Follow the leader!

We thought it was about time we updated you all again – sorry for the delay but we’ve been making the most of our last few days on this amazing island. The sad reality for us is that our project has come to an end, but we hope the training and experiences we’ve had here stay in everyone’s minds for a long time after we have left. 

Leadership – the next and final level  

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights we ran sessions for the Padvinsters (PV’s), young leaders and Pioneers on encouraging them to take their leadership to the next level, building on the skills and techniques learnt at camp. With a new outdoor location (Club Kibrahacha) we were pleased to see so many familiar faces along with a couple of new ones (30 in total). We gave the girls the opportunity to look at some of the UK resources which we were kindly donated to share with the APG and use these as inspiration to plan their own session. This was a big challenge for the girls but we were really impressed with the level of concentration. On Wednesday each group of PV’s ran a game or activity for their peers. It was very rewarding for us to see the impact that we have had on these girls in such a short amount of time, with them all growing in confidence and leading games that we had taught them. 

Here are a few quotes from the girls themselves about their experience of GOLD Aruba 2018:

“I learnt to be confident and to believe in myself”

“I learnt that working with others is easier than I thought it would be”

“I want to become a better version of myself as a future leader”

“I have made new friends and talked to girls I’ve never talked to before”

“I want to be a great leader like you guys in the future”

“I surely am a greater leader now. Not only for my guiding group but in my school, at home and with myself. I know how to lead my road to the degrees I want to accomplish”

“For sure I’m going to use the things I’ve learnt during these sessions. The main reason why is because I’m studying hospitality management and for that I need to know how to stand up and take the lead”

Leading by example

On Thursday evening we ran a session for the leaders of the APG to help them understand what we have been doing with the girls and how they can facilitate youth participation and youth leadership within their own units. It was fantastic to see the positive attitudes and the openness to try new things from the leaders who had already been to one of our sessions. A lovely dinner provided by the APG gave us a chance to continue our discussions until well after 10pm!

Social Gathering

After all the hard work, energy and commitment from both the APG and ourselves we enjoyed a night out together to a pizza restaurant. From beginning to end the APG have been incredibly supportive and generous hosts, going above and beyond to ensure we had a great experience. We enjoyed getting to know a bit more about the individuals we had spent so much time with, comparing our Guiding and country cultures. 

#theAteam