Guiders Link 2018 Vol 4

Report from

CCA 2018

pg 6

ICCG Conference Rawanda Pg 36

World Meeting of Families RDS pg 38

2018 Vol. 4

Guider’s Link

Contents Chief Commissioner's Message 3 Noticeboard 4 Chief Commissioner Award 2018 6 Summer Challenge Badge Report 10 Health Promotion 12 Development 14 Cygnet Section 16 BrigĂ­n Section 18 Guide Section 20 Ranger Section 22 Training 24 International 26 Outdoors 32 ICCG Conference Rawanda 36 World Meeting of Families 38 Around Ireland 40 Rights in their eyes 46 Contacts 47

Don't forget to send your photos and articles for the Guiders Link to: guiderslink@girlguidesireland.ie.

Closing date for the next issue is 2nd January 2019 2 Guiders Link Vol. 4

Chief Commissioner's Message Hello everyone Welcome to another link, thanks again to Eoin and Michelle for another great edition. Can I ask that you make sure all your Guiders are getting the link and that most important they are reading and availing of all the fabulous information that is in the link.

Were you at the CCA? weren’t they fantastic? 41 fabulous young women receiving their Awards. The projects were great so if you were there I hope you got a chance to look at them.

Please pass on to your girls thanks and praise for all their hard work, this was the message I received from the National President of SVDP, he was delighted so many of the girls chose to work with them.

Ladies encourage the girls to sign up for their Oisin Award, it’s a great natural step from the CCA, I’d also encourage them to look at and sign up for the next IGG Chief Commissioner Award, Megan and Grace will be more than happy to fill them in on the award.

What a busy few weeks ahead of us ... Cygnet and Brigin Day, Guide Weekend and Ranger Weekend, I am looking forward to seeing many of our Guiders and youth members at these events. Many thanks to all the people who put so much work into these events to make them fun for the girls. The behind the scenes work on these days is intense but so worth it to see the smiles of the girls. Remember to say thank you to the organisers, we all love a smile and a thank you.

Can I take this opportunity to welcome Erinn to our team in the National Office, Erinn is a past recipient of the CCA so this will definitely help her settle into CGI. Our Health Quality Mark (HQM), well what can I say bar massive congratulations to Eileen, Nicola and Barbara who not only did well in our first assessment but achieved the Silver HQM for CGI. This is a fabulous start to our Healthy journey and apart from the work of the Association is definitely down to the hard work

of these three ladies. I look forward to their weekly health tips on Facebook and Twitter and I look forward to the many ideas and innovations they are preparing for us. We will be receiving our Silver award (yes I said Silver) at our board meeting in November so keep an eye out for the pictures, we will be the Guiders beaming proudly . Make sure to send them in photos and reports on any healthy initiatives you have in your unit or company.

I have to remind you all about the importance of our re-vetting programme, as soon as you receive that letter from Nicola, get it answered and sorted straight away. Vetting is a legal requirement, it takes 5 minutes so let’s work with Nicola and get CGI fully compliant in regards to Vetting.

Work is well underway now on our Guide and Brigin programes, many thanks to those who took time to gather in Knockree and work on the programmes and badge reviews. It’s all very exciting and I am looking forward to seeing the finished products.

At the CCA awards I asked you to spread a little happiness and smile at people, so now I ask everyone, smile before you start a conversation, it makes it so much nicer, both in our own family and in our Guiding family, to those in my guiding family thank you for your continued support, it as always means a lot.

So, Smile you’re beside a Girl Guide.

And I can’t finish without mentioning the C word, so Happy Christmas to you all and your family. Have a peaceful happy Christmas and best wishes for a healthy new year.

Keep Smiling Yours in Guiding, Emily McCann Chief Commissioner chiefcommissioner@girlguidesireland.ie

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Noticeboard Upcoming National Events National Ranger Weekend

2-4 November

National Guide PL & APL Weekend STEM Training Northern Region

9-11 November

NEB

24th November

CCA Application Closing Date NEB Development Forum Train the Trainer Guider Training Steps 2&3 B4U Decide Training Managing Challenging Behaviour NEB Youth Forum

11 January 2019 12 January 2019

18 November

25-27 January 2019 26-27 January 2019 9-10 February 2019 23-24 February 2019 2 March 2019 9 March 2019 10 March 2019

Resource Dates World Science Day for Peace and Development

10 November

Children's Day

14 November

Universal Children's Day

20 November

Human Rights Day

10 December

World Cancer Day

4 February

Please Note Please ensure if you are paying census payments (registration payments) directly to the bank that you use our bank account number shown on the invoice – this number ends in 65 for all Southern units.

Please do not deposit census payments to other bank accounts.

Also please ensure you put the code numbers shown on the invoice, on the bank details e.g. - 4001-30-00 (this identifies the unit paying registration).

When paying census/registration invoices, only pay the

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exact amount specified on the invoice, otherwise we will have to return your payment to you. Thank you for your co-operation in this regard.

News From The Board • Contact details on OGM for all adult members should be updated prior to registration • The following Policies were approved and signed off at the NEB:

o AccessNI Policy for Northern Ireland

o Equality and Diversity Policy

o Garda Vetting Policy

o Health Promotion Policy

o Internet and Social Media Policy • All adult members of CGI must be re-vetted every 3 years • Emily made a presentation to Liz Collins, as the September NEB was her last meeting as South West

Regional Commissioner

Change of Dates • NEB scheduled for 2nd March 2019 will now be held on Saturday 9th March.

• Youth Forum scheduled for 3rd March 2019 will now be held on Sunday 10th March.

• Managing Challenging Behaviour Training scheduled for Saturday 9th March 2019 will now be held on

Saturday 2nd March.

Vacant Positions on the National Executive Board April 2019 • Assistant Chief Commissioner • National Secretary • National Commissioner for Cygnet Guides • National Commissioner for Brigin Guides • National Commissioner for Guides • National Commissioner for Outdoor • Ordinary Member (2 Year Term) Hello everyone, April 2019, here we are wishing our lives away again but we need to Bi Ullamh and be thinking about the positions that are coming vacant on the National Executive Board.

As you can see we will have quite a few positions to be filled in April 2019 and they are all important. So this is your chance to join the Board and help shape the future of CGI. If you take on for example the National Commissioner for Guides position, you just don’t organise and facilitate national events, you are part of the Board, part of the running of the Association, implementing the decisions from National Council, providing a good example and fantastic programme for all of our youth members.

If you would like to know anything about any of the positions just call me and I will fill you in. Please don’t think it’s not for me, we are a diverse bunch of ladies and all have something to contribute to the Board.

In the next newsletter we will have a FAQ section that will also help you to know more about the Board.

Looking forward to hearing from you Emily McCann Chief Commissioner

Staff Change in National Office: Erinn Dunlea has joined the staff of the National Office as Administrative Assistant and her email address is admin@girlguidesireland.ie We would like to welcome Erinn and wish her well in her new role.

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CHIEF COMMISSIONER AWARD 2018

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN 29TH SEPTEMBER 2018

The Chief Commissioner Award (CCA) ceremony 2018, took place this year in the historic Trinity College, Dublin. It was once again a magnificent day and the sun shone for us.

Congratulation to the forty-one Guides who received this year’s award: 9 girls received the highest award of Gold. 16 received Silver and 16 received Bronze. Many thanks to all their families and guiders for mentoring the girls through their projects and on to interview stage.

The recipients entered the ceremony accompanied by Meabh McNeill, Holy Family Unit, Northern Region, who gave an outstanding performance of the song ‘Grace’.

The Guest Speaker, Tammy Darcy from The Shona Project, gave an inspirational talk about self-esteem, being yourself and looking after your mental health.

Emily McCann, Chief Commissioner, set the challenge last year for the girls to focus on raising awareness of people in different circumstances to themselves, especially those experiencing homelessness. Emily acknowledged how the girls rose to the challenge and how they should be very proud of themselves.

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The CCA recipients raised money for an amazing array of charities, including: Society of St Vincent de Paul The Welcome Organisation Belfast Salvation Army Focus Ireland Simon Community South West Belfast Foodbank Irish Horse Welfare Trust ASK Relay for Life My Canine Companion ( Jog for a Dog) Cancer Fund for Children NI Trocaire Friends Helping Friends 5 Loaves Wicklow Newry Hospice Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust Pieta House (Darkness into Light) HOPE Foundation Laura Lynn Downs Syndrome Ireland Harolds Cross Hospice Barnardos Jack & Jill Robyn’s Life Trust DEBRA Ireland Early Childhood Ireland BARS (Bray Area Rough Sleepers) Inner City Helping Homeless Wexford Women’s Refuge www.girlguidesireland.ie 9

Summer Challenge Badge 2018 We decided to try out a summer challenge this year for the first time to see if it would be a success, and it seems to have been enjoyed by young and old throughout the country.

There’s no need to explain anything more, as they say a picture tells a thousand words, here are some pictures to let you see what some of our members got up to over the summer break to complete their challenge.

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Health Promotion HEALTHY EATING IS ALL ABOUT MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES Eat Well – Think Well – Be Well

Guides… It’s a healthy thing

Information provided by Sarah Browne, Eastern Region – An Dushlan Project

Nutrition Growing children need a nutritious diet to develop and grow into healthy adults. As responsible adults, we have a duty of care to offer a varied, balanced menu to the girls. Although treats are allowed when away with us, the menu needs to offer a variety of fruit and vegetables and keep treats to a sensible level – the girls are bound to bring their own sweets even if you tell them not to! And yes, a sugar rush is a real thing so imagine it multiplied by how many girls you have with you!

Frozen vegetables not only save time but are often higher in nutrients than fresh vegetables, although they may cost a small bit more than fresh vegetables.

Take-away’s on camp are handy, but maybe for cost and health reasons keep them to a minimum...

A balanced meal includes the correct number of servings from each level of the food pyramid every day. For example, we should aim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables, and two portions of meat/fish/protein rich foods each day. You can use the information provided by the food pyramid to plan a balanced, healthy diet

Food Safety What is food safety and why is it so important?

Food safety deals with handling, storing and preparing food to prevent it being contaminated with germs or dirt and to ensure that the food we eat is going to provide us with the most amounts of nutrients for us to have a healthy diet. Unsafe food can cause infections or diseases such as diarrhoea or salmonella which can be very serious or even life threatening. Some of these infections also make it difficult for our bodies to absorb the nutrients they need to get healthy. Unsafe or stale foods also deteriorate and are of poor quality, which means they lose nutrients and so we do not get enough of what we need for a healthy diet. So unsafe food can also lead to poor nutrition.

