PLUS REPORTS ON: Rainbow Winners Eastern Region Olympics And more!!
A full review from our first Virtual Camp 2020 Vol. 3
Guider’s Link
CONTENTS Chief Commissioner's Message 3 Noticeboard 4 May We Camp Here? 6 Youth Media Team 13 Development 14 Wellness 16 Cygnet Section 20 BrigĂn Section 22 Guide Section 24 Ranger Section 26 International 28 Rainbows Winner 34 Activity Books 35 Eastern Region Lockdown Olympics 36 Training 38 National Development Team Survey 40 Around Ireland 42 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 5th October 2020 2 Guiders Link Vol. 3
CHIEF COMMISSIONER'S MESSAGE
Hello everyone Welcome back to another year of Guiding and we hope this year will be less traumatic than the past year has been. Firstly many thanks to you all for your continuous engagement with CGI and with our youth members. It has all been appreciated and will have made a big difference in the life of our youth members. I’m hoping as you are reading this that we have all managed to get back to Guiding in a more normal format and that we have all come through this pandemic safe and well. I know the road map back to Guiding had a lot of procedures to adhere to and on behalf of myself and the National Board can I thank you for all the work you have put into getting our members both youth and adult back to safe Guiding . While some of us took a rest over the summer, some of our teams were very busy. Thank you to all of you who took the time to fill in the Development and Training Survey, we had a great response and all of your feed back will help us to shape the future of the organisation. Many thanks to all members of the Development Team for their hard work and dedication to the ongoing development of CGI. We need to keep the Association moving and vibrant and your input and the work of the development team will all further that aim. The Training Team has also been busy over the summer reviewing all of our training and working on our Peer Education Programme. We look forward to seeing this programme rolled out to many of our Rangers over the coming months. I have been so impressed with the many ways you have all engaged throughout the past months, whether it has been with youth members or between the adults, there have been some fabulous ideas and initiatives. You all have wonderful imagination. Make sure to share your ideas, we all love to hear them. As many of you will know Erinn who works in our National Office is moving on to further her education and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Erinn for all her hard work for CGI and to wish her the very best in the future. Her cheerful disposition will be missed on the end of the phone. Thank you Erinn. As you will have seen we have been recruiting and we look forward to welcoming a new person to our team. So once again many thanks for all your hard work and best wishes to you all and your families.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon Yours in Guiding, Emily McCann Chief Commissioner chiefcommissioner@girlguidesireland.ie
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NOTICEBOARD UPCOMING NATIONAL EVENTS (PROVISIONAL) NEB NEB (Residential)
12th September 16th -18th October
RESOURCE DATES International Day of Charity World Suicide Prevention Day International Day of Democracy World Mental Health Day International Day of the Girl Child International Day for Tolerance
5th September 10th September 15th September 10th October 11th October 16th November
GARDA VETTING/ACCESSNI: IT IS THE POLICY OF THE CATHOLIC GUIDES OF IRELAND, THAT REVETTING/REAPPLICATION TO THE NATIONAL VETTING BUREAU/ACCESSNI, WILL BE CARRIED OUT EVERY 3 YEARS.
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KEEPING OUR GUIDING LIGHT SHINING Every Sunday night between 19:10 and 20:20 Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world are lighting a candle with the world in solidarity and celebration of international sisterhood. We are in this together. Why not join in?
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2-3RD MAY 2020 6 Guiders Link Vol. 3
May seems quite a long time ago at this stage, but let’s think back, shall we? It’s not every year that we have a National Camp on the May Bank Holiday weekend, then again it’s not every year that we find ourselves socially isolating and in national lockdown before St Patrick’s Day and stretching out into the future with no reprieve in sight.
With no physical meetings for any of our Units and only a few being able to provide remote meetings via different conferencing apps, we knew that as a National Organisation we had to step up immediately and begin to find ways for our Units and our members to feel connected; you already know about some of the initiatives we had, including the Time Capsule and the Boredom Buster, but we knew that most of our members would be missing something much more important, their annual camp!
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Whether you have a Unit camp outdoors or indoors, whether you go on the National or Regional camp weekends or you simply have your own Unit camp, it’s an experience that all of our members look forward to, from the youngest to the oldest, and we couldn’t let this summer go by without at least trying to compensate in some way. So, we decided if we couldn’t camp together this year, why not camp apart? And the idea of our first ever virtual camp was born. We can’t go any further without thanking everyone who was involved in making this wonderful weekend happen; from our National office staff, to our Youth Media Team, from our Guiders who helped out with videos and the campfire to the wonderful Irish authors who not only allowed us to use their books over the week, but many also recorded readings especially for us. Our camp officially ran from 12pm on Saturday May 2nd to 12pm on Sunday May 3rd, but weeks of work had gone into preparing everything beforehand.
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We kicked off at 11.30 with a little preview from Michelle, our Assistant Chief Commissioner, on what to expect throughout the day and then at 12pm we had the official launch by Emily, our Chief Commissioner. Throughout the day, from 12pm, at regular intervals, either on the hour or half hour, we uploaded new video content of games, skills and activities that we would usually do at camp. We began with a scavenger hunt, we had science experiments and outdoor skills, we had some Lamh training, some crafts and some backwoods cooking. Each video was presented by a different Guider, and we couldn’t have done it without them; they all responded immediately and were eager to help, and thanks again to you all. Then the most anticipated part of any camp, the campfire. We did have some technical issues unfortunately, but we regrouped and began again and even though not all Guiders who were prepared to sing for us got a chance due to wifi connections, it was still a wonderful night.
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At 8pm we were all very excited as Eoin Colfer kicked off our week-long storytime sessions with Irish children’s authors. Again, like our Guiders, all of these authors replied to our request within hours and all were keen to be involved, and we thank them for that. That was the end of a long day for our youth members, and then lots of them headed off to sleep in their tents outside or the forts that they made in their houses. But the Guiders still had one more session, the quiz and social hour. It was a little bit hectic with so many of us online and talking over each other, and the competitive spirit did come out during the quiz, but it was a great laugh, and a lovely end to the day.
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Sunday morning dawned and many of us were tired from the nonstop day previous, but we still had a few more hours to go before camp was done. We began with a light-hearted news roundup of what had happened the previous day, brought to us by the team of Assistant Chief Commissioner and Youth Media Team. Next was a really nice touch to our camp weekend, the Guide’s Own was brought to us by the Cork branch of Le Cheile, and it was wonderful of the ladies to get involved in the weekend and we were delighted that they did. Sadly, our 24hr camp was over and at 12pm our Chief Commissioner thanked everyone for taking part and wished everyone well.
