ZOO DAY Pages 6-9
15TH EUROPEAN GUIDE & SCOUT CONFERENCE Pages 28-31
2016 Vol. 3
Guider’s Link
www.girlguidesireland.ie 1
CONTENTS Chief Commissioner's Message 3 Noticeboard 4 Zoo Day 6 Safeguarding 10 Members Council 12 Cygnet Section 14 BrigĂn Section 16 Guide Section 18 Ranger Section 20 Training 23 Outdoors 24 International 28 Uniform Information 34 TOE Camp 36 Around Ireland 38 From the Archive 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 Monday 3rd October, 2016 2 Guiders Link Vol. 3
CHIEF COMMISSIONER'S MESSAGE As one guiding year ends, another begins. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and joining in the great atmosphere we had at Zoo Day this year! Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed all the activities and challenges the leaders had planned out for everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your summer break and getting out there to all the camps and activities planned for the summer months. I look forward to seeing you all over the new Guiding year, may this be our best one yet.
Cecilia Browne Chief Commissioner
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NOTICEBOARD UPCOMING NATIONAL EVENTS Ventact
2-4th September
NEB
10th September
Chief Commissioner Award Ceremony
24th September
National Member's Council
14-16th October
NEB
15th October
National Guide Weekend
4-6th November
National Ranger Weekend
11-13th November
Guider Training (Step 2)
11-13th November
REGIONAL TRAINING Child Protection Awareness (SE Region)
3rd September
Guider Course Step 1 (SE Region)
1-2nd October
RESOURCE DATES Youth Day
12th August
Women's Equality Day
26th August
International Day of the Girl
11th October
Universal Children's Day
19th November
NEWS FROM THE NEB •
Nola Pluck was appointed as the North East Region Commissioner.
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All Guiders are to wear the Guide neckerchief and not neckerchiefs from the sections.
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Suzanne Breen, South East Region was co-opted as an Ordinary Member.
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Siobhan Mullins, South West Region, will be the contact on the NEB for Members Council.
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From 1st September 2016, there will be no extensions to event closing dates. All bookings and payments must be submitted by the date advertised in the Guiders Link.
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Two policies were agreed and signed off at the NEB and are available on the CGI website:
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The cost of transport for National events will increase to €15 per head with immediate effect. Regions still have the option to arrange their own transport.
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• Training Policy
• Internet and Social Media Policy
CHIEF COMMISSIONER AWARD
Do you have Guides aged 12 or over by the 31st of August 2016? Have they completed or will they have completed their Bronze Award by the 30th of September 2016? 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 14th October 2016, 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 12th May 2017. No late entries will be accepted. Successful candidates will be awarded their certificates and pins at the Award Ceremony to take place during the Autumn (September) 2017.
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
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NATIONAL ZOO DAY 2016 Well it arrived 7th May and the CGI National Zoo Day was upon us and in typical Irish fashion we awakened to rain, but us Girl Guides being resilient, onwards we went to the zoo. The advance team arrived and it was quiet all bar the odd roar of a lion and the squawk of a monkey. So we set up and soon the rumble of buses, the strains of “We’re all going to the Zoo” could be heard as they all started to arrive……. Cygnets, Brigins, Guides, Rangers and Guiders. They arrived in droves - just over 1100 of us! Despite the steady drizzle there were smiles and greetings and general excitement for the day ahead. Cara and the Chief Commissioner were there to meet the girls and they were all anxious to have their photos taken with Cara and their companies. And still they were smiling .
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So after having their photo taken and chatting with the Chief Commissioner the girls set off around the zoo.
The Cygnets had their passports that took them around the zoo. The Brigins had a quiz, the Guides had a challenge and yes that was Where’s Wilma going around the zoo. Many selfies and pictures were taken. The Rangers had to take photos to represent the word RANGER in the zoo.
It was great to see so many smiling faces of CGI in the zoo and to get the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new friends. The Zoo Day finished up with a thank you from Cecilia our Chief Commissioner and the girls got some lovely Zoo Day back packs to take away with them. 8 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Many thanks to Nicola, Eoin, Emma and Antoinette from the National Office for all of their assistance in getting ready for the day, to the section commissioners for all the programme input and to all the Guiders for bringing all of our youth members to the zoo. Looking forward to the next day already.
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SAFEGUARDING Garda Vetting National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 began on 29th April 2016. The Garda Central Vetting Unit is now called the National Vetting Bureau of the Garda SĂochĂĄna.
From this date it is an offence to volunteer with children before Garda Vetting has been confirmed by the National Vetting Bureau. New forms will come into effect immediately and are available from the National Office or on the CGI website. There is an important change to the Vetting procedure:
Proof of Identity and Confirmation of the Current Address are required BEFORE the Vetting process can commence. Therefore, photocopies of these documents must accompany all applications sent to the National Office. Any application submitted to the National Office without these documents will be returned to the applicant. All new volunteers should also complete the Volunteer Application Form.
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ONLINE GUIDE MANAGER NEW MEMBERS
Have you got new members in your Unit since the last census was paid? You need to add your new members to OGM and then you can do another census in the same way you did the first census. The system will automatically only select the new members when generating an invoice.
CLOSING DATE FOR NEXT CENSUS: 31st August 2016 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).
exact amount specified on the invoice, otherwise we will have to return your payment to you. Thank you for co-operation in this regard.
When paying census/registration invoices, only pay the
MEMBER'S ADDRESSES Over the summer the National Office are contacting all Guiders in relation to their record on OGM. We need OGM to be as accurate as possible. Could you please ensure that your personal details are accurate and fully listed on OGM. If not could you please log on to OGM to change/update your record.
GOLD LEVEL CGI will be paying for the Gold level of OGM for all Units for 2016/ 2017 www.girlguidesireland.ie 11
MEMBERS COUNCIL South East Region Members Council Spirit of Brigin Day On Saturday 28th of May the South East Region Members Council organised the beach themed “Spirit of Brigin Day” in Piercestown Guide & Scout hall. We split the girls into four groups, pearls, mermaids, crabs and starfish. They rotated around to different activities. Our Chairperson Jessica did challenges with the girls, Grace, our secretary, did an obstacle course and table quiz, Amy did arts and crafts and I ( Jody) did games with them. Back in January we came up with the idea for us to run the day, then later on in early April we had another meeting this time to organise the day. We decided what way the day would work and how long we would have with each group and then had another meeting to finalise everything. Then the day before we went shopping for prizes to give to the brigins at the end of the day.
At quarter to eleven on the 28th the girls arrived for registration and were assigned to their groups and at 11 o’clock we began the day. We rotated every 45 minutes. At 1 o’clock we stopped for lunch. Those of us on Members Council had lunch with Chief Commissioner Cecilia Browne and she spoke to us about Members Council and how we can let others know who we are. At 1:45 we went back outside to continue the day. This time the brigins were split into two groups with Jessica and Amy taking one group and Grace and I took the other group. We played games with them until it was time to start the campfire competition. The song choices were really good including; I wish I was a glow worm, A pirate ship and the friend song. At the end of the day everyone gathered around and Wexford Town unit was awarded the Spirit of Brigin Day plaque, and Tramore won the campfire competition which was judged by Chief Commissioner Cecilia and Regional Commissioner Nicola Toughey. After some group photos were taken the Members Council were given a surprise present and on behalf of the Members Council I would like to say thank you for that. It was a great day, thank you to all the units who brought their Brigins and thank you to both Chief Commissioner and Regional Commissioner for visiting that day. We hoped all the girls enjoyed the day as much as we did. Jody Boyle, Clonard Guides, South East Region Members Council. 12 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Northern Region, Lagan Area Members Council Northern Region, Lagan Area Members Council are holding an All Sections Fun Day When? Saturday 20th August Where? St. McNissi's, (St. Mary's on the Hill Den) What Time? From 12 to 4pm. Friends and family welcome.