Food safety legislation There are a very fixed set of rules when it comes to food safety and not sticking to these rules can lead to prosecution in severe cases. These laws and legislations are altered and updated regularly. The most up-to-date laws can be seen here: https://www.fsai.ie/legislation/food_legislation/general_principles_of_food_law.html

Food allergies/intolerances More and more people are being diagnosed with food allergies and intolerances than even five years ago. Dealing with special dietary needs is becoming more and more part of most people’s daily routine and it is unusual not to have at least one child with an allergy/intolerance/dietary need on every trip. Your parents are invaluable in planning a nutritious and safe menu for these girls on your camp/holiday. They will be able to give you information on the type of allergy/intolerance/need, what foods – and brands of food- their daughter can eat, how to recognise a reaction and what to do if a reaction happens. They can also let you know if the child really has an allergy or just

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doesn’t like a particular food. (For example – I hate fish but I’m not allergic, but for ease of planning I would always say I’m allergic to be sure there is an option I will eat. Yes, I was that fussy child!!) Parents may also be able to provide you with the food their daughter will eat – foods for special diets can add a LOT to your budget. Children can also grow out of allergies, so don’t be surprised if this year a child is able to eat eggs where she wasn’t last year.

If a reaction was to happen, parents need to tell you before you go as to what is needed to help the girl, and parents should always be informed about the incident as soon as possible.

Food intolerance/allergy The symptoms seen in either food allergies or intolerances can be similar but the conditions are very different.

- Intolerances can cause someone to feel ill, for example, coeliac disease or lactose intolerance.

The body cannot digest the food properly.

Symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain or cramps, diarrhoea, headaches or nervousness.

- Food allergies can potentially cause a lifethreatening reaction/anaphylaxis. The body’s immune system sees the food as a harmful substance and causes an allergic reaction.

Anaphylaxis The most common causes of anaphylactic shock are: • peanuts • tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts • sesame • fish • shellfish • dairy products • eggs • soya • wasp / bee stings • natural latex (rubber) • penicillin and other drugs Severe allergic reactions to fresh fruit, such as kiwis and apples, are increasing. In some people, exercise can trigger a reaction – either on its own, or combined with other factors such as eating a certain food.

What are the symptoms?

Some or all of the following symptoms may be seen: • throat and mouth swelling and/or pain • a change in heart rate • blueness around the nose and/or mouth • flushed, red skin • sudden weakness (drop in blood pressure) • collapse or unconsciousness

• inability to swallow or speak • difficulty breathing • hives anywhere on the body • stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting • a sense of impending doom

What should we do?

Firstly, remove the substance if at all possible. The immediate treatment for anaphylaxis is adrenaline/epinephrine which is usually given in the form of an epi-pen. Adrenaline acts quickly to constrict blood vessels, relax the lungs to improve breathing, stimulate the heartbeat and help to stop swelling around the face and lips. If the girl doesn’t improve within five minutes, she can have a second injection. AN AMBULANCE (AND THE GIRLS’ PARENTS) SHOULD ALWAYS BE CALLED AS THERE IS A RISK OF SYMPTOMS REOCCURRING ONCE THE INITIAL TREATMENT WEARS OFF. If you fear that your Guide is having an anaphylactic reaction and she does not have an epi-pen, dial 999 immediately and follow their advice.

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DEVELOPMENT Hi everybody this is an update from the Development Team.

We are currently working on a number of initiatives.

In Progress October 2018

we have fantastic people with varied skills, talent and capabilities in the organisation that we don’t harness or utilise. I would like to capture this - taking part is voluntary. I am looking for help to capture this process, if you are interested in helping contact me at development@girlguidesireland.ie

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

Survey Monkey was launched in early September 2018 for the 18 – 30 Programme. The purpose of which was to ‘Reach’ everybody in this age group and give them a ‘Voice’.

The closing date was extended to the 28th of September, 2018

Harnessing inspiration and inclusion for a ‘Brighter Future’

Analysis on the feedback and actions to be taken from the survey will be available in October 2018, and will be presented to the NEB in November, 2018.

High-level overview of topics/ideas suggested for inclusion in the programme; o Social & Cultural Awareness o Diversity o Mental Health/ Wellbeing o Community Activities o Outings/Trips (International /Regional) o Professional Development o Outdoors o Languages Thank you so much to everyone who completed our survey, your feedback has been invaluable. We promise that all your comments, ideas and suggestions will be taken on board.

Scheduled for November, 2018 Succession Planning and development training for future positions for key organisational NEB and Regional positions.

I intend meeting with members of the NEB and Regional Commissioners to start this process.

Succession Planning

Database of all Skills and Capabilities, November, 2018 My experience since I have started in this role is that

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January 25th, 26th and 27th – Location: to be agreed Purpose The Development Forum is the ‘Heart and Mind’ of the development structure in CGI. The Forum will focus on promoting current thinking, research, models and best practice regarding ‘Development and Change Initiatives’ for CGI, while building on and acknowledging existing knowledge and skills of all our members.

Vision Collaborating with each other to develop a ‘Brighter Future’ by developing and delivering key strategic development initiatives to nurture inspiration, innovation and inclusion for all our members.

If you have an interest in getting involved and making a difference contact me at development@girlguidesireland. ie there are a number of places still available.

This is a facilitated workshop with external participation and speakers.

Typical topics will include •

• • • •

Presentation on National Policy and Strategies – what are the key issues for the girls in CGI? Youth Participation – Challenges and Benefits Managing Change and Motivation Developing Skills for the Future Presentation on Mental Health

New 18 – 30 Programme - New Name coming soon!!

The development team responsible for developing the ‘New Programme’ have been working very diligently over the last few months. They are a great group of people to work with, and we have all learnt something new from each other. They are also linking in with other areas of the organisation for example ‘International’ with Suzanne.

With that in mind we have agreed on a calendar of events from now until Christmas. The calendar focuses on a number of components of the programme.

September 2018 International Opportunity to attend Helen Storrow, Seminar 2019

HEALTH & WELLBEING

LIFE SKILLS

OPPORTUNITIES/ CHALLENGES

MY GUIDING JOURNEY COMMUNITY

INTERNATIONAL

SOCIAL NETWORKING

October 2018 Community Regional Co-Ordination of Cancer Care Packs / Homeless Shoeboxes November 2018 Life Skills Living Away from Home, going to College for the first time. Linking up with a Unit.

December, 2018 Social/Networking Christmas Market Belfast, 1st December, 2018. Cost €35

If you are interested in any of these activities please contact development@girlguidesireland.ie Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year 2019

Cancer Care Packs /Homeless Shoeboxes The 18-30’s Development Group are co-ordinating with all the Regions to participate in a community based initiative to create Cancer Care Pouches or Homeless Shoeboxes starting in the month of October. This idea of community action initiatives is part of our new programme to get involved and make a positive impact in our communities.

This is open to everyone, all sections/units, leaders and adult helpers.

The idea is to make Cancer Care Packs for both men and women who are undergoing cancer treatment or to create Homeless Shoeboxes for distribution in your Region.

Both of these initiatives are very important. For more information on what your Region is doing make sure to get in touch with them!

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Cygnets Hi Everyone, It was amazing to see you all at the Cygnet and Brigini day 2018. Hope you all had an amazing day. Cara bear told me she had a lovely day meeting you all.

Hope you have settled into another fantastic guiding year.

Would love to see what all the Cygnets sections are getting up to all over the country please send in your pictures to the Guiders Link.

Wreath Christmas Cookies Ingredients • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened • 2 cups white sugar • 4 eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 5 cups plain flour • 2 teaspoons of baking powder • 1 teaspoon of salt • Bag of smarties or M&Ms Method 1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat

in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour if possible.

2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into circles and use a smaller circle in the centre to create a wreath shape. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper and decorate with smarties or M&Ms. 3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Wishing you all a wonderful magical Christmas, don’t forget to go to bed early for Santa.

Here is to another fantastic fun and adventurous New Year for 2019 Yours in Guiding Geraldine Conway National Commissioner for Cygnets Equipment • White glue • Red and green tissue paper • Sponge Brush • Plastic cup • Glass candle holder • Scissors • Battery light Method:

Christmas Candle

Holders 16 Guiders Link Vol. 4

on the glass and stick a red or green circle on it. They will continue to do this, alternating red and green circles, until they have filled the outside of the glass votive.

3. Once the girls have finished their pattern on 1. Cut various sized circles their glass, cover the glass with a layer of pva glue to out of the green and red seal the pattern on. Don’t tissue paper. Provide the girls with the circles, a mix worry it will dry clear with a of 50% water and 50% white frosted look, leave to dry. glue, a sponge brush and a 4. Once dry each girl will glass candle holder. place a battery tea light into their glass.

2. Have each girl spread some of the glue mixture

STEM at Christmas - Snowman Slime Per Jar you will need • 6oz of Elmer glue / pva glue • ½ tablespoon of baking soda • 1 ½ tablespoon of contact lens solution ( needs to contain boric acid) • Mason jar per girl • Black marker • Goggley eyes • Orange felt • Glue

add too much. You may not need the full amount so take this step slowly.

6. Now mix until your slime forms and begins to harden. Take it out and knead, knead, knead. You may be surprised how much you need to knead to really make the slime form. If it’s not the desirable consistency keep kneading. If you find it to still be too sticky, add a little bit of lotion or baby oil to your hands.

Method 1. Start by decorating your jar with googley eyes, orange felt and black buttons to create a snowman on the jar.

2. Get a bowl to mix your slime ingredients in.

3. Pour your entire 6 oz Elmer’s glue into the bowl.

4. Add your baking soda and mix in thoroughly. Also add 1 TBSP or more (up to 1/2 cup) of water here if you want a stretcher slime.

5. Slowly add in your contact lens solution (reminder: your contact lens solution should contain boric acid or your slime will not form). Add it in slowly and mix if possible so that you can adjust and ensure you do not

No Bake Reindeer Cookie Recipe Ingredients • Oval shaped biscuits. (We used Milk Arrowroot biscuits)

4. Store in a cool place in an air-tight container for up to a week.

• Milk chocolate (for melting) • White chocolate buttons • Milk choc-chips • Pretzels • Red smarties or Cherries Method: 1. Melt your milk chocolate and then spread it on your first biscuit with a butter knife.

2. While the chocolate is still wet on your biscuit, press on two white chocolate buttons for eyes, a red smarties or cherries for the nose and two pretzels for the antlers.

3. Put a dot of melted chocolate on the back of two choc-chips and press onto the white chocolate for the middle of the eyes. Set aside on a flat surface to dry and repeat steps to make the rest of your reindeer.

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Brigíní Can you believe 2018 is almost over already?

It’s the time of year to enjoy sitting fireside with a hot drink and being with our loved ones. It’s also the time of year we think of those not as fortunate as ourselves. Here are some ideas to get you over the last few weeks of the year and to prepare for the next term. It was great to see you all at the Cygnet and Brigin day we hope you all enjoyed yourself as much as we did.

