Posts in category: News

October is Free Being Me month and we hope lots of our members will take the opportunity to do some Free Being Me activities with their Units.

There’s no need to be stuck for ideas as the Free Being Me booklets are packed with resources. They can be downloaded here.

Body confidence helps children and young people build the foundations they need to become role models and leaders in their communities.

The Free Being Me programme, through fun and interactive activities, shows young people that body confidence comes from valuing their bodies, standing up to social pressures and supporting others to become more body confident.

Strong body confidence is an important step towards building self-esteem, thus empowering the leaders of tomorrow.

Helping girls strengthen their body confidence and self-esteem helps girls to reach their full potential in life.

There are two Free Being Me programmes – one for 7-10 year olds and one for 11-14 year olds. Both comprise fun and interactive activities that are laid out in five sessions which provide girls with the space they need to challenge the image myth with their own words and actions.

Check out this cool Free Being Me video!

When I found out I had been chosen to represent IGG at the human rights workshop in Vienna, I was both over the moon and a little apprehensive. I knew that I had human rights but I didn’t exactly know what they were, or how to advocate for them. The thought of travelling abroad once more representing IGG filled me with pride. This would be my first time in Austria, and I couldn’t wait to explore the city, as well as to educate myself about my rights.

Eve and I met for the first time at our briefing with Lorna in National Office. We had lots of homework to prepare, including choosing a picture which best represented human rights in our country. Eve and I clicked immediately and after the briefing we got straight to work, researching different examples of human rights and activism in Ireland.

Arriving at the airport on Sunday morning, we were filled with excitement and nerves. We said a quick goodbye to our parents and, four hours later, we had arrived in Vienna. We stayed in a lovely youth hostel in the 20^th district of Vienna. We had barely started our dinner when we were invited to go and explore the city with some participants. The course hadn’t even begun, and we’d made friends from Austria, Armenia, and Hungary. We spent the evening walking beside the Danube, visiting parks, shops and some monuments.

The course began early Monday morning. We had plenty of energy, but felt a little unsure of what to expect from the course. We spent the morning playing icebreakers, energisers and name games, so we’d get to know each other easily. The afternoon was spent forming a class contract, where we promised to treat everyone with respect and to give 110% in every session. We were briefly introduced to the topic of human rights by brainstorming words linked to what human rights meant to us. It was interesting to hear the differing opinions of people from different countries. That night, we attended an intercultural evening in the Grenzenlos office, the organisation running the event. We represented Ireland with pride, bringing Tayto and whiskey toffee for participants to try. We sang the national anthem and taught everyone some Irish and modern dances and were then showed up when the girl from Russia taught everyone how to Irish dance properly. It was an amazing night sampling food, singing songs, and learning dances from different countries. We did it all from the Macarena to a Traditional Hungarian dance that was so fast we couldn’t keep up to a limbo competition where Eve was crowned Champion.

Tuesday began with a simplified version of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. From here on in, we were told that the course would be a bit more intense and theory-based. I was afraid that we were going to be bombarded with information and that I wouldn’t be able to retain everything. However, there was nothing to worry about, as the trainers ensured that the theory was mixed with fun and creative activities. We designed maps of our perfect cities and then linked the human rights to different buildings in our cities. What became clear was that some human rights are easier to categorise than others and that, no matter how perfect we make our cities, human rights violations can occur everywhere. Each evening, we had reflection groups where we discussed the day we had and suggested what worked well and what didn’t. One group per day would also type up a small blog post for the website.

On Wednesday, we played the ‘Walk in my Shoes’ Game. We were each given a persona relating to the participating countries, and we had to take a step forward if the statements read out applied to us. It was inspiring to hear the thoughts of others on what it’s like to live in Ireland, compared to the truth. After our tea break (the most important time of the day), we were split into smaller groups and were asked to act out the main events in the history of human rights, starting from ancient Egypt onwards. It was fun to act out the different periods in history and made me understand the history better. That afternoon, we went on a walking tour of Vienna to see the sights. Afterwards, we had dinner in a restaurant that employs refugees and ex-convicts to help them begin a new life and it was brilliant getting to know everyone better.

After a late night, Thursday morning was spent doing group meditation. This took me out of my comfort zone but it made me feel more focused for the day ahead. We split into groups and practised theatre of the oppressed. I had never done an activity like this before and was a bit worried that it would be a flop. Each group was given a scenario featuring oppression. My group was given the scenario of immigrants who were allowed within a country’s borders, however had no human rights. It took us a long time to come up with a suitable scene, however, we decided to portray the language barrier, sickness and hostility that immigrants experience in continental countries. I had little to no experience of immigration, however, others in my group had first-hand experience so this allowed the scene to become more realistic. We then acted out our scene in front of the whole group. Any time an audience member felt like an actor was being oppressed, they had to clap and intervene to make the situation better. This proved challenging at first as we had to improvise parts of our scene. Yet having finished this activity, I felt empowered and more confident to stand up for my rights.

Friday was the chance to use what we had learned over the week to design and carry out a workshop of our own. The previous night we had heard from another Grenzenlos trainer about the groups we would be working with. We had a choice of running a workshop in a centre for disadvantaged youth, a kindergarten, in the Grenzenlos office or create a public flash mob. Both Eve and I chose to participate in the public flash mob. We spent Thursday night and Friday morning planning what we would do. We decided on a street performance in the heart of Vienna. We wrote up the articles of the declaration of Human Rights in German and English. We wrote leading questions on our arms and dotted ourselves around the busy places in Vienna, such as the Museums Quarter, the shopping district and People’s Park. One person would hold up an article and the rest of us would spread out and point at that person. We created a human circle each holding up articles in German and English. Some of us stood at either side of busy roads. When the lights were red, we ran across the road and gave each other hugs. We did this to draw attention to the right of equality. The street performance was an incredible experience and it gave me more confidence to run workshops and projects about things I’m passionate about.

Saturday was the last day of the workshop and it was met with great sadness but also fulfilment in all that we’d achieved. We reflected on the week and what we had accomplished. We suggested what could have been done differently and wrote positive messages to each member of the group. That night, we had our farewell party and it marked the end of what was an amazing, empowering and once in a lifetime week.

Sunday was our last day and we got the chance to visit the Crown Jewels and do some shopping in the city. We had entered the week anxious, worried and with jittery nerves. We left feeling empowered, confident, and ready to make a change back home. Not only had I gained a greater knowledge about human rights, but I had done so in an encouraging and non-judgmental environment, where I could be myself. I made some great memories and earned some very intelligent and generous friends from all around the world. As this wasn’t a WAGGS event, it was eye-opening to learn about the various worldwide organisations that have similar aims to that of IGG. Thanks to Lorna, Ruth and Fiona for all their support and for giving us this opportunity, as well as all the trainers at Grenzenlos. For anyone who has thought about applying for international events with IGG, it is the most rewarding opportunity that you can get, and I can’t recommend it enough.

After an exciting summer, which included IGGNITE 2017, thoughts now turn to the new Guiding year. Many opportunities and new experiences were on offer and it was good to see that so many Leaders, Senior Branchers, Guides, Brownies, Ladybirds and Trefoil Guild members were involved.

The new Guiding year is beginning and weekly meetings, that are core to the Guiding programme, are up and running. Autumn and winter offer their own opportunities and, even with daylight disappearing early, we can get into the outdoors or bring it in! I look back to working with Guides and remember that simple ideas could work well, torches always added to the fun and what can be done with fallen leaves is non-ending.

There are lots of opportunities coming up – Free Being Me Month in October, Cookie Month is coming up in November and they will provide opportunities for raising self-esteem and gaining new skills.

Irish Girl Guides has always been very involved with international Guiding and WAGGGS and Jillian van Turnout was named first substitute for the World Board. Elspeth Henderson and the late Diane Dixon held positions on the World Board previously. Today’s girls may well have similar opportunities in the future and it is in the local Units the fostering of Guiding and friendship and self-confidence is begun.

Getting everyone settled in can make for a busy start to the year – new members, new plans and maybe new Leaders.  I hope you all have a good year and hope to meet you over the year at the events and I will be happy to receive any invitations. Listening and talking to Irish Girl Guide members helps me to keep up to date and represent you well at outside events.

Best wishes to everyone for the year ahead.

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is inviting Girl Guides throughout the world to join #TeamGirl 2017 in preparation for International Day of the Girl (11 October).

This year’s #TeamGirl campaign is all about education …

It’s time to tell the world that 130 million girls are missing out on an education. We want every girl everywhere to have an education and have the ability to reach her full potential.

Check out WAGGGS’s #TeamGirl 2017 resource materials and complete the #TeamGirl badge with your Unit.

