A year of adventure, a year full of prep!

It seems hard to believe that last year we were all at Go For GOLD in Hednesford, just taking our first small steps on our GOLD journey! Along with over 100 others, our written applications had been shortlisted for GOLD and we were ready for the fun and challenge of the selection weekend.

Putting up our tents in the dark on a very stubborn slope was the first challenge we overcame, and the weekend was full of songs, activities and new experiences! In December 2015 we heard the news that we had been selected for the GOLD project in Aruba. Incredible to think that we are now prepping for our upcoming debrief weekend.

Over the course of the last year, there have been several poems to capture what we have been up to. Featuring interesting fancy dress, our attempts at croquet, Aruban TV appearances, and our experience delivering training in 38 degree heat!

In case you’ve missed them, here they are all together…

 

 

What we'll miss... and what we won't!

We will miss so many things from project, here is a
1. Each other!
2. SChow supermarket (and their interesting exchange rate....)
3. The Aruban welcome
4. Zoë and Sophie will miss their giant bed
5. Singing, especially in the car
6. Our Aruban sisters, mothers and grandmothers
7. Ice pops of unknown flavour (Miriam will not miss these!)
8. Playing spot or bite
9. Photo fail of the day
10. Our miniature, U.V, antique telephone
11. Chocolate spread sandwiches at any hour!
12. Pastechi
13. Jimmy, the accomodation handyman
14. Referring to songs, energisers and games as 'SEGs'
15. Sun, sand and sea
16. Random nakedness being completely acceptable #sorrynotsorry



Things we won't miss too much...
1. 'Wobble technology' washing machine
2. Temperamental burglar alarms!!
3. Toilet paper bins...
4. Having just one full size mug and 6 team members
5. Breaking 4 glasses in our accomodation
6. Constant battling to keep sand out of our accomodation, and out of our beds?!
7. DEET in the mouth and eyes!
8. Doors that do not want to close or open
9. Lights that dim when you use the shower
10. Living without a kettle
11. Our poor hire car, that clearly has been driven through the outrageous terrain of the National Park too many times!
12. Carb loaded meals...
13. Suicidal dogs in the roads
14. Working until midnight every night for 3 weeks!
15. The beds in bedroom 1!
16. Having to physically open a closed road when we want to leave our accommodation!

24 hours in the life of the GOLD Team

Friday Evening

Last night was our last night of after school training with 11-17 year old girls in the North of the Island. The sky did not disappoint, with a sunset that turned from yellow and orange through to deep pink and purple. It was great to see so many girls after a long day of school for a session lasting almost 5 hours.

We played 'silent law ladders', (a new firm favourite!) a VERY energetic round of 'Ride my pony', and had an excellent debate with the girls before a dinner break. We were touched by the kind words of the girls and leaders, and it was heart warming to see that our visit has meant as much to Aruba as it has to us.

Saturday Morning

The team were reduced to 4 for training this morning, with Anne and Sophie at home. The session was a great success, with a focus on how current leaders plan their meetings. It featured a jigsaw activity where teams had to break up and learn about the Guiding 5 Essentials, before regrouping and each teaching each other about what they had learned.

We were delighted to hear that the Scout Leader who had been so inspired by our training sessions, now feels ready to take over an upcoming 3 month absence. The pledge auction we ran saw the trading of some brilliant resources, including:

Venues

Knot tiring session

Craft sessions

Recruitment support

Supporting new leaders

Saturday Afternoon Rainbow and Brownie session!

We headed to Noord district for our 5pm combined session with the Beyisima and Kabouter, with lots of ideas for 90 minutes of games and songs. It was so wonderful to meet the girls, we shared our songs and began to learn some of theirs! The girls made beautiful brightly coloured sticker fish on straws, which we took outside to play 'Ride My Dolphin' and 'Fishes in the Sea'.

The evening finished with ice pops and some lovely group photos. It was so special to see the team in action with younger girls, and was something that we all thoroughly enjoyed. There have been so many special moments over the last few weeks, and we headed home feeling shocked that our time here has passed so quickly!

What's next?
Goodbyes and flights are coming soon...

