Posts in category: News

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

Here she tells us how she did it:

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

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

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

YEAR 1: PATHFINDER

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

Green Fingers (I helped with my vegetable patch)

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

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

YEAR 2: VOYAGER

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

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

Lord Baden Powell (I learned the history of Scouts)

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

YEAR 3: INNOVATOR

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

Lady Baden Powell (I learned the history of Guiding)

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

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

YEAR 4: TRAIL BLAZER

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

Aviation (I learned the history of women in aviation)

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

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

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

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

Sportswoman

Team Player

Active Body

SPORTSWOMAN:

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

 TEAM PLAYER:

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

ACTIVE BODY:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All the places we’ll go

In Sangam and beyond

Hundreds of miles from home

As we jump from the cosy Irish pond

We heard tropical birds

Went for a trek

Hiked the beautiful countryside

Embraced the monsoon’s wet

All the people we met

From lands far away

The meals we shared

And their games we played

All the stories we shared

I knew I’ve a fair few from Cork

We laughed at our Irish dancing

And how we couldn’t eat dinner without a fork

All the lessons we learned

About community strength and resilience

Our batteries came home restored

Ready to share our inner Guiding brilliance!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ballybay Guides and Senior Branchers had a fabulous trip to London. Here Jade and Aoife write about their experience:

We all met at 9am in Ballybay to get our bus where excitement filled the air. We loaded our luggage into the back, took our seats and the journey to London began.

After a small delay to our flight, we boarded the plane. Flying was a new experience for two of our girls. After around an hour in the sky, we landed.

After collecting our suitcases we made our way through the busy airport to the Gatwick Express. All 13 girls and four Leaders were looking forward to the days ahead where we would be spending our time in London.

We got on the Tube after the Gatwick Express, which was a new experience for the majority of us. We got the Tube to Belsize Park and walked to Pax Lodge.

We went out for a delicious meal in a nearby restaurant and then headed off sightseeing. We arrived at Trafalgar Square where we stopped to take photos. Buckingham Palace was our next stop. The flag above the palace was raised, which meant that the Queen was home.

After a long day of travelling and walking, we were all so tired and went to sleep.

At 8am, we had breakfast and then got our lunches. We got the Tube back into the city centre and hopped on an open-top bus tour. We all sat on the top as the weather was very warm and humid. The bus was a good way of taking in the city without having to walk around.

The London Eye was our next stop. After having our lunch, we joined the queue, which thankfully wasn’t too long. The view from the top was amazing. On the way back down, we got a photo of all the Guides, and also one of the ‘exhausted Leaders’.

Dinner was again delicious: we ate in a pizza restaurant not far from Pax Lodge. We returned to Pax Lodge where we participated in international activities with a Canadian and American Leader.

The next morning we attended the flag-raising ceremony where we were given our Pax Lodge pins. The Pax Lodge pin is a pin given to people who have visited Pax Lodge and it cannot be traded or bought.

When we got to the Olympic Village, we went into the swimming pool viewing area and watched people practising in the pool where world famous swimmers had swum during the Olympics in 2012.

We had a walk around the Olympic Village, which was nice and we had our lunch on some picnic benches. We got a group photo under the Olympic Rings.

Then the part we had been eagerly waiting for: shopping! We shopped in Westfield Shopping Centre, which was huge and had many top brand shops.

After eating there, we were ready to go back to Pax Lodge when our Leaders told us that we were going to see Aladdin in the West End. We were all very surprised as none of us had even guessed we would be going to a West End show.

The show was my highlight of the trip and for many others too. We made our way back to Pax Lodge and slept after another busy day.

We packed our bags and left Pax Lodge on Thursday. The trip wasn’t over as we still had to visit the Natural History Museum. The museum was very big and filled with interesting science, history and geography exhibits.

The Tube was very busy but we managed to fit ourselves and all our luggage on and get to the Gatwick Express.

We arrived back in Ballybay late in the evening. The trip was very worthwhile and is something we will remember.

Vera O’Riordan of MacEgan Senior Branch, Macroom, and Helen Moriarty of Bandon Senior Branch were lucky enough to go on a tall ship voyage with Sail Training Ireland. Here Vera writes about the experience:

My name is Vera and I am a Senior Brancher in the South West Region with IGG. This year I had the opportunity to take part in the Tall Ships voyage representing IGG along with Helen from Bandon! Helen and I both agree that the Tall Ships voyage was one of the most exciting events we have ever been involved with through IGG and loved meeting young people from other youth organisations, such as Youth Reach, the Sea Scouts and also from youth organisations based in Liverpool.

