might want to play Musical Zombies or Pin The Wart On The Witch!

To keep up their energy levels for all the spooky activities, they can head into the kitchen to rustle up some Strawberry or Banana Ghosts and Eerie Eyeball Cakepops, which can be washed down with some Snot Tail! The bravest will, no doubt, want to hear some scary stories before snuggling into their sleeping bags, or under their duvets, for the night.

Camping and overnight events are an integral part of the Girl Guiding experience but these have not been able to take place this year because of Covid. Instead, IGG’s volunteer leaders have been coming up with creative ways to continue to engage with their youth members. This will be their third Camp At Home this year.

Sarah Canavan, a 24-year-old IGG volunteer from Killarney, has been instrumental in organising these events and she is hoping this weekend’s Camp At Home will be as successful as the ones earlier in the year, which saw thousands of IGG members from age five-plus taking part.

“We received really positive feedback from girls and parents telling us how the Camp At Homes had boosted the spirits not only of the girls, but of whole families who enjoyed taking part in activities and challenges, including scavenger hunts and toasting marshmallows over campfires,” said Sarah. “Some of our older girls even completed virtual summits of Ben Nevis by running up and down their stairs more than 500 times!”

“This is a challenging time for everyone and children and young people are feeling the stress and anxiety as much as adults. We have been promoting activities that boost the physical and mental well-being of our youth members. We have adapted our activities in line with government restrictions: some of our units are meeting online while some are getting together in small groups for outdoor activities. Some volunteers have been dropping activity packs to girls’ homes and keeping girls involved in that way.

“We are doing everything we can to support young people and we hope this fun initiative will help people find healthy and positive ways to keep themselves active and busy, both physically and mentally.

“We are asking everyone to share their Camp At Home photos on social media using the hashtag #IGGCampAtHome.”

 

Irish Girl Guides welcomes youth members from age five-plus and adult volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and ongoing training and support is provided. For further information, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) has around 11,000 members throughout the 26 counties. Its 1,600 volunteer Leaders provide an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence, independence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Youth members from age five to 30 can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Global Traveller, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator, Space and STEM.

Girls from age 5+ will undertake Space challenges designed in partnership with theEuropean Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Blackrock Castle Observatoryand award-winning space communicator Dr Niamh Shaw –

Dublin, 07/10/2020 – Irish Girl Guides is shooting for the stars with its innovative new Space programme that will launch this weekend on International Day of the Girl (Sunday October 11).

Members of the public are invited to join the online launch, which promises to be an extravaganza of rockets, explosions and stars.

The half-hour event, which will include appearances from award-winning space communicator, Dr Niamh Shaw, and astrophysicist andEuropean Space Agency scientistDr Kate Isaak, will kick off on the Irish Girl Guides (IGG) YouTube channel at 7pm. Dr Shaw and Dr Isaak are both former Girl Guides.

Dr Shaw, who was IGG’s Honorary Ambassador 2019-2020, said that, on accepting the role, she had been keen to add a Space badge to IGG’s already wide-ranging programme of activities and challenges for girls and young women. “Being the Irish Girl Guides Ambassador was such a privilege,” she said. “I got the opportunity to meet with youth members and volunteers and find out about them as well as to chat about Space, dreaming big and all the technology and science required to explore and protect our planet Earth.

“I set myself a goal to establish a Space badge packed with space-themed activities about our planet and our place in Space. Working with Frances McCarthy at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory (who is also an IGG Leader) and adapting the science, technology engineering & maths (STEM) activities included in the ESERO Ireland archive, we achieved just that!

“It’s a fantastic end to a terrific year with Irish Girl Guides,” she continued, “And I’m so proud that, through this collaboration of women involved in Space, we made it happen. That’s what Space Week and International Day of the Girl is all about too!”

Speaking ahead of the launch,IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan, said IGG was thrilled to partner with ESERO Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and Blackrock Castle Observatory in order to create the exciting new programme. “Irish Girl Guides is a progressive organisation that encourages girls to pursue subjects and careers that might traditionally be considered to be for boys and men,” she said. “The Space badge, which will be awarded to all girls who complete age-appropriate STEM activities on a Space theme, will complement other badges we have introduced in recent years to encourage girls to explore areas they might not otherwise have considered, including Engineering, Aviation and STEM.”

Frances McCarthy, Education and Outreach Officer at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory and an IGG volunteer Leader in Cork, played a key role in compiling the Space programme with Dr Shaw. She said, “The Space programme includes a range of activities that are guaranteed to appeal to children of all ages. These includerocket-building, stargazing, solar system walks and looking for the International Space Station in the night sky. Older girls will also learn about Irish women working in the Space sector and will be challenged to make a model moon base out of recycled materials. We hope that, by doing these activities, girls will not only be enthused about Space but might consider a career in STEM.”

Stephanie O’Neill,Manager of ESERO Ireland,said:“ESERO Ireland is delighted to support the Irish Girl Guides’ Space Badge through the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Funding Programme.  SFI and ESERO promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and projects like this help girls to develop scientific skills, like problem-solving, teamwork and creativity, using a range of fun space-themed activities, which have been devised for Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides.”

The space-themed activities for children and young people will be available from this weekend for anyone to download from the Irish Girl Guides websitewww.irishgirlguidesi.e– and ESERO Ireland website –www.esero.ie.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new youth members from age 5-30 and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and training and ongoing support is provided. To find out more, seewww.irishgirlguides.ieor tel: 01 6683898. 

ENDS

Contact: 

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email:communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565 or 086 170 6923

Notes for editors: 

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,500 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator, STEM and Global Traveller. Ladybirds is the branch for 5-7 year olds, Brownies 7-10 year olds, Guides 10-14 year olds and Senior Branch 14-30 year olds.

‘ Youth services have been a lifeline for young people during the pandemic’ 

  ‘Youth investment is needed now more than ever’ 

Dublin, 05/10/2020 – Irish Girl Guides is calling for an additional €4.7 million in youth investment in the upcoming budget.

The organisation, which has 11,000 youth members throughout the 26 counties, is joining with other member organisations of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) in its Youth Work Changes Lives campaign urging the Government to prioritise youth work services in Budget 2021.

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) Chief Executive Officer, Claire Barkey, says increased investment is essential in order to provide more supports and activities for young people, to meet the needs of a growing youth population and to strengthen voluntary youth organisations.

“Youth investment is needed now more than ever,” says Ms Barkey. “Young people have, in many ways, been hardest hit by the pandemic – in terms of interruption to education, employment, support from friends and networks and missing out on key life landmarks and experiences – all of which will have impacted mental health.”

Like other youth organisations, IGG quickly adapted its services for children and young people when the pandemic hit. “Our volunteer leaders continued to work with our youth members in their local units in many creative and innovative ways,” says Ms Barkey. “Some quickly switched to holding online meetings while others kept in touch via WhatsApp or text or by personally delivering activity packs to keep the young people engaged in Guiding activities and challenges.

“Our Camp At Home events, in particular, proved hugely popular with thousands taking part, as did our challenge to older girls to complete a virtual summit of Ben Nevis by running up and down their stairs over 500 times!”

Ms Barkey says IGG’s services – and the services of other youth organisations – have been a lifeline for young people since the start of the pandemic. “It is essential that we can continue to meet the needs of young people where they’re at,” she says. “Youth services will be needed more than ever over the coming months and years, which is why increased investment is essential.

“Ireland has the youngest population in Europe with one third under 25 years old,” she continues. “According to the Central Statistics Office, the number of young people is expected to grow by 4.6% between now and 2025, reaching over one million young people.

“An increase of €4.7m is only a 7.5% increase per organisation, so it is not an unreasonable ask. By granting that additional funding, politicians will not only be recognising and supporting the valuable work of youth organisations, like IGG, but will also be sending an important message to young people, saying, ‘We value you, we empathise with you and we want to support you and to give you every chance for a fulfilling future.’”

You can follow NYCI’s Budget 2021 campaign on social media with the hashtag #YouthWorkChangesLives. Also, check out Irish Girl Guides on social media, especially the ‘Girl Guides Changes Lives’ video on its YouTube channel, to see how girls and young women benefit from their involvement in Guiding.

IGG welcomes new youth members from age 5-30 and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and training and ongoing support is provided. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565 or 086 170 6923

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,500 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator, STEM and Global Traveller. Ladybirds is the branch for 5-7 year olds, Brownies 7-10 year olds, Guides 10-14 year olds and Senior Branch 14-30 year olds.

– 11,000 Girl Guides from age five-plus are learning how to live in an eco-friendly way –

Dublin, 03/06/2020 – The 11,000 members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are all set to take part in a Sustainable Camp At Home this weekend [5-7 June 2020] and they are encouraging members of the public to join them.

You don’t have to own a tent. You don’t even need a garden. You can simply use rugs, duvets and your imagination to make a den or makeshift shelter indoors.

That’s what some girls did during IGG’s last Camp At Home in April. And the event was such a hit with their youth members (from age five to 30) that they decided to do the same again but invite other children and young people around Ireland to join in the fun too.

The theme ‘Sustainable Camping and Living’ was chosen to tie in with World Environment Day (5 June) and IGG has produced a helpful Camp At Home resource, which is full of ideas for sustainable activities and challenges that can be undertaken while camping at home. These include doing a nature scavenger hunt, recycling old items to make something new, doing a litter pick in your locality and, the favourite of Girl Guides everywhere, toasting marshmallows over a campfire (or a nightlight works too).

The resource can be found in the News and Media section of the IGG website – www.irishgirlguides.ie – and people are encouraged to share photos and videos of their Camp At Home on social media with the hashtags #IGGCampAtHome and #SustainableCamping.