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We were overwhelmed with the amount of interactions and the number of people that took part in camp; the number of photos and videos that came through to the Facebook page all day and the messages of support and enjoyment we received. Unbelievably, we had over 1,000 people take part in the activities of the camp weekend and we had over 200 people log in to join in our campfire on the Saturday night; we even had Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from the UK and the USA join us throughout the weekend. It would be true to say that May We Camp Here weekend was much more of a success than we ever could have hoped for, and that was entirely due to all of you, our brilliant Guiders, getting involved yourselves and encouraging your girls to join in the fun too, so thank you all once again. And who knows, we just “May� do it all again some time?
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YOUTH MEDIA REPORT: Zoom Training Session for Rangers: As a member of the CGI Youth Media Team and also a Ranger I thought I’d just put down a few words on the recent training opportunity we had in CGI. Firstly, I’d like to say thank you so much to the organisation for making such a great training session available to us during Covid times. The session was called CV Preparation and Interview Skills for Rangers and it was run by a company in Wexford on behalf of CGI. I think this was a great idea because none of us have been able to go to school and meet with our careers advisors, and especially for girls coming up to Transition Year where they will need to do some work experience, and will need a CV, and also for the older girls that might need a CV if they’re not going to go to third level and instead want to apply for a job or an apprenticeship, a CV would be very important for them. The training session I did there were about 12 or 13 girls on. The trainer was very nice, he didn’t try to push us to talk too much, but he did try to get us to speak some. We also had some leaders on the call – they didn’t do anything, they were just there for CGI. The training was about an hour and a half long and he spent a lot of the time on your CV, what you should and shouldn’t put into it. He talked about how there are different types of CV for different types of careers – like artistic people may have a photo of themselves and use different ‘more expressive’ fonts whereas people looking for a more business job shouldn’t do that. He spoke about having confidence going into an interview, and not to worry too much because if you’re only young people will make allowances as they know you won’t have had much practice. He reminded us about body language and how you should try to look confident even if you didn’t feel it, so to look people in the eye when they speak to you, give a firm handshake and not to sit there looking into your lap or clasping your hands all the time. He also said that you should dress appropriate to the circumstances, so if you’re going for an artistic job you shouldn’t show up in a 3-piece suit, but if you’re going for a business job you shouldn’t show up in jeans and t-shirt either, dress appropriate to where you are but not to be over dressed because that will make you feel uncomfortable too. He said that you should always have at least one question to ask when the interview is done, so that the people know that you are actually interested in the job. All in all, I thought it was a really good session. I learned a lot from it, but also it felt a bit like being back in a classroom again and learning something, and I really miss that, so I enjoyed that part too. I think the other girls enjoyed it, but we couldn’t see each other, only the speaker. I’m really glad that CGI did something like this for the Rangers, and I hope they do more, and different stuff in the future. CGI Youth Media Team: Do you have any Guides or Rangers that you think would enjoy being part of our Youth Media Team? If so, please tell them about us and ask them to email mediateam@girlguidesireland.ie Upcoming Events? If you’re having a Regional event please let us know at the email address mediateam@girlguidesireland.ie so that we can make sure that we’ve got some of our team at your event and we can report on it for the youth members of CGI. Youth Newsletter: Here at the YMT (Youth Media Team) we’ve been thinking about putting together a regular newsletter for the youth members of CGI. We’re not sure how we’d get it out to the girls yet, but that’s not putting us off our plans. We think we could upload it to the national Facebook page, or maybe have it on the website and then ask you, the leaders, to share it out on your region and unit pages and socials. So again, if you have anyone who you think might like to join us and be part of this please get in touch.
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DEVELOPMENT Hi everybody, hope you are all keeping safe and well. I would like to introduce you to the National Development Team which was set up in May 2020. The composition of the team is as follows:
N a t i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t Te a m Team Members including Regional Development Representatives • Maria Travers (Team Lead) • Erica Tyndall • Suzanne Lenihan • Michelle Finnerty • Sandra Doyle • Tara O’Sullivan • Gillian Garvey • Deirdre Wray Regional Development Representatives • Fiona O’Dwyer, ER • Cathy McSweeney SWR • Tara Smithers SER • Mary Erwin, Development Officer, NR At our first meeting in May 2020, our priority as a team was to draft our Purpose and Aims to keep us focused, aligning back to the CGI Strategy. Our Purpose ‘To continue to promote, grow and progress the organisation by developing sustainable initiatives that will underpin our actions and behavioural mindsets as we work together to deliver our CGI Strategy.‘ Our Aims as a Team are:
OUR PURPOSE To co continue ontinue o nti ntinue tinue nue tto o pr promote, romo rom ot gr ote ote, o ggro grow row and d progres prog ogresss the ogres he or orga gani anisa anis nisaaatio ion io onn by develop o l p ping i progress organisation developing sustaina tainaable tainab le initiativ initia itiati itia itiat iatives v s tth that h wil hat underpin p our ur sustainable initiatives willll underp actions aac tion an nd d be behav b e vio v ou viou oural mindsets mind dsets as we w work or and behavioural together to herr to delive deliv live vveer e our CGI Strateg SStrategy. gy. deliver
OUR AIMS TO TO
TE O OM PR T OR P P SU
TO
IRE P S IN
The NEB (National Executive Board) has tasked the Development Team with three key initiatives. • Flexible Guiding – A New Approach • Retention • Recruitment We are all living in uncertain and challenging times so as an organisation in order to survive we have to be ‘Agile’ and the only way we can achieve agility is to change our behavioural mindsets, enabling us to think more creatively and explore various new innovative initiatives; while being cognisant and mindful of the strong guiding legacy and foundation already in place that can be tweaked to reflect and support our ’new reality’. We value your contribution and input, a CGI National Development Survey (Survey Monkey) was launched in June 2020, closing date 2nd of July 2020. Feedback from the survey will be incorporated directly under three headings agreed by the Board, ‘Flexible Guiding, Retention and Recruitment’. We have lots of work to do so I am always looking for team members, if you would like to join us and make a difference contact development@girlguidesireland.ie. Thank you for participating in the Survey. Maria Travers, National Commissioner for Development 14 Guiders Link Vol.3
STORROWS UPDATE The CGI Page Turners has had great success during the lockdown with 94(!) readers on our Facebook group! To date we’ve read 2 books, How the Girl Guides Won the War by Janie Hampton and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and our 3rd will be selected in 2 days’ time. The discussions have been wonderful and we’d like to thank everyone for engaging so enthusiastically. On the Facebook page you’ll also find posts about reading projects people are undertaking themselves, book recommendations and other book-related chats so if Zoom discussions aren’t your cup of tea you can always put up a post or comment on someone else’s! We’re hoping to expand our activities with movie adaptation screenings and in-person discussions (once guidelines allow, of course) so make sure you keep an eye out for updates. If you’re not a member yet you can find us on Facebook by searching CGI Page Turners and click “join group”, we’d love to have you!