As part of the voyage, we stayed on a tall ship with 20 other young people between the ages of 18 and 30 and with a crew of 20-odd volunteers and  crew members, including a chef. Each bunk had six beds in it and we all ate together in the main rest area called the ‘mess’.

During the day we helped out on deck, adjusting the sails by climbing the masts with harnesses (scary, but amazing!), monitoring the direction and steering the ship. We were organised into groups called watches where we rotated monitoring the ship through the night. It was really exciting sailing at two o’clock in the morning!

On day three we had a break where we spent the day on the Isle of Man. It was fab! We went to the beach and relaxed in the local bars while the ship was docked nearby. By day five we had reached Liverpool and had become close friends with both the participants and the crew members. Even after the trip ended we keep in touch and have planned a reunion scuba diving in Dublin!

The tall ships’ experience requires an open mind and a willingness to get stuck into work, just like us Guides do at camp. A lot of the rotas and work ethic from camp translates really well to getting the full benefit of the tall ships, so if you love camping you’ll enjoy the busyness of sailing on a tall ship for sure!

Remember to pack sea-sickness tablets and something for nausea – I found them handy on the first day we set sail!

More than 600 Ladybirds – the youngest members of Irish Girl Guides – took part in a massive celebration on Saturday 15 June to mark their 30^th birthday!

Ladybirds, who are aged five to seven, travelled from all over the country to party at Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park. More than 300 girls and 100 volunteer Leaders attended each event.

The girls loved meeting up with Ladybirds from other counties to celebrate their milestone birthday.

“All the girls had a fabulous day in Dublin Zoo and Fota with singing and dancing and a big cake at each event,” said Monica McDonnell, Chair of Ladybird Branch. “There was a brilliant atmosphere and the girls in Dublin were particularly excited to be joined by award-winning space explorer and science communicator Dr Niamh Shaw who told them about her space adventures.”

A pilot Ladybird Unit in Ballybrack, Dublin, in the 1980s 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 more than 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: “Irish Girl Guides excels at being relevant and in touch with the needs of each new generation of girls. Thousands of girls have benefited from their involvement as Ladybirds in IGG and have progressed 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. On behalf of the girls, I thank all the women who have volunteered as Ladybird Leaders over the last 30 years and look forward to the next 30!”

Monica concluded, “The parties wouldn’t have been 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. Everyone had a fantastic time!”

Twenty-one Guides and Senior Branch members successfully completed a mission to blast off ‘Into Orbit’ at a LEGO Robotics Summer Academy in Dublin City University’s LEGO Education Innovation Studio.

The girls, who were aged between 12 and 17 and came from all around Ireland, were selected from dozens of aspiring IGG space explorers who applied to take part in the project. Through a series of hands-on, engaging workshops, the girls discovered programming concepts, experienced elements of computational thinking and developed an understanding of a range of mechanical engineering procedures.

They worked in teams of four researching topics as varied as radiation to depression and loneliness in space.

At the end of the four-day academy, each group gave a presentation on their research project at a special ceremony in DCU, which many of the girls’ parents attended. Each team also participated in a robotics challenge using the robots they had designed and programmed.

Dara Callanan, an IGG Leader from Drogheda who has recently qualified as a Science teacher from DCU, said the Guides had enjoyed exploring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). “It’s been great to see them engage with STEM challenges in a fun and interesting way,” she said. “It’s great too to see them being collaborative thinkers and resilient problem-solvers.

“Each group had to be determined to fix every problem they encountered, even when their robot seemed to have a mind of its own and wasn’t quite doing what they wanted it to,” she said. “Taking part in the academy reminded the girls that it’s OK not to be perfect first time around and that making mistakes and working hard on something can actually make it better than it ever could be with just a perfect first try.”

She continued, “The whole project has been fantastic – the girls have learned about maths, physics, engineering, communication, teamwork and so much more – and they had a great time while doing it. As a Science teacher myself, I love to see young people actively engaging in STEM and having the opportunity to really love doing it. Hopefully, it will encourage the girls to think about studying STEM and see the value STEM skills add to all aspects of their lives.”