Sarah Browne National Commissioner for Brigini

Do a Christmas good turn This time of year is when a lot of Irish charities look for donations to help people less fortunate than we are at this busiest time of year. Maybe you could have a fund-raising and make a donation to charity? Here is a very small selection of some charities that would be delighted with a donation – big or small.

Temple Street Childrens Hospital – will accept new toys https://www. templestreet.ie/event/toy-appeal/ St. Vincent De Paul – help families in need https://svp.ie/get-involved/donate. aspx Ronald Mc Donald house – offer accommodation and support to families during the time their child is in hospital https://rmhc.ie/ Cork Penny Dinners – offer food and support to homeless people in Cork City http://corkpennydinners.ie/ And many, many other local charities

Have a night talking with your girls about what their hopes for 2019 might be: A bad habit I’m going to break A new skill I’d like to learn A person I hope to more be like A good deed I’m going to do A place I’d like to visit A book I’d like to read A letter I’m going to write A new food I’d like to try I’m going to do better at

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Ugly winter sweater

Supplies • Sweater template •

Red or green card

•

Christmas craft mini pom poms

• Buttons •

Mini jingle bells

• Confetti •

Christmas stickers

• Glue Instructions 1. Draw a sweater on red or green card.

2. Put all of the supplies in a tray with separate compartments for easy access.

It’s as simple as that. Now this Christmas sweater collage activity is ready to enjoy!

Beautifully Beaded Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes You can hang this pretty ornament on the Christmas tree or make a bunch to display as sun catchers in a window in your home or classroom.

Supplies • metallic or chenille pipe cleaners • plastic beads • scissors • metallic thread for hanging Step one: Cut two pipe cleaners in half. Set one of the halves aside.

You’ll only need three to make one six-pointed snowflake. Fold your three pipe cleaner pieces in half so each one forms a 'V'.

Step two: Link two of the pieces, hooking them together at the bottom of the V shapes. The open ends will be facing in opposite directions.

Give them a twist where they meet to secure them together.

Step three: Insert that twisted section into the fold of the third pipe cleaner. Secure each arm of this third pipe cleaner by wrapping each piece under or over its neighbour. Fasten tight Step four: Now that you have all six arms of the snowflake in place, you can adjust them slightly to make sure they’re all equally spaced. If any of the snowflake’s arms seem loose and wiggly, just twist it around its neighbour and adjust the spacing again.

Step five: The fun part. Selecting the beads for your snowflake.

Leave a bit of pipe cleaner empty at the end of each arm so it can be crimped to prevent the beads from falling off.

Finish by tying a loop of metallic thread to each snowflake so it can be hung and enjoyed in a window or on the tree.

REindeer

hot chocolate

SUPPLIES • 12 inch piping bags – two per reindeer • “just add water” hot chocolate mix • Mini chocolate chips • Mini marshmallows • 1 red pom pom ball • 2 googley eyes • 1 rubber band • 1 brown pipe cleaner • Glue • Ribbon DIRECTIONS Pour hot chocolate mix into piping bag (get it all the way into the tip). Twist the bag closed and wrap with the rubber band. Trim off the top of bag.

Put bag into another piping bag and flatten.

Layer in mini chocolate chips. Add layer of mini marshmallows. Twist and tie off with ribbon. Glue pom pom nose near tip of bag. Wrap brown pipe cleaner around top for antlers and shape.

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Guides 12 Months at Guides On my first month at Guides my Leader gave to me...

1st A letter for my mammy 2nd 2 brand new badges 3rd 3 Camping Gadgets 4th 4 hot bread twists 5th 5 nights away 6th 6 Patrol members

7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

sung to the 12 days of Christmas Tune

7 Games to play 8 Burnt Marshmallows 9 Crafts to make, 10 Campfire Songs, 11 Lost Neckers, 12 Delicious S’mores,

You’ll never get to Heaven – Christmas Style

sung to you’ll never get to Heaven Tune

How about changing an old campfire song to one that is fitting for Christmas… Most people know – “You’ll never get to heaven” so here are some Christmas alternatives – try coming up with some of your own.

You'll never get to heaven on Santa's sleigh cos Santa's sleigh won't go that way You'll never get to heaven in the mince pie tin, cos the Lord don't let no crummy one in.

You'll never get to heaven on a Christmas tree, cos a Christmas tree's too prickly You'll never get to heaven with a fairy light, cos a fairy light is none too bright You'll never get to heaven with Santa's elf, cos Santa's elf goes by itself

Papier-mâché Christmas Ball Decorations­ You will need: Newspaper cut or torn into strips – 1 inch wide Small Balloons (water balloons are best) White Flour Water Basin or Large Plastic Bowl Poster Paints Wool Glitter PVA Glue Paintbrushes Extra Newspaper or Old Cloths What to do: 1. Cover your work area with old newspapers or old cloths.

2. Blow up the balloons to a reasonable ornament size (or do some in different sizes) 3. Mix some flour with water to make a paste (not too runny or thick but pourable) 4. Drag the newspaper strips through the paste and wrap around the balloon, smoothing them out as you go.

5. Continue covering the balloon with strips going

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in different directions until you have 3-4 layers on the balloon.

6. Let the Papier-mâché dry overnight or for a couple of days. It is ready when you don’t see any damp spots.

7. Now it is time to decorate and get creative.

8. Paint the ornaments, try painting different colours and patterns and Christmas scenes.

9. Allow the paint to dry.

10. Paint or drizzle some PVA glue around the dry painted ornament and sprinkle with or roll in glitter.

11. Let the ornament dry fully.

12. You can now add some ribbon or extra decorative pieces to finish your creation.

13. Glue a loop of wool or ribbon to the top of the ornament to make a loop to hang on the tree.

Christmas Tree Bites

What you will need:

• Green Chocolate Melting Buttons • White Chocolate Melting Buttons • Pretzel Sticks • Christmas Sprinkles (such as trees, snowflakes, red, green white sprinkles) cake decorating balls

3. Using one colour at a time – ice out trees across the pretzel stick, going over it a couple of times.

4. Decorate using the Christmas sprinkles and decorating balls.

5. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or until chocolate is fully set.

• Icing Bag & Lined Baking Tray What to do: 1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and lay out the pretzel sticks on the paper, leaving enough space to pipe out your trees.

2. Melt the white and green chocolate buttons and place in an icing bag.

reindeer Treats strawberry santa What you will need:

What you will need:

• Chocolate Log (such as mini logs)

• Strawberries (washed and green stalks removed) • Canned whipping Cream • Milk chocolate chips • Lined Baking Tray

• Red Smarties or Red M&Ms • Black writing Icing Pen • Edible Eyes • Pretzels • Popsicle sticks • Lined Baking Tray

What to do: 1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper,

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper,

2. Cut the bottom of the strawberries (not too much) so you remove the green stalk and they will stand.

2. Insert the popsicle stick into the bottom of the chocolate log.

3. Cut the strawberry near the top so you can make Santa’s hat.

3. Using the black icing pen, ice 3 dots at the top of the chocolate log, this will be for the eyes & nose.

4. Place the larger part of strawberry on the baking tray.

What to do:

4. Place the edible eyes and red smartie or M&M on the icing to make a face.

5. Place some whipped cream on top of the strawberry and put the top of the strawberry on top of the cream.

5. Break a pretzel in half and stick each half into the top of the chocolate log to make antlers (as shown)

6. Put a small bit of cream on top of the Santa hat, and put two chocolate chips in the cream in the middle to make some eyes.

6. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

7. Chill in the fridge before serving. www.girlguidesireland.ie 21

Rangers Hi everyone, Wishing you a very Happy and safe Christmas. I look forward to the start of 2019 and organising some great activities for the Rangers.

Patricia Derwin, National Commissioner for Rangers

Looking for programme ideas for your Ranger company? Don’t forget that the Ranger Choices Programme is still available and has some excellent ideas for you to do at the meeting.

What is the Ranger Programme?

The Ranger programme is called “Get With It” and is based on choices which are made by the Ranger. The programme consists of modules in each of the following elements:• Creativity

• Health

• Out of Doors

• International

• Communications

• Environments

• Special Project There are plenty of ideas that can be adapted to suit everyone.

Oisín Award

The Oisín Award is for registered members of CGI aged 14 – 25. This is a personal challenge h ll and d one that h should be enjoyed.

There are six Elements of the award: • • • • • •

Team Challenge Community Challenge Personal Challenge Physical Challenge Environmental Challenge Wider Guiding Community Challenge

All six elements must be completed at each level, bronze, silver, and gold to achieve the award.

The Oisín Award can be completed as a stand-alone award by members of CGI or members can register to also take part in Gaisce – The President’s Award.

22 Guiders Link Vol. 4

Christmas carol Quiz 1. What is the opening line to 'Let it Snow'?

2. Which Christmas carol was originally written in Latin as Adeste Fideles?

3. What type of pudding do the carolers sing about in 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'?

4. Which carol includes the lyrics, 'Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis'?

5. How many types of birds are mentioned in the Twelve Day of Christmas song?

6. In the words of the famous carol 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', glory is proclaimed to the what?

7. Which Christmas carol is commonly known by the title 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire'?

8. Which famous Xmas song sends tidings of comfort and joy?

9. Which Christmas carol was composed by Rector Phillip Brooks following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he had felt mesmerized by the town in which Jesus was born?

10. Which song repeats the catchy lyrics, 'pa rum pum pum pum'?

11. Which famous Christmas carol was written as a poem by C. F. Alexander, the same inspirational poet credited with having composed the hymn 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'?

12. The famous song 'White Christmas' originally featured in which 1942 musical film starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale?

13. Which Christmas carol includes the lyrics, 'They looked up and saw a star, Shining in the east beyond them far, And to the earth it gave great light, And so it continued both day and night'?

14. When did Good King Wenceslas last look out?

15. What is the final line of the famous 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' song?

16. Which carol was originally composed by James Pierpoint in 1857 for Thanksgiving?

17. In the words of 'Away in a Manger', what was the Lord Jesus asleep on?

18. Which Christmas carol begins with the lyrics, 'Sleigh bells ring are you listening'?

19. What type of tree is mentioned in the Twelve Days of Christmas song?

20. Which Christmas carol includes the lyrics, 'From now on, our troubles will be out of sight'?

Town of Bethlehem 10. Little Drummer Boy 11. Once in Royal David's City 12. Holiday Inn 13. The First Noel 14. On the Feast of Stephen Turtle Doves, French Hens, Calling Birds, Geese, and Swans 6. Newborn King 7. The Christmas Song 8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 9. O Little 1. Oh the weather outside is frightful 2. O Come, All Ye Faithful 3. Figgy pudding 4. Ding Dong Merrily on High 5. Six types of birds: Partridge,

Terra Cotta Snowman Supplies: Small Terra Cotta Pots Acrylic Paint In White, Black, Orange, Pink Paint Brushes Large Multi-Coloured Pom Poms and Pipe Cleaners All Purpose Glue Steps: Step 1- Turn your terra cotta pot upside down and apply a few coats of the white paint onto the pot and allow to dry.