College Blog As the college semester comes to an end with the start of the summer, so does our Storrow’s college blog by myself and Megan. We had no idea when we started this blog where it would go, but we really had no idea that we’d end up writing about how to manage studying from home and getting through college in a pandemic! All our posts are available to read and perfect as a guide if you’re starting college next year, planning for college sometime in the future or just about to start another year in September. We don’t know where the blogs will take us next year and depending on how college and education in general looks in September, we might be back with some more advice to get us through these unusual times. In the meantime, there’s also many amazing CGI Heroes blogs going up on the website to check out. We’re so happy that you all came along with us for our college journey and we’ll be posting a blog with some reflections on our first year very soon!
CGI Heroes Blog In May 2020 we started a new blog post series called CGI Heroes, recognising the amazing work of our members who have been working through this pandemic in essential services. We have been delighted with the response and we cannot wait to share more stories with you from many of our leaders around the country. This blog has been a wonderful way to showcase the amazing work that our members do. To give you an idea of some of the blogs we’ve had so far here is a taster; Emily McCann, our Chief Commissioner, who works for Celtic Linen has gone from supplying hotels to providing hospitals with quality linens whilst also making scrubs for our healthcare workers. As for the medical side of things, we have it covered! Lynda Power is a nurse on a busy infection control ward in a Dublin Hospital, Alison Devlin has been working throughout in Boots Pharmacy as a trainee pharmacy technician whilst Storrows member, Gillian Garvey, has been testing COVID swabs in a microbiology lab as a medical scientist.
TURN
THE PAGE,
CONTINUE
READING
AND LET THE NEXT STORY BEGIN...
Pop along to the CGI Website to have a look at these amazing stories and more, that our members have shared with us. If you have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and you want to share your story or if you would like to nominate someone who has been your hero, just send us an email storrows@girlguidesireland.ie.
#GuideWithPride www.girlguidesireland.ie 15
WELLBEING ACTIVITIES FOR OUR MEMBERS MAKE A NATURE MANDALA What: A nature mandala is a circular art form that is made using different objects and natural materials. Use: lots of different natural materials collected from your nature walk, including shells, rocks, pebbles, vibrant flowers, leaves, seaweed and anything else you find outside.
CGI Pageturners Share in the discussions Contact the National Office for more details All Leaders welcome!
#GuideWithPride 16 Guiders Link Vol. 3
How: 1. Head off on a walk with your child. This could take place at your garden at home, at the beach, around the local neighbourhood or while out on a bush walk. (Be mindful of Government Guidelines!) Let your child collect and carry different materials, especially ones that they are naturally curious of. 2. Lay all the materials out and take the time to look at each of them. This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the walk, talk about where you found each object, or imagine how they could be used in the nature mandala. 3. Sort and collect the materials by size, shape, colour etc. It’s important that the child is involved in this process. This is where closer relationships with the materials are formed. Small differences in character can be discovered and children are very close observers of these. This process evokes ideas and knowledge about aesthetic qualities while involving mathematical concepts at the same time. 4. Find a place to create a mandala. You can do this inside or out. Either find a flat surface to work on at home, or another outside surface. The idea is that the nature mandala is not permanent, so there’s no use of glue. 5. Start to create a simple pattern or shape by placing a larger object in the middle. Let the shape expand outwards rings or layers. The nature mandala art emerges and grows through the process. Encourage your child to select different objects for their size, texture or colour and add them to the artwork. 6. Keep adding until you decide that the mandala is finished
I spy Neighbourhood Walk Tick the box beside the word when you find it!
Squirrel
Letter box
Stop Sign
Flag
Bike
Swing
For Sale sign
Bird’s nest
Blue car
Traffic Lights
dandelion
Number 6
Leaf
ant
spider
cat
Add your own!
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Take time something
Do
someone today
thing to
nice/positive
Say one
dear to you
someone
plan to meet
Make a
someone today
kindness for
random act of
Do a
mean to you
how much they
someone important
Tell
a walk
Go for
Wellbeing Action Calendar to ask you happy
loved ones
hugs to your
Try a new
at someone
today
Laugh
Write a poem
cluttered drawer
Clean out a
paint a picture
Draw or
grateful for
you are
3 things
Write down
that makes
Thank
Spend time
a glass of water before each meal
Smile
someone
people
Offer
good Give a
to check in
activity today
and friends
compliment
today
Meditate:
in nature
Take time
example
Set a
how they are
Be nice to someone today
Go for a Sit, relax, focus
Introduce
today
Enjoy a
yourself to
Drink
on someone
List 3
sunset
someone new
on breathing
Sit in
things you like
or sunrise
30 minute walk
the sun for
about yourself
something nice
photo of
Take a
five minutes
nice text
Send a Do something
message to someone
you love
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OUTSIDE IDEAS •
Create your own obstacle course in your garden.
•
Lie down in the grass and look up at the clouds, see what shapes you can find.
•
Create a Treasure Hunt- You could hide clues while on a walk within your 5km. Then give clues to your family and see if they can discover where they are.
•
Look, listen & draw your environment. Go outside & find a quiet spot to sit. Take a good look around & listen. Draw your nature picture
•
Get Digging- Pop out for a walk and look at the flowers and insects.
•
Sow seeds or flowers, water and feed them to help them grow strong like you.
•
Create a sport challenge once a week.
•
Have a family Olympics in the garden or green space beside you. The more creative the better- here are some suggestions to get you started- penalty shootout, tennis, donkey, target, javelin (you could throw a roll of wrapping paper or a plastic toy), long jump, frisbee, wheel barrow race, egg and spoon or three legged race. Remember to create medals from tinfoil or cut out paper decorated circles, pierce a hole in the top and add string or ribbon.
•
Ask adults in your family what they used to play- recreate these games. They may remember Kerbies, marbles, tip the can, hide and go seek, hop scotch, skipping, pass the parcel, musical statues, musical chairs, Duck Duck Goose
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CYGNETS Hi all. I hope that everyone is well, enjoying their elongated summer break and hope everyone is staying safe. Carina Burke National Commissioner for Cygnets cygnets@girlguidesireland.ie
PAPER HEART FLOWER What you need: •
Paper Heart Flower Craft template
•
a sheet of white paper if the kids will be designing their own flowers or a colorful paper (red, pink, orange…)
•
sheet of green paper
•
sheet of yellow paper (optional)
•
green paper straws
•
markers to color the bee
•
paper clips or mini clothespins
•
clear tape
• scissors • glue Method 1. Print the flower craft template (you can grab it at the end of this tutorial)
4. Now fold the flower shape as shown on the picture bellow. Unfold.
You can print the template on white paper and have the kids decorate it as they see fit or you can print it on a colored paper. We used regular print paper to make this craft. Cut out the flower shape. 2. This step is optional but we think it turns out really cute! Cut a circle out of yellow paper and glue it on the flower shape. 3. Write your message (perfect if this will be a card).
