Posts in category: News

Thousands of girls throughout Ireland are set to take steps to combat climate change following the launch of our new Climate Action badge, which we developed in partnership with 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.

All girls will be encouraged to make the link between human rights and climate justice and to 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 says. “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, says climate change is 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 says.

“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.”

It is with great sadness that we share the news with you that our Managing Director, Suzanne Smith, has died after a relatively short illness. Suzanne only joined IGG a year ago and yet she had a huge impact on the organisation, the volunteers and staff in that short time.

She was a vibrant woman, bursting with energy, enthusiasm and ideas, and has been taken from her family and friends far too soon. We extend our sympathies to her loved ones at this time.

Her funeral service will be held at Newland’s Cross Crematorium on Friday 18 January at 2pm.

National Office will be closed on Friday as a mark of respect.

Did you know school holidays are the perfect time for girls to work on badges individually? Just because Units take a break for a couple of weeks over Christmas doesn’t mean girls have to stop doing badge work.

Take Kate of Millmount Girl Guides, Drogheda, for example. Kate is currently working towards her Trail Blazer National Guide Award. She enjoys working on Guide badges so much that she earned five during the summer holidays! Here she writes about her experience:

During the summer of 2018 I worked on five badges for Girl Guides. I decided to do this because the summer can be very long and I knew this could fill some of the time. I chose these badges because I worked out that I could do them without leaving the house or without anybody else’s help.

The first badge I worked on was the Care of the Elderly badge. This involved learning about an organisation for elderly people in my town, knowing how to summon help for an elderly person who has fallen or is unwell and, finally, knowing ways to help the elderly in the community.

The second badge I selected was the Disability Awareness badge and, to complete this badge, I had to know some disabilities people might face and to research a famous person who had a disability or condition. The person I researched was Stephen Hawking who had a rare disability known as ALS (motor neurone disease) that gradually paralysed him.

Badge number three was the Pet Care badge. The fact that I have a dog helped with the completion of this particular badge.

The Science Investigator badge came next and this led me to the wonderful work of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie – two world famous and inspirational scientists. I really enjoyed this badge because I also got to learn about the fascinating world of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).

Finally, I did the Farmer badge where I had to research three types of farming machinery and I also had to list the most common livestock and crops found in Ireland.

I enjoyed completing these badges because I got to learn about things I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t decided to do these tasks.

Well done Kate! You’re a true Trail Blazer!

We are delighted that our Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon was named Trustee of the Year at The Wheel’s Charity Impact Awards in Dublin’s Mansion House on 11 December!

The Wheel – the national association of charities, community and voluntary organisations and social enterprises – established the Charity Impact Awards to celebrate the positive impact made in communities throughout Ireland by the country’s 29,000 non-profit organisations.

104 organisations and volunteers were nominated for this year’s awards and over 19,000 people voted for their favourite nominees.

“For all of us in Irish Girl Guides Helen is an inspiration,” says IGG President Maureen Murphy. “She has worked tirelessly to provide new, exciting opportunities for our members and volunteers enabling everyone to meet their full potential.

“She has overseen the implementation of policy changes making our organisation stronger and up to date with all our compliance obligations. She is a team leader, good at networking inside and outside Guiding, and promotes Irish Girl Guides at every opportunity. Helen is a volunteer and we are very proud that she has received this much deserved award.”

Helen says it was an honour to be nominated and shortlisted “and an absolute privilege” to be selected. “Being a trustee has been a wonderful experience and an opportunity to give something back to the organisation that I joined as an eight-year-old Brownie,” she says.

“I would also like to pay tribute to my fellow volunteers and staff who make my job easy by being such a wonderful team. As a girl-led organisation, it is important that trustees listen to their members and respond to their needs.”

Helen, who has been Chief Commissioner of IGG since April 2013, has worked hard to ensure the organisation remains current and relevant for the youth of today. She has ensured IGG’s full compliance with the Governance Code for the community, voluntary and charitable sector, has overseen the development of a new award-winning website and has overseen the review and updating of all Leader resource books.

She has spearheaded a campaign to encourage girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and careers with over 500 IGG members participating in a Lego robotics initiative developed in partnership with Dublin City University. She has also overseen the development of a #FutureCEOs Cookie Project, which fosters business and entrepreneurial skills in girls from age five plus as they sell packets of cookies in their local communities. She developed this initiative in partnership with Dragon’s Den investor Alison Cowzer, who co-founded East Coast Bakehouse where the Irish Girl Guides cookies are made.

In 2016 Helen also came up with the innovative idea of a North to South Pole Trek to see if IGG members could walk 20,000 kilometres – the equivalent of walking from the North Pole to the South Pole. Girls and Leaders embraced this challenge so wholeheartedly that they succeeded in hiking a total of 40,000 kilometres, so it ended up as a Global Trek!

We are thrilled to have been selected by the Ulster Bank Skills & Opportunities Fund to receive €8,500 to develop our Cookie Project next year!

The funding will be used to broaden our product range and create packaging for the new cookies, made by Alison Cowzer’s East Coast Bakehouse, for the girls to sell at local level.

The newly-designed marketing materials will enable our members to reach a broader audience to sell their products. In doing so, they will increase their financial skills and earn their Cookie Badge.

“We’re very excited to win the Skills and Opportunities Fund,” says IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon. “We can’t wait to begin designing our new promotional materials and further grow the IGG Cookie Project.”

The Cookie Project is designed to create entrepreneur opportunities for girls and women in IGG and provide them with a chance to develop their financial skills while also raising funds for their unit’s educational activities.