EASTERN REGION MEMBERS COUNCIL SELECTION DAY SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2016 HQ, HARRINGTON STREET
OPEN TO BRIGINS, GUIDES, RANGERS SEND ALONG 2 REPRESENTATIVES FROM YOUR SECTION FOR SELECTION AS PART OF OUR EASTERN REGION MEMBERS COUNCIL HEAR EXPERIENCES FROM PREVIOUS MEMBERS COUNCIL LET OUR YOUNGER MEMBERS HAVE THEIR SAY IN THE FUTURE OF OUR ORGANISATION CONTACT PAMELA FOR FURTHER DETAILS – 086 8417781 pamelabehan@gmail.com
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CYGNETS
O L Y T M E P N I CS G Y C Torch Run We’re coming into the summer and everyone is out and about, which is great, but we’re also heading towards the Olympic Games, so why not have an Olympic themed meeting with your Cygnets? Here are a few ideas.
why not have the Cygnets make their own Torn Paper Torch and they can then have a Torch Relay in your hall as they prepare for their Olympic Games.
No Olympic Games is complete without a torch run, so
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Olympic Flag The Olympic Flag is another iconic image, but how about the Cygnets make their own rings from paper plates? All you need are paper plates, some colours and some scissors. Cut the centres out of the plates, colour the remaining circles in the colours of the Rings; blue, yellow, red, green and black. Cut a slit in the yellow and green rings and insert them through, as the picture here. Another idea for the rings is to play a game of ring-toss with them – using either a toilet roll or kitchen roll inner tube to throw the rings at.
Medals Every winner at the Olympic Games gets a medal and a good use for the inserts of the paper plates that you’ve gotten rid of while making your Olympic Rings, why not turn them into medals for the girls? Let each Cygnet have a medal disk and allow them to decorate with gold, silver or bronze colours, with some tissue paper, with foil papers or anything else you have. Then, they can sellotape some string or ribbon onto the back of their medal, so they can hang them around their neck.
Let The Games Begin! Now you’ve got your Olympic flag and your torch complete, you’ve even got the medals for your competitors, the next thing you need are some games. Why not set up stations around your hall and have the girls rotate around them all. You could have games such as a ringtoss game with your Rings; relay races; straw javelin throwing; balloon tennis; hula hoop, hopscotch or just about any other game that your Cygnets enjoy.
The Award Ceremony and Afterparty When everyone has finished playing their Olympic Games they’ll need their medal ceremony and of course an Olympic themed party. Why not hang bunting around your hall made up of flags from different countries – you can either print them off the internet or you can have the girls colour them in themselves. You can keep the spirit going with things like: Olympic Cupcakes or cookies
Weight-lifting pretzel sticks
Olympic Torch snacks
Use some plain fairy buns or some Rich Tea biscuits, get some vanilla frosting to spread on top of each, and then top them off with skittles or m&m’s of the Olympic colours.
Take some pretzel sticks and pop a block of cheese on both ends, or a grape or olive on either end.
Start with a wafer cone and fill it with something like chipsticks or caramel popcorn
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BRIGÍNÍ Many of our Brigini are great readers, and an alltime favourite continues to be Roald Dahl. But, did you know that in fact International Roald Dahl day is coming up? Yes, it’s celebrated each year on his birthday, on 13th September. So why not have a look at some of our Roald Dahl games or crafts for one of your first meetings back in September? You can even read some of his books and have the girls talk about them with their Patrols and this can go towards their Book Lover Badge!
Pin the Tail on Fantastic Mr Fox How about a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but as we’re celebrating all things Dahl, we’ll play Pin the Tail on Fantastic Mr Fox. Either draw or print out a picture of Fantastic Mr Fox, and separately cut out a tail for him. Stick the picture of Mr Fox to a door, or on the wall and have the girls take turns to blindfold each other and try pin the tail on Mr Fox.
BFG's Ears Give each girl a paper plate, have them cut them in half and draw and ear on each. Then, cut some paper in a strip to be used as a headband, tape or staple it the correct size for each head. Next, either tape, glue or staple the ears to the band, and there you have the BFG’s Ears..
What’s the Time Mr Fox? Another game that the girls love is What’s the Time Mr Wolf? But, did you know that in the USA this game is actually called What’s the Time Mr Fox? Which just happens to fit in brilliantly for our Roald Dahl themed evening. How to Play: One player is chosen to be Mr Fox. Mr Fox stands at the opposite end of the hall from the other players, facing away from them. A call-and-response then takes place: all players except for Mr Fox chant in unison "What's the time, Mr Fox?", And Mr Fox will answer in one of the two ways: 1) Mr Fox may call a clock time (e.g., "3 o'clock"). Then the other players will take that many steps out as long as they go ("One, two, three"). Then they ask the question again, if nobody has been able to touch Mr Fox. 2) Mr Fox may call "Dinner time!" Where Mr Fox will turn around and chase the other players back to their starting point. If Mr Fox successfully tags a player before they reach the starting point, that player becomes the new Mr Fox for the next round.
Willy Wonka Golden Ticket Here’s a template for the Golden Ticket, you can print them out and let the girls fill them in themselves; maybe they could use them as invitations to a Roald Dahl movie night?
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Fantastic Mr Fox Mask: Here’s a template for a Mr Fox mask, which the girls can cut out and decorate themselves.
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GUIDES Welcome to another fun filled guiding year. Hope you all are enjoying your summer break, social media is fantastic as I can see some of your amazing camps, hope you all have a great time. It was fantastic to meet you at the zoo day and also Chief Commissioner interviews, well done to all. The Guide section starts off the year with a flying start, can’t wait to see you at the Chief Commissioner Award Ceremony. Finally, I look forward to meeting you at our National Guide Camp in November remember to book early to avoid disappointment. Don’t forget your line dancing boots !!
Yours in Guiding, Geraldine Conway National Commissioner for Guides
DIY French Bulletin Board Materials Needed •
A Canvas (16×20 )
• Fabric (enough to cover your canvas approx. 1/2 yard) •
Batting
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Ribbon
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Buttons
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Staple gun
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Needle & thread.
Instructions Step one: First lay out your batting and place canvas on top, trim the edges leaving enough to fold over the back
Step three: Next lay down your fabric, leaving enough to fold over the back. Trim off the extra and save it for another project. Staple the fabric down every 4-6 inches. Step four: Now it is time to add the ribbon. I start by placing the ribbon diagonally down the canvas. Staple the ribbon down on the back. Then diagonally down the other side to create a diamond affect. Step five: Now it is time to sew the buttons on. This part takes a little time, but is worth it. It really makes the bulletin board look better.
Step two: Fold the edges of your batting over and staple it down on the back of the canvas. I put staples every 4-6 inches all around. Pull the batting tight so it lays flat. If the staples don’t go all the way in, use a hammer to tap them down.
Crossword Names Give a pen and paper to each young person in your group. Ask them to write their first name in capitals in the middle of the paper. Each person then moves around the room, inviting others (including leaders) to attach their name, where the first letter matches a letter on the paper. The names are then added like a branching crossword puzzle. The person who is able to attach the most names in the given time is the winner.
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Object Stories
Collect together a number of objects and place in a dark coloured plastic bag. The objects can include everyday items i.e. a pencil, key-ring, mobile phone, but also include some more unusual ones i.e. a fossil, holiday photograph, wig! Pass the bag around the group and invite each young person to dip their hand into the bag (without looking) and pull out one of the objects. The leader begins a story which includes her object. After 20 seconds, the next person takes up the story and adds another 20 seconds, incorporating the object they are holding. And so on, until everyone has made a contribution to your epic literary tale. Let imaginations run wild!
Pumpkin Autumn Cookies Ingredients
Method
Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla followed by the pumpkin puree and candied ginger. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until evenly incorporated.
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tsp. baking powder
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1 tsp. baking soda
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1½ tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
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½ tsp. salt
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1 stick unsalted butter
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1¼ c. sugar
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1 large egg
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1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
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1 cup canned pumpkin puree
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2 tbsp. minced candied ginger
Glaze •
1 cup icing sugar
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2 tbsp. unsalted butter
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1 tbsp. milk
Oh Ye cannae push yer Granny off a bus (Tune of She'll be Coming Round the Mountain) Oh ye cannae push yer Granny off a bus, Oh ye cannae push yer granny off a bus, Oh ye cannae push yer Granny 'Cos she's yer Mammy's Mammy, Oh ye cannae push yer Granny off a bus! Oh my Granny wears a awf'y scratchy vest (scratch scratch) Oh my Granny wears a awf'y scratchy vest (scratch scratch) Oh my Granny wears a scratchy,
2. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop level tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Using a lightly moistened finger, smooth the tops. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time in the centre of the oven, until risen and firm, about 15 minutes. 3. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar with the butter and milk and stir until smooth and spreadable. While the cookies are still slightly warm, spoon a teaspoon of the glaze onto each one and spread slightly. Let cool completely, then transfer to a platter.