The resources have been created to help WAGGGS members around the world celebrate International Day of the Girl. You and your Unit can work through the materials together to explore some of the barriers girls and young women face in getting an education, and explore how non-formal education can begin to address these barriers.

Get involved on social media too! Think about what education means to you. It could be the books and pens you use or playing games with your friends at school. Take a photo and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #TeamGirl.

For International Day of the Girl 2017 we want to call on decision-makers to provide access to education for girls and young women everywhere and address the barriers that keep girls and young women from accessing education.

Our call for action:
Education is a human right. Every girl and any girl should have access to 12 years of free, safe, quality education.

We are 10 million Guides and Girl Scouts speaking up for 130 million girls
out of school. #TeamGirl

Being a responsible citizen who wants to change injustice is about speaking
out for the rights and well-being of those who cannot speak for themselves
– a girl who stays home to take care of siblings instead of going to school or
a girl who has to take a long unsafe journey to school.

Let’s put our 10 million voices into action for 130 million girls who are out of school!

My name is Edel Harty and I am a Senior Branch member in the South West Region, (but my camp name is Sunflower) and I’m here to tell you all about the amazing experience I’ve had during my last two summers as a staff member at Camp Lachenwald!

I stumbled across this opportunity in 2016 as I was reading the IGG weekly communications newsletter and I thought ‘Why not?’!

I had no idea what I was getting myself into but, before I knew it, I was booking my flights from Dublin Airport to Munich.

Camp Lachenwald is a resident camp that is held for one week for USA Girl Scouts who are stationed in a European country because one or both of their parents are in the military/navy and are not living in the United States. It is such a great way for girls to make friends with fellow Girl Scouts who may have to move to a different country every two to three years.

Pre-Camp

Pre-Camp was a great opportunity for all the staff to get to know each other and their camp names, figure out our schedules for our girls and make sure everything was set up and ready to go. Don’t get me wrong, this is very tough work. This year we had 115 girls at camp and each unit needed to be cleaned out, provided with cooking utensils, picnic tables and benches, mattresses etc! Staff and the campers slept in platform tents that held 6 cots each.

A Typical Day at Camp

7:45-8:00 – Morning Flag

We raised the American, German and Girl Scout flags.

8:00-8:15 – Singing time

All girls and staff head to the singing porch and sing camp songs and grace to get us in a good mood for the day!

8:15-8:45 – Brekkie

This is very different to Irish camp breakfast – at Lachenwald we had American cereal, cinnebuns,  fruit and, every second day, we had a cooked breakfast. One morning we had a unicorn-themed breakfast and it was truly magical!

(I have no breakfast pictures because generally people were understandably cranky this early!)

9:00 – Lunch

The girls did two different rotations of activities (with snack in-between). The activities included arts and crafts in the Kunst Haus (Art House) like Tie Dye (my absolute FAVE), outdoor activities like archery and shelter building, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), like building catapults and learning about simple machines. On the Monday and Tuesday of camp the older girls had a canoeing and high ropes trip, which they really enjoyed!  We then would have lunch normally on the green and sometimes we even got official Girl Scout cookies for snacks (which are delish)! We then had two more rotations of activities before dinner.

17:45-18:00 – Evening Flag

We would retire the American, German and Girl Scout flags. There are specific ways to fold the American and German flags, which we taught the girls.

18:00-18:15- Singing porch

Everyone joins in song to get in the mood to line their tummies. I learned so many different songs that I had never heard before … along with the actions, of course!

18:15-19:00- Dinner

We had a different themed dinner every night! We had Italian Night, Chinese Night, Mexican Night and Hawaiian night. The dining hall was decorated as per the theme and the food to match!

As I had the Brownies, after dinner we would bring the girls to the shower house and head for bed – you would be amazed at how long this process took! Older girls continued activities like glow in the dark archery and street art.

Thursday 27th July- Europapark Day!

Camp Lachenwald’s theme this year was Thrills and Adventures so 150 of us headed off to Rust on a bus to the second largest theme park in Europe. We had such a fantastic day filled with fun and thrills.

The kids returned home on the Friday to many different European countries and all the staff were happy, yet sad, that camp had ended. We headed out for the annual staff dinner where we shared funny stories from the past week and we received our “paper plate awards”. I was awarded the “Brownie Whisperer Award” as staff had joked all week that I had some sort of magic power to handle 21 Brownies!

I had an absolute ball with the best staff team anyone could ask for. From campfires to thunderstorms, I experienced everything that Girl Scout camp had to offer and it’s an experience I will never forget.

I truly have made friends for life and I would highly recommend volunteering as a staff member to anyone with adventures in their hearts!

As a Leader relatively new to Guiding I had no idea what to expect. I thought we would be pitching our tent in a field and the girls would “do activities” the other side of the field. The reality was so much more…

Our girls did themselves proud. Cheerfully lugging tons of bags and tents they set up camp with a flourish. Hauling water from the water station and eating outside, they got themselves ready. Despite eight to a tent, they prepared for the many challenging activities organised for them at 10.00am each morning. Happy chatter filled the air as they headed off in hail, rain or sunshine for the day ahead.

The “field” became a “village” of tents all shapes and sizes, each Region having their own space, artfully decorated and signposted.

The programme ran like clockwork. Evening sessions were a chance for everyone to get together and badge swapping was a favourite activity, especially with the international Guides.

As a Leader, our food plans submitted months ago were allocated to us daily and we became Master Chefs on our two ring gas stoves churning out five different dishes of an evening to cater for all needs!

What was most impressive was the focus on inspiring and empowering our girls to believe that they each can make a difference. It was an inspiring message, powerfully delivered. The girls proved themselves capable and confident, resilient in all weathers and, working together, they had a busy, fun-filled week that should prove to them that they are more than capable of overcoming any obstacles they come in their way.

When I first heard that I was going to be an activity Leader for IGGNITE2017, I was anxious but ready to take on the challenge. When I heard that I would have to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into my activity, my readiness slowly began to dwindle. The SDGs are 17 global goals with 169 targets between them. They are focused on achieving sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most serious problems, including poverty and climate change. They build on the Millennium Development Goals and were formulated by the UN, which hopes to achieve these goals by 2030.

When we went to the staff training, there was a session on the SDGs and, once we had completed this training, I began to grow in confidence. I also did my own research on the SDGs so I arrived at camp fully prepared and excited to get started. I was placed in the ‘Be an Advocate’ zone and the activity I ran was called ‘Stand Up for Equality’. The SDGs that the activity focused on were 5-Gender Equality and 10-Reducing Inequalities. I was delighted to be running a workshop on equality as I believe that everyone deserves to be equal but that it is something we all are still struggling to achieve. I had attended the Use Your Voice international camp in England last year and I was excited to bring what I had learned at their advocacy session to this camp. We were going to run our activities four times a day and have around 30 girls per session.

Before I get into details about my activity, I want to make it clear that I could not have run any activity at all without all the other amazing staff in the ‘Be an Advocate’ zone, especially the zone leaders Niamh Teeling and Aisling O’Boyle. I had been really busy preparing my activity, but the amount of work that they put into that zone to make it enjoyable and educational, was second to none.

It was probably the most challenging zone. It was more educational and mostly based in classrooms. There was less running around and I was afraid that the girls would get bored easily. Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelmingly positive response that I got from all of the Guides and Senior Branch members that walked through that classroom door over the week. Myself and two other staff members started the activity by asking the girls what they knew about advocacy, the SDGs and equality. At the beginning, the girls were all really quiet. However, once the brave person spoke first, we had great discussions about equality and how the girls could become advocates themselves.

After the discussion, we played a game called ‘Walk in my Shoes’. The girls were each given a persona, from varying backgrounds. They had to think about their backgrounds, financial and family situations, where they lived and if they experienced inequalities. A list of statements was read out, and the girls took a step forward if the statement applied to their persona and a step backwards if it didn’t. The girls that took a lot of steps were ones playing daughters of high-profile politicians, or people who owned companies such as Google. Those that didn’t take any steps forward included those girls who had the personas of disabled college students and refugees with no English. It was a great game to play as it got the girls thinking. What was surprising was that every group was different and the girls had varying reasons to justify why they did or didn’t step forward.

After this game, we decided to run a short activity to look at stereotypes surrounding certain occupations. The girls closed their eyes and a list of jobs was read out. They raised their hands depending on whether they pictured a man, woman or both a man and a woman doing the job. Many of the girls believed that builders, taxi drivers and football players were all labelled as ‘male occupations’ whereas jobs such as hairdressers, nurses and models were deemed to be ‘female’ roles. This was interesting as opinions varied from person to person and it also provoked a lot of chat.  What became apparently clear was that most of the girls had experienced inequalities in their daily lives, most notably in the subjects that they could take at school and the sports they played. The main reason for this was because they were girls. We quickly discovered that there are certain stigmas and stereotypes surrounding what it means to be a girl. The girls told me that certain subjects were labelled as ‘boys’ subjects’ and were unavailable to them. Those who play on sports teams receive less funding, support and equipment than boys’ teams. Some of the girls were told that they couldn’t play with the boys in their school as the boys were ‘too rough’ for them. Games were made easier for the girls and some teachers described them as ‘weak and incapable’.