“It is a youth-led initiative and girls develop four key business skills – teamwork, goal-setting, money management, communication – earning a badge for their efforts, as well as a share of the profits for their Unit,” says Helen.

The International Committee is inviting all IGG members to enter its International Postcard Competition!

Ladybirds, Brownies, Guides, Senior Branchers and Leaders are all welcome to enter by designing a World Thinking Day 2019 postcard.

The winning postcards will be used to send greetings to our Sister Guides across the world for World Thinking Day.

The theme for next year’s World Thinking Day is #LEADERSHIP and your design should reflect this. Leaders of younger girls may like to discuss the concept of leadership to help with the design process.

Entries can be made using pencil, crayons, felt tip or paint only (no glitter glue please)!

Prizes will be awarded at Ladybird, Brownie, Guide, Senior Branch and Leader age groups and the winning designs will be printed to send out with our Thinking Day greetings.

Entries should be submitted using this form and Units are asked to select their best 5 entries to submit for consideration addressed to Postcard Competition, National Office, 27 Pembroke Park, Dublin 4, to arrive on or before 18 January 2019.

Good luck!

Hundreds of Ladybirds are working on the new Ladybird STEM badge to mark Science Week (November 11-18).

The badge aims to encourage girls from as young as five to develop an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) through a series of fun science experiments and engineering projects.

By building towers, making telephones using string, using magnets and experimenting with playdough and slime, the girls 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 says: “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, says: “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!”

The girls of Merlin Woods Unit, Galway, won a trip to East Coast Bakehouse – where Irish Girl Guides’ cookies are made – by selling the most packets of cookies during last year’s National Cookie Month! 1,560 packets!!

Here Merlin Woods Leader, Sheenagh McLaverty, writes about their experience:

November 2017 was an unexpectedly exciting experience for the Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides of Merlin Woods in Galway City.  When the concept of cookie-selling was introduced at the Regional Conference that September, we the Leaders thought this would be a good opportunity to raise some much-needed funds for our Units.

IGGNITE had been a big success for the Guides but most of the Unit funds were exhausted and the need to build up some good camping equipment for future camps was a priority.  We placed an initial order for 25 boxes between the girls and were very anxious that we might not be able to sell that many … how wrong we were!

The girls were super enthusiastic going home with their order forms, which we got from the Cookie team. They were to come back a week later with their orders and we were dumbstruck at the volume of orders … we had nowhere near enough to satisfy all the orders! Some girls sold more than a full box each; Ladybirds were surprise successful sellers – clearly it’s very difficult to say no to a cute Ladybird bearing cookies!

We placed an order for more cookies, and even a third order! The final order was a little more challenging to sell as it looked like the girls had exhausted all the familiar customers of family and friends. We had to put our thinking caps on as to new selling strategies. The Brownies and Guides set up pop-up shops in the local community centre and local Tesco and we also went into a couple of local businesses (Deloitte and EA) where we were allowed to sell to staff going in or out of work. In the end we sold 1,560 packets (65 boxes) which meant a massive €1,560 euro for our Units and also money for Irish Girl Guides.

As a reward for this selling venture, the girls were invited to visit the East Coast Bakehouse factory in Drogheda. The timing of the visit was perfect – mid-term 2018 – just as we get ready to launch into cookie selling part deux and try to earn the Cookie Seller Year Two badge. We had an absolutely amazing workshop with Alison Cowzer, owner of East Coast Bakehouse (and a Dragon from the Den!) who told the girls in detail how the cookies are made, listened to the girls’ ideas for how to sell and did some taste tests. One photo shoot and 22 goodie bags with lots of cookies inside later, we hit the road for Dublin City Centre to visit Deloitte headquarters for a Cookie Selling Strategy workshop!

The 22 Guides, Brownies (and one Ladybird!) were treated to an invaluable workshop on the 5 Ws of a project like this …What, Who, Why, When and Where. This was right after they were treated to some lovely pizzas and treats! They broke into groups and, with the help of an analyst per small group, they started to tackle the Ws … the highlight for everyone was being able to write all over the walls with no consequences (not to be tried at home)! It was amazing to see the girls present their ideas at the end without inhibition or fear in front of their peers, their Leaders and some new friends.  In line with the IGG tagline, this adventure truly gave the girls confidence!

All in all, it was an awe-inspiring day. Our Brownies and Guides were so lucky to be given the opportunity to visit two very diverse business entities – an introduction to entrepreneurial activities as we launch into National Cookie Month 2018. We are beyond grateful to both East Coast Bakehouse and Deloitte for the marvellous opportunity this day gave our girls.

We can’t recommend cookie-selling highly enough… with a little commitment and some hard work, real rewards for your Units can be achieved.

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

Last year almost 4,000 Ladybirds, Brownies, Guides and Senior Branchers 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 is 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, generously sharing her insider tips for making sales.

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

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

IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon says, “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 Concannon added.

October is Free Being Me Month and here our new Communications Chair, Vera O’Riordan, writes about her experience of saying good-bye to a decade-long habit of wearing make-up:

The best way to not pollute the earth with chemical products and their plastic containers is simply not to use them at all. It was this simple philosophy, along with the restricted budget of a college student that encouraged me to kiss good-bye to a habit that spanned the breadth of my teenage years.

Fragrance Direct (fragrancedirect.co.uk) has a basic calculator where you can count up your annual spend on make-up. A research commissioned by Superdrug found that the average yearly make-up spend for a female was €332.06. Depending on your tastes, you could be spending far more than that amount. Furthermore, females between 16 and 24 spent the most money on cosmetics … shout out to our Senior Branchers: this is for you!