Ridiculous moments
Confusion caused by scenes of a crumbling nun being hoisted/ manhandled by two priests into the back of a pick up truck...
Anne being terrified and screaming at the handy man from our accommodation when he crept up on her and Sophie while they were doing the team washing in the cupboard.

Another day, another training space!

Tonight we were based in the North of the island, at Felipe B Tromp School. The blue and white school building has a huge open square that we used for energisers and games. We trained 36 Padvindsters under the swirly pink and orange skies, and headed into a gated sports hall when it became too dark.

It was wonderful to see some of the Padvindsters from our initial training weekend, and it is hard to believe that we are now less than a week away from the end of project! We ran a Desert Island activity, asked what the girls liked, learned and would improve about the APG and created invitations for friends. Hopefully, we will see some new faces at tomorrow's bring a friend session!
Some of the feedback about the APG really touched our hearts, and we can't wait to share it all with the board and current leaders.

'I learned to be disciplined, to be lovely, to have love for what you do and a lot of things that you didn't know you can do.'

'I learned the joy of being in a group and how to get through anything.'

'Way too many things, but mostly how to accept people for who they truly are.'

'First aid, new fun songs, lots of games, how to make a fire, the scouting law.'

We started the session with the ever popular Splat, and sang 'Down by banks of the hanky panky'. Thunderation has been a great song to teach the girls; the GOLDies enjoy it almost as much as the girls! It was such a joy to learn some of the songs the girls like to sing, and we left with 'Oh, Oh Lay Lay' completely stuck in our heads!



Ridiculous moments:
The sweltering heat during training, and it still being 29 degrees at 10pm!
Eating like dogs out of plastic containers, because we forgot forks....whoops!
Playing school or prison in the gated sports hall


What's coming next?
- We will have our second day of Padvindsters training tomorrow, followed by weekend training on both days, and a visit to a special Beyisima and Kabouters session that has been organised just for us.

An Aruban Adventure!

Tuesday was our one full day off, with no morning or evening training sessions. Delivering effective and engaging training requires lots of planning that often runs all through the day, and late into the evening. Our tour guides for the day were the beautiful and inspiring Guiding sisters, Eli and Rose. We have come to know them well from many training sessions and despite Rose being unwell, and it being Eli's birthday, the ladies arrived at our apartment bright and early!

First stop was to the famous red anchor, which we proceeded to climb all over for photo purposes. We saw the island's prison, and the oil refinery that is currently closed. The views of the sea were absolutely breathtaking and we even saw some brave kite surfers, sharing the sea with strong currents and sharks!

We then visited Baby Beach and were lucky enough to catch the Grade 6 school children learning to swim in the beautiful sea water. We've been in something of a training bubble for the last two weeks, so we were completely bowled over to see the true beauty of the country. There are no words to describe the beach, however, Zoë has created a fantastic 360 picture that is already on our Facebook page. Next we were off to the Arikok National Park to explore the Quadiriki bat caves and drive through some incredible desert scenery!

We stopped by a natural fish foot spa, and there were plenty of giggles and squeals as the largest fish came to clean away our dead skin! The sun was shining and we proudly gifted two of our Aruba badges to our fabulous hosts. We soon broke into singing and spirits could not have been higher!

We headed out of the National Park to grab some lunch at Glenn's Bar. We tried an Aruban Cheese and Cornmeal delicacy called Funchi and it was lovely to chat more with Rose and Eli. After food, we headed to the newly renovated California Lighthouse, which offers astonishing views of the sea all around. (This is also where Sophie and Zoë took their wedding picture!) Some of the team were sunburned, as even factor 50 couldn't protect us from the glorious sunshine!

We stopped for a final picture in front of one of many portable Aruba signs, and then said farewell to our brilliant Tour Guides. We headed home in lots of traffic, feeling incredibly happy that we'd had such a wonderful day with our Aruban friends.

Whats coming next?
- Guides/Padvindsters and their +1's training tonight

Ridiculous moments...
- Taking our mini van over some very exciting terrain in the Arikok National Park...
- Alexandra singing in the car whilst stuck in the traffic jam
- Sophie, having had a Lush deodorant bar for 2 weeks, is still not sure how to use it! (Readers, any advice on whether it should be wet or not would be greatly appreciated.)