Camping and overnight events are an integral part of the Guiding experience and at this time of year older Girl Guides (from age 10+) would usually be busy planning and preparing for camps in Ireland or overseas. With this summer’s trips cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided to hold Camps At Home instead.

“Our Camp At Home events are a great way to lift the spirits of young people and families at this time,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan. “Not only for our members, but for everyone. We hope this fun initiative will help people find healthy and positive ways to keep active and busy at home while also taking time to consider the impact on the environment of their way of living and perhaps finding ways to live more sustainably.

 

“That could be by recycling and composting more, supporting local producers and suppliers and finding ways to cut down on water and energy usage. These are all small steps we can take and, if we all take small steps, together we can make a huge difference. This ties in with the Responsible Consumerism Badge programme we launched earlier this year, which sees our members learn about the importance of re-use and recycling and the impact of plastic on the environment. They learn how to make beeswax wrap, make games out of recycled materials and upcycle clothes,” says Ms O’Sullivan.

Last weekend over 130 Senior Branch members (IGG members aged 14-30) took part in Camp Echo – a Camp At Home that also had a sustainability theme. Participants upcycled T-shirts into shopping bags, identified ways to cut down on their use of plastic and, collectively, they hiked (within five kilometres of home) the distance from Malin to Mizen Head, the Atlantic Way, the Camino de Santiago and the distance from Dublin to London and back.

One 14-year-old member, Emily Halpenny, even virtually climbed Ben Nevis (by running up and down the stairs of her house an incredible 470 times) while two others completed the ascent to Carrauntoohil! By hiking and camping outdoors, many of the Senior Branchers successfully completed the adventure journey section of their Bronze or Silver Gaisce Award. On the final evening, everyone joined in an online birthday bash to mark the 100^th birthday of Senior Branch. They had made party hats out of recycled materials to mark the occasion and plenty of cakes were baked and enjoyed!

Irish Girl Guides welcomes youth members from age five-plus and adult volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and ongoing training and support is provided. For further information, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) has around 11,000 members throughout the 26 counties. Its 1,600 volunteer Leaders provide an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence, independence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Youth members from age five to 30 can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Global Traveller, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator and STEM.

– Irish Girl Guides’ adventure weekend will have a sustainable twist –

Dublin, 29/05/2020 – Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) around Ireland will be taking part in an adventure camp at home this weekend [30 May – June], which will incorporate many challenges, including climbing the equivalent of Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, on their stairs or on a nearby hill.

Over 130 girls and young women, who are all members of IGG’s Senior Branch (14-30 year olds), have signed up to take part in Camp Echo. All the activities will be completed at home or within a five kilometre radius of home with some taking place online via Zoom, including a birthday bash on Monday evening to mark the 100^th birthday of Senior Branch.

The weekend will contain numerous activities and challenges, many with a sustainable theme. Participants will either camp outdoors or make a den or shelter inside. Many of those who have signed up are working towards their Bronze or Silver Gaisce and, by completing this weekend challenge, they will successfully complete the adventure journey element of Gaisce.

They will consider who influences their understanding of climate change and investigate dangers to the environment in their area and make posters, videos or TikToks of their findings. They will be asked to go plastic-free for the weekend and to consider ways they can continue to cut down on plastic use in their everyday lives. Similarly, they will keep track of their water usage and come up with ways they can reduce their use of water going forward.

They will write jingles or poems about responsible consumerism and will learn about protected and endangered species. They will do litter picks and nature walks in their area and produce a camp book, including songs and sketches.

The biggest challenge of all will be using their stairs or a nearby hill to see how far they can climb with the promise of a special prize for anyone who manages to complete the equivalent of Carrauntoohil (1,038m) or Ben Nevis (1,345m)!

Given that most Guides and Senior Branch members go on camping trips every summer (this year being an exception because of the Covid-19 restrictions), they will also be asked to consider the environmental impacts that are made when outdoors and how to have a minimal impact on the environment during camps.

They will learn how to make beeswax wrap and they will make bags, purses and party hats out of recycled materials. And, of course, they will all wear their hats during the online birthday party!

Sarah Canavan, one of the organisers of Camp Echo and a Leader with Galway City Senior Branch, says that the multiple challenge are based on traditional Guide camp activities and on Sustainable Development Goal 12 – ‘Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns’.

“Over the course of the weekend the Senior Branchers will be doing multiple challenges based on SDG12 and camping. Challenges include doing a service project in your local community by doing a litter picking walk, making a jiggle about responsible consumerism, upcycling an old t-shirt into a shopping bag and some classic camping activities, like making a tie-dye neckerchief, making a demonstration video on how to tie knots and a bedding roll and a virtual hiking challenge. It links in with ‘Gaisce At Home’ as it will cover the adventure journey section for Bronze and Silver participants.

“We are asking participants to not sleep in their cosy beds over the course of the weekend but to camp in their garden/balcony or sleep in a blanket fort and every evening we’ll be having a tea/chats/campfire Zoom call,” says Sarah. “On the Monday evening we’ll be celebrating the Senior Branch’s 100^th birthday. We’ll be making sustainable birthday hats, baking cakes, playing party games and, of course, signing ‘Happy Birthday’!

Sarah adds, “We encourage girls to do their best in all circumstances and it has been really heart-warming to see so many Senior Branchers spreading the ‘Guiding spirit’ over recent weeks during these unpredictable times.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes youth members from age five-plus and adult volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and ongoing training and support is provided. For further information, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) has around 11,000 members throughout the 26 counties. Its 1,600 volunteer Leaders provide an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence, independence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Youth members from age five to 30 can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Global Traveller, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator and STEM.

– Members of Irish Girl Guides carry out 77,000 good turns every week –

Dublin, 26/04/2020 – Irish Girl Guides (IGG) is inviting all children and young people to join its members doing a good turn each day during National Good Turn Week (27 April – 3 May 2020).

During their annual National Good Turn Week, IGG members share their acts of kindness on social media using the hashtag #GoodTurns and encourage members of the public to do the same. They would particularly like all children and young people to join them this year when so many people, including all those over 70 years, are unable to leave their homes.

By carrying out good turns, it is hoped that young people will spread goodwill throughout the country, thereby boosting everyone’s spirits and making a positive impact on individuals, families, communities and on society as a whole.

Younger children can help their parents with chores around the home (without being asked), such as tidying away toys and helping prepare dinner, while older children and teenagers may offer to go shopping for neighbours or to walk their dogs. Some may choose to do a good turn for the environment, like turning off the tap while brushing their teeth or picking up litter in their locality (keeping within two kilometres of home, of course).

When girls join IGG, they promise to do a good turn every day. Given that there are 11,000 members, this makes a whopping total of 77,000 good turns every week!

“We welcome girls and young women from age five to join our organisation and even the youngest Ladybirds (the IGG branch for five to seven year olds) learn the value of ‘Sharing and Caring’,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan “The Ladybirds and Brownies (girls aged seven to 10) learn about different ways they can help others at home and at school while Guides (aged 10-14) and Senior Branch members (aged 14+) get involved in community action projects and learn to use their voices and their skills to improve the world around them.”

Ms O’Sullivan says: “It doesn’t matter what the good turn is, the important thing is that it’s something kind for someone else without being asked to do it. We hope that thousands of people throughout Ireland will join us in doing good turns and we’re asking everyone who is old enough to use social media to share their kind acts with the hashtag #GoodTurns. We all need to boost each other’s spirits at this time.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Tel: 085 8570565

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) has around 11,000 members throughout the 26 counties. Its 1,600 volunteer Leaders provide an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence, independence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Youth members from age five to 30 can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Global Traveller, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator and STEM.

– 11,000 Girl Guides from age five-plus will camp with their families this weekend –

Dublin, 17/04/2020 – The 11,000 members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are preparing to Camp At Home tomorrow [Saturday 18 April 2020] night and they are encouraging members of the public to join them in this fun activity.

The girls from age five upwards will be camping with their families in tents or makeshift shelters either in their gardens or indoors.

Camping and overnight events are an integral part of the Guiding experience and at this time of year Girl Guides (age 10-14) and Senior Branch members (age 14-30) would usually be busy planning and preparing for camping both in Ireland and overseas.

Brownies (age 7-10) would also be planning for their weekend trips while sleepovers were introduced for Ladybirds (age 5-7) earlier this year.

To quell the inevitable disappointment felt by girls with the cancellation of this summer’s camping activities due to the coronavirus pandemic, IGG’s Regional Development Officers (RDOs) came up with the plan for a national IGG Camp At Home in which all members – and their families – could take part.

“When I was first introduced to this idea I felt it was a fantastic way to boost people’s spirits at this time,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan. “It is a worrying time for everyone and children and young people are feeling the stress and anxiety of the current situation.

“Since the introduction of social distancing and other restrictions, we have been promoting activities that boost the physical and mental well-being of our youth members and volunteers and we believe our Camp At Home will be a good diversion for everyone.”

Ms O’Sullivan said members of the public are encouraged to join in too. “You don’t have to own a tent,” she says, “Because all you need is a few rugs, blankets or duvets to make a shelter in your home. Children will love it!”

 

IGG has compiled a Camp At Home booklet with lots of ideas for fun activities and challenges to do during the camp. The booklet, which is free to download from the news section of the IGG website – www.irishgirlguides.ie – includes a link on how to make a s’mores (toasted marshmallows), which is a favourite with Girl Guides around the world!

“We hope this fun initiative will help people find healthy and positive ways to keep themselves active and busy, both physically and mentally, while at home at this time,” says Ms O’Sullivan. “We would encourage people to share their Camp At Home photos and videos on social media using the hashtag #IGGCamptAtHome.”