As a quick experiment, I did an inventory of all the cosmetic products I purchased in the past year –

As you can see – the quick math guessing game came in €50 above the average spending bill of €332.06! One key discovery in my calculation was that the purchase of one make-up item led to another. You need a brush to put foundation on properly, and then to add insult to injury, you need a special make-up remover to take it off properly! With the purchase of nail polish, you need nail polish remover and cotton pads … it can all add up to real money very quickly.

The decision not to wear tan and make-up in the college party scene where I am from in Cork is almost taboo. It took spending a year attending university in California to realise how unusually excessive Irish women’s consumption of beauty products had become. In California the weather was normally too warm to wear make-up and, even on cold days, the females there had no incentive to build up the inventory to have readily available so they went without.

Mornings preparing for college were blissful – I was no longer rushing out the door, trying to catch my reflection, double-checking for an eyebrow mishap (they’re sisters, not twins)! Evenings were even better again: I no longer had nightmare moments of catching my reflection only to see that my make-up had faded or smudged oddly in the daily chaos of classes and projects and I no longer had the embarrassment of waking up after a late night with mascara smudges across my pillow and tan stains along my bed!

Ever since I decided to stop wearing make-up, the benefits of not constantly applying products to my face – only to remove them again – has led to a reduction in redness and spots from dirty make-up clogged pores. Now my everyday routine consists of simply cleansing, toning and moisturising my face and my skin has never felt healthier. So unshackle your bank account, let your skin breathe and join the many women – and nearly all the men – who have the confidence every day to go make-up free!

Bonus Question: What two Guide Laws apply to my decision to go make-up free? Hint: check out the underlined parts!

Huge congratulations to Kate Connolly of Ballyroan Senior Branch, Dublin, who received a Silver Gaisce Award at a special ceremony in The Helix.

This followed many months of hard work by Kate who, as part of her Award preparation, learnt cross-stitch, did swimming and helped with Ballyroan Brownies, which she really enjoyed. Not surprisingly, she felt a great sense of achievement on receiving the Award!

Kate says she gained worthy life-skills while doing her Award preparations and is currently working towards her IGG Silver Moon.

Kate has been a member of IGG since the age of five when she joined Ballyroan Ladybirds and says that, during her time with the organisation, she has gained leadership, co-operation and organisational skills.

“IGG has given me great opportunities,” she says, “The most recent being a participant of Roverway 2018.”

Merlin Woods Guide Unit in Galway saw its first recipients of the Trail Blazer National Guide Award this year! It is a young Unit (established in 2013) and Aoibha, Rosa and Emily were delighted to be the first from the Unit to receive the prestigious Award after working hard to achieve it. Here they write about their experience:

Throughout the past year I have been working towards the Trail Blazer Award, which I finally received on Saturday 13 October in Croke Park, Dublin. I worked very hard on this badge and was honoured to receive this Award.

I was one of the first ever Brownies to join Merlin Woods Brownie Unit when it first opened back in 2011. I was enrolled as a Guide in September 2014. Last year I was determined that I wanted to get the National Guide Award with my two other friends so I began to work hard to complete all the challenges and earn more interest badges.

It took a lot of time and effort while working for it and we did many different badges and challenges and went to different events, but it was all worthwhile! My favourite part of the year was when I helped out at the Ladybirds and Brownie meetings. I enjoyed showing them all the cool aspects of Guiding!

Overall, Guides has taught me many skills and offered me many opportunities over the years, so to finish the course and receive the National Guide Award really meant a lot to me. Guides also introduced me to a lot of new hobbies I never knew I was interested in, like camping and kayaking, but by far the best thing I gained from Guides was the friendships. Some of my best friends today are those in my Patrol. At the award ceremony in Croke Park I was fortunate enough to re-encounter fellow Guides I met at Timpeall An Domhain nearly two years ago and at IGGNITE last year. These girls are from all around the country and, if it wasn’t for Guides and participating in these events, I never would have met them.

Irish Girl Guides and this Award also taught me about dedication, between doing all the different badge work and choice challenges at meetings to the great example set out for me by my amazing Leaders who give up their time. If it wasn’t for them, I never would have received this Award!

The day of the Award ceremony was so much fun. We went up on the train to Croke Park with my friends, parents and Leaders. When we got to Croke Park I was amazed at all the Guides there. We went outside and got our pictures taken in front of the pitch and then went inside for the ceremony. It was a nice ceremony and I was very happy when it was my turn and received my pin and certificate. It was also a great experience going up onto the stage to receive the award.

IGG members throughout Ireland are preparing for International Day of the Girl (11 October) by drawing their superheroes with special powers! These powers focus on the abilities, characteristics, powers and strengths of superheroes rather than their looks.

We’re inviting our members of all ages to send us photos of themselves with their superhero pictures to communications@irishgirlguides.ie and to share them with us on social media using the hashtag #TeamGirl, #InternationalDayoftheGirl and #IDG2018.

You never know: the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) might share them too!

The superhero activity is just one in the International Day of the Girl pack available on the WAGGGS website. If you complete a certain number of activities, you can earn your #Teamgirl badge.

WAGGGS decided to focus on the power and potential of girls for International Day of the Girl 2018. We know girls are already powerful, but sometimes they need a helping hand to reach their fullest potential. That’s where Girl Guiding comes in!

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

Well done to the South East Guides, Senior Branchers and Leaders who hiked part of the South Leinster Way! Here South East Region Assistant Commissioner, Cathy Connelly, writes about their experience:

The entire South Leinster way, which runs from Kildavin in Carlow through Co Kilkenny and ends in Carrick-on-Suir in Co Tipperary, is 102km. We hiked half of that distance – from Kildavin to Inistioge.