At the special ceremony at the close of the Academy, each girl was presented with a certificate and a medal by IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon and Prof Deirdre Butler of DCU’s STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies department.

“The girls have developed their STEM skills through the Academy and learned how to harness each person’s individual skills so as to create amazing group projects,” said Ms Concannon. “Working together, they have valued each person’s contribution and impressed us with their ingenuity. They are excellent role models for our younger members and prove the relevance of STEM to all – both boys and girls.”

Daire Keogh, Deputy President of DCU, said he was delighted to attend the ceremony. “It is hugely important for DCU to partner with the Irish Girl Guides as we share a vision of transformation and the empowerment of women and girls,” he said. “We’re in total agreement with Guides when they say, ‘Girls With Dreams Become Women With Vision’.”

Our #PledgeAgainstPlastic garden at Bloom has proved a huge success!

The ‘postcard garden’, which was created almost entirely out of recycled materials, was Highly Commended by the Bloom judges and attracted much attention and praise. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spent some time admiring it and even tried out the sofa, which was made entirely out of eco-bricks (two litre plastic bottles filled with soft plastics).

Peter Donegan, a Royal Horticultural Society Silver Medal awardee, said the girls’ hard work and creativity had made him “smile very much” and climate campaigner and author, Lorna Gold, said it was her favourite garden because “It has the most heart in it”.

The garden was the brainchild of Sarah Blake, who has recently founded a sustainability consultancy called Earthology and who is Leader of Rathgar Zion Brownies. Once she came up with the design, she reached out to Zion Guides to help out too and we then put out word to IGG’s 12,000 members around the country to help collect plastic bottle tops and make eco-bricks.

In the end 1,500 plastic bottle tops were used in the creation of the garden – hundreds of blue tops were used to represent the ocean on a giant globe while other coloured bottle tops were used to decorate planters. The planters themselves were reused plastic tubs and bunting was made with crisp packets. A bug hotel was made by the girls by filling plastic containers with twigs and leaves and beautiful badges and crocheted ladybirds were made with leftover wool and scraps of material.

Sarah said the aim of the garden was to encourage people to focus on the ways in which they could reduce their use of plastic and focus on the 5 Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot. “You can Refuse by growing your own vegetables and fruits, thereby avoiding the need for buying them in plastic,” she said. “You can Reduce by using bees wrap instead of clingfilm to wrap your lunch (it can be bought in health food shops), you can Reuse by using plastic containers as planters and Recycle by sending, for example, soft plastics, like crisp packets, to Terracycle. And you can Rot by using a compost bin or brown bin for your food waste.”

The back of the garden featured a wall on which Rathgar Brownies and Guides signed their pledges to reduce their use of plastic and visitors to the garden were encouraged to make their own #PledgeAgainstPlastic.

We enjoyed hundreds of conversations with members of the public over the weekend about sustainability and how we can each make a difference to help combat climate change. A member of Whitechurch Ladybirds even talked to President Michael D Higgins about the importance of bees!

We are thrilled to have received our 6^th Gold Health Quality Mark from the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) in recognition of our work on health promotion for young people.

Presenting the award at our National Programme and Training Committee at National Office on 18 May 2019, 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.”

Well done, well done, VERY well done to Clogherhead Brownies, Co Louth, on being crowned Ireland’s Top Brownie Engineers!

Following a call out by Engineers Ireland earlier this year to find Ireland’s top Brownie engineers, Clogherhead Brownies got to work to come up with an innovative engineering project that could be commercially produced.

They submitted an engineer’s design drawing and a description of the project as well as an investment amount required to develop their project. They also supported this with evidence that the water conservation project they devised would be beneficial to their community.

The girls were delighted to be awarded the title of Top Brownie Engineers on 16 May at a special event at Walshestown National School where most of them are pupils and to be presented with a prize of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) voucher for a professional workshop for their entire Unit.

Speaking about their project entry, Brownie Team Leader Aoife McGovern, said: “I’m really happy to have won! I’ve learned a lot more about saving water and realise how saving water is so important. I am happy to have been a part of it and I liked working with the team on the Lego project, which gave me the idea for the entry.”

Congratulating Aoife and Clogherhead Brownies, Caroline Spillane, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “I’d like to offer my congratulations to Aoife and her Brownie Unit for their innovative entry. Engineering is about working collaboratively, being creative and finding new ways to solve problems and each team member displayed these qualities in abundance.”