Over the course of the weekend IGG’s Senior Branch members will be especially busy as they will also be participating in an online 24 Badges in 48 Hours Challenge. The aim is to complete all 24 Ladybird Interest Badges in 48 hours. The badges include STEM, Cultural Diversity, Active Body, Disability Awareness, Healthy Mind, Performing Arts and Safety in the Home. Anyone who succeeds in completing 20 badges or more will earn a Ladybird Badge Diva Pin!

Irish Girl Guides welcomes youth members from age five-plus and adult volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and ongoing training and support is provided. For further information, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides (IGG) has around 11,000 members throughout the 26 counties. Its 1,600 volunteer Leaders provide an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence, independence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Youth members from age five to 30 can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Climate Action, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Global Traveller, Engineering, Europe, Responsible Consumerism, Science Investigator and STEM.

• Irish Girl Guides to cover 363,104km with the public’s help
• The distance of the earth to the moon – to put girls in STEM on the map with the help of a new app created by Irish tech entrepreneur Brendan Morrissey 

Dublin, 26/03/2020 – Irish Girl Guides and Mishon App have partnered to provide physical challenges for children and teenagers stuck at home due to coronavirus restrictions.

Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are setting out to complete 363,104 kilometres – the distance of the earth to the moon – and they’re looking for your help to help them reach their goal.

Girls from age five up and their volunteer leaders have already begun to undertake the challenge as they look to cover the distance over the next six months.

They will keep track of their progress on a new Mishon App, which was launched last month at Dunsink Observatory. The outdoor adventure app has been created by Irish tech entrepreneur Brendan Morrissey and can be downloaded for free from the App Store and the Google Play Store.

Speaking of the challenge, Brendan Morrissey said, “It’s a difficult time for both parents and children alike and we’re hoping that our Mishon Moon challenge in partnership with the Irish Girl Guides can help them de-stress, get active and raise awareness of a worthy cause all at the same time.”

IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan said, “Our members love a challenge and, with so many amenities shut down due to the recent restrictions, we hope that our Mishon Moon challenge will help keep them active over the coming weeks.

“We’re delighted Brendan has added indoor challenges to the app, like making rockets, giant bubbles and doing egg drops, so everyone can join in the fun,” continued Amanda. “There are also games people can play in their own gardens, like hopscotch and skipping. Even your daily dog walk can count towards our Mishon!”

Irish Girl Guides is open to girls and young women from age 5-30 and volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and training and ongoing support is provided. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

• Irish Girl Guides’ members to walk, run, cycle, swim and kayak 363,104km, the distance of the earth to the moon, to put girls in STEM on the map with the help of a new app created by Irish tech entrepreneur Brendan Morrissey
• New Mishon app will be launched on Saturday 22^nd February 2020 at Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) Dunsink Observatory by astrophysicist Prof Peter Gallagher and award-winning space communicator Dr Niamh Shaw –
• Irish Girl Guides seek sponsorship of €1 per km to raise €363,104 to kit out their new National Training Centre in Tallaght 

Dublin, 20/02/2020 – Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) are setting out to complete 363,104 kilometres – the distance of the earth to the moon – in order to raise funds for their new National Training Centre in Tallaght.

Girls from age five up and their volunteer leaders will walk, run, cycle, swim, surf, kayak and undertake outdoor challenges over the next six months in order to raise €363,104 to kit out their newly-purchased premises in The Square Industrial Complex.

The centre is currently a blank canvas warehouse that will be converted into offices and training rooms with a Destination Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lounge where girls and young women can develop their STEM skills and will discover how a career in STEM can lead to positive global impact.

They will keep track of their progress on a new Mishon app that will be launched this Saturday [22 February 2020] at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, by astrophysicist Prof Peter Gallagher of Trinity College Dublin and award-winning space communicator Dr Niamh Shaw.

The outdoor adventure app has been created by Irish tech entrepreneur Brendan Morrissey. Hearing about IGG’s ambition to open a brand new training centre to facilitate its 11,000 members, Morrissey created a specific Mishon Moon section to the Mishon app where IGG members and supporters can upload their kilometres and undertake adventure challenges.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Brendan Morrissey said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Irish Girl Guides and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies and supporting girls in STEM. Our core objective with Mishon is to get people active by creating daily challenges, dropping augmented reality crates around users to earn points and move up our leader-board to earn virtual badges.

“We’ve been working on this project for the past three years and we can’t think of a more fitting way to launch the app,” he continued. “We hope our involvement can assist IGG with their goal of fitting out their new National Training Centre over the coming months.”

IGG Chief Commissioner Amanda O’Sullivan said she was thrilled that Brendan Morrissey had chosen to partner with the organisation in their fundraising drive. “Our members are never afraid to take on a challenge,” she said. “However, €363,104 is a huge amount to raise and we are thankful to have the support of Brendan and his fantastic new app to help us reach our target.  It’s an excellent example of using tech for good and enables us to also teach our members about using apps safely.

“We always encourage our members to undertake outdoor adventure challenges and to engage with STEM and our Mishon Moon initiative successfully combines both these areas while at the same time allowing us to fundraise for our new centre. We have outgrown our current premises and we believe the new facility will assist us in our aim to help girls grow in confidence, independence, resilience, teamwork and leadership skills and, ultimately, to empower the next generation of female leaders.

“We are keen to encourage our members to pursue STEM subjects in school and to consider careers in STEM. We have over 120 interest badges that girls can earn, which include STEM, Engineering, Science Investigator, Techno and Online Surfer. Thanks to an ongoing partnership with Dublin City University, hundreds of our members have taken part in LEGO Robotics courses during which they designed, built and programmed autonomous motorised LEGO. One challenge included using their robots to complete a series of tasks on a simulated moon surface, so they are no strangers to the topic!”

IGG Ambassador Dr Niamh Shaw, who is planning to get to space as a communicator and artist, said, “I love the notion of collectively getting to the Moon together using this app. Not only does it reflect the true spirit of all human space exploration, but also the ethos of the Irish Girl Guides. “I have had a fantastic time being the IGG Ambassador and will hopefully end magnificently this summer in achieving our space-themed fundraising goal,” she said.

“All of history’s major achievements have succeeded from the shared passion and united will of thousands of people daring to dream bigger. It’s fitting that the necessary funds for the new centre will be raised by this collective adventure mission and, coincidentally, reflects so much of what I try to communicate in my own personal work. I’m delighted to be involved.”

The Mishon Moon app has been trialled in recent weeks by Amanda’s local Guides in Lucan. “The girls love using it, especially for plotting their way, undertaking challenges, finding crates and earning virtual badges,” said Amanda. “We are in no doubt that other IGG members will enjoy it just as much and, in fact, that girls and young women across the world will love it too.

“We deliberately chose 22^nd February to launch this initiative because it is World Thinking Day when the 10 million Girl Guides throughout the globe think of one another. We are reaching out to our sister Girl Guides in 150 countries, asking them to help us reach our target by completing kilometres too.”

The Mishon app is free for anyone to download and Amanda said she hoped members of the public would also support IGG’s fundraising drive by doing kilometres and seeking sponsorship using the hashtags #GirlGuidesWalktotheMoon and #MishonMoon. She said, “This is a very exciting time in our organisation’s 109 year history and we hope as many people as possible will join us by downloading the Mishon app, clocking up kilometres and spreading the word to support our girls and young women.

“We will be crowdfunding €1 per kilometre with every kilometre tracked through the Donate button on the Irish Girl Guides website,” said Amanda. “You’ll be able to watch the tracker as it rises and we get nearer to our 363,104km target!

“We are also inviting corporates to join us on our adventure to the Moon. They can help us reach our target by sponsoring an outdoor challenge on the app, by donating €1 per kilometre or by becoming a title sponsor with full app takeover until Mishon Moon is completed and a branded dedicated area in the National Training Centre in Tallaght.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new youth members from age 5-30 and volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary and training and ongoing support is provided. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Irish Girl Guides’ 11,000 members commit to no single-use plastic parties, days out, camps, conferences and other events 

Teenagers devise sustainability programme following visit to India 

Dublin, 17/02/2020 – Irish Girl Guides’ members are set to significantly reduce their consumption of single-use plastics following their launch of a Responsible Consumerism initiative.

The organisation’s 11,000 members have committed to organising birthday parties, days out, camps, conferences and other events without the use of single-use plastics.

With the introduction of Edit Edit date and time the new Responsible Consumerism programme, Irish Girl Guides (IGG) youth members from age 5-30 will learn about the importance of re-use and recycling and about the impact of plastic on the environment. They will also carry out litter picks in their local communities.

Ladybirds (aged 5-7) will re-use soft plastics to make balls to play games with while Brownies (aged 7-10) will play a ‘Journey to Sustainability’ boardgame, make beeswax wrap and design books about living sustainably.

Guides (aged 10-14) will learn about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discuss what SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production means to them. They will learn how to compost and will choose between making sports equipment out of recycled materials, organising an upcycled fashion show or creating junk couture.

Senior Branch members (aged 14-30) will undertake service projects in their local communities. They will teach younger IGG members what can and can’t be recycled and will go plastic-free for a week and blog or post on social media about their experience.

All members who successfully complete the Responsible Consumerism activities for their age group will earn an SDG12 badge, which has been developed with funding from Irish Aid.

IGG Programme and Training Commissioner, Jenny Gannon, said the SDGs were an integral part of the organisation’s work with girls and young women and they were delighted to add another SDG badge to the programme. IGG already had badges based on SDG3 Health and Well-being and SDG13 Climate Action.

“The badge has been developed by some of our Senior Branch members and it has been fantastic seeing them plan and create the curriculum,” she said. “Earning the badge will help our members look after the planet better. Imagine 11,000 parties with no plastic wastage! No balloons, no plastic straws or single-use cups. We’re all about enabling and empowering girls and helping them realise what an impact they can have on the world around them. That’s what Guiding is all about – girls developing skills to be advocates in their own lives and for issues that are important to them and the world around them,” she said.