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5. Fold again at a right angle to the first fold (as shown on the picture). Unfold 6. Fold again, this time at a 45 degree angle to one of the previous folds (between the
first two folds) as shown on the image below.
9. Color the bee and cut it out (if you printed on the white sheet of paper you can color the bee that is on that sheet, if not there is a separate sheet with bees you can print on the white paper). 10. Glue it on a clothes pin or tape it onto a paper clip. Clip it on the heart shape.
7. This next step is a little bit tricky when you do it for the first time. But once you manage to make one you will see it’s actually easy peasy! You need to push the last fold inside the flower shape.
8. Start on one side and then push in the other too. You should see a heart shape.
11. Take a green paper drinking straw and glue it on the back of your heart flower with clear tape – two rows will prevent the straw from moving. 12. Cut a leaf out of green paper and glue it on the paper heart flower craft. All done! Your paper heart flower craft is ready to be gifted to someone special!
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BRIGÍNÍ TIE DYE T-SHIRT (UNIT COLOUR) WHAT YOU’LL NEED • White T-Shirt (Cotton Fabric works best) • Wide Rubber Bands • Newspaper • Dye Colour of your unit Neckerchief • Large plastic bowl • Resealable bag • Rubber bands
WHAT TO DO. 1. Bundle your white T-shirt, and then tie in different places with the rubber bands 2. Put on your rubber gloves and place the large bowl on the newspaper 3. Place the T-shirt in the large bowl and apply the dye to the T-shirt, dye the sections the colour you want 4. When complete, place the T-Shirt into the resealable bag. Seal the bag and leave for twenty four hours. The twenty four hours will give a more intense colour. 5. After the twenty four hours, remove the T-shirt from your resealable bag. Undo the rubber bands and rinse the T-Shirt under cold water until the runoff is clear. 6. Place the T-shirt in the washing machine with your normal detergent.
HOW TO GROW TOMATOES FROM SLICES WHAT YOU’LL NEED • Tomato • Small pot / container • Some soil • Cling film • Large plastic bowl
WHAT TO DO. 1.
Place the slice of tomato on top of soil in the container
2.
Cover the tomato slice with about an inch of soil
3.
Cover the container with cling film for warmth and moisture. Leave this for a week in a warm sunny place.
4.
After a week your tomato should start to sprout
5.
Remove the cling film
6.
Leave to grow further. While Growing, give it water and leave in a sunny spot.
7. Fertilize a few times a month. Watch as it grows, watering it every week and keeping it in a warm, sunny space 22 Guiders Link Vol.3
MAKE A
WOODPILE
A woodpile is a great habitat for all different sorts of insects and is really easy to construct. It is a home and a source of food for many animals.
HOW TO CREATE A WOODPILE 1.
Gather any twigs, branches, pieces of wood, old plants and stack them in a dark, quiet corner of your garden. They should be placed somewhere shady and maybe a little damp.
2.
Stack the wood, twigs etc on top of each other. If you can, keep the wood damp by burying the lower pieces of wood in the soil.
3.
You could sprinkle some soil around the woodpile, especially if there are holes in the wood.
4.
Add a pile of leaf litter. This can attract even more creatures.
5.
Watch and inspect.
WORK OUT A TREE’S AGE 1. Wrap tape measure around the tree’s trunk and measure the size of its circumference in centimetres. 2. Put the size of the circimference into a calculator and divide by 2.5 3. The number that shows up is the tree’s approximate age.
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GUIDES
ALL ABOUT "US" Make an “us” poster with your Patrol (Discover Common Interests and your experiences over the last few months) Resources • Large sheets of white paper • Pens, Markers/coloured pencils • Old newspapers/magazines (optional) • Glue sticks • Stickers etc... • Photos (optional) Introduction: This activity is an opportunity for the Guides to discover common interests and share facts about themselves with their Patrol and Unit. The poster should represent their Patrol as a whole, with each Guide contributing facts/interests about herself. By the end of the activity each member of the Patrol should know something new about the other Guides in her Patrol –what they have in common and what’s different. Instructions: In Patrols, Guides firstly discuss their
interests, share facts about themselves etc. Then all Guides in the Patrol use the large sheets of paper and markers to draw an ‘Us’ poster that represents their Patrol and every Guide in it .Optional: Cutting pictures/text from old newspapers and magazines and using the glue stick to adhere the cuttings to the poster .When posters are complete each Patrol presents their poster to the rest of the Unit.
Debrief: Optional: The Leaders could set specific questions to be answered when the Guides present their poster to the other Patrols e.g. which Guide in your Patrol... has the most siblings? has visited the most countries? likes the most unusual food? Has a pet? Etc. Discuss with the Guides what makes each Guide in their Patrol different from one another, and what things they all have in common? Try to help the Guides realise how differences and different experiences mean variety and make a Patrol or team more interesting and diverse.
SALT & PEPPER Description Salt and Pepper (15 minutes) — This activity is fun, excellent for energizing your team, and also great as a quick icebreaker exercise. It is simple to set up and suitable for a wide team size of 10-40 people (ideally even numbered). As a facilitator, think of pairs of things such as, salt and pepper, yin and yang, shadow and light, peanut butter and jelly, Mickey and Minnie mouse, male and female, and so forth. Write each item on a piece of paper (i.e. salt on one piece and pepper on another), and tape one paper on the back of each person, making sure they can’t see it. When the game starts, everyone must walk around asking yes or no questions in order to find out what word they have taped to their backs. Once they figure that out, they need to find their other pair. Learning how to ask the right questions is the key. (Optional: The two will then sit down and learn three to five interesting facts about one another) Resources Pre-Prepared sheets with pairs of things to put on backs (some suggestions on the opposite page). Sellotape. 24 Guiders Link Vol. 3
Adam
Eve
body
soul
back
forth
bread
butter
bacon
eggs
bricks
mortar
bed
breakfast
bride
groom
birds
bees
business
pleasure
black
white
by
large
first
last
give
take
fish
chips
ham
eggs
flesh
blood
hammer
nail
forgive
forget
high
low
front
center
hot
bothered
fun
games
huffing
puffing
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RANGERS Hi everyone, I hope that you all kept safe and well during the lockdown. In the last issue I wrote that I was finished as Ranger Commissioner but due to the unforeseen circumstances with the coronavirus I will be continuing as Ranger Commissioner until 2021.
Trish Derwin National Commissioner for Ranger Guides rangers@girlguidesireland.ie
HOW TO HAND SEW A MASK IN 15 MINUTES Materials Required: •
Pieces of tightly woven cotton fabric for the mask outer and lining- measurements specified in the table below.
•
5mm elastic or fabric strips cut from an old t-shirt for ties – requirement specified in the table below.