We then watched a video of an advertising campaign ran by Always. The people in the video were told to run and fight like girls. The adults in the video all ran like Phoebe in Friends and portrayed themselves as weak. It was the men behaving ‘like girls’ that really made the Guides laugh. The men in the video believed they were not being offensive to women, however, in fact, they were. At the end of the video, younger girls were brought out and told to do the same thing. They behaved like themselves. We learned that it is only as we grow older that we become aware of the stereotypes surrounded with gender and that girls are particularly vulnerable to these stereotypes when they are teenagers. It was great to see the girls’ reactions while they watched the video.

We concluded the workshop by recording voxpops (voxpops are short interviews with members of the public). They are usually based on topical and political items and are broadcast on radio. The girls broke into smaller groups and discussed how they could use their voice in the media and stand up and be heard. We had a great array of voxpops including skits, interviews, conversational pieces, news reports, songs, raps, stories and poems. It was great to see the girls growing in confidence and breaking out of their shells. Many of the topics recorded were based on what they had learned in other workshops in the ‘Be an Advocate’ zone, such as climate change and the refugee crisis. We also had voxpops based on gender equality, how women are portrayed in the media and, of course, how the girls were finding IGGNITE2017.

I am overwhelmed with how much the girls learned over the week and how they used their voices to advocate for change. We all learned many new things about ourselves and overcame many challenges. Seeing the girls leaving our room with smiles on their faces and a passion for the SDGs was probably my favourite part of camp. The advocacy session on Saturday morning with females at the top of their profession was further inspiration to go out and make a change. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to run this workshop and I came away with an amazing sense of drive, confidence and determination, as well as tons of new badges, friends and memories. I am using what I have learned at this camp locally and I have just been appointed as the SDG Advocate for Louth. This camp was unbelievable and I cannot wait for the next one.

A newly-launched Brownie Lottie doll is set to empower girls to become more adventurous and to pursue their dreams.

The Brownie figure, like all Lottie dolls, is modelled on the proportions of an average nine-year-old child. She comes with a Brownie uniform and accessories include a tent, camping equipment and a kayak. There’s even a campfire and sausages and marshmallows!

The Brownie Lottie doll was launched on 4 August at our international camp, IGGNITE2017, which saw 1,800 Girl Guides from 12 different countries camp under canvas in Rockwell College. The girls took part in a range of activities to help them ‘BE’ adventurous, active, confident, unique, limitless, inventive and to ‘BE’ survivors and advocates.

Launching the doll, Nicola Grinstead, Chair of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), said: “We love the way Lottie dolls are age-appropriate and relatable and they empower children to be themselves, to be imaginative, adventurous and, of course, to have fun. This partnership is a perfect fit for us as WAGGGS’s vision is that ‘All girls are valued and can take action to change the world’.”

Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner, Helen Concannon, said: “We hope the Lottie Brownie doll will not only encourage our younger members to be more active and adventurous, but will facilitate the empowerment of many more girls besides and might encourage them to become Brownies and Guides too.”

Ian Harkin, Managing Director of Arklu, the Donegal-based company that designs the Lottie dolls, described the new doll as “a must-have plaything for every young Brownie, who’ll be able to bring Brownie activities to life with Lottie in their very own home. She’ll appeal to other adventurous-minded children too.”

The Lottie Brownie doll retails at €19.95. To find your nearest stockist, use the store locator on Lottie.com or order online. 80 cents of every sale in Ireland goes to Irish Girl Guides.

We are Megan and Abigail from Griffeen Valley Senior Branch, Sub-camp Glow 14. On 2 August we took part in the overnight survival. We and two others from our sub-camp arrived outside the pool and were greeted by a team led by a Trócaire representative named Ellen. We soon realised it would be an extraordinary night. We would be taking on the role of climate change refugees from Honduras in an evacuation simulation. Due to flash floods many families were evacuated.

We, in groups of four to six, were given roles as these families. We were a “family” together with two girls we had never met but coincidentally were also from Dublin. We were given folders and selected characters. We became the Flores family consisting of Elvia – a 65-year-old woman and her three-year-old great granddaughter Kritza. The rest of our “family” were the Lopezes with a 32-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter. We were told to become our characters as the Sparks and Ellen would be treating us as these characters.

The folder also held $120 in monopoly money, identity cards for everyone but the grandmother who had a passport and, lastly, cards explaining the family’s story and a picture of the family. As we passed the Sparks they gave us sheets with belongings on them. We accumulated a bike, credit cards, a photo album and a selection of sanitary items. When we were about to board the bus they said it would cost $100 to get on. We scrambled through our folder to pull out the required cash after we realised we would have to take good care of all our belongings and barter wisely.

When we arrived at the “border” to Guide Land we were ordered to gather some firewood. We were the first to approach the border and we were told to stand to one side for an intelligence test. After the rest of the families were cleared and sent to register we started the intelligence test. We presumed it would be about our backstory and why we were at the border but soon realised it was to test our logical thinking, like a game. There was a river constructed with two buckets of water along with a five-litre water bottle and a three-litre water bottle. Our test was to show exactly four litres of water in five minutes as the border was closing. We have to admit it took us at least twenty minutes to complete as it took a while to find a solution and even longer to pour all the water around. When we finally completed the task we were chastised for wasting too much water. We were strongly advised to “Sweeten the Deal” to be allowed in.

We all agreed the best option was to hand over the bike as it would be the least useful to us in the future. Our bribe was greatly appreciated and we were led to registration. Here the rest of the families were either already across the border or were filling in registration forms. We presented our IDs, but with only one passport between four people there was a slight dilemma. As women of very young and very old ages without, as they said, “a man to take care of us”, we would not offer enough in return for their kindness . We tried to mention various skills like how Elvia was a seamstress but it was to no avail, as to get in we were forced to hand over our last $20. As we walked towards the refugee camp in the forest, we were given a ground sheet, rope and a tarp.

After all this one of our family members muttered one word of complaint not thinking straight so we were immediately told to stop and drop everything. As we were “ungrateful” we were forced to do star jumps while the Sparks yelled at us to go faster. They then ordered us to do push-ups on the wet grass and, needless to say, none of us were successful. After we had each collapsed on the ground several times they showed slight mercy and asked us to sing instead. We discussed for a while and came to the conclusion that the only song we all knew was Happy Birthday. This was another mistake as Ellen took advantage of this saying if it was her birthday we owed her a gift. No single item was enough so we surrendered all of our remaining belongings.

We finally were able to enter the site but the main camp was full so we were placed in the back of the forest. As it was getting dark we hastily began to set up our shelter. Using our trusty reef knots we tied our rope at a comfortable distance between two trees, threw a tarp over and held the edges down with rocks we found. At this point we were taken off camp by two Sparks who were acting suspiciously nice compared to earlier, we were soon informed the simulation had ended. Our group were led through the dark forest across a wooden bridge to a spider web of rope. We had to pass each player through a different hole to earn s’mores for the campfire. After a few falls and failed attempts we completed the task.

We approached the campfire first and the Sparks began repeatedly attempting to light the fire, but in fairness they said they had lit the fire perfectly the past few nights, we were just a bit unfortunate that night. After the fire was lit we sang some campfire songs, which included a new song we had never heard before from Malaysia, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. We roasted marshmallows and drank hot chocolate before retiring to our bivvies for the night.

Through all the rain and wind we both still slept fine although our sleeping bags were a bit damp in the morning. We then discussed the effects of climate change and the struggles of refugees. It was an enlightening, albeit slightly scary, but overall a fun adventure.

It was something we would recommend to all Guides, Senior Branch or anyone else who has the opportunity (wecwould recommend lots of layers and a mosquito net though)!

Hello there. My name is Aine Foley. I’m from Newbridge in Co. Kildare and I am a member of the cermony team at IGGNITE2017. And guess what?! Today was a ceremony day! It started off very early when two of my tent buddies got up super early to see the 8am Flag Ceremony. I woke up, dreaming of sausages, and I swear, Adrienne and her team must be mind-readers, because as I walked into the staff canteen, I was greeted with the salivating scent of sausages! We praised the kitchen staff as they cooked roughly 1000 sausages for us!