Leaders of the future... Guide sessions begin!

Monday began with frantic planning and resource creation to prepare for an evening of training with the Padvindsters (Guides) and we had to get creative with dinner plans to ensure we were set up with plenty of time! Our team have really developed over the last 2 weeks, and our increased ability to work to challenging or changing deadlines is something we're proud of.

We took the scenic route (Miriam got us very lost!) to Savaneta Padvindsters Club House, which was our first training venue without air conditioning. The outdoor covered space was the best place to train, given the excessive 37 degree heat! Our aims for the session were to empower the girls to have a voice, to provide a space to reflect on what they love about APG, and to think about becoming future leaders, whilst having fun.

The girls loved 'Elephant Football', Thunderation and 'Bon Dia Padvindsters', incorporating a glitter handshake to show how one Guide can spread positive impact into the wider community. Encouraging the girls to think about what makes a good leader, and making sure that they understood that leaders come with different strengths and circumstances, it's the combined effort of different people that make a great Guide unit.

We finished the 4 hour session slightly delirious, rather sweaty and with a reminder for the Padvindsters to bring a friend along with them to our Wednesday evening training session.

What's coming next?
- Our one day off is on Tuesday, and we will be exploring the island with Eli and Rose.

Ridiculous moments:
- Miriam trying to pronounce APG with the Papiamento accent
- Alexandra having to create sandwiches from an empty fridge

Goats, crabs and Venezuelan lightening storms!

Our weekend training sessions are without doubt the most intense, but are also the most rewarding! Today we hosted training sessions for Guides (Padvindsters), existing leaders and those new to Guiding. The pre-session prep was immense. Day 1 has been a great success, as although we saw lower numbers than we hoped, our training hit exactly the mark we were aiming for.

The morning involved a role model themed balloon debate, which challenged participants to choose to save 2 flawed role models from 10 in a sinking hot air balloon! The key aim of the session was to convey that no one person is the perfect role model, we always have something to learn and skills to enhance and grow.

We also ran activities that focused on the unrealistic images of women in the media, talked about coping mechanisms for stress, and we ran another session of Girls Can themed activities. The fabulous resources we have been donated by Girlguiding North East England have been an incredible help; women and girls have bowled us over with their powerful responses.

It has been 37 degrees today in Aruba, and the heat is challenging both for the GOLD team, as well as the Aruban women. Our journey home was very warm, and was delayed by goats roaming in the road! We swam in the sea, watched an astonishing lightening storm light up the sky 20 miles away in Venezuela, and enjoyed watching our Ghost crab neighbours clambering over the beach!

Ridiculous moment of the day:
The realisation that, so far we've broken quite a few things... 4 glasses, the decking, many many pegs, a portable washing line, a hook, a toilet seat, Anne's plug socket and Miriam's elbow skin.

Mountain top moment:
Knowing that the strong bonds we have formed as a team are the fuel for us to deliver training that is receiving great feedback and making the difference that we so passionately want.

First Week Reflections

This morning spirits are high, after a fantastic evening with Lula from Guiding in Aruba (APG) at the Carubbian street festival of San Nicolas. Street vendors, colourful costumes and Pastechi were the tonic we needed after a very busy first week! We've been training in Santa Cruz and San Nicolas, and are now being recognised from TV most places we go!

Each GOLD project contains the same ethos and passion, but projects vary so much in content and context. For Aruba, we have an audience with fair English, drinking water, WiFi and we've hired a vehicle. Being a first year GOLD project, there are many firsts for our group to experience! We are building a structure that delivers over 3 years, and one that results in the APG progressing from associated to full members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Our greatest joy in training here is without doubt the incredible feedback we have had at the end of each session so far! So much work hides behind the flow of each session we run, and hearing that it is making a positive impact gives us the energy to continually tweak and improve for the next two weeks. As we get to know Guides and Leaders here, our love for and respect for the women and girls we meet continues to grow.

Ridiculous moments
- Miriam walking in on Sita going to the toilet
- The genuine struggles to open, close and lock all doors in our accommodation.
- Sophie's 'light packing' means the team must scrape together to dress her!