As its National Grandparents day the 11th of September why not teach your girls this fun campfire song. Granny wears a scratchy, Granny wears an awf'y scratchy vest (scratch, scratch) Other Verses • Oh my Grannys got an awful runny nose (sniff, sniff, etc) • Oh we'll all go round to Granny's for our tea (Hello Granny, etc ) • Oh my Granny eats her porridge wi' a fork (slurp, slurp etc ) • Oh my grannys always giving me a kiss (kiss, kiss) • Ye can shove yer other Granny off a bus, 'Cos she's yer Daddy's mammy!"
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RANGERS Hi everyone,
Welcome back to Rangers I hope that you are enjoying the Summer Holidays. For those of you who took exams well done and now that the stress is over you can get back to guiding.
Report from Ranger Day 18th June, 2016 While the numbers who attended were small it turned out to be a great day for those who were able to come.
The activities for the day included: wall climbing, high wire walking and crate stacking. Some of the Rangers decided to camp for the weekend so arrived early on Friday night with the rest of the girls arriving at the start of the activities on Saturday morning and camping on Saturday night.
Here are a few photos of the girls during their activities:“The Ranger Day was great! I really loved the Crate Stacking and the High Ropes Course because they were a great workout. The Larch Hill Instructors were really kind and funny and motivated us to complete the activities, we spent the whole day laughing! It was the most fun I've had in ages!”
We have a very exciting programme organised for the 2016/2017 guiding year. It would be great to see Rangers from every region attending this year’s event which takes place from 11 – 13 in November 2016.
If you wish to make any contribution to the Guiders Link or have any ideas please email it to rangers@girlguidesireland.ie
Patricia Derwin, National Commissioner for Rangers
~Lauren Dignam Buion An Teaghlaigh Naofa, Harold's Cross Girl Guides. “I did much more than I thought I could do, it was great”. ~Clare Quinn Buion Pheadair an tAspal, Neilstown
“We really enjoyed the activities, our leaders got involved and the instructors were helpful. We really enjoyed rock climbing even if some of the girls did it in gel nails. Fort Adventura consisted of Lauren getting stuck in the splits and Sophie getting caught on the rope ladder. Finally there was crate stacking which was by far the best, with our Leader Emma getting her leg stuck in a crate while trying to topple her sister off the stack.” ~Nicole Landy Buion An Teaghlaigh Naofa, Harold's Cross Girl Guides. 20 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Dates to remember for 2016/17 Ranger Weekend When? November 11-13, 2016
Where? International Scout and Guide Centre, Larch Hill, Tibradden, Dublin.
Ranger Day When? November 2017
Programme: more information in next guiders link
Ranger Programme up-date Following on from the ranger Programme review and survey, it would appear that the Rangers are looking to receive cloth badges, to wear on their uniform. So, with that in mind, we are holding a competition to see who can come up with a design for the badges.
Some of the ideas that came from the meeting were badges that could inter-link to create one big badge for each of the sections, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Although this is not a brief for the competition it is just what other rangers thought. It will be your badge so be as creative as you like.
National Ranger Weekend 11-13 November dancing • Mindfulness ACTIVITIES •• Bollywood Health and fitness • Health and beauty • Crafts • Boxercise
• Listening to music • & Many more
Please send your entry to: National Office 12 Clanwillam Terrace Grand Canal Quay Dublin 2 Closing date:
30th October, 2016
Venue: Larch Hill Scout Camp Cost: €50 per participant €20 for leaders Travel: €15 per participant Closing Date: 28th October
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RANGER COMMUNICATIONS CHALLENGE The Ranger Commissioner and the Communications Commissioners have come together to design a Challenge especially for the Ranger groups. The aim of the Challenge is to "communicate" to the wider world, to publicise your Rangers unit. There are two different elements to the Challenge, and you can take part in both or just in one, that's entirely up to you - there will be a winner in each section and an overall winner.
>>>> The first part is a Social Media Challenge; and in this part, we're challenging you to get as much social media coverage as you can for your post (or posts, it can be more than one) The total number of likes/re-tweets/shares etc will be calculated as on the closing date of the competition and no later.
>>>> The second part is a traditional media Challenge; and in this section, it's all about newspapers, radio
or tv and how much coverage you can get in any one, or all of those - obviously a national tv station would score higher than a local radio station.
Who? The Challenge can be completed individually or by groups, that's entirely up to you. What? You need to put up a post/article/tweet (whatever you want to do) but it MUST include three things. 1. A photo of your uniform - it doesn't need to show faces if you don't wish to. 2. You must include "CGI" at least once in the text. 3. One of the following: The name of your Unit, your meeting day and time, or your meeting place. If any of these elements are missing, your entry will be deemed invalid. Where? The Challenge is a long-running event, so there is no set place to complete it; you can be as creative as you wish over the entire period. When? The Challenge will begin on 1st September and will end on 1st March, with the winner being awarded at a Ranger Event, date to be decided, at the end of March. How? First, register your interest on our dedicated Facebook page, the rest is entirely up to you! You're encouraged to think outside the box and be as creative and engaging as possible. There's no limit to the amount of posts/articles etc that you try to get published/shared they just all need to have the 3 elements described above.
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GOOD LUCK!
TRAINING Hello Guiders It was great to meet everyone who attended Guider Training Step 1, the Unit Leader course and the Brigin Guider weekend in the last Guiding Year. For the Guiding Year 2016/17 we have a lot more opportunities for Guiders – no matter where you are on your Guiding journey. For new Guiders check out the Guider Training Step 1 course that will be running in your area before Christmas (if you miss it or can’t attend we may run a National Guider Training Step 1 in March). For trained Guiders this year will give you the chance to take the next step in your training. And for Cygnet Guiders, it’s your turn to have a weekend dedicated only to working with Cygnets!
UPCOMING COURSES Guider Training Step 2 Dates: 11-13th November Venue: Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport Cost: €50 If you have completed Guider Training Step 1 and are interested in learning more about Leadership; Communication; Programme Planning; Team Building and more – this is the course for you!
Closing Date: 22nd October
Guider Training Step 3 - An Dushlan Dates: 27-29th January 2017 Venue: To be confirmed Cost: €50 The advanced course for those of you who have completed Guider Training Steps 1 & 2, with emphasis on Project Management
Closing Date: 26th November
Yours in Guiding Mandy Bradley National Commissioner for Training
CYGNET GUIDER WEEKEND
3-5th February 2017 CALLING ALL CYGNET GUIDERS
Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport
Closing date 26th November
This is a weekend just for you, to meet other Cygnet Guiders from around the country, to exchange ideas and to look at new ways of working with Cygnets, with guest trainers from Guiding UK.
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OUTDOORS Hello Everyone Welcome to this edition of the guiders link, hope you are all enjoying your summer and if you’re having a little rest from Guiding that you will be back in September reenergised and ready to be Out and About with CGI . So a couple of items that I hope will be of help and interest to you. Emily McCann, National Commissioner for Outdoors
ELEMENTS BADGE As we have now changed the outdoor award we have a lot of element badges left in stock so we are running a once off elements badge to let all of our members avail of these badges. The suggestions are based on ideas that you could work into your weekly programme so we hope they will, apart from fulfilling your badge requirements, help fill your programme. Cygnets: Do 3 from each section – can be from any section but if possible try varying them Brigini: Do 4 activities, 1 from each section –Water, Earth. Air and Fire Guides & Rangers: Do 6 activities -1 from each section – Water, Earth, Air and Fire and 2 from any other section These are suggested activities; if you the guider come up with one that fits the criteria of the 4 elements please feel free to use it. The badge is awarded at the discretion of the guider and can be ordered by contacting the National office. Badges are 50cents each .
WATER
Take part in water games
Research the charity Water Aid – what does it do? Design a poster on Hand Hygiene Show the importance of hand hygiene on camp
Plant and look after a garden Plant a window box and donate to a local nursing home so the residents have something nice to look at outside their room Make window boxes
Visit a lifeboat station
Visit a wildlife conservation centre
Do a flavoured water tasting – grade them by best taste best value etc.