•
Sewing Notions.
•
Fabric Marker L
Table: In the table below, ‘W” stands for the width and “L” stands for the length of the fabric piece to be cut. All sizes in centimetres
All sizes in centimetres
Mask Outer
Mask Lining
W
5 mm elastic Cut 2
Ties behind the ear Cut 2
Ties behind the head Cut 2
Adult
18cmW x 25cmL
18cmW x 20cmL
30cm
3.5cmW x 43cm L
3.5cmW x 83cmL
Child
15cmW x 23cmL
15cmW x 20cmL
28cm
3.5cmW x 40cmL
3.5cmW x 81cmL
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1. Cut the mask outer and lining pieces, referring to the table. Here the mask outer is the floral fabric and the lining is the polka dot fabric.
7. Fold the four corners of the mask outer towards the wrong side and press.
8. Next, fold the two raw edges towards the wrong side by 5mm and press. 2. Fold the mask outer in half width ways, aligning the edges and mark the center of the upper and lower edges. Repeat with the mask lining. 3. Open the two pieces and keep them layered, with the right sides together and the center marks aligning. Pin the two pieces together along the aligned edges. 9. Fold again by 8mm and press to form a casing for the elastic or ties. 10. Pin along the edge of the folds. 11. Hand sew the two casings shut, using a running stitch.
4. Thread your needle and hand sew the two pieces together by a running stitch, along the two pinned edges. Take care to keep the stitches small and uniform and also to secure the stitches by a few knots at the start and finish.
12. Take the required length of the elastic or fabric, referring to the table above and insert it through the two casings, using a safety pin. 13. Tie the ends of the elastic in a knot and leave the fabric open for tying in place.
5. Bring the right side out. 6. Press to make it neat and the edges taut.
Congratulations your mask is complete.
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INTERNATIONAL Hi, Hope everyone is doing ok and keeping safe in these unusual times. As the world begins to emerge from lockdown and hopefully we will be able to get back to a new normal soon. We have adapted some of WAGGGS programmes for working from home or for social distancing. Please keep an eye on OGM for these as we release them. Keep safe Suzanne Lenihan International Commissioner international@girlguidesireland.ie
POSITIVITY CHALLENGE
Every Wednesday we are releasing a WAGGGS positivity patrol challenge. Even if you’ve missed some weeks why not catch up now? These will also be on OGM under National Resources and International and are a great way to introduce your girls to WAGGGS while working on the very important topics of self esteem and confidence.
GILLIAN GARVEY APPOINTED WAGGGS ADVOCACY AMBASSADOR Gillian Garvey has been appointed CGI’s Advocacy ambassador for WAGGGS. Look out for more information on her work in the next few months. Gillian will be devising a programme to explain advocacy to the girls and increase their awareness of what they can do as advocates.
TIDE TURNERS We have adapted the YUNGA Tide Turners badge so the girls can start it at home. This new version was emailed to everyone but if you can't find it, it is on OGM. All Units will have received a booklet for the original version which hopefully we will be able to get back to doing very soon. If your Unit hasn’t received their copy yet please contact the National Office. We will be promoting this badge for 2020 so please try and do it with your girls. Don’t forget to send us photos etc as you do it.
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SHARE THE LIGHT CAMPFIRE The WAGGGS World Centres held an Online Global Campfire on the 15th of April 2020. This international experience connected over 10,000 Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from over 100 countries. Many members of CGI around the country took part in the amazing event. If you missed the experience you can join in anytime here: https://bit.ly/sharethelightfinal
WEDNESDAY
WAGGGS
Every Wednesday on our social media platforms we will be releasing a fact about WAGGGS. Please pass these on to your Units to help make the girls more aware of the Guiding around the World. www.girlguidesireland.ie 29
WORLD CENTRES REOPENING For those hoping to get away soon the WAGGGS World Centres are beginning to reopen. •
Pax Lodge – September 2020
•
Sangam – January 2021
•
Our Cabana – August 2020
•
Our Chalet – July 2020 (phased opening)
•
Kusafiri – Postponed to 2021.
Don’t forget all of the World Centres run events that are open to all and you don’t need to bring your Guides to go.
Volunteer Experiences Missed your holiday this year - why not volunteer at a World Centre. All of them offer volunteer experiences of differing lengths. Live your dream - Volunteer at Our Chalet! As an Our Chalet Assistant, you will help in running the daily life at the World Centre. International friends, Guiding and Scouting fun, outdoor challenge, new skills, and the experience of a lifetime are guaranteed! THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING AT OUR CHALET •
Free full board and lodging in staff accommodation
•
Learning about different cultures, customs and countries
•
Learning new life skills such as work ethics, running outdoor activities for guests, cooking, cleaning as well as learning new sports but most of all experiencing living for several months in a truly international environment infused with the spirit of Guiding and Scouting.
•
Learning new Guide and Scout games and current WAGGGS topics to share at home
•
Learning about self, about others, about the environment and needs of the society
• Support from staff team in planning and delivering personal projects •
Access to laundry and other facilities
•
Wireless Internet access
•
Living the dream in the Swiss Alps!
Closing dates for Our Chalet are •
Summer 2021 - 1st November 2020
•
Autumn 2021 - 1st February 2021
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CAMPS
We might not have been able to get away on our camps this year and many have been postponed for next year but here is one that is going ahead in the Netherlands and still accepting bookings. Might be a good one to replace your missed camp.
NICES is a summer camp for all Girl and Boy scouts from Europe (and beyond) between 14 and 21 years and will take place from 2nd – 12th of August 2021 in Nederweert, the Netherlands. The event distinguishes itself from other camps through its flexible attitude: participants can stay for as many days as they want and each night they can register for the activities of the next day. These activities can be chosen individually. So you can start adventuring with your new friends right away. A very active, exciting and varied programme full of adventure, sports and other activities is planned. During the camp, every night all the participants can choose from an enormous offer of ticket activities, both on and off the campsite. Among other things the following activities are expected (no definitive list yet): •
Getting exhausted on a survival challenge-track;
• Mountain biking: a nice hike to enjoy the Limburg countryside or a heavy cross-country track;
Participation in NICES is possible for as many days as you like. The cost per person per day is 25.00 EURO. This fee includes your stay, all activities, use of all facilities, camp badge and participation in the international barbecue. Drinks and snacks in the main tent and other meals are not included. For more info see http://www.nices.nl/
If you need a bit more planning time this camp has been put back by a year to 2022.
Originally planned for 2021 Poacher 2022 will now take place from Saturday 30th July to Saturday 6th August 2022 at the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange de Lings, Lincoln, LN2 2NA, UK. Something for everyone - with hundreds of activities to choose from Poacher is proud to offer something for every taste! There will, of course, be many highadrenaline activities, but Poacher also prides itself on creating new concepts and putting a different spin on existing and traditional challenges.