 

The Senior Branch members who designed the Responsible Consumerism programme, including devising the Journey to Sustainability boardgame, were inspired to do so during a trip to Sangam World Guide Centre in Pune, India, last summer.

Patricia Gutteridge (16), a member of Tralee Senior Branch, said it was very important that people in Ireland learned to cut waste because the earth couldn’t handle the amount of waste being produced and, with an ever-growing population, we would only continue to destroy the environment until it was no longer habitable. “We started by writing down all the things we noticed in India that could help us develop the badge,” she said. “Next we worked on the badge criteria – there are different activities for each age group and we wanted to make sure the girls would enjoy doing them.

“Working to complete the badge will give girls ideas on how to be more sustainable and how to be more responsible consumers. If every one of our members makes an effort to become more sustainable, then we, as an organisation, can make a big and much needed difference. I believe all girls and leaders who complete the badge will be more aware of, not only the problems surrounding waste and recycling, but also how to be a part of the solution.”

 

Teagan Stanley (17) of Dílse Senior Branch in Carnmore, Galway, said it had been inspiring seeing how people and businesses in India were reducing their waste in sensible and inventive ways. “Food waste didn’t really seem to be a thing in India,” she said. “Any food that wasn’t eaten or served was re-cooked into a new and totally different meal for the next day. The meals they made were really creative and delicious. Any single-use plates or cutlery were made out of banana leaves or bamboo – both in poorer areas and in the business sector.

“I came home with the conviction that it is really important for us in Ireland to understand more about the SDGs and what we can do to help make the world a better place. It has been incredible to see our ideas progress and come together into a real workable programme for girls and young women. If everyone in IGG does the badge and changes their habits, it will make a big impact on the organisation’s footprint.”

 

As a result of their work producing the Responsible Consumerism programme, Patricia and Teagan were invited to address the President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Band, and hundreds of young climate activists from around the country at a UN Youth Delegate event in Farmleigh House on 30 November 2019.

The text of their speech may be viewed on the IGG website – www.irishgirlguides.ie.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,500 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Engineering, Science Investigator, STEM and Global Traveller.

– Irish Girl Guides host 23 Guide Leaders from 18 countries as part of worldwide leadership seminar –

Dublin, 13/10/2019 – Irish Girl Guides members are today welcoming 23 Girl Guide Leaders from 18 countries across the globe to a leadership development seminar they are hosting at Gormanston Park, Co Meath.

This is the first time Irish Girl Guides (IGG) is hosting the international Juliette Low Seminar – a week-long 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 are heading 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.

Speaking ahead of the Juliette Low Seminar, 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: “This is a unique opportunity for Irish Girl Guides to be involved in a historic event that will 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. 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, a Cork Guide Leader 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, will 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.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary. For further information, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:
Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides
Email – communications@irishgirlguides.ie
Tel – 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, STEM, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is the largest voluntary organisation for girls and young women in the world. It is the umbrella organisation for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 150 countries and we understand the issues that matter to girls because they tell us. Around the world, girls and young women face barriers, discrimination and inequality but we believe that every girl has the potential to change this and we empower and equip them to do so. We are here for every girl and any girl.

Juliette Low Seminar – In 1912 Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927) founded Girl Scouts of the USA, an organisation that today serves millions of girl members and alumnae and reflects the arc of her remarkable life. From a first gathering of a small troop of 18 culturally and ethnically diverse girls, Juliette broke the conventions of the time—reaching across class, cultural, and ethnic boundaries to ensure all girls had a place to grow and develop their leadership skills. Using her innate talent for fundraising and public relations, combined with her vast network of friends and supporters, she led Girl Scouts with passion and determination—ensuring it was, and always would be, an experience that was “girl-led.”

Today the vision of Juliette Gordon Low lives on around the globe in the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts who carry on her legacy.

Dragons’ Den investor Alison Cowzer helps spearhead entrepreneurial initiative 

Dublin, 01/11/2019 – Members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) from age five-plus will be honing their entrepreneurial skills this month [November] by selling cookies.

A total of 40,000 packets of cookies will be sold during IGG’s National Cookie Month. By deciding how many packets to order, how to go about selling the biscuits and how they will spend the proceeds of their sales, the girls will develop business, communication, teamwork and public relations skills.

This is the third year that Girl Guides in Ireland will sell cookies – a practice which has been commonplace in the USA for years. For safety reasons, the girls will not be knocking on doors but will be using their initiative by selling to families, friends and neighbours. Some have sought permission to set up a stall outside a local shop or business.

Last year around 2,500 of IGG’s 10,000 youth members took part in the fundraising initiative with 25,000 packets sold, raising €25,000 for their local Guide units. 10,000 packets were donated to homeless and direct provision centres. The money raised was used to fund camps and day trips and to buy equipment for the girls to use at their weekly meetings.

Carrigaline unit in Cork sold the most cookies last year, selling a total of 1,536 packets of cookies. Their 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” – and the local community was hugely supportive with the local Super Valu allowing the Guides set up a stall outside their shop.

“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,” says 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.”

This year, for the first time, the girls will sell two different products. As well as the original choc-chip cookies, they will also be selling all 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, co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse and Dragon’s Den investor, has proved an invaluable mentor for IGG members, sharing with them her insider tips for making sales.

Ms Cowzer is delighted to lend her support to the cookie initiative, 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.

She continues, “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, “Our Cookie Month the past two years was such a success we decided to do it again. 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.

“Over the past two years we have heard numerous stories from Guide Leaders and parents saying how their girls started out as shy salespeople unsure of how to even begin and ended up savvy businesswomen. 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.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members age 5+ and adult volunteers from age 18+ (no previous Guiding experience is necessary). For further info see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01-6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Aviation, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, STEM, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

East Coast Bakehouse, based in Drogheda, Co Louth, produces cookies and biscuits for the Irish market and for export to over 20 countries around the world. With a team of 65, the company is Ireland’s only large-scale biscuit manufacturing business. Approximately 99% of biscuits sold in Ireland are imported – we’re aiming to change that and our Irish Made range is now available in all major retailers nationwide.

– Teen girls to receive Irish Girl Guides’ Trail Blazer National Guide Award –

Dublin, 12/10/2019 – Over 130 Girl Guides are making their way to Croke Park this morning [12 October 2019] to receive the Trail Blazer National Guide Award – Irish Girl Guides’ highest award – at a special ceremony starting at 11.15am.

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

Each girl will receive a Trail Blazer gold pin from Irish Girl Guides (IGG) President Maureen Murphy and a National Guide Award certificate from IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon.

Speaking ahead of the event, IGG President Maureen Murphy said it would be a privilege to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of the Girl Guide Trail Blazers who have all shown commitment in completing challenges and projects while putting their individual footprints on the tasks. “They are inspirational girls and will inspire many others as they take their learning and experiences gained into your communities and wider society,” she said.

IGG’s Honorary Ambassador, Dr Niamh Shaw, said she was “especially excited” to be attending the National Guide Awards to celebrate and acknowledge all the recipients’ outstanding achievements and contributions to the Irish Girl Guides. “We can create any future we want if we dream big enough and work hard enough,” she plans to tell the award recipients. “I can already see that working hard comes easy to them, so nothing will stop them from becoming whatever they want to.”

Zoe Burgess, a member of Ballybay Guides in Monaghan, will be one of a number of Guides to speak during the ceremony. She said she had earned numerous badges during her four years as a Guide: “Some I worked on with a group and others individually. Some of the badges I earned were Guiding Traditions, Outdoor Cook, Campers Way, Drug Awareness, Disability Awareness, Global Traveller, Healthy Mind and, of course, everyone’s favourite – the Chocolate badge, which teaches us the importance of supporting Fairtrade. I loved my time in Guides and hope to achieve many more badges now I am a Senior Brancher.”

Cora Stronge-Smith, 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 all the award recipients,” she continued. “We know they have worked to their fullest potential and hope they continue to use many of the life-skills they have achieved wherever life takes them in the future.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. Previous experience of Guiding is not necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie. Tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, IGG Communications Officer

communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565 or 086 1706923

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their fullest potential and to become responsible citizens. There are four branches – Ladybirds (5-7 year olds), Brownies (7-10 year olds), Guides (10-14 year olds) and Senior Branch (14-30 year olds). Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineers and Global Traveller. 

– 135 Girl Guides to receive Guiding’s top award at Croke Park –

Dublin, 10/10/2019 – Girl Guides in every county in Ireland are getting ready to celebrate International Day of the Girl tomorrow [11 October] by leading out loud.

The 11,000 Irish Girl Guides (IGG) 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 on Saturday morning 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 awards tomorrow, 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.”

IGG awards badges to its members on completion of certain tasks. There are more than 120 badges to choose from, ranging from Community Action, Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness to Drug Awareness, Science Investigator, Aviation and STEM.

“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.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteers from age 18+. See www.irishgirlguides.ie for further information or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact info:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 11,000 members. 1,800 young and adult leaders are involved. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with the volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Climate Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation and Global Traveller

– 180-kilometre hike carrying camping and cooking gear and living on €3.25 a day –

Dublin, 26/07/2019 – Twelve Irish Girl Guides’ Leaders are all set to take part in Guiding’s toughest challenge.

The 12 women, ranging in age from 18 to early 50s, will hike 180 kilometres over 10 days while carrying all their camping and cooking equipment, clothes, food and water and surviving on just €3.25 a day. They will take part in teams of two.

In order to complete the Explorer Belt challenge, each team will also have to keep a log book and carry out a number of projects along the way … all without the use of a smartphone!