Visit the Zoo- Dublin Zoo, Belfast Zoo or Fota Wildlife Park
Go kayaking
Visit your local heritage centre
Visit your local swimming pool
Earn you conservation badge (Guides)
Research and learn a new water sport
EARTH Do an analysis of the chip shops in your area- do a blind tasting who can recognise their favourite chipper. Vote on your favourites. Make sure to let the chipper know
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Get somebody to visit from your local Tidy Town committee to explain their work
FIRE Visit a fire station Learn to light a fire safely Learn which types of wood are good for fires
AIR
Learn about fire extinguishers – which ones to use for each type of fire Invite your local fire safety officer to come visit you Take part in a fire drill Backwoods cooking
Make a kite Learn how to book a flight
Take part in a campfire
Do you have a small local airport – visit it and see how everything works
Design a campfire booklet
Visit a local flying club
Write a campfire song
Research hot air balloons – how do they work?
As I said above these are just suggestions let your imagination run free and earn your elements badge.
SUMMER So while you are on summer camp this year did your guides earn their camper badge? The following is a reminder of the criteria so you can make sure they earned their badge; Do •
Take part in an outdoor camp of at least 2 nights duration
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Know how to pitch, air and strike a tent
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Be able to use a portable cooking device
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Have all the necessary personal equipment for camping
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Make two gadgets
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Demonstrate safety precautions near a fire
Maybe they took part in some activities on camp that could start them off on their Outdoor Challenge badge. Make sure to record them to get them started on the badge.
HIKING
Now that the autumn and cooler days are approaching I hope that you will all be getting your youth members out and about and hiking. This is an excerpt from “Rock The Hills “a booklet on hiking that Marie Denham compiled for her An Dushlan training. The full booklet can be found on the website in the member’s area under Guiders and Resources. Thanks Marie, it’s a great resource to have. There are some other booklets there as well so why not have a look at them . A hike can be incorparated into a camp itinerary or a day/ evening trip. Like any trip the following should be checked and planned in advance. 1.Have you enough Guiders to Guides? If you don’t, check if another group would like to go with you. *Ensure to have a trained First Aid Guider in attendance. Check the Outdoor Policy that you have the appropriate forms filled out, if in doubt, check with your Regional Outdoor Commissioner. This is very important so that you are covered by insurance. www.girlguidesireland.ie 25
2.Where are you going? Is the route safe and age appropriate? Does it suit the fitness levels of the group? Make sure it is not too short or too long.
3.Transport - how are you going to get there?
colder on top of a mountain and Ireland’s weather is very changeable. 8. For the Group Leader’s Kit List - See appendix. Essentials include: Blank incident forms, contact details and medical information of the group, map, compass, whistle, first aid kit, spare clothes, waterproofs, food, matches, torch.
E.g. Hire a Bus, Public Transport or Parent’s Car-pool.
4.Cost - how much will it cost?
9.Health and Safety
This depends if you are paying for transport or not. Are they paying for food or bringing a packed lunch?
Up to date First Aid training is essential for all Guiders. Make sure yours is up to date before you start to plan to take any group on a trip. Having a Guider with their outdoor warrant is also important. Ensure all the necessary paperwork is filled out before you go and submitted to your Regional Outdoor Commissioner in sufficient time, if required. Also, tell another Guider who is not on the hike what time you should be finished at and they should have a copy of the personal information of those on the hike.
5.Time - how long will the hike take? You will learn how to do this later. Then find out what time sunset is and aim to finish 2-3 hours before sunset if you are out on the mountains. If it is an evening hike then it is best to plan your hike in the summer months. Work out how long the hike will take and add an hour or two for rests, lunch etc. It is always useful to have hiked the route already before you take a group.
6.Weather Though you cannot plan the weather, it is imperative to check it before you go. Wind can be dangerous on higher ground, especially if you have very light people in your group! The best thing to do in a gust is to get down on all fours. This is called the human cat. Stay low and still until the gust dies down. Rain can also be troublesome if very heavy. Rocks can be slippy, it gets muddier and streams can turn into rivers. This should not put you off but it is always good to keep in mind when planning the hike. Fog affects your visability. However, this is when your map, compass, pacing and land reading skills will come into good use. It also a good reason to practise your skills before you take a group out. If the weather is very bad it's best to shorten the route and/or make your way back to down the mountain.
7.Equipment Before you go, give the group a kit list of what they will need for the hike. Including hiking boots (supportive runners for easier hikes), waterproofs, hat, scarf, gloves, layers, packed lunch (including water) and compass (if they have one). Remember to tell them it is always
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Try and avoid crossing rivers. A spare pair of clothes in your bag is useful in case a member of your group is immersed in water. Hypothermia would set in quickly if they didn’t change their clothes on a cold windy day. Stopping for regular quick rests is essential. Firstly, it allows you to find your bearing on the map, educate the group of navigation skills and check to see how everyone is - hot, cold, sore, hungry or weak. Ensure they are drinking plenty of water and have eaten their lunch. Tell the group it is very important to be honest, if they have something wrong you need to know. As great as we are, we cannot read minds. If an incident occurs, you should have your incident report and document everything that happens, when it happens or as soon as possible after the event. Ensure the Next of Kin is informed of the incident and submit your forms ASAP to your Regional Outdoor Commissioner and the National Office, after the incident occurs.
If you get lost –stay calm. Retrace your steps to somewhere familiar, Work your way down to a path or road way and relocate yourself on the map. Marie Denham An Dushlan Project
So once you have familiarised yourself with the procedure above maybe you would like your Brigini to work on their foot explorer badge, details as below just to jog your memory
FOOT EXPLORER – STAGE I
•
Go on a hike of 2.5 km (1.5 miles)
•
Know what to wear.
•
Know how to walk in a group on a street or on a country road.
FOOT EXPLORER – STAGE II
•
Go on a hike of approx. 5 km (3 miles).
•
Know what to wear and what to take with you.
•
Have a purpose e.g. visit a place of interest, discover things in nature,
play a game, follow a trail etc.
•
Know how to walk in a group on the street or a country road.
•
Know the country code, safety code / green cross code.
•
Know what to do with litter.
Maybe when you’re on your hike you would like to start your nature lover badge? NATURE LOVER
•
Be able to identify the following trees: oak, ash, beech, sycamore, horse chestnut.
•
Find out about the following birds:
•
One that stays with us all the year round.
•
One that leaves or comes to us in the autumn.
• Name three wild flowers; grow a plant or flower from a seed or bulb, e.g. a chestnut plant, sunflower or crocus. •
Know how to look after animals and birds in winter, e.g. feeding etc. Last but not least I am delighted to say that the newly launched outdoor award is winging its way to you so make sure you take part in it. Activities can be backdated to the beginning of June 2106 so looking forward to sharing how many of you take part in it. Make sure you send in write up and pictures of your summer camps to us as we would love to hear about them. And one last request - if you’re going on camp make sure to send a postcard to the National office, the staff would love to know where you’ve been. Have a great summer, stay safe and enjoy!
www.girlguidesireland.ie 27
INTERNATIONAL So many events have taken place since our last Guider’s Link, the Guider Conference, National Council and most importantly, for International, the European Guide and Scout Conference. The preparation for the conference starts a few months before the event itself, nominations for the new Regional committee, reviewing motions and proposals, reviewing the financial and regional report along with the future triennial plan. Making sure that CGI is aware of what is happening in WAGGGS and is prepared for any decisions that need to be made at the conference. This is a great event for networking and meeting other ICs, International Teams and Chief Commissioners from countries across Europe and for CGI to have its say in what the region are doing. Read the full report and check out some photos from the event in the following pages. I hope you all have a great summer, some of you are travelling internationally and some have camps at home here in Ireland, I look forward to hearing all about the various experiences. Check out opportunities for international camps next summer or even 2018 as it’s never too early to start planning. Best of luck to the CGI contingent attending Roverway 2016 in Paris in August, have a great time. Watch this space for the National Thinking day celebrations in 2017 and Roverway 2018. We’ll have more information in the next Guider’s Link. Louise Browne. International Commissioner
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15th European Guide and Scout Conference Oslofjord, Norway 17-21 June We were honoured to represent CGI, and in turn CIGA, at the European Conference in Norway along with Louise Browne, International Commissioner, and Yvonne Browne, who ran for election to the Europe Region Committee.