What's coming next?
- We have a huge weekend of training ahead, with existing leaders and their plus ones, and we couldn't be more excited!

4 days in, time for a talk show appearance!

Our first training session with the community was set up for retired women, and we had an intimate and positive session. This is a key aspect of GOLD, being flexible and adapting to the situation you are presented with! We had a fantastic few hours with women from the APG board, and the Women's Club of Aruba. Strong, successful and inspiring women, coming together to consider their skills, and the wider world of Guiding that supports 10 million individuals across 146 countries.

'I see APG as my family, I keep them safe, so nobody can hurt them' - Cecilia

If newspaper coverage, and 2 TV interviews weren't enough, it was time to head to the recording studio to appear on Dika's national talk show. This was extremely exciting for all the group, and Steph and Miriam did an incredible job of handling the pressure of the studio! We're excited to be back on telly again in a few days, the novelty will not be wearing off anytime soon.

We came home to a fabulous vegetarian curry, lovingly prepared by Zoë and Anne earlier in the day. Our third and final outfit change was for our first evening training session at the YMCA, in San Nicolas. We set off in our fabulous mini-van, and spent a lovely couple of hours talking with some of the board, some of the leaders and a truly inspiring young guide named Gabby.

What's coming next?
More TV appearances!
Training sessions in new locations

Ridiculous moment:
Alexandra accidentally crashing the TV talk show credits

Mountain Top Moment
Being on a talk show!

Getting to know our Guiding sisters

Today concluded our first weekend training the Guides of Aruba, and it was a day of laughter and utterly incredible Girl Power. The morning began with song sharing outdoors, and then a focus on the Aruban Guiding values. We used a Friendship Shop, Helping Hands activity and a ladders game to get the girls thinking about their Guiding laws. 

Our helping hands came up with some wonderful quotes! 

         'I help my grandma cook'       'I help at animal shelter'      
                     'I help my Dad with the groceries'

It was soon time for lunch, and then our fantastic 7 station activity to challenge female stereotypes and really consider self-esteem. Using 'Girls Can' resources donated by Girlguiding North East, a Mountain Top Moments mountain range, the Always 'Like A Girl video' and Little Miss cards, we considered obstacles women face, and we actively challenged them. The session was genuinely moving, the girls gave such powerful and inspiring responses. We brought together the messages of the training in a short film we made, this will be shared shortly.

      

Our Mountain Top Moments came up with beautiful celebrations of our Guides key moments!

  'I won a medal for basketball'    'Visiting Nuestra Cabana'      'Being a Mom' 

  'Overcame my fear of swimming in open water'     'Meeting the GOLD Team'

The day ended with lots of cuddles, and a real sense that girls truly can do anything.

What's coming next?

- Training retired women and parents of current girls

Ridiculous moment 

- Zoë forgetting the words of The Funky Chicken, and instead letting out a full on chicken squawk in front of all the girls!

Arrival, TV appearances, and 'Wobble Technology'...

We awoke at Pax Lodge and were part of their flag ceremony after a hearty breakfast! Pausing to pick up a limited edition 25 year pin badge, we loaded up our huge bags and marched in the sun to the tube, beginning our day in London. Next stop was a quick explore of Girlguiding Headquarters in Victoria, and a pizza pitstop to fuel us for the travel ahead.

It was soon time to take the tube to Heathrow, making friends along the way! We boarded our first flight, and 8 hours later we landed in JFK, New York. Our 9 hour layover was spent trying to sleep on the airport floor, but loud announcements about taxi dispatchers prevented much sleep occurring! Before we knew it, we were boarding our final flight to Aruba...

Arriving in Aruba was surreal, and a big relief after a long journey to get there. We were greeted by wonderful women from the Aruban Guide board, and picked up our car from Hertz, before discovering our beautiful home in Savaneta for the next three weeks. Living on the beach, with pelicans and crabs for neighbours is certainly a fabulous base.

Our first morning in Aruba included 2 TV interviews and a journey to San Nicolas YMCA, which is an amazing Community building that supports up to 150 young people on a daily basis. This venue will be an incredible place for us to deliver training from, with large meeting rooms and a fantastic covered basketball court. 