It is impossible for them to research the projects before the event because the location of the challenge is kept top secret until they meet the organisers at Dublin Airport this Sunday morning 28^th July at 9am. All they know is it will take place somewhere in Europe!

The survival adventure is being organised by two experienced Irish Girl Guides (IGG) Leaders, Katherine Ryan and Jemma Lee, who themselves completed Explorer Belt four years ago when it took place in Germany.

“Taking part may sound like a daunting experience and it is certainly not something taken on lightly,” says Katherine. “Guiding, however, has given the participants the tenacity to take on the challenge, the skills to participate in it and the confidence to believe in their abilities to complete it. Not knowing where it is going to take place adds greatly to the excitement and anticipation.”

Jemma says the three compulsory projects each team has to complete will determine the route taken by each pair. “The projects can investigate the recent past of the country, areas of geographical interest or unusual, quirky places,” she says. “The remaining projects involve learning more about the area the participants find themselves in. They are designed to bring the teams in close contact with the local people and help to immerse them in their Explorer Belt location.”

The participants come from all corners of Ireland with the youngest being Ruby Loughlin, age 18, who is a Leader with Cealla Guides in Kells, Co Meath, and has just completed her Leaving Certificate exams. Ruby says she is feeling nervous but is also excited and looking forward to the experience. She has some idea of what to expect, having successfully completed IGG’s Chief Commissioner’s Award last summer. This involved hiking 60 kilometres over five days in Co Waterford while also keeping a log, doing projects and carrying camping and cooking gear etc.

“I enjoyed completing Chief’s and I was really intrigued when I heard about Explorer Belt,” she says. “I like camping and hiking so I wanted to challenge and push myself even further. I hope I will enjoy the experience as much as I enjoyed Chief’s!”

Ruby, like all this year’s participants, has been training for Explorer Belt by going on regular hikes and increasing the distance of the walks and the weight of the rucksack each time. Ruby reckons the most difficult aspect of the challenge will be asking people for help, almost certainly in another language. “We will literally be relying on strangers to give us places to pitch our tent and camp,” she says. “Carrying the weight and walking the long distances will be very tough too.”

Ruby believes the skills she has gained from Guiding since she joined IGG at the age of five will help her tackle the Explorer Belt challenge. “I have got so much out of Guiding, like confidence in myself,” she says. “I have also improved my teamwork and leadership skills through Guiding. I have travelled to different places, gained many friends and a Guiding family! I have gained valuable life-skills, like planning and first aid, and taking part in international camps has taught me about new cultures.”

 

Ruby’s team-mate, Shauna Flynn (27), a fellow Cealla Guides Leader and an English teacher in Coláiste Pobail Setanta in Clonee, says she is “terrified but also very excited” about the challenge that lies ahead. “I’m the type of person who would normally have every detail of a trip like this planned – from how we’re going to get from place to place to any apps downloaded that will help with the language,” she says, “So it will be interesting to not have those usual details planned. Not having a phone will definitely be the most difficult aspect!”

Shauna, who has represented IGG at an international Girl Guide seminar and volunteered at the Guiding World Centre, Our Chalet, in Switzerland also believes the experiences and skills she has gained from Guiding will help her complete the Explorer Belt challenge. “I’ve gained the confidence in myself and the belief that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it,” she says. “Above all else, being in IGG has given me a taste for adventure and finding different challenges to push me out of my comfort zone.”

 

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and adult volunteer leaders from age 18+. See www.irishgirlguides.ie for further information or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact info:
Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 085 8570565
Jemma Lee, Explorer Belt organiser, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 087 9686185

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has over 11,000 members. 1,800 young and adult leaders are involved. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with the volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Climate Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation and Global Traveller.

Irish Girl Guides’ youngest members will descend on Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park to party 

Dublin, 14/06/2019 – More than 600 Ladybirds – the youngest members of Irish Girl Guides – will take part in a massive celebration tomorrow [Saturday 15 June 2019] to mark their 30^th birthday.

Ladybirds, who are girls aged five to seven, will travel from all over the country to party at Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park with more than 300 girls and 100 volunteer Leaders attending each event.

Ladybirds, who meet each week in their local community to take part in activities, games, songs and crafts, can’t wait to meet up with Ladybirds from other counties to celebrate their milestone birthday.

“We will have music, dancing, lots of activities and a big cake at each event,” says Monica McDonnell, Chair of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) Ladybird Branch. “The girls at Dublin Zoo will be joined by a special guest – award-winning space explorer and science communicator Dr Niamh Shaw who will tell them about her space adventures.”

While Guides (the branch of IGG for 10-14 year olds) started in Ireland in 1911, Brownies (the branch for 7-10 year olds) started in 1914 and Senior Branch (the branch for 14-30 year olds) in 1919, the Ladybird branch only started 30 years ago when it was decided to introduce Guiding to girls of a younger age.

A pilot Ladybird unit in Ballybrack, Dublin, was such a success that in 1989 Ladybirds was officially launched by then Minister for Education Mary O’Rourke. Within a year there were 33 Ladybird units operating throughout the country. Today there are over 2,000 Ladybirds throughout the 26 counties.

“The Ladybird programme encourages girls to care and share, to think of others and to contribute to their local communities,” said Monica, who is Leader of Cúchulainn Ladybirds in Drogheda. “Each girl is encouraged to try her best and learn new skills and is rewarded for doing the best she can.

“The girls can earn badges for all kinds of things, like Road Safety, Healthy Mind, Performing Arts, Environmental Awareness, Voting and STEM. During their time with us, we see the Ladybirds grow in confidence and independence while making new friends and having a lot of fun.”

IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon said: “Trying to stay relevant and in touch with each new generation of young girls can be a challenging task but it is one the Irish Girl Guides excels at. Thousands of Ladybirds have benefited from their involvement in IGG and most move on to Brownies (aged 7-10) and Guides (aged 10-14) where they continue to grow in independence, develop essential life-skills and are introduced to the international aspects of the Guiding movement.”

Monica concluded, “The parties wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors – Impression Design and Print, The Galway Bay, Tayto, Fyffes and the staff of Deloitte. All of these have donated to us, which has been a massive help. Also, thanks to Dublin Zoo and Fota for allowing us to celebrate the birthday in their venues. We can’t wait!”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous experience of Guiding is necessary. See www.irishgirlguides.ie for more information or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

 Irish Girl Guides – Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation, STEM, Climate Action and Global Traveller.

www.irishgirlguides.ie

– Irish Girl Guides’ youngest members are all set to party at Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park on Saturday 15^th June –

Dublin, 10/06/2019 – More than 600 Ladybirds – the youngest members of Irish Girl Guides – are counting down the days until their 30^th birthday!

Ladybirds, who are girls aged five to seven, will be travelling from all around the country to take part in a massive birthday celebration on Saturday 15^th June.

They have the choice of attending a party at Dublin Zoo or Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, depending on which is more convenient to them. More than 300 girls are expected at each venue and more than 100 Leaders.

Ladybirds, who meet each week in their local community with volunteer IGG Leaders to take part in activities, games, songs and crafts, can’t wait to meet with other Ladybirds to dance and party and celebrate their big birthday.

While Guides (the branch of IGG for 10-14 year olds) started in Ireland in 1911, Brownies (the branch for 7-10 year olds) started in 1914 and Senior Branch (the branch for 14-30 year olds) in 1919, the Ladybird branch only started 30 years ago when it was decided to introduce Guiding to girls of a younger age.

Since 1989 the IGG programme has catered for girls and young women aged five to 30. There are age-appropriate activities and challenges for each age group.

“The Ladybird programme encourages girls to care and share, to think of others and to develop an appreciation of nature and the great outdoors,” says Chair of IGG’s Ladybird Branch, Monica McDonnell, who is also Leader of Cúchulainn Ladybirds in Drogheda.

“Each girl is encouraged to try her best and learn new skills and is rewarded for doing the best she can. The girls can earn badges for all kinds of things, like Road Safety, Healthy Mind, Performing Arts, Environmental Awareness, Voting and STEM. We see the Ladybirds grow in confidence and independence while making new friends and having a lot of fun.”

Monica said the girls are all hugely excited about the upcoming birthday celebration and are counting down the days until the party. “One thing is certain – there will be music, dancing and fun at both parties,” said Monica. “And, of course, a huge cake!”

She added, “The parties wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors – Impression Design and Print, The Galway Bay, Tayto, Fyffes and the staff of Deloitte. All of these have donated to us, which has been a massive help. Also, thanks to Dublin Zoo and Fota for allowing us to celebrate the birthday in their venues. The girls can’t wait!”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. No previous experience of Guiding is necessary. See www.irishgirlguides.ie for more information or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact details:
Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides
Tel: 086 1706923

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides – Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation, STEM, Climate Action and Global Traveller.

– National Youth Council of Ireland award recognises high standard of health promotion –

Dublin, 19/05/2019 – Irish Girl Guides was awarded its 6th Gold Standard Health Quality Mark (HQM) by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) in recognition of their work on health promotion for young people, at a special event held in the Irish Girl Guides (IGG) National Office at 27 Pembroke Park, Dublin 4, yesterday [Saturday 18 May 2019].

Presenting the award at the meeting of IGG’s National Programme and Training Committee, Lisa Harold from the NYCI National Youth Health Programme, said, “This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all at Irish Girl Guides. They are committed to the highest quality standards in health promotion and it is clear that ensuring a healthy and safe place for young people and staff is a key priority here.”

IGG’s wide-ranging programme for girls and young women aged 5-30 includes a number of health-promoting activities and badges, including Active Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Friendship, Drug Awareness, Personal Safety and a Good Health and Well-being badge based on the third Sustainable Development Goal. These badges and activities incorporate such topics as healthy eating, physical health, relationships, self-esteem, bullying and stress management. Guides aged 10+ can also earn Skin Care and Independent Living Skills badges.