The conference is held every three years. Decisions on what the Region will work on for the next triennium are taken, motions for changes to the regional plan and elections take place for the new European WAGGGS & WOSM Committees. This year’s conference was held in the beautiful Oslofjord Convention Centre on a fjord by the sea and we stayed in little cottages next to the main centre. The conference is really three conferences in one - the joint part of the conference works by having the opening and closing ceremonies together as well as the introduction to the new candidates for the committee’s and voting on issues that relate to both WAGGGS and WOSM Europe. In between, we separate into WAGGGS and WOSM representatives to vote and discuss our separate issues
and recommendations. We also attended workshops on gender, diversity, growth and tailored support. Sarah, along with Helen from IGG, presented CGI’s involvement in the North-Star project which was a research project on improving membership growth for CGI. Marie and Aisling (IGG) shared CGI & IGG’S PR campaign on Free Being Me and learnt about the next stage to the FBM Programme. The other Member Organisation representatives were very impressed with the amount of media attention that we received so congratulations to the Free Being Me Ireland committee and all those involved throughout the stages of
the programme. After the daily work of the conference, in the late evenings, you could go for a swim, sing at
the campfire, walk the grounds by the forest and make new friends from around Europe in the midnight sun. On three evenings, there are planned events, one was the traditional International Evening where everyone shares food, drinks and information about their country. The second is the International Market, or Village Party as it was called this year. This was held along the path ways in front of our cottages and was a nice change to being up in the main centre. This is an opportunity for countries to sell items to help raise funds for their organisations or towards projects taking place in their countries. Finally, there was the Norwegian night. This was meant to be a lovely BBQ with a local scout troop and stroll along the flood plains while enjoying the wildlife and surroundings and finishing in the local town of Tonsberg. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t agree with our plans and so we were hit by the wind and rain all evening while on our walk. We did our best to enjoy the evening and take in the surroundings but we were all very glad to see our coaches back to the centre arrive an hour earlier than originally planned! A hot cup of tea was definitely in order! Over the days of the conference, we learnt about the plans for WAGGGS, such as restructuring and rebranding possibilities from WAGGGS board members and the CEO Anita Tiessen. We had presentations about various upcoming events including the next Roverway in the Netherlands, 2018. Roverway is a joint event organised by both WAGGGS & WOSM and good luck to those preparing for France and this year’s Roverway. This conference was particularly exciting as we had our first CGI candidate running for the Europe Region WAGGGS committee, ever. Yvonne Browne was chosen to represent CIGA and went through intense interviews and questioning before the conference and during the conference. She was a strong candidate due to her vast
knowledge and experience and ran a brilliant campaign. Her speech made us all very proud, to not just be from CGI but to be Irish. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be this time but we’re sure other opportunities will arise internationally for Yvonne. On the final day of the conference, we voted on policies and important motions regarding the finances of the region. When back in the joint conference, we also voted on the venue for the 16th European Guide and Scout Conference which will be held in Croatia, in 2019. During the Joint Conference, we voted on a recommendation for the Europe Region Joint Committee to advocate for refugees to European bodies and to ensure that our MOs and NSOs are supported, as much as possible, with the great work they have already been doing to support refugees in their countries. Interestingly, the Guides and Scouts in Greece have a task force in place to assist the refugee crisis. They have organised drop off points for donations and openly accepted misplaced children in need, to their weekly meetings. We have a direct contact if you wish to support their cause please contact us. The European Conference is an amazing opportunity to go to due to the inspiration you receive from meeting other Guide and Scout Leaders from across Europe. For other representatives, they have to battle for funding and visas to make it to the conference. We are extremely fortunate to have been able to attend and Louise is an invaluable International Commissioner who puts you at ease with her organisation and knowledge. We highly recommend any international event opportunity, if you’re interested in the International side of Guiding which has so much to offer. Marie Denham and Sarah Browne CGI Observers at 15th EGSC www.girlguidesireland.ie 29
The European Guide and Scout Conference from a candidate’s point of view… In 2015, I made the decision to go forward as a candidate for the European Region WAGGGS committee 2016-2019. This was with the support of both Catholic Guides of Ireland and the Irish Girl Guides.
This wasn't an easy decision to make as before even getting to the conference your application must be approved by the nominations committee of WAGGGS, this involved a Skype interview and detailed application form to be completed and work references to be checked. With the first stage complete and having been accepted as a candidate, it was an exciting process which included responding to other countries requests in relation to the WAGGGS plan, explaining my guiding and professional experience to date, my views on upcoming changes to WAGGGS and this was all before the conference even started!
There was a lot of competition for a place on the committee. At the conference, CIGA worked together to canvas other organisations for support. As a candidate, breakfast, lunch and just about any other free time, was spent meeting other delegations to discuss what they were looking for in a new committee member and answering their specific questions and their concerns. With 9 candidates coming from different backgrounds and ranging in 30 Guiders Link Vol. 3
experience, there was a lot of competition for a place on the committee.
This is a very unique experience. The process at the conference involved a three minute speech during the joint conference. Speaking in front of 570 people was an experience in itself! Later that day, there was an opportunity for delegations to ask further questions during the candidate's ‘husting’ session, this is kind of like speed dating with the candidates each at a table, ready to answer any questions. I think this may have been the quickest hour of the conference as there was hardly time to stop for breath between the questions. This is a very unique experience. The following afternoon, the voting took place. This voting session will be remembered for a long time as the one where there was a tie for the final 6th place and the votes had to be cast twice more. While we waited, we were entertained by a Kahoot Quiz and some dancing, the Cha Cha Slide went down very well. Unfortunately, after a long wait and when the final results were read out, I wasn’t successful on being elected to the committee on this occasion but I hope to continue to work with the region in other ways in the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to Thank everyone for their support and particularly to the CIGA delegation for their support during the entire canvassing process Yvonne Browne CIGA nominee for Europe Region WAGGGS Committee
Interesting Facts about WAGGGS and Europe Region WAGGGS: • The Europe Region WAGGGS supports 62 National Girl Guide and Girl Scout organizations in 39 countries and reaches more than one million young people. • CIGA (the Council of Irish Guiding Associations) is the Member Organisation (MO) of WAGGGS. CGI is a Component Organisation (CA) of WAGGGS, eg is a component of the federation CIGA. • NSOs, such as Scouting Ireland, are National Scout Organisations and are members of WOSM. • CIGA receives one vote at the European and World Conferences and so the CIGA delegation, made up of delegates from CGI and IGG, must discuss and agree on the decisions to be taken by CIGA at the conferences. • Each Regional committee is made up of 6 WAGGGS members, elected for a term of 3 years with an option to go forward for re-election for a further 3 years. Each country can only put forward one representative for the regional committee. Once elected, the committee select their Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair then sits on the World Board as the Regional Representative for their term.
There is an element of joint work carried out in the region and so there is 1 day spent in joint conference of all the delegates from each conference to make decisions on the joint work and Memorandum of Understanding between the two committees. One of the highlights of this joint work is the annual Academy event which takes place in October each year. The WAGGGS Europe region is made up of a diverse group of representatives of; • Federations which can be comprised of up to 50 WAGGGS Component Associations. • MOs and CAs in WAGGGS can vary in type; there can be ‘girl only’ organisations, SAGNO’s and WAGGGS only admitting boys. • SAGNO’s, Scout and Guide National Organisations, are where there is one organisation for scouts and guides together, the scouts are members of WOSM and the guides are members of WAGGGS. • “Super” SAGNO’s are where all members of the organisation are members of both WAGGGS and WOSM.
• The Europe Region is the only region where WOSM and WAGGGS host their regional conferences together.
World Thinking Day 2017
Theme for 2017: "Grow"
Save the Date!!! World Thinking Day 2017 Date: Saturday 18th February 2017 Look out for more information on this National All Section Day Event for 2017, in the October Guider's Link.
www.girlguidesireland.ie 31
Overture Diversity Network Meeting My name is Kate McPartlan. I am a Brigín, Guide and Rangers leader with Kilcock Girl Guides. This year, I was selected to represent the Catholic Guides of Ireland at the Overture Diversity Network meeting, which to my delight, was held at Burg Rieneck Castle, Germany. The Overture Diversity Network encourages Guide and Scout associations in Europe to be inclusive of all individuals and accept diversity. Twenty-eight representatives from guiding and scouting associations came together for the weekend with the aim to promote inclusion and diversity within our organisations.