There were six hikers and we had support from Leaders on our campsites. The hike was open to anyone in the Region who wanted to go. The group size may sound small to those of you in larger Regions – and some Regions probably run Senior Branch hikes – but we South East folk are a small close-knit Region and include everyone in events such as this.

The first day the group hiked from Kildavin to Borris – a total of 22km. They say that to be a Guide Leader, you need to have a shed, a car boot and a dining-room table to be able to give for storage of Guide equipment. In the case of this hike, you also need to have a husband to volunteer to Guiding. I was unexpectedly unavailable for the first half day of the hike and Una’s husband, Donal, generously offered to step in to lead that leg of the hike in my absence. When I met the girls, they were bounding down the slopes of Mount Leinster with what I thought was first day enthusiasm. However, their enthusiasm never faltered right to the end of day three and the last kilometre.

On the second day of the hike, we walked 12km from Borris to Graiguenamanagh along the Barrow tow-path. Along the way we examined the locks, which allow barges and other boats up and down the Barrow. The girls were delighted to see one of the locks in operation, which was much better than any explanation that I could give on how the locks work.

By the third day, I would have thought that enthusiasm for hiking would have been waning a bit, especially since we were heading uphill onto Brandon Hill. If anything, they were more enthusiastic than ever.

This last leg of the hike, from Graiguenamanagh to Inistioge, is 16km long and goes around the side of Brandon Hill and through forestry before descending to the picturesque village of Inistioge on the River Nore. Even though there was plenty of uphill hiking on this day, and it was a warm day, it was no bother to these ladies, who looked as if they hiked those hills every day. From Brandon Hill we could see over to Mount Leinster and see how far we had hiked.

We were staying in Woodstock Guide and Scout Campsite in Inistioge, which, as anyone who has ever visited Inistioge knows, is at the top of a pretty steep hill. The last kilometre of the hike through Woodstock woods and gardens was probably the toughest, but we were absolutely elated to arrive in the campsite where Marie was waiting for us with a warm welcome and a very welcome dinner. Marie and Una had even put the tents up for us so we were really spoiled!

As a Leader, I am in absolute awe of these girls who hiked an incredible distance and did so cheerfully and without a single word of complaint, even though their feet had to have been as tired as mine were. They laughed and chatted the whole way and I loved hearing them discuss amongst themselves the skills that Guiding has given them compared to girls who are not involved in Guiding.

This group of girls aged between 13 and 18 not only hiked 50km but did so with ease. It was a pleasure to accompany the girls for three days and my role was really easy in that all I did was accompany them: they led the way.

A Leader’s job is to make themselves redundant by giving girls the skills to surpass them and I think these girls will make excellent Leaders in the near future.

St Killian’s Brownies, Mullagh, had a fabulous time at camp in Castle Saunderson!

Thanks to Brownie Abby for telling us about it:

I had a brilliant time at Castle Saunderson. After we got settled in, we ate yummy pizza, then watched a movie before we went to sleep.

We had really busy days while we were at Castle Saunderson. I liked crate-stacking but my favourite activity was rock climbing. We also learned how to make friendship bracelets. I love mine so much I wear it everywhere. I also liked what I learned about camping.

I enjoyed the whole trip and I was sad it ended so soon.

Leader Veronica Quinn says:

The IGG tagline ‘giving girls confidence’ was very apt for the weekend with girls encouraged to try crate-building and rock climbing. And they achieved it! Even those who didn’t at first want to participate!

We were delighted to be joined by Rebecca, our new North East Regional Development Officer, for a few hours on the Saturday.

We would like to thank Castle Saunderson for the use of their wonderful premises and surroundings. We also appreciated the opportunity to meet Stephen, chief volunteer of Castle Saunderson, who was funny and enlightened us all with some of the history highlights of the area and gave every encouragement to the girls while crate-building. We would also like to thank Cormac, Operations Manager of the centre, for looking after us and assisting the girls with the night campfire, rock climbing and the backwoods challenge.

We are delighted that Aisling O’Boyle, Leader of Centenary Guides, Dundrum, Dublin, has been elected Youth Delegate to the United Nations (UN) for 2018-2019.

Aisling was selected by the UN Youth Delegate programme, which is organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Irish Aid and the National Youth Council of Ireland. The other delegate for the coming year is Jamie Moore from Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

Aisling and Jamie, who were selected through a competitive interview process, were officially announced by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney TD, at a special event held in Iveagh House, Dublin, on 7 September 2018 in advance of their departure to the UN.

The Youth Delegates will work closely with Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the UN and will have the opportunity to represent the youth of Ireland during sessions of the UN committee dealing with human rights issues.

Helen Concannon, Chief Commissioner of Irish Girl Guides, said: “We are delighted that Aisling has been selected as we believe she is a wonderful candidate. She has demonstrated her commitment to global issues through her ongoing work in highlighting global issues and climate change within the programmes and events of the Irish Girl Guides.

“Aisling’s experiences and commitment to date will stand to her in this role as she lives out our aim of ‘giving girls confidence’. She exemplifies the ethos of Girl Guiding and we know she will do Ireland proud.”

The aim of the United Nations Youth Delegate Programme for Ireland, which was launched three years ago, is to support young people to be agents of change by providing an additional platform for young people to participate at United Nations level and to provide the opportunity for greater engagement on national and foreign policy issues.

Speaking of her “absolute delight” to have been selected, Aisling said: “It is an honour to be trusted to be the voice of Irish youth at the United Nations. In order to do this we will be running consultations with young people across the country to ensure that their voices and opinions are heard at the UN.

“We have seen a huge increase in youth engagement with political issues over the last number of years and I am really excited to be able to harness this energy and include young people in helping to achieve the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.”