IGG members regularly take part in a variety of indoor and outdoor challenges, which help them develop teamwork and leadership skills, resilience and self-confidence – all of which contribute to a healthy body and mind. A five-week body confidence programme called Free Being Me also helps girls develop body confidence from an early age.

Ms Harold added: “Congratulations are in order to the staff, volunteers and young people of the service, especially those who have guided the organisation through the process to ensure that their work is in line with national and international best practice in the area of youth health promotion. The great work carried out here supports the national Healthy Ireland campaign, which is about increasing our focus on prevention and supporting young people to improve their own health and well-being.”

IGG National Programme and Training Commissioner, Jenny Gannon, said she was delighted that the organisation’s ongoing health-promoting work was being recognised in this way. “We take great pride in the high quality youth work our 12,000 members are involved in across the country and welcome this acknowledgement of that work,” she said.

“Irish Girl Guides has successfully maintained the Gold Standard in Health Promotion since the award was launched in 2001. We continue to incorporate health-focused approaches in our programmes, events and weekly meetings because we believe that they form the basis of good quality youth work relevant to today’s young people. This involves training for leaders, staff, support and resources for our youth members in fun, participative and educational ways.”

ENDS

Contact:

Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI: 087 781 4903, 01-478 4122 or communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of Irish voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people. www.youth.ie

National Youth Health Programme
The National Youth Health Programme is a partnership between NYCI, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

Health Quality Mark
The Health Quality Mark (HQM) is the recognised quality assurance mark for health promotion in youth work in Ireland. It is a health promotion initiative developed by the National Youth Health Programme (NYHP) to enhance best practice and a high standard of quality in all youth organisations.

Irish Girl Guides

Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer Leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation, STEM, Climate Action and Global Traveller.

Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee launches Europe badges developed by Irish Girl Guides and European Movement Ireland

Dublin, 07/05/2019 – Members of Irish Girl Guides are set to broaden their horizons following the launch today of three Europe badges by Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee TD.

The badges, which have been developed by Irish Girl Guides (IGG) in partnership with European Movement Ireland (EMI), will help girls from age five upwards gain an understanding of the European Union (EU) and how it affects the lives of Irish citizens.

The badges were launched at an EMI ‘Handshake for Europe’ event held in Iveagh House, the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ahead of Europe Day (9 May).

There is a different badge and curriculum for each age group. In order to earn the badge, the youngest members of Irish Girl Guides (Ladybirds aged 5-7) will learn to recognise the European Union (EU) flag, learn greeting customs from three other EU countries, name some other EU countries and make rubbings of Euro coins.

Brownies (aged 7-10) will discover which countries are members of the EU, learn about the role of MEPs and, through a variety of activities, identify ways of respecting and including different cultures. They will discover who their local MEPs are and will write letters to them.

Guides (aged 10-14) will learn why the EU was formed in 1957, when Ireland joined (1973) and the advantages of being an EU member. They will make posters illustrating why Ireland is a member, will celebrate an international cultural festival (e.g. host a Eurovision-style talent competition) and invite a politician to come and talk to them about the EU.

Launching the badge, Minister Helen McEntee said: “This is a fantastic initiative that I am delighted to launch today. The initiative developed by the Irish Girl Guides and European Movement Ireland is yet another way to promote, learn and understand the workings of the European Union.  It is vitally important to educate our young people about why the EU exists in a way that engages them and encourages them to want to learn more.

“This is a timely launch ahead of Europe Day – a day that I will be travelling to Sibiu in Romania with the Taoiseach to outline Ireland’s position on the Future of Europe. This follows from our Citizens’ Dialogue process that was conducted last year and will help to shape the Future of Europe for all of our citizens.”

IGG Chief Commissioner, Helen Concannon, said: “The Irish Girl Guides has always been a movement of young people, responding to the needs of our global society. In recent times, our news channels have been filled with talk of Europe, the EU and potential leavers. As a responsive organisation, it made sense for us to enter a partnership with another non-governmental organisation to enhance the girls’ understanding of the relationship between Ireland and Europe.

“It has been a pleasure to work with European Movement Ireland to develop the three Europe badges. We were delighted that both organisations have a joint advocate in Jillian van Turnhout who worked with our National Programme and Training Commissioner, Jenny Gannon, and our branch committees to ensure the Europe badges become permanent fixtures in our educational Journey Programme for over 10,000 girls and young women.”

 

Jillian van Turnhout, Vice Chair of European Movement Ireland and former Chief Commissioner of Irish Girl Guides, said: “The Irish Girl Guides empowers girls and young women to be leaders. The introduction of a Europe Badge will give members an opportunity to develop their knowledge of the European Union equipping them to engage and shape the European project.”

Noelle O’Connell, Executive Director of European Movement Ireland, said: “European Movement Ireland is delighted to be partnering with the Irish Girl Guides in developing a range of Europe badges that we hope will inspire the over 10,000 girls and 1,800 young women leaders to both learn and, indeed, shape Ireland’s relationship with Europe.

“Irish Girl Guides has a long and established track record of empowering young women on a range of education and learning programmes. As the National Implementation body for the Blue Star programme, which itself has over 1,000 primary schools and 90,000 pupils getting creative and learning about Europe. As an organisation founded to develop the connection between Ireland and Europe, EM Ireland is delighted to be partnering with the Irish Girl Guides on this exciting and timely new project at a crucial time in Ireland’s EU relationship.”

 

Irish Girl Guides welcomes members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact details:

Lisa Nic An Bhreithimh, Communications and Campaigns Manager, EM Ireland

Email: lisa@europeanmovement.ie

Tel: 087 950 3539

T: @emireland

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

 Irish Girl Guides – Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation, STEM, Climate Action and Global Traveller. www.irishgirlguides.ie

European Movement Ireland – Founded in 1954, European Movement (EM) Ireland is the longest established Irish NGO working on European affairs. A non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit, membership-based organisation, EM Ireland works to develop the connection between Ireland and the rest of Europe.  For more information, visit www.europeanmovement.ie .

– Dr Niamh Shaw is named as Irish Girl Guides’ Honorary Ambassador –

Dublin, 06/04/2019 – Award-winning space explorer and science communicator Niamh Shaw PhD is set to blaze a trail for Irish Girl Guides (IGG) over the course of the next 12 months.

Dr Shaw, who describes herself as an Irish engineer, scientist, artist, performer, space explorer and award-winning science communicator with a passion to ignite curiosity about space and the world around us, was named Honorary Ambassador at IGG’s annual Council meeting held in Tallaght this afternoon (6 April 2019). Dr Shaw was chosen in recognition of the trail she has blazed for girls and women in Ireland.

IGG President Maureen Murphy said IGG members were excited to have Dr Niamh Shaw as the organisation’s new Ambassador. “She has stated her wish to ignite people’s curiosity and has a big dream to travel in space,” said Ms Murphy. “Niamh has already met some of our members at the FIRST LEGO League finals in Dublin City University.

“Guiding is about providing new experiences and challenges to enable each girl to reach her own potential in today’s world, so Niamh is a very appropriate role model, inspirer and Honorary Ambassador.”

Dr Shaw, who is Dublin-based but regularly travels to Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork where she is artist-in-residence, is particularly interested in encouraging girls and women to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. This ties in nicely with IGG’s aim to encourage girls and young women to consider STEM careers by inviting them to earn STEM, Engineering, Science Investigator and Online Surfer badges.

“What I’m particularly interested in, during my term as Ambassador, is empowering Girl Guides to pursue in life what they are most passionate about, which is usually what they are also most curious about,” said Dr Shaw. “STEM will naturally play its part in that exploration, so rather than promote STEM in isolation, I want to encourage them to see STEM as a suite of tools with which to unearth and explore what they are most passionate about. And they can use this knowledge to enhance this passion directly or indirectly.

“STEM subjects can belong in a creative environment as much as a technical one. If I can achieve success in delivering that message to Girl Guides in the next year, then I will feel that I have made a worthy contribution to Irish Girl Guides. And, since my passion is space, I would also like to explore the creation of a space badge too, if possible.”

Dr Shaw, who was a member of IGG for some of her childhood, has fond memories of her time in the organisation. She was disappointed that it was difficult to stay involved because the family moved location frequently.

“I remember one time we had to collect the leaves of different trees, which led me to read and research more on the topic. And there was no internet then to do a simple Google search! Thankfully, we had the children’s encyclopaedia, so I referred to that a lot, and to other nature books in the house. To this day, I still test myself on tree identification!”

Dr Shaw said she was delighted to be selected as IGG Ambassador. “It’s a huge honour,” she says, “And I’m really looking forward to the year ahead.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Dr Niamh Shaw – nshawster@gmail.com. Tel: 086 3486529

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator and Global Traveller.

Dr Niamh Shaw

• LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamhshaw/
• YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/nshawredscientist/
• Website: www.niamhshaw.ie
• Twitter: @dr_niamh_shaw
• Instagram:@dr_niamh_shaw
• Also some links below to recent speaking events: at Aras an Uachtarain, at WIRED UK etc – LinkedIn  Website   YouTube

Artist in Residence, CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory

New Scientist Live 2018

WIRED UK 2018

Recent: IWD at Áras an Uachtarain

– Members of Irish Girl Guides carry out 84,000 good turns every week –

Dublin, 01/04/2019 – The Irish Girl Guides are inviting members of the public to join them doing good turns during National Good Turn Week (1-7 April 2019).

When girls join the organisation, they promise to do a good turn every day. Given that there are 12,000 members, this makes a whopping total of 84,000 good turns every week!

During National Good Turn Week members share their good deeds on social media using the hashtag #GoodTurns and encourage members of the public to do the same.