On Friday the 6th May, I flew from Dublin to Frankfurt. The castle was even more beautiful than the photographs, and I was warmly welcomed by Patricia Derwin, and introduced to the majority of the group in the courtyard of the castle grounds. I was extremely excited, and we began our meeting shortly after that. The event began with a welcome meeting, and getting to know one another. We then had dinner together and after dinner, a spooky tour of one of the towers of the castle. Saturday was a jam-packed day. We began our workshops at 09:00. The weather was fantastic and we were lucky enough to enjoy some of the day outdoors. A member of WAGGGS gave us an overview of the organisation and their current projects, one being the development of a new strategy for inclusion and diversity. One of the Austrian Scout leaders shared with us his project based on how he is attempting to break down the barriers associated with LGBT. He has now designed a toolkit for scout leaders to run a forty minute session with teen friendly activities and this has been implemented by many Austrian Scout groups with success, all with a focus of raising awareness for LGBT and fostering acceptance and respect for all individuals. Scout leaders from Denmark and Finland shared how their scouts are helping with the migrant crisis in Europe. Each of these leaders individually asked 32 Guiders Link Vol. 3
themselves “As a scout, how can I help?” and stepped out into their community and invited new families to join them in scouting activities and/or raised funds for food and shelter. Their projects are ongoing.
As a group we were taken on a tour of the stunning castle grounds. We then took part in workshops which taught us best practice in supporting individuals with hearing impairments and physical disabilities in our groups. The workshops were very informative, fun, and I gained new experiences in each one. We engaged in many discussions throughout the day, about how we can continue to be inclusive, and how we can open our minds to be more inclusive. Saturday ended with, a very much anticipated, international night. Everyone brought traditional food, delicacies, drinks, and badges from their organisations, and thanks to the Irish members everyone enjoyed Tayto crisps and Dubliner cheese! It was an excellent night.
Thanks to the Irish members everyone enjoyed Tayto crisps and Dubliner cheese! I would like to thank the Catholic Guides of Ireland for this fantastic opportunity, and Overtures for their excellent event. I recommend for all members of CGI to take the opportunity for travel for an international event when it presents itself, and I could not emphasise more to attend the next Overture meeting. We are a magnificent organisation that I am extremely proud to be part of. This weekend reminded me to take a moment to appreciate the wonderful experiences that we have given the children in our companies. In addition to providing for others, be mindful to take care of yourself. Happy guiding!
Environmental Crafts Some of you might remember reading about me in the last guiders link; I was the CGI representative at the Helen Storrow Seminar. As part of action plan upon returning I want to help raise awareness about environmental issues; one aspect I specifically wanted to focus on is the re-use of materials rather than throwing them away. Below are some crafts you can do with a variety of ages that allows you to create something using some materials you may have at home. Lisa Owens
Bird Feeder Tights
Jelly Fish in a Bottle
This is a quick 5 minute Craft for any section
You Will Need,
You will need;
•
Plastic Bottle
• Tights
•
Plastic Bag
• String
• Thread
• Scissors
• Water
•
Bird Feed
•
1
Cut an old pair of tights at the leg.
• Scissors
2
Turn it inside out and add the bird Feed.
3
Tie a knot at the top (Make sure you can open it if you wish to refill in the future)
1
Flatten the bag and cut off the handles and the bottom of the bag; then cut along the 2 sides leaving you with 2 sheets of the plastic bag.
4
Use String to attach to top to let it hang somewhere in your garden i.e of a tree.
2
Take the centre of the plastic sheet and fold it to make a tiny head and tie with thread. Leaving a little hole so you can add water to the head.
3
The rest of the bag will be the Jellyfishs's tentacles, cut the bag into even strips; approx. 8-10 strips.
4
Put water into the hole in the jellyfish's head to allow it to sink to the bottom.
5
Fill up the bottle with water, and a few drops of food colouring and close the lid off the bottle.
Toilet Roll Love Bug This Craft is perfect for all Guides or Brigini. It can be used at any stage or for Valentine’s Day. You Will Need, • Toilet Roll • Paint • Google Eyes • Pipe Cleaners • Beads • Glue • Pens • Scissors • Skewer
Extras • Pom-poms • Glitter • Stickers
1) Paint the Toilet Rolls to the colour (Depending on time giving to craft you could either have them pre- painted before meeting or wrap
Food Colouring
with Craft paper to save time and drying of paint) 2) You then poke a hole in the toilet roll using a skewer to allow pipe cleaner legs to go through. Poke approximately half to two-thirds of the way down. You will need to make three holes on either side (If used with younger age groups a leader needs to poke the holes) 3) Cut three pipe cleaners in half and thread them through holes made. This will make the legs. Then
attach the small bead to the end of the pipe cleaner, creating hands and feet. 4) You can now decorate the body using stickers and glitter if you wish 5) To create wings and antenna fold your construction paper in half and draw a medium sized heart for the wings. Then draw a small stem with a heart at the top. Cut the shapes out and stick on using glue. At this stage also glue on your googly eyes and leave your love bug to dry.
www.girlguidesireland.ie 33
UNIFORM INFORMATION Cygnet Guides •
Cygnet baseball cap
•
Cygnet neckerchief, woggle and Guardian Angel Badge worn below woggle, Cygnet badge worn on apex of neckerchief
•
White polo shirt with CGI logo
•
Red Cygnet sweatshirt
•
Navy CGI pull-up trousers
•
Trainers
Uniform to be worn at all events including Company meetings
Brigín Guides •
Brigín neckerchief, woggle and St Brigid’s Pin worn below woggle
•
White polo shirt with CGI logo
•
Brigín sweatshirt (Patrol Badge worn above CGI logo)
•
Navy CGI pull-up trousers or trail trousers
•
Trainers
Uniform to be worn at all events including Company meetings
Guides •
Guide neckerchief, woggle and Guide badge worn below woggle
•
Navy polo shirt with CGI logo
•
Guide sweatshirt (Patrol Badge worn above CGI logo)
•
Navy CGI trail trousers
•
Trainers
Uniform to be worn at all events including Company meetings
Ranger Guides • Ranger neckerchief and woggle and Association pin worn below woggle. •
Navy polo shirt with CGI logo
•
Ranger badge to be worn on polo shirt
•
Ranger rugby shirt
•
Gold/Silver / Bronze Award Pin
•
Navy CGI trail trousers
•
Trainers
Uniform to be worn at all events including Company meetings
34 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Guider Activity Uniform • Guide neckerchief and woggle (Association pin worn below woggle) •
Guider teal sweatshirt
•
CGI lemon poloshirt
•
Diocesan Badge (worn on right arm)
•
Navy CGI trail trousers
Guider Activity Uniform is worn at meetings, camps, activity days/weekends etc.
Guider Formal Uniform •
Formal/Company neckerchief and woggle
•
Lemon CGI blouse
•
Diocesan Badge (worn on right arm)
•
Metal Name Badge (worn opposite pocket)
•
Association tab worn beside pocket with service award, rank pin and training pins
•
Navy skirt or trousers, flesh/navy tights and navy/black shoes
Guider Formal Uniform is worn at enrolments, Masses, official outings, council meetings etc.
BADGE INFORMATION RIGHT ARM
LEFT ARM
• Registration Badge
• Link up Badges at top
• Diocesan Badge
• Interest Badges
• WAGGGS Badge • Award Badges • CIGA Badge (optional for CIGA members)
PL and APL Pins worn on sweatshirt
www.girlguidesireland.ie 35
TOE CAMP 2016 After lots of planning and much excitement almost 600 guides and Scouts attended the ever popular TOE camp. CGI had 270 representatives from Lagan and Cathedral Areas in the Northern Region as well as groups from Eastern and North Eastern Regions. On Thursday 23rd June, lots of local groups arrived on site to pitch tents during a major shower. But in true guiding spirit with everyone working together to get the tents up very quickly. On Friday evening the rest of the groups arrived to pitch tents and the camp began, with members of the Northern Region organising a BBQ to raise funds for the Northern Region Headquarters building. Everyone had to opportunity to meet up with old friends and finding out who was in their groups for Saturday’s activities.