Aisling joined Irish Girl Guides when she was six and, since she turned 18, has been a Leader with Centenary Guides Unit in Dundrum. “Being involved with Girl Guides on a national and international level has exposed me to numerous different ideas, viewpoints, and experiences,” she said.  “It has also given me a passion for equality and international development, and developed my confidence.”

Aisling has previously been to the United Nations, representing the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts at the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women in March 2018. “I am looking forward to being able to use my experience of lobbying for the rights of girls and young women to ensure the young people of Ireland are well represented throughout the year,” she said.

The people of Ireland will be taking to the polling booths on Friday 26 October 2018 to vote for the next President of Ireland. Vera O’Riordan, an IGG Leader from Cork, has written the following article to help us prepare to vote and to give younger members an insight into the voting process:

You may have heard in the past few weeks that the political parties in Ireland are putting forward candidates for the Presidential Election. The current President of Ireland is Michael D. Higgins and he is a member of the Labour Party – the fourth largest party in Ireland out of between 10-12 political parties active in Ireland with local, national and international representation.

There are four major political parties in Ireland. Fine Gael has the largest representation in the Dáil (the Irish Parliament – where they propose new ‘bills’ or laws), followed by Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Labour Party. There are many other parties too. However, only these four parties have been involved in putting forward a Presidential candidate in recent years.

It is important to note that presidential candidates can also enter a campaign without the backing of a political party. These candidates would be referred to as ‘Independents’.  A President who is completing one term also has the authority to nominate themselves.

The presidential office is described as a ceremonial office. This means that the President does not have the power to vote on new laws or influence the Government in the decisions they make. The President of Ireland acts as a head of state and represents Ireland internationally. Michael D Higgins is currently responsible for:

• Formally appointing the Taoiseach (the Irish head of government – this role is currently held by Leo Varadkar)
• Appointing the judges of Ireland on advice from the Government
• Signing new bills into law to form part of the Constitution of Ireland (you may sometimes hear the Constitution being referred to as Bunracht na hÉireann, the Irish name)
• Representing the state in foreign affairs on advice of the Government
• Acting as Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, this is described as a nominal role. This means it exists in name only and the decision-making within the Defence Forces of what is done is actually made by the Government in the Ministry of Defence.
• Giving pardon
• Acting as patron for many charities in Ireland and acting as patron for the Gaisce Award, which many of our Girl Guides and Senior Branchers have gone on to achieve!

The President’s term lasts seven years and four Presidents in the past have served two terms – a total of 14 years in office.

Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party are backing the current President, Michael D Higgins. Sinn Féin are putting forward a new candidate, who has yet to be named. There are many independent candidates who are currently seeking support from councillors (elected local representatives) around the country to support them. Independent candidates require the support of at least four town councils in order to be considered a presidential candidate.

A maximum of seven presidential hopefuls will go forward and will go through debates in the run up to the election.  The debates will be aired on television and there will be coverage in the media also. Presidential hopefuls will be placed under scrutiny by the public in order to get a sense of the personalities and qualities each candidate has. Every Irish citizen over the age of 18 will have the right to vote for the next President on the Friday 26 October.

Tip for over 18s: Check if you are on the Register of Electors at checktheregister.ie! If you are not, head into your local Garda station/post office to get sorted! It takes 14 business days to process, so you would need to do so early in October in order to be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election!

Tip for Leaders and girls: Check out the Voting Badge! There are Voting Badges for Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides. Hold a mock election for your Unit and discuss the upcoming election. Now is the perfect time!

Thank you to our President, Maureen Murphy, for her message for the new Guiding year:

We have had a great summer with lots of sun! I hope you have enjoyed your summer and have had time to relax.

I have enjoyed seeing all the photos of the many activities and events that have taken place – from the international events in Georgia, Denmark and the Netherlands to the four-day trek along the Barrow and all the Unit camps. So many opportunities for new experiences, new friendships and fun!

The beginning of a new Guiding year is always exciting – a blank canvas, new members and new plans and opportunities. It is a busy time for Leaders and I hope it is a great Guiding year for you all and for your Units.

The Regional conferences are coming up and they provide opportunities to get new ideas, link with friends and network. Cookie Week too is on the horizon and was a successful way  last year to both fundraise and  get local publicity.

I am travelling to Eastbourne in October with 15 Trefoil Guild members for an International Gathering. There are lots of other international opportunities coming up for you all to consider.

I would like to encourage you all to get involved with  some of the opportunities on offer at local, Regional, national and international level this year.

Eighty-two Guides, Senior Branchers and Leaders from the North East Region – Dunshaughlin, Navan, Ashbourne, Culmullen, Ballybay and Kells – took part in a trip to the Isle of Man in August. Thanks to Lauren Mooney for writing about the trip and for asking other girls and a Leader how the trip was for them >>

I was fortunate to be a part of this group. We stayed in the Venture Centre just outside Ramsey where we got to do activities on Tuesday afternoon, all day Wednesday and Thursday morning. The activities were wonderful: we got to try archery, abseiling, canoeing, a zip-line, kayaking, an assault course, crate-stacking, raft-building and mini golf. There really was something for everyone!

On Thursday afternoon we got to go to the swimming pool in Ramsey and, afterwards, we had 1.5 hours to explore Ramsey, which had plenty of souvenir shops and a delicious ice-cream shop! We took a steam train from Douglas to Port Erin on Friday. The steam train looked like the Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter so this was a nostalgic experience for all “Potterheads”. On Saturday, we took a tram up Snaefell, the highest mountain on the Isle of Man. We also got to see the Laxey Wheel and had some shopping time in Douglas.