Step 2- Now paint rosy cheeks and allow to dry. Then paint eyes, a mouth, and a carrot nose to give your snowman life! www.girlguidesireland.ie 23

Training Welcome back to a new Guiding year. I’m sure you have all hit the ground running. Of course all the section heads will be telling you about the many activities they have planned for the next year and I, as Training Commissioner, am no different.

As a female organisation we need to make training as accessible to Guiders as possible. This year we will be looking at some aspects of our training, however in Guider Training Step 1 we don’t have a lot of flexibility in the topics we cover. We will be updating the Challenge Booklet as well as Guider Training Steps 2 and 3. I haven’t forgotten the suggestions made at National Council and we will take them all into account when looking at courses but the best way to get your voices heard is to go through your own training teams and then encourage them to attend National Training Team meetings.

Don’t forget though that Trainers are volunteers as well, who have many other responsibilities, so if you feel that you would like to become a trainer yourself please speak to your Regional Commissioner, member of your training team or email me directly to express an interest.

Training should begin as soon as a Guider gets settled into a Unit. It enhances skills, capabilities and knowledge and it is continuous and never ending. If you haven’t attended training in a long while this should be the year that you change that.

Part of our Mission Statement is •

To provide a challenging Guiding programme and

•

Recruit, train and develop adults to become competent leaders.

Our Vision is that “All girls and women in CGI are empowered to recognise the contribution they make to society and are inspired to make a difference in the world.”

As I’m sure most of you are aware I am trying to encourage the addition of STEM activities to our programmes. If we are to empower our girls to make a difference in the world then we need to provide opportunities for them to investigate and experiment. There is a current and future shortage of skilled workers in high tech fields. We have the opportunity to present STEM subjects in a relevant and fun manner and hopefully attract more girls to enter these fields. There is an alarming shortage of female skilled workers and students in STEM. At present women make up only 15% of the STEM workforce and the gap is widening.

Many girls will have no interest in STEM but what about those who do? Surely we should be encouraging them to pursue their interest so they can join this cool, highly skilled, highly paid, high growth industry.

The STEM days we are organising are for Guiders to show you how enjoyable these subjects can be. As I’ve said before Guiders do not have to have any previous experience. We just want to show you how easy these activities are to include in your programmes and to send you away with LOADS of ideas.

Unfortunately our first STEM day had to be cancelled due to lack of numbers but we will be choosing a new date for the Eastern Region and hopefully it will be better attended next time. There will be one in the Northern Region on 18th. November 2018 and all are welcome to attend. In the New Year I will be speaking to the other Regional Commissioners to organise STEM days for them.

I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the course of the year so please take the opportunity to do something new. If you have any concerns or questions about any of the courses please feel free to contact me.

NATIONAL COURSES FOR THE E YEAR 2018 2018-19 19 INCLUDE:

Yours in Guiding Eilish Smyth National Commissioner for Training

Stem Training

24 Guiders Link Vol. 4

Guider Training Steps 2 and 3 Managing Challenging Behaviourr

Train the Trainer.

CHIEF COMMISSIONER AWARD Do you have Guides aged 12 or over by the 31st of December 2018?

Have they completed or will they have completed their Bronze CHOICES Award by 31st of December 2018?

Are they up for a challenge?

Then the Chief Commissioner Award is only a few steps away....

Make sure to apply, directly to the National Office, for their CCA pack by the 11th January 2019, please send one application per company. The application form is available online or can be posted out upon request from the National Office.

Cost is €10 per participant.

Closing date for completed projects to be submitted is 27th September 2019. No late entries will be accepted.

Successful candidates will be awarded their certificates and pins at the Award Ceremony to take place during January 2020.

Please note, the challenges involved in the award can change each year so please ensure to follow the new booklet supplied upon application.

For more information on the requirements, rules and what is involved in the award, check out the Guide Section on the CGI website, you will need your members login, and look for ‘CCA Guidelines’ document for more information.

Upon successful completion of all sections, the award will be presented at bronze, silver and gold levels.

If you have any questions regarding the Chief Commissioner Award or would like to link up with another group who have previously taken part to find out about their experience, please get in touch and we will try to help you out.

Contact the CCA team at cca@girlguidesireland.ie

www.girlguidesireland.ie 25

International Hi, Since the last issue we have attend Roverway 2018 and the Growth Seminar in Budapest.

See both reports in this issue to hear about these amazing experiences. By the time you're reading this we will have had two representatives at the Academy in Macedonia and attendees at Overtures in Austria. There are many events held every year that are open to members of CGI. Please keep your eye on the Guiders Link, emails and our Facebook pages for details. Why not apply for the opportunities listed in this Link?

Thank you to everyone who has helped me over my first few months as International Commissioner and I look forward to working with you all in 2019.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Suzanne Lenihan International Commissioner international@girlguidesireland.ie

WAGGGS Growth

Gathering 2018 After landing in Budapest at midnight on Thursday all that filled my mind was how long the journey would take from the airport to the conference centre and praying that someone would be at reception to let me in. Needless to say, my worries were unfounded, a quick shuttle ride later I was deposited in front of a lovely modern building in a beautiful neighbourhood of Buda. The conference centre itself is modern, comfortable and spotless with very accommodating staff.

Following breakfast on Friday morning we all flocked to the 4th floor board room to begin the day’s workshops.

We jumped right into a skype call with the members of the World Board who were in London to chat about strategic growth in the Europe Region. Following that it was on to Trends in Growth 1 & 2 where we were given an overview of the current state of membership in Europe Region MOs (Member Organisations).

We also learned about the Northstar Strategy and the countries that took part in the research– one of which is Ireland – and the findings that will prove useful when planning growth in our own MOs. Some key findings of the research showed that we need to retain our inclusivity, internationalism and civic-minded aspects, refine our publicity and uniform adoption, and reconsider the access pathways to guiding, skills transfer and time management.

Under the first two themes in the report – connect and support/ improve visibility – we discussed various methods guiding and scouting organisations around Europe had used to expand their numbers.

That afternoon we took a look at the next two themes in the report – efficient planning and rejuvenate programme.

We heard from Girl Guiding UK about their quality checklist, new programme and commitment to improving the girl guide experience. They also told us about their partnership with Scouting UK, outreach to minority communities and how they have rebranded guiding in the UK. Denmark have been trialling a very interesting initiative called ‘Family Scouting’ whereby children can come and participate in a guiding/scouting programme for a day as a taster while their parents can learn more about how guides/ scouts works. Interestingly, university guiding and scouting has been very successful in countries, with MOs seeing an increase in growth in their 18-25 age range, as seen in Finland and the UK.

26 Guiders Link Vol. 4

In the evening session on Friday we learned about creating a strategy for growth and using capacity-building frameworks to better expand an organisation. We summarised our steps to strategy in 6 key points: 1.

Have smart, achievable, realistic goals 2.

Analyse the situation within your MO 3.

Determine the area of importance for your focus 4.

Measure your success/progress as you go 5.

Plan your activities with a realistic timeline in mind 6.

Determine who is to be accountable for each

activity and aspect of the plan

That evening we had a reflection on the day’s learning after which a few of us went down to the Danube to see the city all lit up at night.

On Saturday morning we began by talking about how data, monitoring and evaluation are useful tools of growth.

We were shown the Golden Circle

by Simon Sinek as a powerful but simple way of marketing ourselves to potential members and volunteers.

Our afternoon session surrounded diversity and inclusion including engaging with under-represented communities within our countries and providing diversity and inclusion training for 18-35 year olds within the organisation, as has been done in Mexico. The hot topic of the day, Recruitment and Retention, followed in the late afternoon and we discussed redefining volunteering, rewarding volunteers and making guiding more accessible and attractive to both existing and potential members and volunteers.

A discussion on rebranding our organisation took

place towards the end of the day and emphasised how important image is in retaining and recruiting young people in a MO. We saw the ins and outs of WAGGGS’ rebrand including how they chose logos, colour stories, typography, iconography and photography to better put across the message of guiding to the world. Lastly, the workshops ended with partnerships and how a successful one can be of great benefit in elevating the visibility of your organisation but also how a great deal of thought must surround any potential pairing so that the deal is advantageous to both parties.

On Sunday we did a quick wrap-up session on what we had covered over the two intensive days and put contact links in place so we could all stay in touch and share our success (or woes). It goes without saying that everyone I met on the weekend, from the planning team to the other delegates, was lovely, friendly and enthusiastic. The 72 hours we spent together were intense, much coffee was consumed but it was a great event and I can’t wait to see how our organisation uses what we learned to grow guiding in Ireland!

[This link is for a video by the Danish adventure scouts and it’s such a good promotion of what we do! Worth a look! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uk-xI0_l3A] Caoimhe McNamara, Eastern Region www.girlguidesireland.ie 27

JULIETTE LOW SEMINAR 2019

UP TO 20 GLOBAL LOCATIONS 14-20 NOVEMBER 2019

WHAT IS THE JULIETTE LOW SEMINAR (JLS)

); _- ; r |o ƐƏƏƏ vr-1;v - -bѴ-0Ѵ; =ou l;l0;uv -];7 ƑƏ ŋ ƒƏ |o fobm v bm om; o= ƑƏ

; ;m| bѴѴ 1omm;1| |_; ouѴ7ķ 0ubm]bm] r |o ƐķƏƏƏ l;lŊ 0;uv |o];|_;uķ 1omm;1|;7 |_uo ]_ |;1_moѴo] ĺ

) " !;]bomĺ

$_; ; ;m|v bѴѴ u m bm r-u-ѴѴ;Ѵ =uol ƐƓ |o ƑƏ o ;l0;u m]Ѵbv_ķ u;m1_ -m7 "r-mbv_ Ŋ -v ;ѴѴ -m7-ubm -m7 " -_bѴb 7;r;m7bm] om 7;l-m7ĺ BE PREPARED FOR; ADVENTURE, TO DISCOVER NEW CULTURES AND TAKE ON THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