Evening activities included Campfire, film show as well as many of the guides and scouts playing on the rope swing etc. After supper everyone got set for bed, not much sleep was had as expected!! It was an early start on Saturday morning from about 5.30am the camp site was fully awake!! After a hearty breakfast and picking up packed lunched everyone assembled in the lid in their groups before making their way to of the buses for a day of fun. The activities for the day included, swimming, outdoor games, disability bikes, a visit to the golf driving range, Urban sports at T13, a visit to Radar (Risk avoidance and Danger Life Skills), climbing wall, sub aqua, 5 a side, badminton, Tag Archery, Command tasks, Archery, Paddle Tennis, Bubble Soccer, Self Defence, Assault course, Bungee run, BB Target range and dragon boating. After 5pm everyone arrived back on site having a great day, trying new activities and making new friends with the weather have been very kind to us. Some people headed to watch the Northern Ireland at the Euros. After Dinner everyone enjoyed some free time (or a sleep) before Fr Brankin joined us on site for a lovely open air mass. After mass it was the famous TOE Karaoke and tuck shop, where the girls and leaders sang their hearts out. Including a Congo around the lid and Happy Birthday and Cake to embarrass Meave.
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After Supper, it was a much quieter night as everyone was completely exhausted. Sunday morning after a slightly later start than Saturday , it was a race to get as many tents down as possible before heavy rain set in. Following a Guide and Scouts Own ceremony the fun started again with the TOE village Fete. Each of the groups had prepared a stall , we had a full range of stalls including lots of food stalls selling pancakes, loads of great games involving sponges, socks etc, selling of bracelets, Tic Toc Toe bags, Crazy hair and nails stalls, tombolas. ( There are probably lots of others I have forgotten but I was too busy selling the tokens in the bank!!)
The fete raised over £2000 for Cool FM Cash for Kids Charity, which supports local children’s Charities and young people all over Northern Ireland- helping with presents as Christmas or supporting the Children’s Hospice. Courage the Cash for Kids Bear came to accept the cheque at the closing ceremony. It was my First TOE as camp Chief and I would like to thank all the guides and Leaders that attended the camp , everyone was great. We have got lots of emails from the centres we visited complementing the guides and scouts on the behaviour and that they just wanted to participate and have fun!! To all the leaders who got lots of emails from me looking for health forms etc, sorry to be a pain, but it made the running of the camp much smoother. To all the leaders that helped out on the buses, activity centres and at Mass. A special word of thanks to Mary on the onsite team and Josephine, Laura, Kay, Catherine, Patricia, and Sinead on the Catering team , who did a great job making sure that everyone was well fed all weekend. I will finish with a comment from one of my guides , Thanks so much for bringing us to TOE it was the best ever Guiding Experience!!
Looking forward to TOE 2018
PS if anyone is still looking a TOE Hoodie, they can still be ordered by emailing guidehoodies@yahoo.com
Free Being Me Imagine a world free from appearance related anxiety. A world where people can define beauty for themselves.
WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) and DOVE have joined together to produce the Free Being Me programme. This is a groundbreaking new programme for 7-10 year old and 11-14 year olds which unmasks society’s beauty myths – exposing air brushing and challenging unhealthy body talk. Through a series of fun, interactive and thought provoking activities it challenges young women to stand up and take action to stop unhealthy body ideals affecting the next generation of girls.
A survey carried out by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on young people’s body image asked “Are you satisfied with your body image?” Findings showed only 38% of girl participants were “fairly satisfied” and a shocking 21% were “dissatisfied”. With the Free Being Me Programme, the girls and young people learn that body confidence and self-esteem come from valuing their bodies, standing up to social pressures, and supporting others to be more body confident. By working together, leading others and speaking out, participants will be empowered to make a difference in their local and global communities. The girls who have taken part in the Free Being Me activities set out in the programme and do the Take Action project will earn the Free Being Me badge.
Find out more about the Free Being me programme on: www.freebeingme.com • freebeingmeireland@gmail.com • #FreebeingmeCIGA • @freebeingmeciga • www.facebook.com/freebeingmeciga www.girlguidesireland.ie 37
COMMUNICATIONS I hope everyone has been enjoying their holidays and making the most of the summer to get out and about, and we'd love to see any photos you have of you and your girls enjoying the great outdoors; camping, hiking and just having fun in all kinds of weather!
to try next term, and don't forget you can also check out the OGM for more fun sporty ideas.
Finally, you may have noticed the poster for our new Rangers Communications Challenge? We're hoping that you'll all encourage your Rangers to get involved and join in the fun and we'd love as many as possible to take part. We know that we've got lots of tech and media-savvy Rangers out there so we think that they'll enjoy the Challenge, and it could also be used by your Unit as part of a recruitment drive. And the best part is, they can also work it into their current programme. Yours in Guiding,
The Euros are finally over and the Olympic Games will be starting soon, so hopefully you'll have plenty of inspiration for different types of activities and games
Michelle Finnerty National Commissioner for Communications
AROUND IRELAND SOUTH-WESTERN REGION Our Lady of Lourdes, Ballinlough and St. Catherine’s, Frankfield Enrolment and Commissioning On the 27th April 2016, members from Cygnets, Brigini, Guides and Rangers from Our Lady of Lourdes, Ballinlough and Brigini from St. Catherine’s, Frankfield attended their enrolment ceremony which was held in Ballinlough. Kate Fitzpatrick and Alison Gleeson were two of the first girls to join Our Lady of Lourdes Cygnet Company which opened on 12 January 2002 in Ballinlough Cork. Two years later they moved up to the Brigini Company together and when they were 11 went to the Guide Company and then Rangers. They are now two of the Leaders of St. Catherine's Brigini Company in Frankfield. During that 15 38 Guiders Link Vol. 3
years their friendship has grown as they have enjoyed guiding together. Alison and Kate made us all very proud as they were the first two Leaders to be commissioned in Ballinlough having gone through all the Sections there. It was an honour to be a part of this Ceremony and quite emotional as we watched their mothers who are also Leaders stand proudly behind their daughters and salute as they were commissioned. We then watched our newly commissioned Leaders stand behind their Brigini and salute as they got enrolled. A guiding friendship is a lasting friendship!
Outdoor Skills Day The South Western Region held a very successful and fun filled outdoor skills day recently in a sun drenched Watergrasshill. The event was hosted by the 118th Cork Scout troop who facilitated a number of bases on the day, which included knots, lashings, camp gadget making and backwoods cooking. A special word of thanks is extended to Martin Thompson who shared his in-depth knowledge and skill of ropes and knots, including a demonstration on how to make your own rope and whistle!
Leaders, rangers and guides enjoyed baked potatoes and chocolate oranges at the backwoods cooking base. Not all were impressed with the gutting and cleaning of a fish, which was then cooked in a cabbage leaf. However, those brave enough to sample the fish agreed the flavour was superb. A three course lunch, prepared outdoors on an altar fire, was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Once all the hard work was out of the way, leaders were presented with equipment for their respective Companies on completion of all challenges. This was followed by a quick water fight before the highlight of the day which was beating the Scouts in a game of tug-of-war!!
Cuskinny Court Camping Trip On the weekend of the 17th of June several companies, including Our Lady of Lourdes, Ballinlough, St. Therese’s, Passage West and St. Catherine’s, Frankfield, enjoyed their annual camping trip, which took place at Cuskinny Court in Cobh. The Guide companies from both Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Therese’s began their camping weekend on the Friday evening while the Brigin and Guide companies of all others began their weekend on the Saturday morning as well as the Our Lady of Lourdes Cygnet company. Two Rangers from Our Lady of Lourdes, Ballinlough also attended the weekend and took part in the activities held throughout the weekend. There were over 100 in attendance, spread over the four companies, at the weekend The activities included backwoods cooking, grass sledging, Cuskinny Olympics and Squirrel trail (a low ropes obstacle course). All those involved enjoyed the activities in the fine weather on Saturday which kept spirits high throughout the weekend. As the Saturday evening drew to a close, the day wouldn’t be complete without a campfire, however due to the rain that came down on us Saturday evening, we were forced inside for a sing song, minus the fire. It was led in song by Marion Gleeson, Our Lady of Lourdes Brigin company, and
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Mary Bolard, Our Lady of Lourdes Guide company, soon to be joined by Dearbhail O Connell from St. Therese’s Brigin company, Passage West and the Rangers from Our Lady of Lourdes. As the night approached, under the sunset, everybody settled into their tents after what was considered a very successful and enjoyable day. Sunday arrived and it was time to take down and pack away all the extremely wet tents and get ready to head home after an amazing weekend, facilitated by the fantastic staff of Cuskinny Court, and all are thankful for the extremely enjoyable weekend, despite the weather overnight and Sunday morning. Now for some time off but we look forward to seeing everyone again in September and we wish everyone an enjoyable summer!