In this way, it is hoped to spread kindness and goodwill throughout the country, thereby making a positive impact on individuals, families, communities and on society as a whole.

Younger Irish Girl Guides (IGG) members will help their parents with chores around the home (without being asked!) and share their lunch with their friends while older girls may offer to help an elderly neighbour with shopping, donate money or toys to charity or hold a bake sale to raise money for charity.

Some girls are opting to do good turns for the environment, like walking or cycling to school or turning the tap off while brushing their teeth. Some Girl Guide units are organising litter picks in conjunction with An Taisce’s Spring Clean and sharing their photos with the #trashtag hashtag, which has taken social media by storm in recent weeks.

“By carrying out good turns daily, the value of volunteering is impressed upon our members from a young age,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon. “Our youngest members from age five learn about different ways they can help others at home and at school while our older girls get involved in community action projects and learn to use their voices and their skills to improve the world around them.”

 

Encouraging members of the public to do good turns each day too, Ms Concannon says: “It doesn’t matter what the good turn is – visiting someone in the community, listening to a friend in need or supporting a charity – once it’s something kind for someone else. Focussing on good turns helps us to see opportunities in everyday life and to become active citizens.

 

“We hope that thousands of people throughout Ireland will join us in doing good turns and we’re asking everyone to share their kind acts on social media using the hashtag #GoodTurns. Let’s do what we can to spread a little kindness!”

 

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides

Tel: 085 8570565

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

Irish Girl Guides are issuing this statement in response to recent public and media commentary.

Dublin, 27/02/2019 – While discussing Scouting Ireland public references have been made to ‘Scouting and Guiding’.  We request that when referring to ‘Scouting’ and ‘Scouting Ireland’ references to ‘Guiding’ are omitted. Scouting Ireland caters for both boys and girls and offers a different programme. Scouting Ireland is a completely separate organisation from our organisation. Scouting and Guiding are not interchangeable terms.

The Irish Girl Guides recognise the welfare of our members is of paramount importance and we have policies and procedures in place to safeguard the children in our care. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy and practice has been developed to comply with the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice.

The Irish Girl Guides believe transparency and openness are the best way to protect children. In light of the revelations over the past year in relation to Scouting Ireland, our organisation has reviewed our files. We have no historic or current internal cases of alleged child abuse. In line with best practice, we report any concerns we have over the welfare or safety of a child to the relevant statutory authorities.

If one of our volunteer leaders has a concern for a child who they believe is at immediate risk they are advised to contact the Gardaí. If a leader has a concern for the welfare of a child, they are directed to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Our Safeguarding Officer and volunteer safeguarding teams follow up with local leaders to ensure all reporting requirements are met.

The Irish Girl Guides offers an exciting programme for girls and young women from 5 to 30 years of age, and opportunities for women of all ages. We cater for girls only because we strongly believe that girls need time in a girl-only safe setting with a programme facilitated by women who will act as role models and encourage them to challenge themselves and follow their dreams. Through participation in Guiding, girls experience leadership from a young age via our programme and structures. Girls take on various roles and use the skills and knowledge gained throughout their lives. In society, tradition places certain expectations on girls and women. In Guiding, girls and women challenge those stereotypes and take on positions of leadership, using their talents and abilities to contribute to a more equitable world. This develops girls’ confidence, improves self-esteem and offers a unique opportunity to grow and develop as responsible citizens of the world.

We believe it is essential that every member has a voice that will be heard and acted upon. We thank our volunteer leaders for continuing to ensure Guiding provides a safe and fun environment for all our members.

ENDS

Contact details:

Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon – chief.commissioner@irishgirlguides.ie

Irish Girl Guides National Office Tel: 01 6683898

– Irish Girl Guides team up with Trócaire to tackle climate change –

Dublin, 09/02/2019 – Thousands of girls throughout Ireland are set to take steps to combat climate change following the launch this morning [9 February] of a Climate Action badge at Irish Girl Guides’ national conference in Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Co Galway.

The result of an ongoing partnership between Irish Girl Guides (IGG) and Trócaire, the badge was inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13 – ‘Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.’

Ladybirds (age 5-7) and Brownies (age 7-10) will learn through a series of activities how important it is to care for the environment and how they can take steps to combat climate change.

Guides (age 10-14) and Senior Branch members (age 14-30) will learn how climate change has resulted from human activities and will discover how climate change is affecting communities in Trócaire’s partner countries e.g. drought and food insecurity in Ethiopia, migration in Kenya and extreme flooding and sea level rise in Honduras.

They will be encouraged to make the link between human rights and climate justice and consider how Ireland overall, and their own actions, are contributing to climate change. Through a series of activities, they will then be supported to consider what actions they can take to address climate change.

Sinéad Crilly, Chair of IGG’s Membership, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a Guide Leader in Drogheda, said IGG was delighted to partner with Trócaire to launch the Climate Action badge and she looked forward to seeing many girls earning the badge.

“We all need clean food, water and air,” she said. “There is enough for everyone but some of us are using more than our fair share by wasting resources. We cannot continue as we are and we encourage our members to play their part in helping look after the environment.

“We already have an Environmental Awareness badge, which encourages girls to recycle, conserve water and save electricity. Working on the new Climate Action badge will reinforce this message and, rather than feeling helpless in the face of climate change, girls will discover how they can play their part to protect the world.”

 

Aine O’Driscoll, Trócaire’s Development Education Officer Youth, said climate change was the greatest injustice of our time. “Those who are contributing least to climate change are suffering the most, while those with the most power are failing to address the issue,” she said.

“Families that depend on rainfall to grow crops are particularly vulnerable, as an increase in drought and floods makes it more difficult to produce enough food to feed themselves. Out of necessity, people may resort to activities such as deforestation, sand harvesting and charcoal-making, which further impacts on the environment. Individuals and whole families are migrating from rural areas to urban areas in search of work.

“Trócaire is supporting communities affected by climate change in different parts of the world. It is also raising awareness of the urgent need to address climate justice and is calling for action by our government at national and international levels.”

 

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 085 8570565

Niamh McCarthy, Communications Manager, Trócaire Tel: 086 8124352

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering, Aviation and Global Traveller. 

– Cork and Kildare Guide leaders earn top accolade for Irish Girl Guides’ leaders –

Dublin, 29/11/2018 – Two leading lights in Irish Girl Guides (IGG) have become the first Girl Guide leaders to earn the organisation’s top accolade for young women.

Aisling Claffey (24) from Cork and Aoife Leamy (25) from Newbridge were presented with the Golden Sun Award at a recent conference held in the Guiding centre at Lorne Estate, Hollywood, Co Down, attended by 60 members of Senior Branch (the IGG branch for 14-30 year olds).

The duo, who undertook a series of challenges over the course of two years, are chuffed to become the first two women to receive the award, which IGG launched for leaders in 2015. Girls from age five-plus in IGG have over 130 badges that they can earn; the Golden Sun Award was introduced so that adult members could work towards a goal too.

The award includes the same components as the Gold Gaisce with some additional Guiding challenges. Aisling and Aoife completed community challenges, developed life skills and undertook outdoor challenges as well as completing an adventure journey and a residential project. Aisling, a sales and marketing executive at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, and Aoife, a laser eye surgery manager with Optilase Eye Clinic in Dublin, were so keen that they completed 30 challenges more than they had to!

The duo greatly enjoyed doing the challenges, including craft evenings, discussions, debates and trying new physical activities, and felt a great sense of accomplishment on completion. Some they did together, including an 80 kilometre hike and camping trip in Co Kerry, which Aoife says was her favourite part of earning the badge.

“It was tough-going,” she says. “Some days were easier than others but, as we lay in our tent at night, it was nice to chat about the day and reflect on the good parts!”

Working towards the award also saw Aoife increase her community involvement, develop her cooking skills, try out new forms of exercise and take part in a week-long residential event in France. She learned from her experiences that reflecting on an activity and project by writing a log makes it a lot easier to write a report months later! Also, that true friends can get you through anything!

Similarly, Aisling says the award allowed her to go on a great adventure with a great friend. “We laughed, cried, supported and motivated each other,” she says. “From meeting at a Guide camp over 10 years ago, when we bonded over beans and ribbons, we have completed a number of Guiding experiences, challenges and activities together. Completing the Golden Sun together only seemed right!”

Working towards the award helped Aisling face her ongoing battle with anxiety. “The experience made me step out of my comfort zone, making me feel anxious at times but, having the right supports around me, allowed me to continue through the process,” she says. “I learned that, although something may scare you and make you anxious, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Facing fears and anxiety head on is one of the scariest things to do but, when you start to overcome them or deal with them better, you will realise you are a much stronger person than you allow yourself to believe.

“For me, this pin means more than the challenges that were done to achieve it. It represents the experiences that were undertaken, the people who were there to support us, the amazing memories, the fantastic friendships and the personal journey.”

Aoife says she loved the fact a challenge was introduced for adult IGG members and was particularly motivated by the idea of being one of the first people to achieve it. She felt very proud to be one of the first recipients.

“As leaders, we are so committed to encouraging the girls to reach their goals and be proud that we forget that leaders sometimes deserve to be proud too!” she says. “From the outset of the award, I wanted to be the first to get it. It’s not about boasting rights, but it is about being an ambassador for the award – to show our members that it is an achievable goal. It is hard – it take a lot of time and commitment – but getting it first means that now the next person who sets out to do it has a reference.”

Guiding has been a massive part of Aoife and Aisling’s lives since they joined IGG age 11 and age 10 respectively. “I have gained confidence, life skills, camping skills, a songbook of campfire songs, bush craft skills, leadership skills, friendship and an appreciation of international cultural differences,” says Aoife. “But, mostly, I have gained the certainty of who I am and what mark I want to leave on the world.”