$_;u; bѴѴ 0; - v;Ѵ;1ঞom ruo1;vv |o - ;m7 |_bv ; ;m|ĺ = o o Ѵ7 Ѵbh; |o 0; 1omvb7;u;7 rѴ;-v; 1om|-1| " -mm; om m|;um-ঞom-ѴŠ]buѴ] b7;vbu;Ѵ-m7ĺb; =ou -m -rrѴb1-ঞom =oulĺ Ѵovbm] 7-|; =ou -rrѴb1-ঞomv bv |_; ƒƏ|_ o= o ;l0;u ƑƏƐѶĺ Ѵ;-v; mo|; l;l0;uv _o _- ; ru; bo vѴ - ;m7;7 - ) " v;lbm-u bѴѴ mo| 0; 1omvb7;u;7ĺ -uঞ1br-m|v -u; ; r;1|;7 |o -uub ; |_; ; ;mbm] o= Ɛƒ o ;l0;u -m7 7;r-u| om |_; -[;umoom o= ƑƏ o ;l0;u ƑƏƐƖĺ

PARTICIPANT CRITERIA: Ŏ Ŏ ƑƏ Ŋ ƒƏ ;-uv oѴ7 0 ƒƏ o ;l0;u ƑƏƐƖ Ŏ 0Ѵ; |o m7;uv|-m7 -m7 1oll mb1-|; ;ѴѴ bm om; o= |_; =oѴѴo bm]Ĺ u-0b1ķ m]Ѵbv_ķ u;m1_ķ -m7-ubm Ő _bm;v;ő "r-mbv_ ou " -_bѴb Ŏ lbm7;7 Ŏ )bѴѴbm] |o m7;u|-h; m; -m7 1_-ѴѴ;m]bm] ; r;ub;m1;v Ŏ

16th WAGGGS Europe Regional

Conference bѴѴ 0; v;m7bm] Ƒ 7;Ѵ;]-|;v -m7 Ƒ o0v;u ;uv |o |_bv ; ;m|ĺ ); -u; 1 uu;m|Ѵ Ѵoohbm] =ou -rrѴb1-ঞomv |o - ;m7 -v o0v;u ;uvĺ 7;-ѴѴ o bѴѴ 0; - l;l0;u o= o u -ঞom-Ѵ o-u7 ou - l;l0;u o= - !;]bom-Ѵ ;1 ঞ ; ou vb| om - -ঞom-Ѵ $;-lĺ +o -Ѵvo m;;7 -m bm|;u;v| bm |_; ouhbm]v o= b7bm] -| -m bm|;um-ঞom-Ѵ Ѵ; ;Ѵĺ = o C| |_;v; u;t bu;l;m|v -m7 o Ѵ7 Ѵbh; |o 0; 1omvb7;u;7 =ou |_bv -l- bm] orrou| mb| |o ; r;ub;m1; |_; Y- o uv o= b7bm] bm uor; rѴ;-v; v;m7 -m ;l-bѴ |o bm|;um-ঞom-ѴŠ]buѴ] b7;vbu;Ѵ-m7ĺb; =ou -m -rrѴb1-ঞom =oulĺ Please note: ; |o Yb]_| ঞlbm]v o bѴѴ 0; u;t bu;7 |o Y o | om ;b|_;u |_; ƑƑm7 ou Ƒƒu7 -m7 u;| um _ol; om |_; ƑƖ|_ vo rѴ;-v; ;mv u; |_;v; 7-|;v ouh =ou o ĺ 28 Guiders Link Vol. 4

Split in Croatia 24th - 28th of August 2019

ROVERWAY 2018 On the 21st July 2018, 39 members of the Irish Guide Contingent set out from Dublin airport on the adventure known as Roverway 2018. The contingent was a mixture of CGI and IGG participants and IST. On Saturday 21st July 2018 we met at Dublin airport. There was an air of excitement and nervousness and tiredness. It was 7.30am and some of the girls had travelled from Cork, Belfast, Drogheda, Limerick and Galway. We got through security and were soon on a plane to Amsterdam! From Schipol airport then we headed towards the Scout den in Haarlem. This was to be our home for the next two days. We settled into our new digs and some of the girls went exploring.

That evening we sat outside at benches and tables in the heat and had our first homemade dinner as a group followed by a campfire. Sitting around the fire that evening, seeing the girls so excited as we participated in skits and songs and chants, I felt that feeling that you can only feel on a camp, the solidarity and friendship, the laughter and fun, the safe space to just be silly and have fun. It was a fantastic omen of what was to come and it well and truly set us up for the adventure of a lifetime.

We headed to bed that evening and the room was quiet quickly afterwards, we had a busy day ahead!

On Sunday we got up, had our breakfast and headed straight into Amsterdam city for an inter continent scavenger hunt. Guides and Scouts from several different countries participated in a scavenger hunt around Amsterdam. This was a fantastic way to get around all of the sights during the limited time we had and for the girls to meet their counterparts from other countries. The heat however continued to bare down on us and the girls had to make sure that they constantly had sun glasses, sun cream and water at the ready. During the afternoon we had some free time to go exploring. Some of the girls rented bikes, others discovered an outdoor music festival, some went shopping or to museums whilst others just found ice cream and hid from the sun. That evening we had dinner in various groups all around the city and then came back together to visit the Anne Frank museum.

Tired after our big day out in the city we returned to the den in Haarlem for one more sleep before heading to the opening ceremony of Roverway 2018.

Monday morning we cleaned, had breakfast, packed and headed off by bus towards the beach at The Hague. The heat had intensified again. Draped in our Irish flags, neckerchiefs and bandanas covering our heads to protect us from the sun we inched closer to the top of the registration line singing our hearts out and getting more and more excited. Once registered, we picked up our rucksacks once more and headed across the sand dunes to the camp site. Nothing could have prepared us for the site of 4000 people camping on a public beach. It was such a beautiful location but we had to ensure we were wearing shoes at all times as the sand was so hot. The opening ceremony started at about 8pm in front of a giant main stage.

There were speakers from the EU parliament and the organisers of Roverway 2018. A special moment was when a member from each country raised their country’s flag and seeing the Irish flag fly with the other 30 odd countries was a www.girlguidesireland.ie 29

proud moment. The Irish had truly arrived. There were 41 Irish Guides and 80 Irish Scouts on camp which made for a home away from home.

Following on from the opening ceremony the festivities began with the Roverband playing the new song that would be the anthem of Roverway 2018 and then a DJ for us to dance away the next few hours too. Later on we sat by our tents and watched the sun go down. A sense of true peace came over me as I took a minute to take it all in. We had arrived and all was well. Over the course of the day the participants set off to their various subcamps and the IST and HOCs broke down the camp at the beach then headed on to main camp.

Our main campsite and our homes for the following ten days would be Zeewolde. Below sea level and beside a manmade lake, it was a beautiful site. Over the following five days we got to explore the campsite, set up the structures and food houses and we got to do some of the activities before the participants arrived.

The participants arrived on the campsite on the 29th July and suddenly the campsite was buzzing with 4500 people. We kicked off main camp that evening with an opening ceremony with the Roverband, speakers and a DJ and then everyone went to the various foodhouses across the site, The Rainbow cafĂŠ that had films, karaoke and music every night, The Polish foodhouse where you could make guiding crafts and try Polish delicacies and the Swiss house where you could do some wood carving, have some cheese fondue or chill with a hot chocolate.

The Dutch house was one of the most popular areas in the evening time as it had a large dance area. The days were long and jammed packed full of activities. We got to go sailing, rafting, kayaking and swimming in the lake beside us. There was a wide game for participants, there were various activity fields and when you completed one activity on all four fields you received a badge. There were chill out areas where you could hang out and play giant chess or ludo.

There were many friends made over the course of the trip. When the four patrols came back to main camp from their various subcamps they told us about the cool activities they had done. One group had crossed

30 Guiders Link Vol. 4

the border into two other countries in five days, others had gone hiking, prepared international nights, played games, gone shopping, set up campsites with varying materials, gone biking to local towns, cooked stew on an open fire, kayaked, made Dutch pancakes, helped local communities and met local people. They had all done so many cool activities but the biggest take away was the people that they had met along the way. Friends that are made on camps like this become friends for life and it's a really special experience.

As we packed up to leave camp on the 2nd August, we were tired, happy to go but so sad to leave! Everyone was already talking about the next international camp that they could go on and where it would be.

International camps like these are amazing opportunities.

I would urge anyone out there to try one at some point.

There is so much to be gained from it, leadership skills and planning skills, meeting new people, visiting new countries and immersing yourself completely in a new culture. Meeting people from countries that you may not have even heard of before. Learning about how guiding and scouting works across the world and knowing that no matter how different each association is that when we come together at a camp like this, we are all just Scouts and Guides looking for adventure, experiences and a good time. No amount of writing could do justice to the experience that I had at Roverway, but please get out there and seek out your own international experience. You won’t regret it!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Louise Browne for her unwavering support throughout 18 months of planning for this event and to the IST that supported me with this contingent whilst we were away.

Yours in Guiding, Fiona Gaule Head Of Contingent Roverway 2018

27th July 5th August

2020

(These dates are the dates of the camp and do not account for possible travel before or after camp.)

international guiding and scouting event for members 14 years+.

This is an outdoor camping event.

Guides/Rangers 14-18 years IST: 22years old + This is a patrol based event so we are looking for leaders to form patrols of 6-8 Guides/Rangers between 14-18 years old to bring away on this camp. A trained leader must accompany the girls on this camp as patrol leader.

These patrols can be formed within your unit or your region or even beyond that!

Approximately â‚Ź900 for participants and â‚Ź700 for IST to be paid in instalments between now and June 2020 (all payments are part payments of the event and are non-refundable once paid) (Amounts to be confirmed) Interested? Please get in touch with Suzanne our International Commissioner for more information at international@girlguidesireland.ie EuroJam 2020- Irish Guide Contingent The European Jamboree will be held in Gdansk in Poland 27th July to 5th August 2020. European Jamboree 2020 is joint event WOSM and WAGGGS hosted by Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Poland) and participants must be aged between 14 and 18 years old at the time of the event. We are also looking for International Service Team (IST) members that must be 22 years or older. The Irish Guide Contingent will travel as a joint CGI and IGG contingent. This is an amazing event which has not taken place since 2005. It is an excellent opportunity for the girls to hone their outdoor skills, to make new friends from Ireland and internationally and to truly have the experience of a lifetime. Friendships formed at these camps can last a lifetime and the girls will get to visit places and have opportunities to do activities that they never would normally.

Head of Contingent for EuroJam 2020.