•
Combine aiming, running and ambush tactics during outdoor laser combat;
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Be secured on the climbing-wall!;
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A life-jacket isn’t superfluous during the wild- water kayaking;
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Sport: challenge each other in beach-volleyball, soccer, archery or any of your favourite sports;
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Will your self built wooden raft float or sink?;
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Enjoying the fabulous scenery in National Park De Groote Peel;
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Express yourself in one of the many workshops, This is a jointly organised event by Lincolnshire Scouts and Lincolnshire Girlguiding North like glass engraving and pottery; Visit a real Dutch windmill or go 100 years back For more info go to https://www.poacher.org.uk/
•
in time during one of the excursions;
• Don’t get lost and show your knowledge of orienteering; •
With everything focused on one huge activity site you don’t need to go far to enjoy a non-stop range of Adventurous Activities, Creative Activities, Global Development Village and Entertainments to suit all ages and tastes. They also provide some off-site activities, like the special Water Village, and additional Trips to local places of interest. An Early Booking Discount of £30 is available for all places booked and deposits received by 31st October 2021 bringing the Camp Fee to £180.
To register go to https://bookings.poacher.org.uk/poacher/ register
Don’t hit any cows while playing Farmers’ Golf! www.girlguidesireland.ie 31
WAGGGS leadership mindsets – How they can help your skills as a guide leader Why did WAGGGS develop the leadership mindsets?
WAGGGS LEADERSHIP
MIND
SETS 32 Guiders Link Vol. 3
In a recent global survey by WAGGGS and the University of Exeter, it was found that 46% of girls and women believe their gender could disadvantage them when seeking leadership opportunities, and only 37% feel that society supports female leaders. However, 88% feel they are actively practising leadership in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and 80% feel that it has given them the aspiration to make a difference in society. WAGGGS Member Organisations around the world offer high-quality leadership development experiences for girls and women from the age of five, and WAGGGs have hosted international leadership events since 1932. Yet in the world girls grow up in, it’s harder to reach their full potential than it should be, and as leaders we always want to do more to prepare girls and women to take the lead in their lives and be changemakers in their societies. So WAGGGS designed a new leadership model for the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Movement, designed for girls and women, and using innovative delivery models to reach WAGGGS ten million members. These models are based on those used for top level management courses. How can they help you be a better guide leader? The WAGGGS leadership mindsets are not about increasing competence in certain skills, they are more so about your daily behaviours. To be a great leader, your ways of being and thinking about the world are so important. From the Juliette Low seminar, I spent a huge amount of time discussing the mindsets and it can be intense. My main takeaway was that the mindsets help you focus on how you are as a leader and how you can improve your approach to different situations. If you feel the mindsets are too much, take a step back and try and see what
mindsets are the most different from what you normally would think of. Ultimately, being a great guide leader will benefit you as a person. The mindsets can be applied by leaders at any age or background, once you see yourself as a leader in any setting, it should benefit you. By improving our own leadership practice, we can then encourage girl guides in the safe spaces we provide to improve also! What are the WAGGGS six leadership mindsets? Reflective mindset This mindset is about your needs as a leader. Are you creating a good environment for yourself to practice leadership? The aim is to improve your own selfawareness and emotional intelligence. Reflection involves reviewing your own past experiences, thinking about your behaviour and its impact. Did you adhere to your values as a leader and how do you continue to be true to them? Collaborative mindset As a leader, are you willing to learn from all perspectives and allow others ideas to be involved? This is all about being a good team player. Everyone, regardless of the amount of work they do is an asset in their own way. Working with people with different backgrounds and perspectives can allow us to try new things and think about situations in a more creative way. We should actively try to create the structures, conditions and attitudes people need to reach their potential, and contribute fully to any team or situation. Creative & critical thinking mindset Create an environment where both innovation and enquiry are valued. Critical thinking is used to assess a situation accurately while the creative part allows us
to find new solutions to these situations. Looking for the facts among assumptions or unproven statements and if things are not adding up, being willing to look up supportive evidence. Can you be objective about things, understand the role of accountability and are you able to prioritise tasks? Gender equality mindset Let’s challenge gender stereotypes! We are a girl led movement. To lead young women, we need to better understand the daily challenges they face and help them overcome them with our actions. Worldly mindset Let’s walk in another girls shoes! This is about putting your perspectives into context. Do you understand the needs and concerns of the girls in your unit and of the people in your community? Ask questions and learn about local conditions and perspectives. The worldly mindset helps us connect with people who are different from us (because of age, position, culture, etc.), and gives us tools to work in complex and diverse environments. Responsible action mindset What needs action and needs to be protected in your community? This involves your impact in your community and in the world. There is power in being a girl led movement, our actions can lead to constructive change if we allow them. Responsible action is about getting the courage to speak out and act, to advocate and to be able to be the change! To learn more about the mindsets, the information above is a summary of the WAGGGS “Leading for Her World” Leadership model booklet and is easily available on the WAGGGS website.
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#HoldFirm
A few weeks ago we ran a competition in support of the #HoldFirm movement where we asked you to create some of your own rainbows to show support for our essential workers. We had many entries, some you can see here, the creativity on display is amazing! However, as always there can be only one winner, and that is Lucy Williams from Malahide Guides , congratulations, we will be in touch about your prize shortly.
WINNER
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ACTIVITY BOOKS Because we were unable to spend a lot of time in meetings this term, lots of leaders tried new and novel ways of keeping in touch with their youth members, and it was great to see the innovation and ingenuity displayed. We had groups on Zoom; we had groups on text; we had programmes delivered by Postmen, Postwomen and special deliveries by some leaders. However, we were also aware that some leaders were not in a position to do this, and so that’s where we thought we’d try to fill the gap. We put together two activity packs; one for Cygnets and Brigíní and the second for Guides and Rangers, and they were sent out earlier on in the summer. We were delighted that they were so well received, as can be shown from these pictures:
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EASTERN REGION LOCKDOWN OLYMPICS
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On Saturday the 20th of June when we should have been on our annual Brigini camp in Kings Hospital we held an online lockdown Olympics. All leaders were sent a pack to forward to their girls prior to the event The packs contained information on all the games, their participant number, instructions to make their Olympic torch and wreath, and information on the Olympic and Paralympics Games. The day started with an introduction video from our Regional Commissioner Clare O’Brien and then some members of our exec took part in a torch relay. After taking our Olympic pledge like Olympians the games began. During the day we had egg and spoon, javelin, water polo and rhythmic gymnastics among others. An activity took place every half an hour and was introduced by a video explaining what to do. After a healthy lunch we had a motivational speech from Noelle Healy, a member of the Dublin Ladies Football team. The day finished with a closing speech from our International Commissioner Suzanne Lenihan and we extinguished our Olympic torch. A great day was had by all and judging by the videos and photos sent to us there were some very interesting competitions going on. Everyone who took part in the day completed their WAGGGS Olympia Badge. Many thanks to everyone who produced videos for the day, some are off to a budding film career.