Today, we hit the mid-week mark of IGGNITE2017 – time sure does fly when your having fun. Activities were still continuing on throughout the day as we saw campers move from swimming to dance, kayaking to Free Being Me. We even said good-bye to groups as they went off-site, out to explore different parts of Ireland, including the gorgeous Cashel town , Fethard and some lucky Guides even got to get close and personal with some some giraffes and monkeys in Fota Island.

We were absolutely blessed with weather today, the rain stayed away for most of the day. But, hey, we’re at camp – the rain isn’t going to stop us anyways. As I walked through the IGGNITE village, it was so beautiful to see girls all over the world communicating through song, dance and games. It really got me excited for our Guides Own taking place in the evening.

As it came closer to 7, everyone started arriving up to the big marquee. After many preparations throughout the day (and many months before we arrived) the team we were ready to start for what was sure to be a memorable ceremony.

As the ceremony commenced everyone was aware of the fact that it was a peaceful ceremony, with a lot of time to reflect throughout the evening. Everyone got time to think about others and themselves. We had beautiful dancers and singers from all across Ireland, and indeed, all across the world.

I don’t want to spoil what happened in it, but you can find it on the Irish Girl Guides website. (You’ll also find our Opening Ceremony, and in the future, our IGGNITE’s Got Talent footage, our Campfire and our Closing Ceremony)

I can’t believe we are half way through camp – it has been incredible and I hope you have been enjoying our blogs, photos and snapchats! Please look out for us tonight – in IGGNITE’s Got Talent. Who are you shouting for???

COME ON THE LILY REBELS!!!!!

On Tuesday morning we, Griffeen Valley Guides from Lucan, Lily Guides from Newbridge and our international visitors, North Down Guides from Kent in England, all woke up to a day of fun-filled activities, as we were heading off to Cashel.

We packed our lunch, waterproofs and applied the sunscreen before we left our site. We piled onto the bus with excitement and travelled to Fethard, where we showed off our skills at archery and enjoyed a nice tour of the town. We were greeted by a very funny tour guide who told us the history of each building and stories of soldiers’ forbidden love. The town became alive as we explored the castle and old churches. We sat down in the sun for some lunch with the beautiful town as a view, before we hopped back on the bus to Cashel. We were very excited for our talent show in the evening and practised our song with the help of our bus driver’s speaker.

We hiked up to the Rock of Cashel and sat down to enjoy the view and amazing weather before joining a tour around the castle. We said goodbye to the rock and walked back down to the town centre. There we met with some activity staff for some more exciting activities. We were treated to some ice-creams as we rested in Cashel.

Next, we split into two groups, half of our group joined some staff in a small library beside a church not too far from the castle. We learned about the art of calligraphy and the history behind it. We were shocked with the amount of work that went into decorating and writing each page in some of the ancient books in Ireland, such as the Book of Kells. Each girl then had the chance to use a quill and ink to practise her skills.

The other half of our group took part in a scavenger hunt around the town of Cashel. Braving the rain, the girls ran frantically around searching for clues and figuring out riddles as they worked in teams to complete the hunt.

We jumped back on the bus to Rockwell exhausted after enjoying our day off-site. After a dinner of pizza and potato wedges, we returned to our campsite to practise our song and dances for the talent show. We put on our matching t-shirts and walked down to represent Glow 14. We really enjoyed the talent shows and loved every minute of performing and showing off all of our dancing and singing to all the other girls in Glow.

We returned to our campsite for a campfire, hot chocolate and goodies. We all slept well that night and overall we loved our day off-site and being a part of the talent show and really becoming a lot closer as a sub-camp.

See the IGGNITE2017 Facebook page for lots of photos!

Waking up your first morning at camp is always an exciting feeling! Maybe the light coming through your tent woke you up, or the birds in the trees, or the giggling girls walking past in their wellies as they go to brush their teeth.

The buzz of the previous night’s Opening Ceremony certainly hadn’t worn off when I emerged Monday morning – and neither had the rain. Lots of girls in their raincoats were running around getting ready to go to their activities, wondering what they would be doing first.

From adventurous activities, like Medi Disaster and wide games, exploring the local area, to kayaking and drama workshops, learning how to be an advocate, as well as fun and silly games, there were loads of different things the girls would be doing and they couldn’t wait to get started.

After a very busy day, there was one more thing to do, and that was a Scavenger Hunt. The girls were given a list of 20 items that they had to find on the campsite including a feather, a bottlecap, a candle and something that had been on more than three Guide camps. With these items, once they’d found them all, they had to make a picture or sculpture or an art piece with them. And the creativity was amazing! Everyone had loads of fun and loved checking out everyone else’s art pieces.

On your first day of a big camp, it can sometimes be a bit daunting, with all these new people from all over Ireland and all over the world. But after Monday’s activities there were new friendships formed that will cross the seas and oceans from Ireland to Scotland, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and so many other places.

I think it’s safe to say that Day 2 was a successful one and I can’t wait to see what adventures the rest of the week holds!

See the IGGNITE2017 Facebook page for lots of photos!

It was an early, slightly damp start yesterday morning, as about 100 of the staff team grouped together to greet all our campers and help unload their buses for them. With so many campers and buses arriving we were tasked with unloading the buses within a 10-minute time frame, to try to avoid having a queue of vehicles.

We were an amazing team and, after the first bus, had a system going – two people physically unloaded the buses and then everyone else took the kit to the holding bays, a further team then assisted with taking the kit down to the camp sites.

Each bus was greeted with a cheer and we soon were beating our 10-minute target and the average time it was taking to unload a bus was about two minutes (well, except a couple of buses that seemed to have been built by the same person that built the Tardis, but that’s another story…..).

Although we did have some rain in the morning, the weather did improve throughout the day and I’m sure that the campers were very happy to be putting up their tents in the dry! People were starting to walk about and explore the campsite, and lots of trolleys of food made their way down to the campsite from the supermarket.

In the evening, prior to the opening ceremony, we hosted a Welcome Reception for various people, including local dignitaries, representatives of various partner organisations (including Concern, Gaisce, Irish Aid and the National Youth Council of Ireland), the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Girl Guides, and lots of people who have assisted the camp in some way. In the reception we had a table where the guests could partake in a classic Guiding activity – making s’mores!

Then finally it was time for the Opening Ceremony. Making our way down to the marquee it was a real surprise to walk in and see the stage area and big screen. Live video showed us all the campers streaming down to the marquee and slowly it filled up. (The whole thing was also being streamed live on the Irish Girl Guides website).

I think it might have been the best opening ceremony that I have ever been to. There were super talented singers and dancers, girls in the different uniforms that you have worn throughout the years, a beautiful piece of video where we actually heard Olave Baden-Powell’s voice and, of course, the presentation of the different flags of the 12 international countries that are being represented at the camp. Declaring the camp open, Jenny wasn’t allowed to cut a ribbon, oh no, instead she had to saw through the branch of a tree!

At the end of the opening ceremony, there was a short break and then a band was playing live for the Guides to continue to party to. After a long day I’m sure everyone slept well last night 🙂

Hello, we are Ava, Caoimhe and Sorcha from Carrigaline, Co. Cork and Newbridge Co. Kildare.

We arrived bright and early on Saturday July 29th to Rockwell College in Co. Tipperary. When we arrived, Aoife Leamy collected us on a golf cart and gave us a quick tour around the campsite. We then went to register and got our fabulous sparkly t-shirts and our name-tags, which made us feel and look very professional. After our lunch, made by the amazing Adrienne and her team, we were immediately put on a job to go put up a UNICEF tent. It took us about 20 minutes to figure out how it worked, but with great skills and Finnish acrobatics, we managed to get the tent up.

We (Caoimhe and Sorcha) decided it was a good idea to go visit our Unit Leaders at their camp. We weren’t even there 5 seconds and we were given a job to put up sitemaps. Five o’clock came around and we all rushed to pick a good spot to put up our own tent. We eventually found one and set up our homes for the next week.

After our fabulous turkey dinner, we had a staff meeting in the cafeteria. The staff meeting was great and we got a very enthusiastic and inspirational speech from Camp Chief, Jenny Gannon. We were introduced to all the main staff members and found out what was going on for the week. After the staff meeting we went outside to find it was now really dark and Aisling had no tent up, so we had to put up the tent in the dark and then we decorated it with very pretty lights. It was 11 o’clock by now and we were ready for bed but then we were told we had to write this blog. Thanks Aoife xoxo.

Overall the day was busy but a really great first day at IGGNITE2017 and we’re very excited  for the week ahead!

Hey! We’re Jenny McKeever and Claire Patterson from Tullow Guides, Foxrock, Co. Dublin and we participated in the Pre-Camp Challenge at IGGNITE2017 and we would love to tell you all about it.