“Guiding has given me so much,” says Aisling. “I have made amazing friends, learned so many skills, have had once-in-a-lifetime experiences, travelled, lived in another country and much more – all because of my involvement in Guiding. I’ve gained brilliant experiences and been able to take great opportunities all while learning skills that will last a lifetime.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and adult volunteers from age 18+. No previous Guiding experience is necessary. See www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898 to find out more.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has around 12,000 members, ranging in age from five to 30 years. 1,800 volunteer leaders are involved. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to become responsible citizens. They can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including disability awareness, world cultures, science investigator, online surfer, STEM and engineering.

– Irish Girl Guides partners with Dublin City University, Learnit Lego Education and Science Foundation Ireland to encourage girls to pursue STEM –

Dublin, 18/11/2018 – Two hundred members of Irish Girl Guides have come up with a selection of innovative water solutions using Lego, which they showcased at an expo in Dublin City University yesterday [Saturday 17 November 2018].

The Brownies (Brownies is the branch of Irish Girl Guides for 7-10 year olds), who worked in teams of four, spent five weeks researching the issue of water sustainability and exploring innovative ways to preserve water.

Each team designed, built and programmed an autonomous motorised Lego model incorporating a range of sensors and motors. Each team also designed a poster with diagrams of the solution(s) they had come up with, the feasibility of executing the project and details of the programme used. Each group of four girls also underwent an interview with an assessor about their solution(s).

Their work culminated in yesterday’s expo – similar to the BT Young Scientist Exhibition – where the girls displayed their projects and were on hand to explain to families, friends and visitors the creative solutions they had come up with.

The project, Irish Girl Guides Innovatively Engaging with STEM (IGGIES), is a partnership with Dublin City University’s Learnit Lego Education and is sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland.

Irish Girl Guides National Programme and Training Commissioner Jenny Gannon said the organisation was delighted to undertake the project with Brownies from Dublin, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork and Carlow. “Earlier this year 200 Brownies from Wicklow, Kildare and Dublin took part in the first phase of IGGIES and it’s been great to give another 200 Brownies from other counties the same opportunity,” she said.

“Irish Girl Guides believes in challenging stereotypes and we have undertaken a number of initiatives in recent years to encourage our members to pursue STEM subjects in school and to consider pursuing careers in STEM.

“We are also committed to encouraging our girls to dream big and to take action to make a difference in their local communities and in the wider world. The IGGIES project is just one of a number of activities we are using to help our members learn about the Sustainable Development Goals and to explore ways in which they can help make the world a better place.”

 

Prof Deirdre Butler of the Institute of Education, Dublin City University, said, “The need to address the gender imbalance in STEM disciplines and careers is well documented. We in DCU are excited about our partnership with the Irish Girl Guides and believe that this organisation is uniquely positioned to address gender equity in STEM education in Ireland as, through their organisation they have reach to approximately 10,000 females aged 5-30 years.

“To ignite early kernels of interest, we are working with the Brownies and building on the need to develop girls’ understanding of how STEM subjects can be applied in real-life situations, we have been focusing on a project based around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of Water.

“Encouraging these young girls to ask questions about the world, to problem solve and to use natural creativity through play, creativity, and experimentation we believe can lead to them engaging in innovative STEM-related careers in the future.”

ENDS

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

Girls age 5+ are doing science experiments and engineering projects

Dublin, 14/11/2018 – Irish Girl Guides (IGG) is launching a brand new STEM badge during Science Week (November 11-18) to encourage girls from as young as five to develop an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

Hundreds of Ladybirds – IGG members aged five to seven – will earn the badge by taking part in science experiments and engineering projects, like building towers, making telephones using string and using magnets.

By taking part in these fun activities, the girls will learn about balance, stability and planning, how sound travels, magnetism etc. It is hoped that doing this will spark an interest in STEM subjects that they will pursue inside and outside of school.

IGG Programme and Training Commissioner Jenny Gannon said: “We are delighted to launch our new STEM badge for Ladybirds during Science Week. It complements the Science Investigator and Engineering badges we already have for Brownies (aged seven to 10) and Guides (aged 10-14).

“Girls aren’t always encouraged to pursue STEM subjects in school and we want to rectify that by introducing girls from a young age to STEM activities. Women are under-represented in STEM careers but we believe that, by encouraging an interest in these areas in a non-formal setting, girls will be more likely to pursue these subjects as they get older. In doing this, we hope to help address the gender imbalance in these fields.

“Taking part in STEM activities, like doing all Guiding projects and challenges, is also a great way for girls to develop problem-solving, teamwork and other life-skills while also growing in confidence,” Jenny added.

Some girls, including Bray Ladybirds, have been so keen to earn the new badge that they have already completed all the activities.

Sinead Bayliss, a leader with Bray Ladybirds, said: “The STEM badge is a unique opportunity to cover a wide range of topics in a fun, creative and informative way. Doing the STEM activities is a great excuse for girls to get messy with slime or oobleck, investigate with magnets and slopes, experiment with water and food colouring, play with numbers and stack or build with anything.

“There was a great excitement in the air as they set about the tasks, fascination as girls stuck pencils into bags of water and they didn’t leak everywhere and infectious laughter as they mixed various concoctions from cornflour and made a terrible mess. This is the most fun badge we have ever worked on because the girls were so enthusiastic and the possibilities were endless!”

 

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members age 5+ and adult volunteers from age 18+ (no previous Guiding experience is necessary). For further info see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01-6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

– Dragon’s Den investor Alison Cowzer supports initiative that helps girls develop business skills –

Dublin, 01/11/2018 – Thousands of members of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) around the country are aiming to address gender imbalance in Ireland’s boardrooms by selling 30,000 packets of cookies as part of the organisation’s National Cookie Month [November].

Last year almost 4,000 Girl Guides from age five-plus raised €44,000 by selling 30,000 packets of cookies and the girls are all set to do the same this year. The money raised was used to fund camps and day trips and to buy equipment for the girls to use at their weekly meetings.

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 develop valuable decision-making, goal-setting and business skills.

The choc-chip 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, sharing with them 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.”

 

Ms Cowzer is looking forward to welcoming members of Merlin Woods Guides, Galway, to the Bakehouse tomorrow [2 November]. The girls won a trip to the factory by being the IGG unit to sell the most cookies during IGG’s inaugural National Cookie Month last November – 1,560 packets!

IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon says, “Last year’s Cookie Month was such a success 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 Divilly added.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members age 5+ and adult volunteers from age 18+ (no previous Guiding experience is necessary). For further info see www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01-6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides. Tel: 085 8570565

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering and Global Traveller. 

East Coast Bakehouse, based in Drogheda, Co Louth, produces cookies and biscuits for the Irish market and for export to over 20 countries around the world. With a team of 65, the company is Ireland’s only large-scale biscuit manufacturing business. Approximately 99% of biscuits sold in Ireland are imported – we’re aiming to change that and our Irish Made range is now available in all major retailers nationwide.

– Teen girls to receive Trail Blazer National Guide Award at Croke Park ceremony –

Dublin, 14/10/2018 – Over 130 Girl Guides will receive the Trail Blazer National Guide Award – Irish Girl Guides’ highest award – at a special ceremony in Croke Park tpmorrow [13 October 2018].

The 137 Girl Guides, aged 14-15, will be travelling from all corners of the country to receive the award and, with their families, celebrate reaching the pinnacle of Guiding.

Each girl will receive a Trail Blazer gold pin from Irish Girl Guides (IGG) President Maureen Murphy and a National Guide Award certificate from IGG Assistant Chief Commissioner Áine Divilly.

IGG President Maureen Murphy says the girls have been committed and have worked hard to gain the Award and have gained valuable life-skills in the process. “Everyone has put her own stamp on the challenges, which is inspiring,” she says. “Each one of them has the skills to make a positive contribution to her community and society going forward.”

Carina Egan, Chair of IGG Guide Branch, says that, without the hard work and commitment of the 137 girls, there would be no celebrations tomorrow. “The 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 all the girls and know that they have worked to their fullest potential to earn the Award and hope they will continue to use many of the life-skills they have achieved wherever life takes them in the future.”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer leaders from age 18+. Previous experience of Guiding is not necessary. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie. Tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, IGG Communications Officer

communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565 or 086 1706923

Notes for editors:

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their fullest potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineers and Global Traveller.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like further information. 

– Irish Girl Guides’ members are designing superheroes with superpowers –

Dublin, 11/10/2018 – Members of Irish Girl Guides are joining the 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 150 countries in celebrating International Day of the Girl (11 October) by designing their own superheroes with superpowers.

These powers focus on the abilities, characteristics, powers and strengths of superheroes rather than their looks.

To mark International Day of the Girl, a member of the Irish Girl Guides (IGG) Executive Committee, Jenna Goodwin, is also heading up the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) for the day at their London office. She will be interviewing WAGGGS Chief Sarah Nancollas in a Facebook Live video and will be brainstorming with various teams how to include young women more in decision-making.

WAGGGS chose the power and potential of girls as their focus for this year’s International Day of the Girl.  “We know girls are already powerful, but sometimes they need a helping hand to reach their fullest potential,” says Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon. “That’s where Girl Guiding comes in!

“Our mission is to help girls and women reach their fullest potential and we do that by encouraging them to take part in a range of activities, challenges and projects to build up their confidence and help them to develop resilience, independence, problem-solving, teamwork and other essential life-skills.

“We want all girls to be their own superheroes and use their powers to change the world for the better!”

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and new volunteer leaders from age 18+. Find out more at www.irishgirlguides.ie or tel: 01 6683898.

ENDS

Contact:

Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Irish Girl Guides.

Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie

Tel: 085 8570565

Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator, Engineering and Global Traveller.