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TRAINING “It was the best of times, It was the worst of times.”
- Opening line from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
This got me thinking , we’ve certainly been through the worst of times with Covid 19Lockdown, social distancing etc. At the beginning of July, restrictions are beginning to ease up slowly but surely. We’re looking forward to the best of times now- meeting up with friends, getting back to work, visiting the hairdresser, travelling further from home and getting back to Guides . We’ll certainly appreciate our freedoms more…. At least for a little while! In the last Guider’s Link I introduced you to my old friend “Someday” and then I gave you a little exercise to complete- did any of you do it? What is it that you want to achieve someday? Have you taken any steps, even small ones, to achieve it? I finished off my last Guider’s Link report with a promise that as soon as it was safe, the National Training Team would meet to discuss new ways to give Guiders the best training that we could. That was my “Someday I will……” So instead of waiting to meet up in person I decided to hold training team meetings via Zoom and we have had very productive discussions about the direction to take training.
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Here is our progress to date • We have taken several sessions from Guider Training - Step 1 and we are working to modify them so that they can be completed online. This is not the end of face to face training but we can definitely provide some E-Learning topics for Guiders. •
We intend to roll out Peer Education for the Rangers. This is new for many of the Trainers so under the guidance of Alison Devlin, a trainer from the Northern Region, we are being trained in how to train peer educators.
•
We’ve provided the National Development team with a list of topics that Guiders might be interested in learning more about. We are waiting for the results of their survey to inform us of the direction we should be going in as far as providing relevant training is concerned.
•
The most exciting piece of news is that at present we have 21 potential new trainers participating in an Online Train the Trainer course. Every region is represented so we are all looking forward to expanding the expertise with the new additions who will bring new ideas and enthusiasm. So while we have been socially distant we have been working hard and will continue to do so throughout the summer months.
Probably my two favourite past-times are reading and politics so I’ve had a lot of time to indulge over the past few months. It’s amazing the things that you come across, like a speech made by Admiral William Mc Raven who was a Navy SEAL, to graduating students from the University of Texas. I’ve taken the liberty to “borrow” a few of his words and ideas and to apply them to us as Guiders. If you need a reason to return to Guides after such a long break let me give you one. Guiders make a big impression on their Cygnets, Brigins, Guides and Rangers. According to last year’s annual report we had 697 Guiders- if each Guider changed the lives, in a positive way, of 10 guides (just 10), that’s 6970 lives that have been changed. If they then changed 10 lives the total is now 69,700. In a generation (25 years) we will have been responsible for having a positive impact on 1,742,500 lives. Who says there is no place for Guiding in the world? We need each one of you to help make this positive change. CGI can’t do it without you! If you have decided what you want to do Someday but you’re putting it off because it seems too big a task, I want to leave you with my favourite piece of advice from Admiral Mc Raven.
“ If you want to change the world, start each day off by making your bed.” This means that each day starts with a task already completed. This will encourage you to do another task and then another one. By the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big thing right! And if by chance you have had a miserable day at least you will come home to a bed that has been made by you and a made bed gives you the encouragement that tomorrow will be better. Looking forward to the day we can all meet face to face again. Stay safe everyone and don’t forget to follow the rules! Yours in Guiding Eilish Smyth National Commissioner for Training
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NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM SURVEY – JUNE 2020 Thank you for participating in the National Development Survey. We really appreciate your time and honest feedback. Below is a summary of the results and an outline on what the team’s next steps are.
RESPONSE PER REGION SOUTH WEST REGION 11.86% EASTERN REGION 45.06%
A high-level overview of the survey results are below: • Significantly more people engage with CGI’s Social Media platforms than the Website.
SOUTH EAST REGION 20.16%
• 90% of members felt that CGI was responding appropriately to the Covid-19 Pandemic with approximately one fifth of responses noting that the communication from National was clear around suspending meetings and good constant communications throughout.
NORTHERN REGION 22.92%
• 66% of responses noted the CGI’s first ever virtual Camp “May We Camp Here” was one of the best things for them and members to keep everyone connected and engaged. • 43% of responders have said they would consider volunteering at unit, regional or national events either on specific team, projects or on an ad-hoc basis. Thank you for giving your time if you have not left us your contact details in the survey can you please contact us at development@girlguidesireland.ie the survey was anonymous unless you gave us your contact details. • 27% of responses indicated that units had waiting lists across all or specific sections. While 23% advised they were currently at full capacity.
RANKED MOST SUCCESFUL WAY TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS 1.
Progression of Members
2.
Schools
3.
Local Newsletter / Parish Notices
4.
Parents
5.
Bring a friend
6.
Social Media
7.
Newspapers
8.
Mum and me programme
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• 89% of responders confirmed they were happy to attend online training with evenings and Saturdays being the most preferred times to attend. • 66% of responses indicate that the majority of our youth members have reliable internet access and 80% have access to a smart phone/device in which to engage with online meetings. • In response to the “How do you feel you benefit from being a member in CGI? / What is it that keeps you in Guiding?” question here are some of the key reoccurring responses:
Enjoyment
FRIENDSHIP Fun Our Next Steps
The team have reviewed all the survey results and we are working in sub-groups on our three key areas, Retention, Recruitment and Flexible Guiding initially, with some of these initiatives coming into effect from September 2020 for the new Guiding year. A full copy of the survey results along with the National Development Team’s complete list of recommendations was made to the NEB in July 2020. A lot of good and interesting ideas and suggestions were made and our aim is to commence work in our key areas and then as time and capacity allows look at other ideas. All of the feedback is shaping and being aligned to CGI’s National Strategy and we are in the process of setting goals and metrics on how we as an organisation aim to achieve these.