We are also looking for someone to lead the CGI contingent whilst liasing with the IGG Head of Contingent during this event. This person will be involved from the beginning in setting up a budget, organising pre-event training, liasing with the event organisers and the leaders of the patrols here in Ireland and then will lead the group whilst away between the 27th July and 5th August 2020 in Poland. She should be a trained leader, organised and have experience taking groups abroad. This is an amazing opportunity to develop skills in organisation and leadership and meet many new international friends. You will get the chance to spend your summer 2020 in beautiful Gdansk in Poland and truly have a once in a lifetime experience. This may be of special interest to anyone that has experience with international events and is looking for a further challenge. If you have any interest in this role please contact Suzanne Lenihan @ international@girlguidesireland.ie

www.girlguidesireland.ie 31

OUTDOORS Hi all, With the weather getting colder and the evenings getting darker I know getting outside during meetings can be more difficult so in this edition, I’ve selected a few activities that can help bring Outdoor element of our programme Indoors!

Lots of activities can be moved indoors with a little creativity but here’s a few to get you started Yours in Guiding, Arlene Griffin National Commissioner for Outdoors

MAKE A GIANT CATAPULT Can be adapted easily to suit age groups Cygnets and Brigins Materials • 5 long sticks • 2 smaller sticks • String • Catapult Elastic (Available on Amazon and other sites) • Different size and shape balls to test • Small plastic container – example plastic Starbucks Frappuccino lid!

Instructions 1.

Build a frame using the sticks and string.

2.

Cut three pieces of catapult elastic and attach

evenly around a plastic container.

3.

Attach the other ends of the elastic to the base

and sides of the catapult structure as shown above.

INVESTIGATION IDEAS Try using different size balls to investigate which travel the furthest. Can you predict what will happen first?

Construct a bigger and smaller catapult, does it make a difference?

QUESTIONS TO ASK How will you measure the distance the balls travel?

What conditions do you need to keep the same?

What do you think would happen if you used a smaller or bigger catapult?

What would happen if you used less stretchy elastic?

How could you improve the design of your catapult?

32 Guiders Link Vol. 4

Guides & Rangers This format requires some basic knowledge of knots (clovehitch, diagonal lashing, square lashing and figure-ofeight lashing) and the equipment listed Materials • 9 x Pioneering poles of various lengths • Sisal or rope • Disposable plastic bowl • A tennis or sponge ball Instructions 1. Step 1: Construct a quadpod. Turn it on its side and brace it on three sides as is shown in the diagram and image.

2. Square lash two poles together in a cross formation and attach the plastic bowl to the end of the longer pole by puncturing small holes in the cup to thread through rope which you can then use to attach to the pole.

3. Tie two lengths of rope to the end of the cross (opposite the cup) and position the cross as pictured in the diagram and image.

4 Place your ammunition (tennis or sponge ball) in the plastic cup and fire the catapult by pulling sharply on the two lengths of rope. You may find that altering the angle at which you pull the ropes changes the distance your ammunition will travel.

INVESTIGATION IDEAS

•

Did you build a successful ballista/Catapult?

•

Did you try to alter it to improve it?

•

Did everyone have a role in building it?

•

What will you build next?

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FAIRY GARDENS/ CAMP SITES Instead of building normal Fairy Gardens with your girlswhy not add a twist and use it to teach basic campsite layout. A simple and engaging way to begin introducing outdoors to Cygnets or Brigins.

You will need; A Container for each child (Try Dealz or EURO shop) Potting Soil Glass Stones Flowers (to split amongst the girls) Decorations to build their Gardens/Campsiteumbrella sticks, matchstick houses, pinecones, ribbon etc STEP 1 – CHOOSE A CONTAINER AND LOCATION FOR YOUR FAIRY GARDEN The type of miniature garden you create will depend on where you want to plant it. You can grow one inside or outside, the options are endless!

STEP 2 – PICK PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR FAIRY GARDEN Your plant choices will also depend on the location of your mini garden, the climate, and your purpose or theme.

Start with a few plants and items that will work in the space that you have available.

STEP 3 – ADD SOIL TO CONTAINER OR LOCATION OF CHOICE Dirt is dead while soil is alive. Dark soil is rich with nutrients, while light dirt has nothing to give a plant to help it survive. Do not use soil from your garden if you will be planting your miniature garden in a container. Use an organic potting soil for best results.

STEP 4 – ARRANGE FAIRY GARDEN PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES Fill your container with potting soil and begin to envision the scene or scenes you will create. Arrange your plants and accessories on top of the soil to see how it looks before planting. This is your chance to play with the layout and how you will arrange your mini garden.

You can also create hills, paths, streams, rivers, ponds, caves, etc or tents, boundary walls, fire if you are working to a camping theme.

STEP 5 – PLANT AND MOLD FAIRY GARDEN FEATURE Add water to prepare the soil to plant. Dig small holes to place your plants in. Carefully place plants and cover the roots with soil. Mold and create the scene by building streams, ponds, walkways or paths in the soil as you plant.

Step 3 (arranging the plants on the soil before you plant) is a key step in this process. Water plants again when you are finished planting.

STEP 6 – FINISH FAIRY GARDEN FEATURES Fill in the areas that you molded to be rivers, ponds, walkways, and paths.

STEP 7 – ADD FAIRY GARDEN ACCESSORIES AND MINIATURES Add in your fairies and any other miniatures or figurines. Start small to keep it simple at first. You can always make or purchase more accessories later.

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CAMPFIRE SKITS A campfire stunt (or skit) is like a small play or comedy piece performed by (usually) the Guides at the campfire.

This not only serves to break up the songs/ campfire into manageable sections but is simply outrageous fun in its own right. It can also distract the audience's attention whilst the fire is lit (relit?) or something else is being prepared A good campfire will have a mix of stunts. Some very short ones (the equivalent of one-liners in stand up comedy) and some of the 'shaggy-dog' variety, long drawn out ones with a punchline at the end, usually at the expense of a member of the audience (a great chance for the Guides to get their own back on the Guiders).

The Guides don’t realize it, but their participation is also teaching them to be comfortable speaking to a group.

There are 100s of Skits on the Internet or the Guides can make up their own. I’ve included a few short simple ones that don’t require any props below;

GOT ANY DUCK FOOD? You need 2 Guides for this skit–a store owner and a customer.

The store owner stands behind a table or chair as if they’re behind a store counter.

Customer: Walks in and faces store owner “Got any duck food?”

Owner: “No, this is a hardware store. We don’t sell duck food.”

Customer leaves and walks back in.

Customer: “Got any duck food?”

Owner: “I told you yesterday that we don’t sell duck food.”

Customer leaves and walks back in.

Customer: “Got any duck food?”

Owner: “No! This is a haaaaardwaaaaaaaare store.

We….do….not….sell….duck….food.”

Customer leaves and walks back in.

Customer: “Got any duck food?”

Owner: “No! No! No! Like I told you yesterday, we have no duck food! And, if you ask me again, I’m gonna nail your feet to the floor!”

Customer leaves and walks back in.

Customer: “Got any nails?”

Owner: “No.” Customer: “Got any duck food?”

INVISIBLE BENCH SKIT This skit is best with 4 to 8 Guides Guide 1 walks onstage and squats down as if he is sitting on a bench that is invisible.

Guide 2 walks up to Guide 1.

Guide 2: “Whatcha doing?”

Guide 1: “Just sitting on this invisible bench.”

Guide 2: “Can I join you?”

Guide 1: “Sure!”

Guide 2 squats down to sit next to Guide 1. Guide 3 walks up to Guides 1 & 2.

Guide 1 & 2: “Just sitting on this invisible bench.”

Guide 3: “Do you mind if I join you?”

Gude 1 & 2: “Not at all! Have a seat.”

Continue the dialog with each Guide coming up to ask what the girls are doing and if he can join them until you get to the last Guide.

Last Guide: “What are y’all doing?”

All Guides: “Just sitting here on this invisible bench.”

Last Guide: “No you aren’t. I moved that bench over there yesterday.” Guide points.

All Guides who are sitting fall down.

EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM SKIT One Guide or leader stands to the side or in front. All other Guides stand in line.

Leader: “For the next ten seconds, we will conduct a test of the emergency broadcast system.”

Gudes: “Beeeeeeeeeeeppppp” for 10 seconds until Leader raises his hand.

Leader: “Thank you. This concludes the test of the emergency broadcast system.

Had this been an actual emergency, you would have heard…”

Guides scream in panic and run around waving their hands.

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ICCG Conference Rwanda 11th-18th July 2018

I was asked to attend the conference on behalf of CGI and what an experience it turned out to be. I left Belfast in the very early hours of the 10th. July and travelled to Dublin to catch my flight to Amsterdam where I would then get my connection to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. I arrived after travelling for nearly 14 hours and understood why the Pope always kisses the ground on arrival! It was a very long journey. Of course all tiredness disappeared when I was greeted at the airport by some of the Rwandan Leaders who were so pleased that people were travelling from all corners of the world to attend the conference being held in their country. Also arriving at the same time were leaders from USA and Colombia who were equally exhausted.

After a relatively short journey from the airport we arrived at the Transformative Education Centre in Kabuga, Kigali where the conference was being held. We were given dinner and then shown to our rooms and informed that breakfast would be at 7 15am the next morning.

I suppose I should really explain what ICCG is for those who have never heard of it. ICCG stands for the International Catholic Congress of Guiding and it’s a network of catholic guides within WAGGGS and its actions fall within the vision and mission of WAGGGS•

That all girls and young women are valued and take action to change the world and

•

To enable girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world.

The conference itself was to last 2 days but the 2 days before it started, we were given the chance to get to know the other delegates, discuss issues that affected our organisations such as being a Catholic Guide in the different associations and Guiding in a constantly changing world.

We visited Kabuga Village where girls who had left school without any qualifications were taught how to sew so that they could earn money for themselves and their families. We also visited a group of widows who had started their own little industry making soap to sell to local shops.

On our second day we were taken to the Genocide Museum which told the story of how between April and June 1994 an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days. Many of those killed were Tutsis killed by their Hutu neighbours. Rwanda isn’t mired in hatred of neighbour against neighbour, the people while not forgetting their tragic past are determined to reconcile and live in peace although the majority of the people live in poverty that we can only imagine.

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After returning from Kigali we were given the opportunity to participate in various workshops.

These workshops are to be working themes for ICCG and they needed guidelines in case any of these situations arose. The only advice we were given was to listen to one another Themes of the workshops were • Sex and Homosexuality • Sexism and violence against women.

• Poverty and Refugees • Environmental Challenges • Family • Lack of interest by young people in the Church.

The 2 workshops I attended were on Sex and Homosexuality and Poverty and Refugees. As the groups were mixed in the workshops it was eye opening to listen to a Guide Leader from Syria explaining why so many 25-35 yr olds were fleeing the country and on the other hand hearing leaders from Italy and France describing the problems their countries were facing due to the heavy influx of refugees. There truly are two sides to every story.

Of course there were plenty of laughs to be had as well. We had an Intercultural Night and everyone was asked to bring food and drink from their country. I have to say that the Baileys, Tayto, Barnbrack and Whiskey fudge didn’t last too long.