Almost everywhere we went we travelled by tram. The trams on the Isle of Man date from the 1800s, so this was an interesting experience for everyone. The Isle of Man has some beautiful scenery – from rolling hills to thundering waves. I want to thank Mary Clarke and everyone who helped organise this fabulous trip!

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On Saturday evening I asked a Guide and a Senior Brancher from each Unit to give me a short synopsis of what they thought of the trip. Some Units had more than one Guide eager to give a review so here’s what they wrote:

“I had so much fun, the activities were so enjoyable. I bonded with so many new girls and made new memories from this trip.” – Saoirse, 16, Ashbourne Senior Branch

“I made friends with loads of new people, the Leaders were really nice and I didn’t want to go home!” – Jeules, 11, Ashbourne Guides

“This trip was amazing, all the activities were fun. I made new friends and everything was so beautiful. I would definitely come here again.” – Molly, 13, Culmullen Guides

“It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The activities, atmosphere and culture of this area made the trip even better. I can’t wait to come back again.” – Aoife, 15, Culmullen Senior Branch

“It was an amazing trip. I had such good fun and made lots of new friends!” – Helena, 13, Dunshaughlin Guides

“We did a lot of fun things, like shopping and abseiling. I would come back again!” – Emily Brady, 10, Dunshaughlin Guides

“The Isle of Man trip was very good. I made lots of new friends and it is very pretty.” – Lucy, 11, Dunshaughlin Guides.

“I had a ball. I made some amazing memories that I will cherish forever.” – Róisín, 17, Dunshaughlin Senior Branch

“I had a great time. The activities are so much fun. I made so many friends. The activity leaders are so kind. I hope we come back, I had a blast.” – Kasey, 13, Cealla Guides, Kells

“The people who worked in the Venture Centre were really nice. The activities were fun and interesting. We got to see the old steam engines and trams in real life, which was cool.” – Maria, 15,  Cealla Guides, Kells

“We had a great time in the Isle of Man. We enjoyed all the activities and got to explore the Isle of Man, which was awesome!” – Caitlin, 12, Navan Guides and Aisling, 12, Cealla Guides, Kells

“The Isle of Man trip for me was a good experience. I got to see and do the activities. I made new friends here and it was very organised. I would like to revisit again, to see a bit more of the Isle of Man. As a Leader, it was great to see all the interaction with the Guides who were relatively new, who hadn’t much experience of international Guiding before. These girls did really well, even with the high/lows of missing home. Each Guide was always there to listen/comfort each other, for me that was great to see happening- giving each other confidence.” – Sióbhan, Leader with Navan Guides

Well done, well done, very well done to Lauren (10) from Co Offaly who has successfully completed all her Brownie badges! What an achievement!

Here Lauren writes about her experiences since joining Irish Girl Guides:

I started Ladybirds when I was five and made new friends and had lots of fun.

I started Brownies in September 2015 – my first six was the Elves. My favourite night was my enrolment night as on that night I received my passport book full of interest badges and so I began earning badges.

I loved earning the badges that we worked on in our Brownie Unit and also the ones that I did myself at home.

My Brown Owl was Jenni and my Mum, Laura, was Tawny Owl. My big sister Bernadette, who is a Guide, helped out with games and activities.

In the first year my favourite badge was the Book Lover Badge as I am a bit of a book worm! As a Unit, we did the Cycle Safety Badge and brought in our bikes one night and worked through all the drills and had lots of fun

In the second year I was Sixer of The Little People with my best friend Andrea as my Seconder. At Easter that year we went to Mount Lucas Wind Farm and earned our Environmental Awareness Badge. That was loads of fun and we learned loads.

I also earned other badges that year. I earned my Water Safety Badge as I trained to be a Rookie Lifeguard. We did lots of badges as a Unit and in the summer we went to Beech Cottage and earned our Hostess Badge, our Nature Lover and Guiding Traditions Badge.

And so in my third and final year I was Sixer of the Gnomes. By then my younger sister, Michelle, was also a Brownie and sometimes we worked on badges together, which was fun.

In November we went to visit the local fire station and they explained all that they do and how to prevent fires and at the end of the night they presented us with our Fire Safety Badges.

Another night our Leaders brought us on a tour of the town and showed us the history of the town and that night we earned our Local Knowledge Badge.

I continued to work at home on badges as I only had a few left to do. Then one night two ladies from Intel came to our Unit and we worked on our Engineering Badge. It was a great experience and we learnt so much that night.

On my last night of Brownies we had a party and I was really happy as I had completed all the badges. At the end Ann got up and said that one girl had completed all the badges on the Journey Programme (it was me)! I was presented with a bag containing a Guide neckerchief, Guide sash, keyring, teddy and notebook but, best of all, the Guide Badge Book so I can start again!!!

I loved Brownies and hope that I will love Guides just as much! I’m looking forward to starting!

Well done to the 17 girls and young women who successfully completed the Chief Commissioner’s Award!

The Award is not for the faint-hearted as it involves hiking 60 kilometres over five days while carrying all your own camping and cooking equipment and completing eight projects … all while living on €3.50 a day!

The girls, who took part in teams of two or three, did not know the location of the survival challenge in advance so they couldn’t prepare for the projects. Some had never even met their team-mates before the start of the event!

They were all delighted to find themselves in rural Co Waterford and they were overwhelmed with the generosity of local people who filled their water bottles, offered tea and biscuits, helped with directions and allowed them use their bathrooms.