Eileen O’Brien Memorial Perpetual Challenge Last year it was agreed that a memorial challenge would be carried out within the Guide and Brigin companies of the South West Region in memory of the late Eileen O’Brien. Eileen’s family donated two trophies, one for each section, in her honour. The challenges consisted of two sections: indoor and outdoors and took place from February through to June. The indoor section consisted of inspection of uniforms and books and marching in formation and to commands.
In the Guide section the companies met in Kilcully for a day and were challenged to erect a typical campsite, erect a tent correctly and make a gadget. This helped in particular to challenge guides new to camping and all enjoyed the experience. In the Brigin section each company had to organise a 3 km hike, identify trees/ leaves they came across and write up the story of the hike. These stories varied from a walk to and around Fitzgerald Park (Cork City’s best outdoor space) to a hike in the snow along the old Glenville famine route. The Guides and Brigini who took part enjoyed the challenges. Of course there could only be one overall winner and the presentations took place separately for the presentations in each section. 40 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Mrs Kay Murphy, sister of the late Eileen O’Brien, presented the Guide Cup to St. Stephen’s Company, Watergrasshill, in Kilcully. All Guide Companies reached Gold standard.
Tim O’Brien, Eileen’s son, and her two granddaughters presented the Brigin Cup to St. Stephen’s Company, also Watergrasshill, in the Glen Resource Centre. Other companies reached Gold or Silver standard. The Brigini who took part had a two hour session of activities on the day at the Glen Resource Centre.
It is hoped the challenges will become an annual event. Thanks to Marie Hannigan and her team for organising the challenges for this year.
St.Theresa's Roundup St Theresa's focused on water safety during the month of May. As we are based in the Cork harbour area, we invited the RNLI to one of our meetings. They gave an educational talk on water safety & talk about the great work that they do. They arranged for a tour of our local Lifeboat station too. Our company donated money from our subs as a thank you.
St Theresa's Guides camped at Cuskinny on a very wet June weekend, but made the best of the weather. They used pioneer logs to create a wash up station & a cooking area. St Theresa's Guides have completed their 1916 rising badge. They researched women who took part in the rising, wrote where they would like to see Guiding in 100 years time and acted out a short play involving key female figures of the rising. We are also planning to attend Camden Fort 1916 weekend.
St. Ursula's Free Being Me T-Shirt Designs
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EASTERN REGION Green Ribbon campaign Members of Raheny Guides partaking in the annual Green Ribbon campaign, handing out free Green Ribbons at Raheny DART Station.
NORTHERN REGION St. Finian's, Moville St. Finian's, Moville held an outdoor pursuits day in Inish Adventures in Moville, Inishowen, Co. Donegal on Sunday 22nd May .This was a Regional Day for Rangers and Guides. There was four different stations in the water activities, from kayaks to clippers, paddle boards and banana boating. There was also Archery for any of those who did not want to do water activities.
The weather held up great too on the day. We would like to say thank you to all the leaders who brought their units and making this brilliant day. It will be remembered for a long time. Thanks again for all the laughs these will be great memories. 42 Guiders Link Vol. 3
St. Oliver Plunkett's Lurgan Funcamp Following a very chilly camp in April when St Oliver Plunkett Lurgan faced -5’ temps and hail showers, they were really delighted to return to the Bushcraft centre at Oxford Island and enjoy fantastic sunshine 13th-15th May. The girls spent Saturday sailing and canoeing and returned to camp to enjoy a barbeque and campfire with smores.
Unit Fun Day St Oliver Plunkett’s Lurgan had a fantastic unit fun day on Sunday 19th June to close out our guiding year. The girls enjoyed team races, a drumming circle with “The Gathering Drum”, hot dogs and party bags and then finished up with our annual presentation. Which included certificates, badges, attendance awards and medals for team races as well as our Cygnet of the year, Annie, 1st and 2nd company Brigin of the year Evie and Hannah, Guide of the year Tara and Ranger of the year Rachel.
Pirate Camp St Oliver Plunkett Lurgan Brigins had a fantastic weekend at Crawfordsburn Scout centre (27th-30th May). We had a pirate themed camp (check out our pink pirate neckerchiefs!!) with the girls collecting gold coins for displaying fantastic Brigin and team qualities all weekend, and at the end we crowned our “pirate queen” who had the most gold coins. The girls stayed in the cedar lodge and eco-pods and took part in 3D swing, crate climbing and assault course as well as making lovely tea cup scented candles and spending time on the beach. The weather was the icing on the cake! www.girlguidesireland.ie 43
St Mary’s Unit, Muff St Mary’s Unit, Muff, have had a busy couple of months in May and June, enjoying trips away to Dublin Zoo for all Sections Day and then to Belfast Zoo with the Cygnets and Brigini who missed out on Dublin.
All the girls got to try their hand at Canoeing, Sea Kayaking, the Clipper and tried their hardest to stay on the Banana Boat. We also ran our 1st sponsored Fancy Dress Walk which was a great success. To end our Guiding year we had our annual Sleepover in our Hall where the girls enjoyed a trip to the local play-park and later made money boxes, pencil holders or trinket boxes.
We went camping with the Guides to Moville Hostel and the next day joined with other Guides and Rangers for a fun filled day of water activities at Inish Adventures in Moville.
We have had a great guiding year and we hope to see all the girls back in September for more fun. A big thank you to our leaders who do such a great job during the year hope to see you all back too.
St Comgalls Bangor and Saint Vincent de Paul Belfast Camp 2016 17th-19th of June St. Comgalls Guide unit had their annual summer camp at Crawfordsburn. 17 girls camped and 8 of our Brigins received their Holiday badge. 15 Brigins, 1 Guide and 7 leaders from Saint Vincent de Paul joined us on the Saturday for their first ever camp. Also for Saturday we had an extra 22 Brigins from both units joining us for a full action packed day of activities games, orienteering, grass sledging, beach walk and challenge course. Great fun was had by all, lots of new friendship and memories made.
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SOUTH-EASTERN REGION Green Ribbon Campaign This year once again Clonard guides and leaders spent the day at Wexford train station to hand out free Green Ribbons to travellers and commuters alike. The Green ribbon campaign is to highlight the need for a more open discussion on mental health issues.
RNLI Lifeboat & Our Lady's Island Clonard Brigins hiked around Our ladies Island and went to Kilmore with a tour of the RNLI life boat. We were lucky with the weather and we had a fantastic day on Saturday. Of course we just had to have chips from the best chipper in Wexford while we were down in Kilmore!!!
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FCA H<9 F7<=J9G An Tรกnaiste, Mr Dick Spring, with members of the Irish Girl Guides, the Catholic Guides of Ireland and The Guide Association, province of Ulster sealing refugee packs which have been assembled in all areas of Ireland for shipment to the Republic of Georgia
Diamond Jubilee Friendship Camp 1988 Larch Hill, co. Dublin
CGI Fermoy ca. 1930's
Flag Blessing, Buion Muire Lourdes Wicklow Town, Holy Rosary School 1961
Catholic Girls Guides, Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage - 1954 - Marian Year
CONTACTS NEB Chief Commissioner Asst. Chief Commissioner National Secretary Cygnets Brigíní Guides Rangers International Communications Development Training Outdoor South-Western Region Eastern Region South-Eastern Region Northern Region North-Eastern Region
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Child Protection Eastern Region Catherine Monaghan Anne Murphy Clare O’Brien South-Western Region Marion Gleeson Maria Dowling South-Eastern Region Barbara Ryan Aideen Moran Northern Region Josephine Higgins Martha Mc Grath Sarah Mc Manus Carol Ewings Maire Mc Grath
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