What's coming next?
- First meeting with the board members tonight.
- Our first training with Guides will happen tomorrow!

Ridiculous moment
- Our 'Wobble Technology' Samsung washing machine, continues to only massage our clothes, despite 8 attempts to get it to wash them!

Mountain Top Moment
- Seeing the inside of a Guiding hut, and talking with Aruban unit leaders about our shared experience in Guiding in different parts of the world! 

All about Anne, our fab first aider!

 In volunteering, I have not had much interaction with other young women my age, and I felt GOLD would be a good opportunity to do this, whilst giving back. As an adult member of Girlguiding, I absolutely loved the Go for Gold weekend which was part of the selection process for GOLD. This was the first time I had participated in a Girlguiding event that wasn't for Brownies. The weekend was a  fantastic adventure full of different challenges, games and some unexpected twists and turns.

'this was the first time I had participated in a Girlguiding event that wasn't for Brownies'

I joined as a Rainbow with 30th Halifax St Jude’s and stayed through to Guides. For my Duke of Edinburgh I went back to my Brownie unit to volunteer, and I'm still here! I believe Girlguiding is special because it is truly an inclusive environment where every girl can be themselves.

As part of my GOLD fundraising, I held a cake stall in my town centre, and this was the first time I had promoted Girlguiding within the community. Some girls had very traditional views of Girlguiding; asking if ‘you had to get everything right’, and some parents seemed concerned about the expense of an extra activity. Some people are unaware of the fantastic opportunities the organisation offers at such an affordable price.

'GOLD has definitely taught me that you can't say yes to everything!'

Balancing GOLD with other commitments has been difficult. I unexpectedly became the Brownie Unit Leader in March, after the sudden death of our Brown Owl. This meant completing my Leadership Qualification and Pack Holiday Licence. Doing this, along with GOLD, University, and work has been pretty hectic! I have been late completing tasks and missed phone conferences, however, my team have been extremely understanding and supportive. GOLD has definitely taught me that you can't say yes to everything!

Top activity learnt through GOLD has to be 'Ride my Tuc Tuc', my Brownies love this game! I'm not even sure if we’re singing the song to the right tune anymore, but regardless they love it! We recently adapted it to our Harry Potter Pack Holiday theme, singing ‘Riding on my broom’

Guiding and self-esteem, the 3 sentence challenge...

A key training topic for GOLD Team Aruba is self-esteem, so each team member has written three sentences about the relationship between Guiding and self-esteem. We hope you enjoy reading them.

'With a severe eye condition from birth I have found it hard to make new friends due to embarrassment, but this wasn't the case with Girlguiding.  The leaders taught us all, from Rainbows through to Senior Section, that each person being unique was very important and you should never change who you are, and should be true to yourself.  Twenty three years on, I have travelled the world - on my own a lot – and am leader in charge of Guides and assistant leader to Rainbows.'

'In being asked to lead a GOLD project my perception of my abilities has improved no end. The affirmation of my GOLD Guyana 2013 team, family, friends and GOLD 2016 leaders believing that I am up to the job and past and present GOLD coordinators supporting me, has helped me learn to believe in myself. In turn, this has made me more confident at University, while on placement, among friends, in local Guiding and shown me that I am capable of much more than I often give myself credit for.'

'Being a student and a Rainbow leader has helped me to grow in confidence in a community that is bigger than the student bubble. Knowing I can positively influence a girl’s life, even by just providing an evening of fun at Rainbows, helps me to see my own potential for the future as a leader. Having girls who are happy to see me at a Rainbow meeting boosts my self-esteem because I am a part of their lives, especially when I don’t expect them to remember me!'

'It’s so important to grow up on positive messages, and in the face of too many negative messages I’ve certainly wrestled to try to create healthy levels of self-esteem and self-respect. Girlguiding gives me a network that actively welcomes and celebrates me, making me feel accepted and that I am part of something. I make a real difference to girls as they grow up, and that is one of the most healing activities I’ve ever been involved in.'