We’re going to be honest with you, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We initially thought that we were camping at Rockwell for the week and trying out all the different activities… oh, how wrong we were!

Two weeks before pre-camp, we got ‘THE’ email that broke the news (not so gently) that we were actually hiking 55km in four days, which didn’t include the cycling or kayaking! We realised that we were completely unprepared for the week that was ahead as we had limited experience in camping (ask the others)!

Tuesday morning dawned bright and early. We decided to spend an extra minute mourning the loss of our beds, lord knows we wouldn’t see one of them for a while. When we arrived we were shocked to discover that there was only one small bus to carry what we expected to be hundreds of people. Instead, there was only 14 of us, which in hindsight was a positive as we became like family.

The hike was long but the views and banter made up for it. We thought it impossible, but one can actually get sick of bacon (every day, twice a day) #Ewwww. We were very impressed by the fact that we could survive for four days based on a  €4 per day budget. The tent was an interesting endeavour for us. Every night there was a different problem with our tent. Inside out, wrong way round, not pegged properly, gusts of wind blowing it down the road. Who needs TV when you can watch us putting up a tent for free? We were known as the married couple of the camp for our bickering over food and tents. (We get along, we swear…)

I (Jenny) was Miss Accident Prone. After just two days I managed to go over the handlebars of my bike. My lip was nice and swollen but I managed to pull it off! The next day I received a nice nettle sting on my cheek. Other injuries during pre-camp included blisters, strep throat and pulled muscles. We are troopers, to say the least! At the end of Friday eventually we made it to Rockwell, and we were greeted with a feast of a takeaway and luxuries called showers and beds which we forgot existed.

All in all we have memories that we will cherish forever and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Top tips for Pre-Camp Challenge;

1. You really don’t need the kitchen sink – pack light (but be prepared to smell!)

2. No matter how cute, DON’T touch the vole (we’re looking at you Ciara)

3. Don’t let the distance faze you, If we can do it, so can you.

4. Make sure you bring a good first aid kit because you never know what you might encounter.

5. Finally, be prepared for the experience of a lifetime and smells you won’t forget!

Thank you so much to IGG for providing us with this opportunity and to Jenny, Ann, Roisin and Clare for putting up with for 4 whole days.We can’t thank you enough.

1,800 Girl Guides are counting down the days until the start of international camp!

IGGNITE2017, which starts on 30 July 2017, will see girls from 12 countries join Girl Guides from all corners of Ireland camping under canvas at Rockwell College, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

It will be the biggest ever Girl Guide camp to take place in Ireland!

There will be a total of 250 visitors, including Girl Guides from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Georgia, Zimbabwe and St Vincent and the Grenadines as well as England, Scotland and Finland.

“After two years of planning, we’re excited to be in the final days of the countdown until camp takes place,” says IGGNITE2017 Camp Chief Jenny Gannon. “We can’t wait to welcome all the girls and introduce them to the different kinds of fun and adventurous activities they’ll be taking part in during the camp.”

Activities will include kayaking, horse-riding, water obstacle courses, building rafts and rockets and playing quidditch as well as drama, music, body confidence, yoga, meditation and coding workshops. “The girls will also learn how to advocate for gender equality and to stand up for refugees and, by learning about the Sustainable Development Goals, it is hoped they will be enthused to make a difference in their local communities and overseas,” says Jenny.

“Guiding aims to ignite a social and environmental conscience in our members from age five-plus while they take part in team-building and problem-solving games and challenges. They learn how to speak out on issues that concern them and how to inspire others to take action too.

“Our overall aim is to see our members become responsible citizens of the world; that is part of our ethos. Guiding is also a wonderful place to make friends for life!”

Twenty-two members of Irish Girl Guides aged 14-22 took part in a Lego Robotics Summer Academy in Dublin City University’s LEGO Education Innovation Studio. Here two of the participants, Maggie Cumiskey and Méabh Lonergan, tell us of their experience.

Before starting our LEGO camp journey, we were all very excited and a bit nervous.  Some people came with friends, some with sisters, and some went without knowing a single person.

We arrived in St Patrick’s campus, DCU, on the Monday morning. We were each assigned our own room in student accommodation, which comprised of a desk, bed, wardrobe and a sink.

Each day was different on the Robotics course. We were gradually introduced to the robots and the idea of coding. We started off rather simply with a cute robot called Milo. Building the robot was really fun as I think most of us hadn’t played with LEGO in years. It was really nice to be able to sit back and feel like a kid again! Coding Milo was also really fun and surprisingly easy. We followed instructions step by step to make him go forwards and backwards as well as make him stop with different sensors.

At first it was really daunting because I don’t think many of us had done any coding before. However, once we got into it, it was very easy. Each of us turned to our partner at some stage and said “That was us. We did that!” and maybe high-fiving each other every once in a while.

After Milo, we moved onto a new, slightly more complicated robot. We built him as normal but the coding was slightly different and way more specific. It was a lot harder to make him move and there was a lot more work involved to make him go. We had to measure the distance we wanted him to move and then calculate the number of wheel rotations needed to get there. My original thoughts were “Oh dear God, maths. I haven’t done maths in two years!” It was very easy maths, though, so I was very relieved. We also could make this robot turn, unlike Milo, which took two robots. On this new one we had to be very specific and calculate the exact degree we needed. He was a lot more challenging but also a lot more fun. It was really cool to code it ourselves and make it complete little challenges that we were set.

We used this robot for the rest of the week in our “Mission To Mars” project. This was so much fun and I think it’s safe to say the most enjoyable part of the week. We were all split into groups of four and given a new robot to build (We called him Tobias Walowitz and Brobot). The aim of this project was to build and code a suitable robot to complete up to seven challenges on Mars in under than two and half minutes. This was so much fun as we had the freedom to extend our robot and use the skills we had learned in the prevoius few days. We measured, calculated distances and angles like crazy. There were so many different emotions running through everyone those few days when it went right and when it didn’t. Needless to say, we were all very proud of our robots when we finished the challenges. Especially as both our teams came at a respectable first and second.

During the week, we heard talks from Dr Niamh Shaw, a woman who took part in a Mars simulation experience and Rosemary Steen, director of Eirgrid.  It was interesting to hear these women speak, and hear their opinions on how to succeed in male-dominated areas.

After we left the robotics room, we took part in a number of evening activities:  we went to the cinema to see Baywatch and Wonder Woman, went rock climbing in Awesome Walls, went to Bounce Zone, and finally visited Google and Milanos! These were a great way for us to push our comfort zone and get to know the others better.

We learnt a lot from this week: like, how to programme a robot (of course). It wasn’t as hard as I imagined: so much of it was measuring and working out angles, before writing them into a basic code. I’d never played much with LEGO before and I was surprised at how easy it was to build a robot that could grab, lift, drop and spin things. Overall it was an excellent week and I think we were all sad to be going home. It definitely opened our eyes to the world of programming and computing, and especially how women can influence STEM.

One of the best parts of the week was because of the fact that, as we were such a small group (22), we all bonded really well with the others over the five days. Seeing each other push our comfort zones in the evening activities, watching each others’ creations fail and succeed, and supporting each other all the time, (and having impromptu singalongs to Fall Out Boy), made us become great friends, and feel almost like one big (and loud) family by the end of the week.

We’d like to thank Ross, Rob, Deidre, and all those at DCU for creating such a fab week, Rosemary and Niamh for giving up their time to talk to us, and Lorna and Emer for organising it, and making sure we didn’t die or get lost in Dublin. And the other girls, for grabbing the opportunity with both hands (and not killing me every time I asked them could I use them on the IGG and SB snapchat stories).

Make sure to sign up for next year!

From 26-30 June 2017, 22 Senior Branch members descended on the DCU St. Patrick’s campus for the week to take part in the IGG Lego Robotics Mission to Mars Summer Academy.

We were kept very busy all week. Every morning we arrived into the Lego Education and Innovation Studio at 10 am and would spend the days building and programming robots made out of Lego to attempt different challenges that would be associated with colonising Mars.

We learned how to make the robots move forward and backward and how to combine three robots to pull a plant sample and then we moved on to the more compilcated challenges. Some of the challenges included engaging a satellite, launching a rocket, rescuing a Mars rover and rescuing some astronauts from the moon.

We used the Lego robotics software to programme the robots. We were able to drag and drop blocks on the screen to program the bots, so none of us had to write any complicated code that most people would associate with robotics, and it was a huge relief for everyone!

We learned how to make the robots move forward and backward and how to combine three robots to pull a plant. We finished the workshops at 4pm and IGG had a whole range of different activities organised for us. We went to the cinema, we visited the Google headquarters, we tried trampolining and rock-climbing. There really was something for everyone!