• Voting for country to host the next World Council in 2021 was between

- Democratic Republic of Congo and

- Colombia

• Santiago Del Cali, Colombia won the vote!

When the conference ended we had 2 days to see a bit of the country. We visited Kibeho where Our lady appeared to 3 girls between 1981 and 1989. She warned of the genocide.

Over 28000 men, women and children were killed in Kibeho. Many of them inside the church where they went for refuge.

On our last day we went to Akagera Nature Park to see some of the animals who are native to Rwanda. That day we managed to see Rhinos, giraffes, baboons and Warthogs plus a Black Mambo snake. The guides on the bus started yelling to close all the windows because this snake is deadly and could have jumped up to the window- yikes! I’m glad to report that there were no casualties among the group.

I had a wonderful time in Rwanda, the land of 1000 hills. It was a great experience meeting guide leaders from all over the world. The Rwandan people are , against all odds, trying to rebuild their country and move forward in a spirit of reconciliation. Thanks to the NEB for giving me this opportunity .

The actual conference took place on the 3rd. day and we were all given headphones so that we could listen to business through interpreters.

• Agenda was approved • World Management and Financial reports were presented.

• Guides of Niger and Burundi were voted into ICCG • New Chair of World Executive was electedMarie- Jose Kahale Khoueiry from Lebanon • Jane Washer, Vice Chair of WAGGGS spoke .

She said WAGGGS was going to be working with ICCG regarding Spirituality.

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WMOF

RDS Arena 21-26 August

This year was an historic year in Ireland with the visit of Pope Francis, the first visit by a Pontiff since 1979. When Pope John Paul II visited there was a very large contingent from CGI at the Phoenix Park as part of the 1.25 million gathering, but times change and this year was a much more low-key event.

In 1979 it was purely a visit by the Pope, but this year the Pope came as part of the celebrations of the World Meeting of Families, a week-long celebration of Christian family life, which brought people from all corners of the globe to Dublin in August. The Meeting held a number of religious events throughout parishes around the country, a four-day event in the RDS, a concert in Croke Park and the highlight was undoubtedly the appearances and masses

by His Holiness in both Knock and the Phoenix Park.

We may not have had a contingent represent us at the Phoenix Park this year, but we were more than ably represented by some members of our organisation who volunteered in different areas; from singing in the choir, to welcoming visitors, and stewarding at the Park.

These members are a credit to our organisation, having given of their time, not only for the part they played in the WMOF, but also for the hours they had to spend in training and rehearsing for the events.

We also had a number of our members give up their time to help out at our exhibition stand at the WMOF in the RDS from the Wednesday to the Saturday. We had a number of leaders, and a Ranger, from all Regions of our association, who willingly came to the RDS to meet and greet people, to talk about who CGI are and to 38 Guiders Link Vol. 4

encourage new members, both old and young.

We were delighted to have Eileen on the stand for a few days because her Spanish helped us out on more than one occasion as she conversed effortlessly with people from a number of different countries; a few of us got to try out our rusty Leaving Cert French and one brave soul even gave her very basic Dutch a try!

Something that you may find interesting is that the Pope is a keen environmentalist and so called for a Leave no Trace approach to this WMOF. Suggestions to visitors included trying to reduce their environmental footprint in any way they could, including travelling lightly, leaving the car behind and choosing eco-friendly transport. One of the main recommendations was going plastic free, and at the concession stands there was no plastic cutlery, the bins were clearly marked for recycling and as much biodegradable material was used throughout the event.

All in all, we feel it was very worthwhile having a presence at the RDS. We had an amazing response to our stand, with quite a number of people taking the time to come up and thank us for being the only children-centred organisation at the event. We had a large number of Guides and Scouts from different countries come by our stand, chat about Guiding and Scouting in their country, and leave very happily with the commemoration badges we had made up for the event.

We even had a visit from Fr Leo Patalinghug; who just happens to be a huge tv star in the US and other territories, some of you may have heard of him, we had not. When he wasn’t signing autographs he spent a bit of time with us, asking about CGI and our membership, and he was completely blown away by the fact that all of our leaders and regional and national commissioners were volunteers, he was amazed that so many of us give so freely of our time each week.

Maybe that’s something we don’t give ourselves enough credit for, the sheer volume of time that’s volunteered around the country each week by our leaders. So thank you all for all that you do.

In conclusion, even though we may live in a very different Ireland to the one that Pope John Paul II visited in 1979, and people will have very different memories of this visit to that of 1979, one thing that remains the same is that CGI was there, still representing Guiding and volunteering 40 years later.

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Communications Looking through the submissions that come in for each edition of the Link for this section it never ceases to amaze us the amount of activities that all the different groups get up to each year. Over the long spring and summer months you’ve all been busy outdoors, many of you taking part in our Summer Challenge and also hopefully the Outdoor Award, and even though by now all but the most-hardy of us have put away our camping equipment, that shouldn’t stop us from getting out and about on hikes or any other activities listed in the booklet that can help towards your unit Outdoor Award. So, if you're searching for ideas why not give it a try, and don't forget OGM too, it’s full of great information and ideas.

We’ve had a great start to our new Guiding year with the first major event being the Chief Commissioner Awards, we’ve also had our National Cygnet & Brigin Day and we’re looking forward to the next edition of the Link where we'll see how the Guide and Ranger Weekends went, and we hope that everyone had a great time at all of those wonderful events. We’re continuing with our 90th celebrations, nationally and in the regions, so do send in a few words and pictures about what you've been getting up to.

Unbelievably, we’re already looking towards Christmas and ultimately the New Year, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your time and dedication to CGI throughout this calendar year, and to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Yours in Guiding, Michelle Finnerty National Commissioner for Communications pr@girlguidesireland.ie

Around Ireland sOUTH WEST Region Guider Training The South West Region kick started the new guiding year with a regional training weekend at Kilcully in September. New guiders attended compulsory CGI training while the more experienced leaders availed of refresher courses.

Thanks to all of our trainers. A special word of thanks to our caterer Liz Collins who ensured that we were well nourished during the trainings, and to the 118th Cork Watergrasshill S.I. Group who assisted with the outdoor skills.

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St. Bridget's Unit Caherdaniel of the Baden-Powells, the founders of Scouting and Guiding. On 26th, we made Mother’s Day cards, and on March 5th more cards, this time for Easter!

Having said goodbye at the end of our summer term to Stacey, Mailyn, Amy, and Poppy, we returned in autumn 2017 with our first meeting on October 2nd; we welcomed 2 new Brigíns: Danielle and Zoe.

On St. Patrick’s Day, we took part and won 3rd prize in our Walking Float section, in the Sneem Parade. Our theme was the recent Beast from the East storm, during which the country had become snowbound for several days and had famously run out of sliced pans! We have our Baker badges sewn on now, so won’t be caught out the next time! On April 9th, our Easter Egg Hunt was won by Aimee O’Donoghue and Eibhleann Pickard.

We were helped this year by Abbie, Maria, and Orla, former Brigíns now in Transition Year in Coláiste na Sceilge, as part of their Gaisce Awards programme.

Thank you all very much for your great help!

During the summer term, we had many fine evenings so made great use of the newly opened Caherdaniel playground. On the less fine evenings we had various indoor competitions and games for our Athlete badge.

During our autumn term, the girls worked on their Collector badge , bringing in their various collections and giving us a short talk on these. On 23rd October, we had our Hallowe’en Fancy Dress Party, and after the Hallowe’en break, we went straight into preparations for Christmas, our Annual Fundraising Cake Sale, and this year’s Enrolment of new Brigíns. We made posters advertising the cake sale on November 13th and also made Christmas decorations.

Our Enrolment and end of term Party were on December 11th, with the enrolment ceremony in the church including some Christmas hymns, and then back up to the Hall for refreshments and spirited renditions of the other Christmas music: Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as they have rarely been heard before! This year’s enrolment included our new Brigíns from last year also; in total we welcomed 5 new ‘official’ Brigíns.

Our Cake Sale on December 3rd was well supported and a great success as always. Thanks to all those people who come along each year to bake and buy cakes, and also to everyone who helps out by selling raffle tickets, donating prizes, etc.

Our first task on returning after Christmas was to embark on several weeks of cake and biscuit making, for our Baker badge. The badge work was checked, and badges awarded on February 26th, by Anne Fenton. This is one of the most popular badges we have done in some time, and the results all very tasty!

On February 5th, the girls made decorated pottery hearts for St. Valentine’s Day, on 12th cards for the same occasion, and on 19th we had our annual Thinking Day ceremony of prayers and readings to mark the birthdays

Our trip this year was on May 20th, to the Tralee Wetlands and afterwards to the cinema. We left Caherdaniel that morning in thick fog and persistent rain, but in Tralee the elements were kind enough to control themselves until we had finished our outdoor pursuits and were safely sheltered in the cinema.

We had our end of term party and prizegiving on May 28th, with prizes awarded by Mary O’Connor.

At the end of term party we also had a cake and ‘thank you’ gift for Cara, who retired as a leader with the company after 10 years.

It was with great sadness that we heard, on September 12th, of the death of Maureen O’Donoghue. In addition to her other wide and various involvement, throughout the years, with community organisations, Maureen was one of the original leaders when St. Bridget’s Company was first established in Caherdaniel parish and among our members today, are several of her greatgrandchildren. She was leader of the Brigíns for 15 years from 1982 to 1997 and brought to this role the same kindness, good humour, and organisational ability that she brought to all parts of her life.

St. Bridget’s Unit, Caherdaniel has just started back to meetings and we look forward to another exciting year ahead. www.girlguidesireland.ie 41

St. Colmcille's

Guides at Squelch in Farran Woods- Plenty of muddy mischief!!!

Briginis at Hey Jinks in Farran Woods- A wild bunch of adventurers!!!

Northern Region St Paul's Belfast What a funfilled start to our new guiding year in St Paul's Belfast, from taking part in our first Pride Festival and meeting some Scouting Ireland along the way to completing our Summer Challenge. Now the girls are ready for bake off and getting ready for their Millenium Volunteer award hours.

Can't wait to see what the rest of the 90th year of CGI brings us.

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Bring back Roberta Campaign!!!Retirement party for the amazing Roberta Noonan who has been a leader at St.Colmcille’s Unit for 25 years.

Guides at West Cork Secret- A fantastic day of team building organized by the fantastic South Western Region Guide coordinator Anna Murphy!

EASTERN REgion Greenhills Rangers go to Larch Hill We decided to start our Ranger year with an overnight trip to Larch Hill. We didn’t want the hassle of pitching tents for one night so we decided to bivvy. We asked our Guider if she would take us and she agreed. On the 29th of September, we met in Larch Hill car park. We opted to stay in wooden huts known as Adirondack shelters, which offer some protection from the weather but are still out in the forest with no doors. Luckily for us we were well prepared, had lots of layers and the weather was mild overnight.