Ciara O’Reilly (18), a Leader with Lough Crew Guides, Oldcastle, Co Meath, said taking part was “an absolute pleasure” as they got to meet many amazing people who were happy to help them complete their projects and give directions. “The biggest challenge was the hiking itself,” she said. “It felt as though, with every kilometre, the bags on our backs got heavier. The high point was reaching the end and knowing we had completed everything.”

Sarah McShane (19), a Leader with Navan Guides, said taking part was surreal. “Every day was so different from the last – a new route, new people, new camping ground, new sights and new challenges,” she said. “It was tiring, I will admit, by day three but then you are hit by a wave of determination to finish and it just feels amazing. A high point for me was when we spoke to the local people throughout our adventure – they were just so kind and so determined to help us in every way they could.”

 Anna Higgins (19), also a Leader with Navan Guides, said, “It was all about getting to know the villages, the people and Waterford’s quirks. It was really freeing to be out and about chatting to people and seeing their curiosity in who we were and what in God’s name we were doing. A fair amount of people thought we were mad for walking 60km in five days while camping, all voluntarily!”

Sarah Canavan (22) a Leader with Sika Senior Branch, Killarney, said, “The biggest thing I learned from the whole experience was perseverance. On Tuesday morning I really wanted to give up but I’m so glad I didn’t as the proud feeling wearing the pin afterwards was 100 per cent worth any pain I felt during the week.”

Sarah Kenny (22), also a Leader with Sika Senior Branch, said, “I would definitely recommend to others to do the Chief Commissioner’s Award; it was a really amazing experience and we made so many memories.

“For me, Guiding has helped me become the person I am today. First-hand, I have seen how Guiding gives girls confidence and empowers them to do better. Guiding has given me the opportunity to travel and to make life-long friends. Having joined Irish Girl Guides at age five here in Killarney, and now being a leader, I feel everyone should give Guiding a go.”

Congratulating the participants, Award organiser Ann Doyle, said: “What a remarkable, determined and strong group of young people we have in Irish Girl Guides’ Senior Branch. As the week went on, I met people along the routes who had met the girls and I was blown away by the positive impact the teams had had on the local communities in Waterford. The energy and enthusiasm they put into achieving the Chief Commissioner’s Award was outstanding.

“I want to congratulate everyone on their amazing success. I know that each participant will bring amazing stories of their success back to their communities across Ireland. Their dedication and enthusiasm will no doubt be an inspiration to countless girls and young women.”

Far, far away in a land were a girl can be a king, our adventure started. Five caterpillars embarked on a journey of growth and friendship, resulting in the return of five strong butterflies.

It all started 18 months ago at an interview for an opportunity we knew little to nothing about. Although we did not know what we were signing up for, we knew it was an adventure that we could not pass on. After a day of indoor and outdoor tasks we still did not know much about Georgia except where it is on the map (above the Black Sea beside Turkey, in case you didn’t know).

Before we knew it, we were at Dublin Airport checking in our bags and full of anticipation for what was to come. Two flights, two trains and an afternoon in Munich later we arrived in Tbilisi. The next few days comprised of sight-seeing, Turkish baths and delicious food. When the day to go to camp arrived, we waved goodbye to our host families who had given up their beds for us.

Once at camp, we set to work decorating camp for the opening ceremony. Many paper butterflies and streamers later camp officially started.

What followed was an exciting week, consisting of the best talent show act ever to be witnessed, trips to Vardzia the cave city, white water rafting, workshops on swaps, activities centred around the Sustainability Development Goals and a lot more rain than expected (like home).

We also became secret agents for the week: the mission was to not let anyone know we had brought two extra mattresses into our room so we could all stay together. We held daily flag ceremonies in order to show the Georgians our Guiding traditions. In return, they showed us their culture – from their food to their dance.

If you ever wanted to find us on the campsite, you just had to follow the sound of Mamma Mia where you would find five Irish girls dancing extremely well-choreographed routines (if I say so myself).

From this trip we grew as individuals and as friends. What started as a simple online application resulted in a trip of a lifetime. As we boarded the plane to go home, we were no longer the caterpillars that left Ireland. Instead, we returned as butterflies who were just waiting to emerge.

Twenty members of IGG travelled to Georgia to take part in the Georgian Girl Scouts’ Dia Camp. Thanks to the Senior Branchers who put together this diary of the trip for us:

Thursday 2 August – Kate

On 2 August 2018 our journey began. All 20 of us met in Dublin Airport at 8am. We embarked on our journey to Munich Airport and when we arrived there we got a train to Munich. We went to a German museum in the city centre called ‘Deutsches Museum’. It was great. We got a meal in Pizza Hut and that was delicious. We returned to Munich Airport and prepared for our next flight to Tbilisi Airport. From there we would be getting collected by our host families.

Friday 3 August

Today we collapsed into bed at 6am and slept for four hours. Our host families gave us breakfast and we watched a movie. At 2pm went to Old Tbilisi where we met some of our host friends and our Leader. It was beautiful. We saw a famous artist and we went for lunch, we had amazing food. Hajapoarg was my favourite. We then went to meet our group and took the cable cars to the fort. We had amazing views. We walked the beautiful streets of Tbilisi and collapsed into bed later that night.

Saturday 4 August

On Saturday we had a tiring day. Our day started with the Museum of Georgian Houses. In one place we saw the different types of houses from all over Georgia and also wine cellars. After this we went to a cathedral. Then we went to the Museum of Georgian History and learned all about artefacts and the stories behind them. It was so interesting.