I was really nervous to be the only girl from my Unit going to this event, but even though I didn’t know any of the other girls beforehand, we all became very close very quickly.

Former IGG Chief Commissioner and former Senator Jillian van Turnhout has been nominated to run for election for the World Board of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

Jillian writes:

I am greatly honoured to be nominated by the Irish Girl Guides and Catholic Guides of Ireland to run for election for the World Board of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

In my volunteer and professional work, I instinctively advocate for children’s and women’s rights. From an early age, the Guiding flame burned brightly when I joined Brownies at the age of seven. The fundamental principles of Guiding and Scouting continue to be a beacon to guide me on my path through life.

WAGGGS has 10 million members in 146 countries across the world supporting girls and young women to develop their full potential as leaders and active citizens of the world. I believe we must see more women in leadership roles and this is one of the reasons that has motivated me to stand for election. I would bring my practical experience of working with Guides in my locality and leading the reinvigoration of the Irish Girl Guide national programme for girls and young women aged five to 30.

I would share my global knowledge of advocating for children’s rights at UN, European and national level. I believe my governance experience on European and national Boards would be an asset.

Anyone who knows me can see my belief in Guiding shines brightly. It is a tremendous honour to even be considered and I hope everyone can support me in my campaign to get elected to the WAGGGS World Board at the World Conference in September in India.

Members of Irish Girl Guides are set to develop business and entrepreneurial skills when our Cookie Programme kicks off in the autumn!

Girls from age 5+ will sell packets of biscuits for €2.50 each, thus raising funds for their Units. This will involve teamwork and business skills and girls will have a say in how the funds for their Unit are spent.

This initiative fits in with our aim of helping girls and young women develop important life-skills. We also want to change the imbalance of the number of women in decision-making positions across the various sectors of society such as business, companies and boardrooms around Ireland.

We are thrilled to have the support of Alison Cowzer (Dragon’s Den) for this project. Alison is keen to help girls and women to develop business and money management skills. In an interview about the project with the Sunday Business Post, she said, ‘It could take centuries to achieve equality without serious efforts to bring women into male-dominated spheres such as business and politics.”

Alison is a founder of East Coast Bakehouse – the factory that will produce more than 110,000 packets of biscuits for IGG to sell over the next three years. Alison’s own daughters were members of IGG and she has been an excellent mentor to us, giving generously of her time and expertise in the food industry.

The project will be taking place under the tag of #FutureCEOs, which stands for Creating Entrepreneur Opportunities and will link with the Journey Programme for each Branch. By taking part in the initiative and striving to do their best, girls will earn a Cookie Badge.

In September Units will receive guidelines on selling, details of the badge curriculum and templates for recording sales. If your Unit is interested in learning more about the Cookie programme, please email cookies@irishgirlguides.ie.

Girl Guides from around the world are getting excited as the countdown for IGGNITE2017 continues … there’s only 73 days to go!

Irish Girl Guides look forward to giving a big Irish welcome to Guides from Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Georgia and Zambia as well as England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“We’re thrilled to have received such a great response and we’re looking

forward to hosting Ireland’s biggest Girl Guide camp,” says IGGNITE2017 Camp Chief Jenny Gannon. “Some of our Guides and Leaders have visited Rockwell already; it’s a great location and the grounds are perfect for camping. Having a lake is a definite bonus as the girls will have the opportunity to kayak and do other water-based activities.”

The camp will see the girls building rafts, rockets and volcanoes, playing quidditch, cooking international dishes and doing an assault course as well as taking part in drama, music, body confidence, yoga, meditation and coding workshops. There will also be sessions on climate justice and sustainability and trainings on how to advocate for gender equality and to stand up for refugees.

Day trips will include a visit to Cloughjordan eco village and to nearby Cashel where the girls will take part in a community mural project.

“We want to give the girls a fun and memorable experience,” says Jenny. “As well as the water sports and all the many other fun activities we will arrange for them, there will be a serious side to the camp too. Through a variety of activities and challenges, the girls will learn about the Sustainable Development Goals and they will be encouraged to explore ways that they can make a difference in their local communities and overseas.”

Jenna Goodwin, Jemma Lee and Elizabeth Moody all took part in the recent WAGGGS Europe Region Volunteer Training at Our Chalet. Here Elizabeth reflects on her experience:

Having applied to be a Europe Region Volunteer back in January and being accepted onto the Communication Working Group I was delighted that the time to actually travel to Our Chalet had come, so to say I was marking off the days on my calendar would be an understatement. The trip to Our Chalet wasn’t just for a nice holiday or a box to tick on my Guiding adventure but an opportunity to experience what it means to be a member of WAGGGS and to train with women from across Europe. Each volunteer would get a general training in each committee – External Relations, Growth, Gender and Diversity and Communication – and the general strategy of Europe Region for the Triennium (three years; don’t worry my sister didn’t know it either)! Every Working Group would get a detailed look at their specific task and the strategy they wanted to work on over the triennium, with a sponsor from the Europe Committee to bridge the gap between us and them. But the rest would be revealed when we arrived.

When I applied I thought that the chance of being accepted was slim to none as my experience levels weren’t everything I felt Europe Region wanted. So I was shocked and stunned when I got accepted. When I got over the excitement of being accepted then the feeling of doubt came in, moments where I questioned my experience or knowledge began. I questioned did I have what it took to make the most out of it for myself and for the team I was to be a part of. This feeling persisted till boarding the plane to Switzerland and arriving at Our Chalet as many of the people I met had more experience, but one thing for sure I wasn’t going to let my doubts slow me down.

I was one of three girls going to Our Chalet from Ireland to take part in the training. I was the only one to sit on the communications working group as the other two, Jenna and Jemma, were to be in the External Relations working group (you can imagine the confusion this caused two girls from Ireland whose names were basically the same, with similar features that both were on the same working group)! Our trip to Our Chalet was long and each of us took one bus to the

airport, a plane, a train in the airport, four trains and then a taxi. We arrived just after 1 o’clock in the morning and exhausted! We made our way into the very quiet Our Chalet to find welcome letters for each of us detailing which room we were to be sleeping in, where we could get a midnight snack and all the other basic information we needed. The best piece of information though was the complimentary wifi codes we were given because, you know what they say, if it isn’t on Instagram it didn’t happen. Safe to say we all immediately checked in online, had a midnight snack and crawled into bed.

The next morning we got up at 8am for breakfast not really knowing what to expect. We were welcomed by the slim few that were early birds too. We all tucked into a huge breakfast spread and COFFEE! We got chatting to all the different women from around Europe that had decided to take the plunge and volunteer on a working group. After breakfast we followed the blind leading the blind as we tried to find where all our sessions would be taking place in. Our first session was led by the chair of Europe Regions Committee, Marjolein: it was an introduction to the training and a look at Europe Region’s strategy for the next three years, the length of the Committee’s term.

The day continued with a few icebreakers and more sessions about the strategies of the individual working groups and, for those not in the know, what they were about. Thursday focused on two of the key areas – Gender and Diversity and Growth. After the sessions all the countries came together to have an international night where we got to share food and entertainment from the different countries.

We were offered a campfire song from Germany, the UK, and Denmark, a dance from the girls from the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Ireland decided to teach everyone how to do the Walls of Limerick. After the performances it was down to the important part, the eating! We enjoyed Viennese sparkling wine, haribos from Germany, the “best soda in the world” according to the Danish at the Scandinavian table and scones from the UK. Ireland certainly left our mark at the International Evening with everyone leaving with a lovely Irish (temporary) tattoo, let’s just say they were ready to be kissed.

The next morning there was a slight change of plans. Originally, we were supposed do our sessions in the morning and go for a hike in the afternoon but due to the weather this was rearranged. So after breakfast we all set out on our hikes – one to the village and one to the mountain in weather that could only be described as standing in a cloud with visibility only an arms width ahead of you and a constant drizzle of rain (the Irish were in their element). We were told this was better than the weather forecast for the afternoon. With this in mind I decided to join the group trekking to the village as there was a chance of shelter and a hot drink instead of imagining seeing the mountains. So we set out in all the waterproofs and warm layers and we arrived at the idyllic village of Adelboden where we took part in a scavenger hunt and only got as far as the question about the café where we stayed and chatted for the remainder of our time. We hiked back up to Our Chalet just in time for lunch.

After lunch the serious part of the training resumed again. The sessions focused on the work of the External Relations Working Group and the Communications Working Group. Included in the Communications presentation was a talk about the rebranding of WAGGGS. I found this really exciting as finally we got a more detailed look into exactly what I would get to work on and the background behind the new branding. Plus we got an impromptu break go out and play in the surprise snow.