Skill & Qualification Sharing
Phenomenally over 30% of participants responded to say they had skills or qualifications to share with CGI – thank you so much!! As the survey was anonymous, if you shared your skill or qualification and didn’t leave us a contact number or email we aren’t able to identify who you are unfortunately. Please if you have any of the skills or qualifications below or indeed something not listed that you would be willing to share please contact us at development@girlguidesireland.ie we would love to contact you and talk to you to understand what your capacity would be. The National Development Team would like to create a skills database. We appreciate that this skills share offer is in addition to current Guiding and personal commitments so we really appreciate your time and efforts. For those who did leave contact details a member of the team will be in contact. If you have any of the following skills or qualifications please get in touch with us: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Outdoors/ Pioneering Crafts / Baking / Cooking Training Health & Beauty / Skincare Sports Management / Coaching First Aid/ First Responder Pastoral Ministry Forensic Science Alternative Therapies Nursing / Mental Health / Critical Care Nurse Teacher Youth Worker Diploma in Speech & Drama HR
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Solicitor** (Not Legal Advice) Facilitation Skills Photography Psychology / Online Behaviour Coaching & Mentoring Science Teacher STEM Ambassador PR Marketing Consultant Yoga Teacher Online Record Keeping Mediation Skills Meditation Practice/Mindfulness Environmental Sustainability www.girlguidesireland.ie 41
COMMUNICATIONS It’s been a very different and difficult few months for lots of our members, and at a time when we were used to being out and about, we were forced to stay home and stay away from each other. Luckily, that has begun to change a little and some of our members have seized the opportunity to get back together and have fun. If you’re going to meet up with your sections over the
summer please let us know, and take lots of photos of the fun to share with us all, everyone likes a good news story. And don’t forget if you’re looking for ideas, you can still take part in the Summer Challenge if you wish, badges are free and are available, from the National Office Yours in Guiding, Michelle Finnerty National Commissioner for Communications pr@girlguidesireland.ie
AROUND IRELAND EASTERN REGION COVID 19 Badge During the month of April we ran a competition to design a COVID 19 badge. We received over 100 entries from many of our Units. After a very difficult judging process we eventually had a winner. Congrats to Isabelle Lennox a Brigin from Buion Frances Taylor Unit, Malahide. Isabelle’s badge has been made into a badge and will be given to all members of the Region who have taken part in Guiding during lockdown.
Sharethelight Campfire Many members of the Region took part in the WAGGGS virtual campfire on the 18th of April. Also many of our Units have been sharing their lights between 19:10 and 20:20 on a Sunday night.
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Neckerchief Competition We have been running a neckerchief competition on facebook where our followers have had to guess how many neckerchiefs are in a photo and which Guider owns them.
Leader Quiz On Sunday the 27th of June we held a Leader Quiz on zoom. Each round was sent to the participants and they completed a form which then went back to the quiz leader. The rounds included places in Ireland, stars from the ‘80’s, riddles and of course, the all important, Guide round. Judging by the laughter in between rounds everyone really enjoyed the evening. We plan to run more of these leader get togethers in the near future. Many Congrats to our winners, Maria Carroll and Deirdre Wray. Many thanks to Nicola Kennedy for organising and running this quiz.
Google Drive We have set up a google drive for the Region to help our leaders. We have put ideas for zoom meetings and Guiding activities that can be sent directly to the youth members into this drive. Leaders having been adding to this and we are hoping to continue with it once the current crisis is over.
Buion Imelda Dun Laoghaire Cygnet and Brigin Olympics Everybody took part in the Olympics – we had a great day. (pictures Cygnet Isla Dodd Burn and Alannah Carey Ranger practicing her basketball while tuning in.
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Buion Imelda Dun Laoghaire Easter deliveries On Saturday 27th of June 2020 the Leaders in Dun Laoghaire successfully planned a surprise visit to the Cygnets, Brigins, Guides, Ranger, and their parents. We presented each child with a ‘Cara Bear’ and their parents with a box of ‘Hero’s’ because without them we could not have successfully run weekly online Zoom Meetings from April onwards.
SOUTH WEST REGION History In The Making On Monday 22nd June, 2020 the South West Region held our very first regional Zoom social event. We had a virtual Tea Party, with participants not disclosing what beverage they had in their teacups! The evening was a tremendous success and it was so wonderful to see our Guiding friends once again . Of course we look forward to meeting in person but the Tea Party proved a lovely way to chat and catch up. It really was a case of history in the making!
Sally O'Neill RIP The South West Region lost one of our long serving Guiders in recent weeks. Sally O'Neill passed away and will be greatly missed. Though not a Cork woman, originally from Waterford, she became one of our own and for many, many years Sally ran St. Margaret Marys Brigin Company in Mayfield. In later years she was joined with her daughter Sarah who was a leader in that Company also. At one stage there was three generations involved in Guiding when Sally's beloved granddaughter Katie joined the Company. Sally had a most gentle way about her and was a true lady. She was such a positive person to meet and did so much for her community as well as giving her time to Guiding. It was our privilege to be part of the requiem Mass for Sally . Even though we had to social distance in the church yard for the requiem Mass we were only physically distanced as we were united in being present for Sally. A true honour to form the Guard of Honour for Sally to thank her for all she did for Guiding in her adopted city of Cork over the years. The light of heaven to Sally.
St Vincent's Unit Brigini and Guiders from St. Vincent’s Unit, SWR enjoying some socially-distanced Outdoor Fun and the long awaited meet-up with friends after several months of lockdown
St Stephen’s unit enrolment day St. Stephen’s unit held an enrolment on Thinking Day, in what is now pre Covid-19 Guiding times. 16 Guides, 14 Brigins and 2 Guiders were enrolled on the night in Watergrasshill, Co. Cork. Unit Leader Elizabeth Collins presented a bouquet of flowers to Guiders Niamh O’Carroll and Tracy Doyle, who were commissioned at the recent SWR St. Brigid’s Day Mass held in Carrig na bhfear. Presentations were also made to Helen O’Driscoll who after joining CGI as a Guide member, went on to become a Guider and retired in 2017, as well as Linda Fitzpatrick, a member since she was a Brigin, on completing 25 years service as a Guider in 2018. All members and their families enjoyed refreshments in the local community centre afterwards..
NORTHERN REGION St. Paul Craft Packs
St Colmcille’s Easter deliveries
Leaders from St Paul’s make sure their girls don’t miss out on Friday nights by giving out craft packs.
Leaders from St Colmcille’s, Belfast, make some special Easter deliveries
St Colmcille’s, Belfast create some rainbows
Holy Trinity Mask adaptors Trinity Leaders Patricia McMurray and Catherine Matthews respond to appeal for mask adaptors.
The Brigins have been working extremely hard to complete aspects of their badge work; baking, reading and doing lots of different kinds of exercise (both indoors and outdoors)! Recently, the whole unit also drew pictures for the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion service to display in their reception area - bringing only positive vibes to the kind donors!
St Patrick’s, Aghagallon hold virtual Campfire St Oliver Plunkett, Lurgan, celebrate Earth Day
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CONTACTS NEB Chief Commissioner Assistant Chief Commissioner National Secretary National Treasurer Cygnets Brigíní Guides Rangers International Communications Development Training Outdoor South-Western Region Eastern Region South-Eastern Region Northern Region
chiefcommissioner@girlguidesireland.ie assistantchiefcommissioner@girlguidesireland.ie secretary@girlguidesireland.ie treasurer@girlguidesireland.ie cygnets@girlguidesireland.ie brigíní@girlguidesireland.ie guides@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
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
National Office Coordinator Eoin Hamilton Communications Administrator
Nicola Toughey
nicola@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.