Sunday 5 August – Amy

The day started early with us all meeting at 9am to get on a bus to go to camp. This was our first time seeing all the Georgian Girl Guides that we would be camping with. Once on the bus we had a three-hour journey to our campsite in Atskara. The camp itself was up in the mountains and was very spacious. There were hammocks and sports/games equipment scattered around the camp ensuring we would never be bored. We were soon given our rooms and then we had a chance to meet the other members of our patrol as well as the other campers. We were all given our camp neckerchiefs and t-shirts too. At the end of the day we had an opening ceremony to welcome us all to the camp and to officially open Dio 2018.

Monday 6 August

Today my troop went rafting. We went over many rapids and it was so much fun. The view was amazing along the whole river. Thankfully no-one fell out but towards the end we all jumped out of the raft and swam close to the boat. On Monday we had a talent show in the evening. It was lots of fun and everyone got involved. Myself and my friends performed to ‘The Rattling Bog’. I had a lot of fun; it was an amazing day.

 Tuesday 7 August

Today I stayed on camp and we played games based on the SDGs. In the evening the three patrols were given time periods and we had to make up a skit about Scouting in those times. My patrol was given the Stone Age so we dressed up as cavemen and discovered fire. We all enjoyed the night and it really put our imaginations to use.

Wednesday 8 August

Today I went to the caves in Vardzia. These caves are 8,000 years old and amazing to see. After a three-hour bus ride with the windows wide open we arrived. Already from the ground, a kilometre below, the caves were breath-taking. We walked up and went on a guided tour. It was so unreal that these caves had been there for so long and I’d had no idea. We went into the chapel and other room through steep, secret tunnels. After the caves and a quick stop at the supermarket, we were back at camp for tonight’s campfire. We gathered in the gazebo because of the thunder and lightning. We danced, sang and had fun through the night. I learnt new songs and taught others the ones I knew. It was definitely one of my favourite days in Georgia, if not ever.

Thursday 9 August

Today was our last full day at camp. We spent most of the day practising for International Night and closing ceremony. There were many great performances from traditional Georgian dance to Irish dancing and a spectacular performance from the Lebanese girls who arrived at camp for just one night. We finished off the night by honouring our flags and singing each country’s national anthem.

Friday 10 August

Today we left the camp. It was very sad to leave. We took a three-hour bus journey into Tbilisi where we dropped all our bags into Sunny House. After a big welcome to Sunny House, we went to a water park called Gino Paradise with a few of the Georgian girls from camp. It was great fun but emotional to say farewell to them. We had a sing-song with two of the Georgian leaders before we got off the bus; it was the icing on the cake to an amazing 10 days.

Saturday 11 August – Aoife

We were woken at 2am to head to the airport. We said our final goodbye to Kety and made our way through security and onto our flight to Munich. We were all exhausted and slept nearly the whole flight. We landed at about 9am in Munich, where we left the Irish staff team and went into the bright sunshine. Most of us had missed breakfast on the flight so we got food in the airport. We had two hours before we had to go back through security so we wandered around the shops, relaxed in the sun or had another nap. Some of us were even brave enough to get on a mountain bike and do a few laps of the track that had been set up!

We all made our way back through security and re-joined the staff and headed to our gate, where we learned that the flight had been overbooked! Three volunteers were required to stay overnight and be booked on a flight the next morning. Luckily, the issue was resolved and soon we were on the final leg of our trip. We landed in Dublin, collected our bags and were reunited with our parents!

The goodbyes were emotional but we were all excited to tell our stories and look ahead to our next adventures!

Earlier in August I attended MedJam 2018 (Mediterranean Jamboree), an international camp jointly hosted by the Malta Girl Guides and the Scout Association of Malta.  The camp took place in the Ghajn Tuffieha campsite on the west coast of Malta. The campsite is run by the Scout Association and, when it doesn’t have 1,600 Guides and Scouts in it, is open to the public. This was the first time that Malta had hosted an international camp and it was attended by 21 different countries. I was there on behalf of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to run a workshop about WAGGGS and the WAGGGS Programmes.

The worskhop included activities about WAGGGS, some Thinking Day packs, Surf Smart, Free Being Me and the YUNGA challenge badges. I told the Guides and Scouts a bit about each of the activites and packs that I had with me and offered them the choice of which one they sampled. The choice of programmes that the participants picked was interesting. Boys unanimiously went for Free Being Me. Most Guides had already done Free Being Me in their units and so preferred other WAGGGS activities.

I camped in the National Service Team and International Service Team subcamp and it was a novelty to be on camp without any Guides to look after! As with all Guiding experiences, especially international experiences, they are all the more enjoyable because of the new friends that we make. I shared a tent with a Maltese Leader and there were some Maltese Rangers in the tent next to me who translated important announcements such as “dinner is ready”! I also met some Leaders from the UK who, as it turns out, are from the same  Guide Unit as another Leader who I know. (I know we say that it’s a small world a lot in Ireland, but sometimes it really is a small  Guiding world)!

The camp programme allowed participants to experience some of the culture and heritage of Malta in the morning sessions. As my workshops were only on in the afternoons, I was able to join the excursions off site with groups. I visited Esplora, an interactive science museum which was full of things for the Guides and Scouts to do and experiment with. An experiment involving liquid nitrogen and boiling water was particularly popular! I also got to explore Valletta, visit the Malta Experience and go on a tour of  the Knights Hospitillar exhibition which had plenty of underground tunnels and gruesome historical medical facts to keep Guides and Scouts interested. More importantly, as an Irish visitor unused to hot weather, the underground tunnels had some lovely cool walls to lean against!

This was my first time camping in the Mediterranean and it was interesting to experience a camp in a different climate. While we take precautions for rain on Irish camps, the activities and sub camps at MedJam were focused on dealing with hot temperatures.

International Guiding is about new experiences and meeting new people and that is certainly what I got from MedJam2018.