That evening after dinner we took part in an exercise on Gender and Diversity. We listened to music from different countries and tried to guess where they were from and, let me tell you, I failed miserably: modern music is almost impossible to guess. We then looked at the kind of world we wanted to live in and the obstacles that were in our way but, in typical Guiding fashion, we didn’t just sit around and talk about it we visualised it through a game. Each person wrote on a sticky note two characteristics of the society they want to be part of. Then we wrote on two balloons our obstacles. We then helped each overcome these obstacles by bursting each others’ balloons.

Saturday was the day we got to work in our Working Groups. My group got the T-Bar which, for anyone who has been to Our Chalet, is the best room in the whole place as it’s got the comfy chairs and the coffee and tea. This became vital in my group as there were three British among the group who loved tea! The Communications Working Group is made up of four women from the UK, one girl from Denmark and one girl from Ireland, me (in case you didn’t guess). Our meeting consisted of two of the women from the UK, the Denmark Elizabeth, the Irish Elizabeth, as well as our sponsor from the Europe Region Committee, Lilit, and Ruth from the UK who work for WAGGGS Global as part of the communications team. We discussed the guidelines set out by the Europe Region’s Committee for what they considered was important for us to complete. We looked at how we felt we should achieve this as well as how we could work with the other committees. This all went into creating our strategy for the next three years.

That evening we took part in the Our Chalet Who Wants to be a Millionaire. This version of the game was very different to the TV original.  Our version was not only Guiding-themed but also included a challenge every round that typically involved running around Our Chalet, and in girl guiding fashion and with Olympic competitiveness my team fought successfully to win the competition.

The next morning was the last of day of the training weekend and there was already a feeling of sadness about leaving. We started off the morning again in our Working Groups to finalise our plans and figuring out how we were going to achieve our goals. After this all the Working Groups came back together to discuss their strategy and goals for the triennium. As well as discussing how we, each group, could work together. This is very

important for the Communication Working Group as we will liaise with the groups the most. After the presentation from the Working Group we had to wrap up just in time before it was time for the Irish to leave. We were the last group to leave on that day after many heartfelt goodbyes throughout the day.

The journey back to Ireland wasn’t as long or as complicated as the journey to Our Chalet, I wouldn’t even change that for the world or all the Badges in Our Chalet.

Thirty-three people from SW Region, SE Region, WCM Region, NE Region and Eastern Region attended Trefoil Guild’s AGM and the atmosphere was full of  friendship and enthusiasm.

Seven new Lone Members were enrolled by our President Maureen Murphy and eight members  (including Maureen)  were presented with the first bead of the Evergreen Challenge.

We were also very excited to launch our  new Journey book and 95 of these have now travelled to Guilds around the country.

We had presentations about the visit to Our Chalet that six members had made during the year and also a presentation from a member who had attended an event in Slovakia.

Looking forward, a visit to Lorne is planned for the autumn and a presentation was made about an IFSG gathering in Eastbourne in October 2018.

Well done, well done, very well done to all the Guides who took part in the recent Timpeall an Domhain (Around the World) competition!

Guides from all around Ireland travelled to Killarney, Co Kerry, for the final on 6 May 2017.

All the girls took part with great enthusiasm and had obviously put great time and effort into researching their chosen countries.

In the end it was two Cork teams who came out tops. Arbutus Guides, Summerhill, won the senior section and Marian Guides, Bishopstown, won the junior section.

Arbutus Guides focussed on India. They learned all about the ancient body art of henna and impressed the judges with their culinary and acting skills by cooking Indian dishes and performing a play about Mother Teresa.

“They were really enthusiastic throughout the entire competition and put in a lot of work both at Guide meetings and at home,” said Arbutus Guide Leader Helen Moriarty. “They enjoyed learning henna, which they chose to teach as their craft element, as well as making various Indian meals. They were thrilled once they heard that they won!”

Marian Guides focussed on the Netherlands. “It was hard work but the girls took on the challenge, worked well as a team and had a lot of fun along the way,” said Marian Guides Leader Clare Flynn. “The girls were thrilled to be named winners of the junior section and all the Leaders are very proud of them.”

We are delighted to launch a partnership with Gaisce – the President’s Award to encourage young women to reach for the sun, moon and stars!

Recognising the similarities between IGG and Gaisce’s award schemes, the two organisations have decided to join forces with the aim of encouraging greater numbers of girls and young women to undertake challenges and activities that will help them become confident, active and responsible citizens.

IGG Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon says that, given the recent re-engineering of IGG’s whole programme for 14-30 year-olds, it is perfectly apt to work in partnership with Gaisce, especially given the organisations’ similar values of volunteerism and empowering young people to be active citizens.

“Recognising the mutuality between the aims and objectives of IGG’s Overall Awards programme and the Gaisce programme, and in order to facilitate delivery of Gaisce in a way that is complementary, IGG has aligned the requirements of the Overall Award to Gaisce at each level. IGG members who successfully achieve a Bronze Star, Silver Moon or Golden Sun Award will now receive a Gaisce Award at the corresponding level.”

Given their joint aim of encouraging young people to reach for the sun, moon and stars, IGG and Gaisce chose Dunsink Observatory, Dublin 15 – part of the Astrophysics and Astronomy Section of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies – to launch their new initiative. Both organisations hope that the partnership will ensure that greater numbers of young people will engage in a range of activities and challenges, like community action, mountaineering and international travel, that will help them develop confidence, self-reliance, responsibility and other essential life skills.

Yvonne McKenna, CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award says “We are delighted to announce our special partnership with the Irish Girl Guides. Gaisce’s vision fully aligns with that of the Guides – ‘to enable girls and young women to develop to their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world’. We recognise that it is through partnership and working together that our shared ambitions can be achieved. We look forward to working together to achieve an Ireland where young people dream big and fulfill their potential.”

Helen Concannon, who herself achieved the Gold Gaisce Award, says: “It was an honour to wear my Girl Guide uniform when President Mary McAleese presented me with my award. It was through my involvement in Girl Guides that I first heard about Gaisce and I think it is wonderful to see the two organisations work together in this way. This partnership is another example that shows the skills, competencies and behaviours fostered in IGG are transferrable to other aspects of our members’ lives.”

Carlow Leader, Maureen Murphy, has been appointed IGG’s new President.

Maureen has been involved with Guiding since her teens when a Brownie pack opened in her home community of Norwich, England. Her first role was as Tawny Owl.

Since joining IGG in 1972, she has held many roles, including Leader with Sleaty Guides, Graiguecullen, Carlow, Regional Commissioner for the South East and co-ordinator for accreditation of volunteer Leaders.

“Being nominated for President was a great honour that I never envisaged,” Maureen told Council on 1 April 2017. “To represent Irish Girl Guides, which is a forward thinking, vibrant movement for girls and women, is an exceptional role to be given and I will enjoy the challenge it presents.”

Development through guiding

Maureen said she had always felt that, whatever she put into Guiding, had been returned a hundredfold. “I have found friendship, fun and a huge sense of satisfaction in playing a small role in enabling the girls and women I worked alongside to achieve for themselves their full potential,” she said.

“Guiding is a safe environment that provides an up-to-date evolving programme full of variety that keeps the girls and their development central. I have so many memories of new and good experiences – from taking a group of Sleaty Guides to International Camp, to hosting a Guider from Georgia on an exchange visit and having the opportunity and confidence to go to third-level education in Youth and Community Work. Also, the fun and laughter at the weekly meetings.”

“Guiding for me has been – and is – special. It is non-competitive, it encourages service to others, it has world-wide connections and it gives a sense of belonging. Maybe that is why the day I was made President eight others received 50 year service awards.”

Outgoing President, Maureen Dillon, was thanked at Council by Chief Commissioner Helen Concannon for her six years’ service as President. During this time she represented IGG at over 100 events.

We are delighted that blogger, social commentator and Alternative Miss Ireland, Sinéad Burke, has agreed to be our Honorary Ambassador for 2017.

Sinéad, who is also known by her alter ego Minnie Mélange, was presented with a Trailblazer Award by IGG’s (outgoing) President Maureen Dillon at our annual Council meeting in Airfield on 1 April 2017.

Maureen said she was delighted to welcome Ms Burke as the recipient of the award. “Sinéad is a primary school teacher, a PhD candidate, a broadcaster, a public speaker, Alternative Miss Ireland and, under her alter ego Minnie Mélange, a blogger and social commentator,” she said.

“Sinéad is a person of great spirit and heart who has already gone far. We are very fortunate that she is to be our Trailblazer Ambassador for the next 12 months as, in a short time, she has blazed a trail for women in so many aspects of modern day Irish society. A wonderful advocate for girls and women, she is working hard to create a future where equality is a reality rather than an aspiration.”