Finola Dunne, Clogherhead Brownie Leader, commented: “Working towards the Engineering Badge and doing the projects really gave the girls an insight into how engineering impacts almost every aspect of their lives. They used Lego to build, to programme sensors using a tablet, and they invented water conservation prototypes. Engineering is not such an alien concept now! I hope that doing this badge and the Engineers Week Challenge, will empower some of the girls to consider doing some form of engineering later in life.”

Helen Concannon, Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner, said: “Irish Girl Guides is a movement that always strives to move with the times and remain relevant to young people while challenging stereotypes. We believe in our girls’ capabilities and want them to develop their STEM skills as well as a wide range of other life-skills. If we want to solve the world’s challenges, we must ensure that both boys and girls can aspire to become engineers.”

Rathfarnham Girl Guides are marking their centenary this year with a number of events, including a special celebration held recently at Irish Girl Guides’ National Memorial Cottage in Enniskerry.

Over 100 Guide Leaders and former Guides and Leaders took part in the celebration, which included afternoon tea, a flag-raising ceremony, a fork supper and a campfire.

Anne Bowen, who was Rathfarnham Guide Captain from 1953-1992, cut the specially crafted cake, which included a tent, a campfire, Guide badges and the words of the Guide promise.

Also in attendance was Anne’s daughter, Heather Bowen, who was Leader in Charge from 1992-2019. Between them, Anne and Heather have 65 years as Rathfarnham Guide Leaders!

Sylvia Richardson, who has been involved in Rathfarnham Guides for many years and is currently an Irish Girl Guides’ Outdoor Advisor, Trainer and Treasurer of the National Programme and Training Committee, was one of the event organisers.

“We were delighted to have our President, Maureen Murphy, as our special guest and everyone enjoyed looking at the memorabilia and a slide show of old photos,” said Sylvia. “The weather smiled on us and we were able to sit outside.”

There were several speeches with Sylvia sharing some of her memories of Guides in Rathfarnham and Heather speaking about Guiding today – the similarities and the differences from Guiding in the early years.

“As it got dark, we adjourned outside for our campfire,” said Sylvia. “We sang our remembered songs and finished up with toasted marshmallows and chocolate biscuits. It was a great day of meeting old friends and lovely food and memories galore.

“One hundred years is a great achievement and I personally have got a huge amount out of Guiding. It has helped me become a confident person in all areas of my life.

“I would like to congratulate Heather and her team of Leaders over the years for keeping Guides in Rathfarnham going through hard times and good times. I hope Guides in Rathfarnham will continue well on into the future.”

We are thrilled that award-winning space explorer and science communicator Dr Niamh Shaw PhD is our new Honorary Ambassador!

Dr Shaw, who describes herself as an engineer, scientist, artist, performer, space explorer and science communicator, has a passion to ignite curiosity about space and the world around us. She was chosen in recognition of the trail she has blazed for girls and women in Ireland.

Speaking at IGG’s National Council Meeting on 6 April, Irish Girl Guides 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. “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, Online Surfer and Aviation 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.”

Owenabue Brownies in Carrigaline, Co Cork, were all delighted to earn their Engineering badge in the run up to Engineers’ Week.

Here Frances McCarthy (Snowy Owl) tells us how they got on working on the badge:

Owenabue Brownies turned into structural engineers for three weeks as we tackled our Engineering badge. We met real-life engineer Siobhán Palmer of PM Group, who told us about her work as a structural engineer.

“They design buildings and stuff like that,” says one of the Brownies, Róisín.

We then got busy planning and making spaghetti towers and the next week we took a trip to space and had a go making a moon shelter model. Lots of teamwork in action!

“We designed mini-buildings with jellies and cocktail sticks and that was our favourite bit,” say Freya and Evie.

The teams then drew plans for their spaghetti – marshmallow towers before making them. Well done to the six with the tallest building! “We were working as a team,” say the Gnomes.

On our third meeting we took a trip to the moon and designed and made a moon shelter from newspaper. “I liked rolling up the newspaper,” says one Brownie and everyone enjoyed going into the shelter.

Try it with your Brownies too! You can find instructions at NASA’s Space Place and for the mini buildings at Science Foundation Ireland’s Primary Science.