When we arrived we had to carry all our stuff up through the forest to our campsite which was a small trek (especially when it got dark). We collected lots of wood and water for our fire and made sure we had everything we needed on site before we began. We lit our fire #lit and made our dinner which was wraps with vegetables and mince. We also made s’mores while singing camp fire songs.

Unfortunately we burned some of them. #charcoal When we were bringing wood up for the fire Sophie fell in a ditch and it was hilarious #flatonherface.

We then gathered around the camp fire and had tea. It was a lovely chill evening under the stars and we enjoyed spending time together. We headed to bed quite late but impressed our Guiders as got up ourselves up at 7 the next day, collected more wood and restarted our fire.

It was much colder in the morning but we had breakfast ready for our Guiders when they woke up and were starting the wash up. We made a fry for everyone as well as pancakes with Nutella #pancakeslovenutella. Strangely, our vegetarian ranger volunteered to cook all the meat! We cleaned the site up and made sure we left no trace of our visit. We then got ready to head home after a great night.

Buion Francis Taylor, Malahide, Link Up Ceremony We love celebrating our link-up ceremony each year at Buion Francis Taylor, Malahide. This year we had a fantastic night as 24 of our Brigini moved up to Guides. We invited the parents to our meeting, and the Guides and Rangers were there to help make sure everything ran smoothly. Firstly, the girls entertained us all with a play about Health Awareness; earning another badge along the way and dazzling us with their talent and confidence! We then followed on with our Link ceremony. As the girls came forward each one added their name, their hopes and memories to our chain (which began way back in 2008!). Finally, they were presented with their camp blanket to sew their many badges on! Each girl gets a blanket with our Malahide Castle badge on it, and the bunting has her name and the year she moved on embroidered on to it; thanks to one of our very talented mothers for all her hard work on this. We will miss the girls from our group but hope they will be an inspiration to the younger Brigini. www.girlguidesireland.ie 43

Eastern Region PL Training On the 30th of September 38 Brigins and 16 Guides attended patrol leader training in the Eastern Region.

The Brigini session started with some warm ups and ice breaker games to get the girls comfortable and ready to go. They then divided into six patrols for the day. Throughout the day they learnt important skills, such as, the aspects of a good patrol leader, the behaviours to avoid while being a patrol leader and had a great opportunity to mix with other Brigini from the Region. The Brigini learnt that even patrol leaders are not perfect and that’s okay. We all have different opinions but we need to be respectful of others, even if we disagree. At the end of the session the girls grouped up into their units and shared games which we all played together. Then before they knew it it was time for home after a long day’s training and laughing with new friends.

Some of the sessions for Guides included leadership skills, such as communication, empathy, instilling confidence and being a good support to members of your patrol. The girls talked about the structure of patrols, how leaders decide on patrols and the expectations of patrol leaders.

Throughout the day the girls participated in different communication exercises such as blindfold trails and image drawing. These showed that the Patrol leaders have a responsibility to look after all members and to try to understand their different needs. The girls also learnt all about the workings of Patrol Leaders Council. The day ended with an opportunity to bring any issues to Members Council, evaluation of the training using sticky notes and a discussion on the one main thing they will bring back to their companies.

Also on the day both groups took part in sessions with a rep from Barnardos on the topic of cyberbullying. The girls were made aware of the importance of internet safety, especially with password sharing (only with your parents/guardians), how to be careful with photos and how easily some photos can be used by people to bully.

south east region Summerhill Cygnets 2nd Birthday

Summerhill Leaders

Summerhill Cygnets are delighted to be celebrating our 2nd birthday this year. We enjoyed our party night by making cards for our birthday. We played traditional party games. And best of all we had birthday cake and blew out the candles. Thank you to all our leaders in Summerhill unit we wouldn't be here without you.

Summerhill leaders getting set for another fantastic guiding year. Wouldn't be possible without all these fabulous ladies to run our sections. Missing from picture Nicola Toughey and Lynda Power

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Summerhill Guides- Our summer For Summer camp this year Summerhill Guides took part in the Scouting Ireland Jambo Ri which was held in Stradbally .

The girls along with St Brendan’s from Cork were the only CGI representatives at the Jambo Ri and they did Guiding extremely proud. The camp was a great jamboree experience for the girls and a great opportunity for them to use their outdoor skills. From backwoods cooking bases to bouncy castles to a massive pioneering project the girls took part in all of the activities and thoroughly enjoyed them.

They were part of the fabulous Middle Earth sub camp and enjoyed the impromptu raves that happened most nights on the camp. The girls also took part in the county market and gave a great showing of Wexford and all its produce and traditions. Ella Browne was chosen one morning to raise the sub camp flag and Rebecca Murphy was chosen to bring the sub camp flag along to the opening ceremony. We were very proud to see a CGI uniform represented in the opening ceremony .

The Jamboree gave the girls an opportunity to showcase CGI, to take part in new skills, to learnt to live in close confines with other Guides and scouts and to cook on open fires to name but a few. We were delighted to have our parents and other guiders visit on parent’s day and this gave them an opportunity to see guiding in action.

The guides were accompanied on camp by Lynda Power, Phil Dempsey , Rachel Cleary and Aideen Moran . Nicola Mangan and Emily McCann were part of the sub camp team, Well done everyone .

Another highlight of our summer was to see Megan Dempsey who is one of our Rangers but had worked all last year as part of her Gaisce with the Guide section take part in the IGG Chief Commissioner Award along with Grace who is a Ranger from Dublin . The girls had a great time and we were very proud to see them receiving their pin and woggle. well done ladies.

The icing on the cake for us was to have 3 of our fabulous Guides ( who are now working on being fabulous Rangers ) received their CCA this year, Well done to Ciara, Amy and Rebecca, as always you did us proud.

CHOICES We have been working very hard on our CHOICES programme. In particular we have been working on our creative section. Our favourite thing at the moment are unicorns so we decorated cupcakes as unicorns. You never know maybe there could be a unicorn badge.

We also made our name clouds. It was fun to think of words for the letters in our names.

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Rights in Their Eyes

We all know that we’ve got plenty of amazing women and girls in our association, and we’re proud of each and every one of them.

This is the story of two of our members, a mother and daughter dynamic duo, Siobhan and Saoirse, and how Saoirse has now become an exhibited artist. Siobhan (trainee leader from Buion Marc in Dublin) takes up their story: Saoirse (11) was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of two.

For the first few years Saoirse’s condition was manageable, but as she grew older her health deteriorated and we found ourselves being admitted to Tallaght Hospital more and more frequently. It was through these admissions that we got to know the National Commissioner for Brigini, Sarah Browne, and we learned, through arts and crafts no less, about the Buion Marc girl guide unit. Every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining!

Saoirse joined Buion Marc and within a couple of weeks I followed as a trainee leader. The Catholic Guides of Ireland gives Saoirse something to look forward to, and she enjoys socialising outside of her normal school group.

Saoirse started a new super drug called Orkambi last April and during her admission she was asked by the TUH Art therapist, Aimee O'Neill, to create a self-portrait for a new art project. The project was called "Rights in Their Eyes" and they were asked to choose a Right from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Saoirse chose to do a poster about the "Right To Play" and she drew a self-portrait of herself dressed as Harry Potter flying over the hospital. This was a great distraction for Saoirse and took her mind off the nerves of starting a new drug. She spent a long time on her poster and was extremely proud of herself.

It wasn't until early August that we received an invitation to attend a Children's Art Exhibition at Tallaght Hospital. Myself and Saoirse always enjoyed looking at the various exhibitions in the long corridor during her admissions, so we decided it would be nice to attend while she was feeling well for a change. To our surprise, after arriving at the exhibition, we found out that Saoirse’s picture had won a place and was on display along with other patients’ art and 11 pieces drawn from the winners of the 2017 Texaco Children's Art Competition. The exhibition will run for the next few months and was officially opened by Niall Muldoon, The Children's Ombudsman. We also enjoyed some lovely tea and cakes and were relieved we dressed for the occasion, as Saoirse had a mini photoshoot beside her picture. The entire experience has given Saoirse a real boost and she loves to show off her picture to all her pals, either visiting or attending the hospital.

I am delighted to be able to say, that at the time of writing this and since starting her new drug, Saoirse’s health is on the up and up. She hasn't had a single hospital admission in almost six months (fingers and toes crossed). We are looking hopeful to the future and looking forward to eventually going camping and meeting more members of the Catholic Guides of Ireland.

Thanks to Siobhan for sharing their story with us and we wish them both, and all their friends in Buion Marc, a great Guiding year ahead!

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Contacts NEB Chief Commissioner National Secretary National Treasurer Cygnets Brigíní Rangers International Communications Development Training Outdoor South-Western Region Eastern Region South-Eastern Region Northern Region North-Eastern Region

chiefcommissioner@girlguidesireland.ie secretary@girlguidesireland.ie treasurer@girlguidesireland.ie cygnets@girlguidesireland.ie brigíní@girlguidesireland.ie rangers@girlguidesireland.ie international@girlguidesireland.ie pr@girlguidesireland.ie development@girlguidesireland.ie training@girlguidesireland.ie outdoor@girlguidesireland.ie s.west@girlguidesireland.ie eastern@girlguidesireland.ie s.east@girlguidesireland.ie admin.nr@catholicguides.org.uk n.east@girlguidesireland.ie

Child Protection Eastern Region 086 2710953 Clare O’Brien South-Western Region Alison Tanner-Howe Maria Dowling South-Eastern Region Barbara Ryan Aideen Moran Northern Region Josephine Higgins Martha Mc Grath Sarah Mc Manus Maire Mc Grath

086 2710941 086 2710950 086 2710958 086 2710952

07581644947 07581644899 07581645481 07581639739

Staff Nicola Toughey National Office Coordinator Antoinette Hosback Finance Officer Erinn Dunlea Administrative Assistant Eoin Hamilton Communications Administrator

nicola@girlguidesireland.ie finance@girlguidesireland.ie admin@girlguidesireland.ie communications@girlguidesireland.ie

www.girlguidesireland.ie 47

CGI National Office 12 Clanwilliam Terrace, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 661 9566 • Fax: (01) 676 5691 Email: admin@girlguidesireland.ie CGI Northern Region Office St. Francis De Sales, 55 Beechmount Drive, Belfast BT12 7LU Tel: 028 9031 3639 Email: admin.nr@catholicguides.org.uk www.girlguidesireland.ie Charity Number: CHY 7958 Reg. Charity Number: 20018689

Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the National Lottery.