Personal Development Begins During Childhood

Addressing IGG Council members, Sinéad said: “So many of the personal characteristics that I’m proud to possess as an adult were first instigated and nurtured in my childhood,” she said. “Qualities such as resilience, kindness, leadership, organisation, empathy, thoughtfulness and a deep understanding of the power of friendship were modelled and then emulated during the many intensely pleasurable years I spent as a Girl Guide.

Young Women in Irish Society

“The organisation has transformed the ways in which young Irish women and girls are positioned in Irish society, but it has also enriched members with experiences and networks that challenge, support and satisfy their curiosities and ambitions.

“Most importantly, the Girl Guides has cultivated a safe space where girls and young women can admit their vulnerabilities and revel in their unique successes. It arms the next generation with confidence, pride and an awareness that encourages them to speak out against injustices and chase the most aspirational realities. I could not be more honoured to be this year’s Honorary Ambassador for the Irish Girls Guides and am tangibly excited to meet with and learn from the young women.”

We hope lots of you will be doing the IGGNITE Challenge Badge!

The following are the requirements for each Branch to earn the IGGNITE Camp Challenge Badge:

Ladybird Branch

1. Complete the Camp Cape Interest Badge
2. Find out where camp will be held.
3. Colour the IGGNITE logo.
4. Discuss all the things you can BE as a girl – Be Brave, Be Imaginative, Be Quiet, Be a Boss, Be creative etc… Create a BE collage with your Unit and send us a picture or video of it for display at camp.

Brownie Branch 

1. Complete your Brownie Global Traveller Badge.
2. Find out where camp will be held. Find out about the Rock of Cashel.
3. Colour in the IGGNITE logo.
4. Discuss all the things you can BE as a girl – Be Brave, Be Imaginative, Be Quiet, Be a Boss, Be creative etc… Create a BE collage with your Unit and send us a picture or video of it for display at camp.

Guide Branch

1. Complete your Guide Healthy Mind Badge.
2. Check out this You Tube clip called – Week in Rap Extra|Sustainable Development Goals. Send us a message (blog, vlog, meme) about one of the Sustainable Development Goals and how working towards them will help create a better world.
3. Invite a member of Senior Branch or a Leader to come and talk to your Unit about an international camp in Ireland or abroad that she attended.
4. Discuss all the things you can BE as a girl – Be Brave, Be Imaginative, Be Quiet, Be a Boss, Be creative etc…  Create a collage/picture/video/podcast that can be shared at camp.

Senior Branch

1. Check out IGGNITE 2017 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat. Send us a message (blog, vlog, meme) about one of the Sustainable Development Goals and how working towards them will help create a better world. Check out the WAGGGS website on the International Day of the Girl 11 October for some interesting information.
2. Invite a member of Senior Branch or a Leader to come and talk to your Unit about an international camp in Ireland or abroad that she attended.
3. Discuss all the things you can BE as a girl – Be Brave, Be Imaginative, Be Quiet, Be a Boss, Be Creative etc…  Create a collage/picture/video/podcast that can be shared at camp
4. Complete two of your outdoor adventure choice challenges.

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ This can be, perhaps, the most limiting question you can ask a child.

Why? According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of children entering primary school education today will be in jobs that don’t even exist yet! The rate of development in the fields of Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Systems at the moment is amazing – even where I’m from in Cork, the city is changing all around me. The single largest research building in the European Union was opened just a few months back in University College Cork and it is dedicated purely to the computational and mathematical sciences.

The Future For Our Girl Guides

The future work life of our current Ladybirds, Brownies and Guides is largely unwritten and, as Leaders and Senior Branchers, we can all do our bit in our own little way as volunteers to help them be ready for it. Looking back on how Guiding started up in the first place – with the intention of giving girls practical and outdoor skills and confidence to contribute their all to society, it does seem a bit absurd to be talking about technology but the closer you look, the more relevant it seems.When I was in primary school, I was absolutely convinced I wanted to be a teacher and nothing else! All the other kids around me had similarly simple dreams, of being a nurse or a vet or a famous actress. I’m even struggling to think of more of the options we chose because they were pretty limited. That was fine for a bunch of primary school students filling in a bunch of questionnaires but the pattern continued into secondary school and, more troublingly, as the CAO application deadline approached. During one particular Irish class every student either wanted to be a nurse or a teacher – and when my turn came round to speak up as a hopeful Energy Engineering applicant, there was a bit of a silence – I mean, Engineering? What’s that?I will always stand firm in the belief that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and the field of technology suffers hugely from this inconvenient truth. As a child I wanted to be a primary school teacher because day-in-day-out I headed into school and saw the teacher leading the class and doing a great job. I looked up to her and, at that age, I had a small understanding of what the job entailed. I can assure you I have no childhood memories of coloring in a picture of an engineer, but I was always taught how to spell ‘nurse’.

What is Happening Now

Currently, the proportion of jobs in telecommunications, scientific research and development and computer programming that are held by women stands at less than 30%.  Ironically, the courses that are the foundations for these have some of the most attainable CAO points (Engineering in CIT was 410 in 2015) while primary school teaching and medicine continues to be unreasonably high. To further add insult to injury, these jobs are amongst the best paid in the country. Soon the gender pay gap, in Ireland anyway, will not be stemming from society’s bias against women, but more so from women’s uncertainty and lack of confidence in pursuing tech and engineering careers.

Even as a college student, I am noticing the great benefits of following the path of an Engineer – faculty loans are offered to Engineering undergrads at a lower interest rate, I am in receipt of an industry scholarship from Intel to help with college fees, and there are plenty of summer internships to go around for everyone. These little things make such a huge difference, and would not be accessible to people outside of the STEM fields.

What can we do to help solve this problem? Exposure! Has your unit ever visited an observatory? Would your unit like to call to a meeting of Coder-dojo? Would you like to do a show-and-tell session on the Guide or Brownies’ favourite invention? Could you get speakers in for your Senior Branchers?

I find these days I’m defining the Engineering mindset as, thinking about a more efficient way to get jobs done. That’s the job description in general really. Engineers learn about how things work and how to make everything run better – they solve problems. We frame engineers, computer scientists and IT leaders as nerds, or people who just love maths but trust me, there are plenty of engineering students, even in UCC, who struggle with maths just as much as anyone else – most mathematical problems can be solved with a computer anyway!

In reality, good Engineers are simply curious, like to complain about how things are run, and like to provide their own remedies for a particular problem – and I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find Guides to be particularly good Engineers at meetings!

In conclusion, I would like to mention why I chose Energy Engineering as my specified discipline. I never had any experience programming, didn’t do Engineering for my Leaving Cert, and did not study Applied Maths either. I simply asked myself the question – What’s the biggest issue facing our generation, and how can I help be a part of the solution? (I would recommend this as a solid starting point for anyone struggling with their career choice at the moment).

Sarah Cahill, a Trefoil Guild member living in Waterford, recently went to Slovakia to take part in a workshop organised by the International Scout and Guide Fellowship. Thirty-two people from 13 countries attended to discuss the challenge of recruitment. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed her first experience of international Guiding/Scouting and wrote the following about her experience:

A Trip to Slovakia

It was an unexpected and wonderful opportunity to participate in the 7th Europe Region Workshop that took place in Smolenice, Slovakia (3 – 8 March 2017). I am still not sure how I got the chance to go on this adventure. A lot of credit has to go to my Fellowship contact in Ireland, Margery, who was very good about explaining as much as she could to me and being very persuasive.

A wonderful experience

We are four Guides in Ireland, aged 11, 12, 13 and 14. We each believe strongly in gender equality whatever your age, faith, or nationality. We are all approaching this topic from different points of view, yet we are all approaching the same conclusion.

Martha (14)

“I would consider myself a feminist and I am definitely for gender equality. It has been something I know women and men have been fighting for since time immemorial. We should never just accept the norm of society, we should campaign for all the rights we deserve.”

Aisling (11)

“The world is evolving so much with technology, but some people like to move back rather than forward in society, and go against equality.”

Hannah (12)

“I believe that everyone should be given equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunities and it is disappointing to think that in some countries this is still not happening. Women and girls are being refused education and jobs outside of their home.”

Aoife (13)

“Women have not been treated nicely by men all throughout time. They have been denied their rights and opportunities. It is still very common and happening on a daily basis in offices, sports, factories, schools, and entertainment. I believe strongly that women’s rights are important. As a feminist, I believe that both genders deserve equality. Equal pay for equal work, and so on. I strongly hope and believe that from our generation forward, there will be equality in our society.”

Conclusion

This is a universal goal that we all wish to achieve and we hope you wish to achieve it with us.