'Having volunteered for a number of years as a unit helper with Brownies, being asked to lead the unit has given me a huge boost to my self-esteem and confidence. It enabled me to realise I have the skills and abilities to lead an empower other young girls and women. I am extremely passionate about the ethos of Girlguiding and feel privelliged to be part of an organisation where I am enabling others to learn, explore and most importantly, have fun!'

'Before Girlguiding my friends were predominately male, and through blossoming friendships with other leaders, I have embraced female friendship and value how it is encouraging & supportive, whilst having adventures together. Girlguiding skills crossover into my work, such as teaching, facilitating learning, admin, etc., and by developing my skills as a Guide Leader I have become more involved in training on our new graduates scheme, increasing the number of people that I mentor. Joining Guiding in my late 20’s, it's not so much how Girlguiding has helped me grow in confidence, but instead how I can boost the girls’ self-esteem, and I have been able to value and recognise my own skills in challenging Guides to become very accomplished young ladies.'

Please take the 3 sentence challenge! We will be taking some of these comments to use in training on project in Aruba this summer, to help show the positive power of Guiding. We'd love to have some comments from different countries.

Our weekend in York!

              
Almost a year from our first application,
Once again time for another train station!
Time for 3rd briefing, in Wharram Le Street,
So much excitement, we can't wait to meet!

Arriving in York, get to know a new City,
Alexandra, our host, in a village so pretty.
Tour of the house, and yum, time for dinner,
Casserole, mash- always a winner!

We met our team Mascot, beautiful boy!

Cuddles and fuss for us all to enjoy.

Catch up and chat, then ready for sleep,

The comfort! No need to try to count sheep.

Early breakfast, so much to do!
21 tasks we must make our way through,
Unboxing uniform and 10 minute training,
All different, and fabulous ways of explaining!


 A most special guest, from Go for GOLD
Inspiring Guiding tales were told,
Never forget, what we are achieving,
In moments of doubt, keep on believing.

Lunchtime cheeseboard summons the crew,
A pit stop to refuel, admire the view.
Session plan blitz-attack, ideas are flowing,
So much to share, so much worth knowing!

Embedding leadership as a key theme,
Now innovate ways to boost self-esteem.
Well-being catch up, we're stronger together,
From strangers to sisters, bonded forever.

So much completed, out to the Fire,
BBQ treats, spirits couldn't be higher,
A game of Croquet before citrus tart,
Learning, laughing, GOLD love in our heart!


Laughter all evening, then darkening skies,
Early birds ready to soon rest their eyes,
Sleepover chats, then breakfast once more,
Girlguiding resources we need to explore!

Dividing up homework, Flesh on the bone,
Finding our flow, we're all in the zone!
Vegetable curry and ice cream for pud,
Trash and treasure, to reflect on what's good!


Beautiful gifts, so thoughtful, unique,
Small in size, great volumes they speak,
 Next time we meet, will be the big day,
But we've nothing to fear, It'll all be Croquet!

Journeying home, goodbye to the team,
With lots of GOLD Love, from Sophie Sunbeam.x

Zoë's path through Girlguiding to GOLD!

Favourite guiding moment?
Renewing my promise as a Guide at the top of Jungfrau, a mountain in Switzerland.


How many years have you been in Guiding?
Since birth! I was taken along as a child to various events, then became a rainbow at 1st Holme Hall Rainbows, a Brownie at 2nd Walton and a Guide at 1st Holymoorside Guides in Chesterfield. I trained as a leader at my local rainbow unit, 1st Holymoorside Rainbows, and became assistant leader at 1st Upton Rainbows when I moved to Chester for university. I also help at 1st Holymoorside Guides when I am back home. 


What is special about Girlguiding?
It provides a space for just girls to be themselves. It also gives me a reason to get out of the student bubble and stay in touch with the real world!


Why did you apply for GOLD?
I wanted to be part of a wider Girlguiding family than my local community, and to give something back, as Girlguiding has been such a big part of my life growing up.


Why is being a volunteer with Girlguiding rewarding?
Rainbows grow so much between 5 and 7! It is lovely to see them change, grow in confidence and get to know their personalities. It makes it all worthwhile sending a girl to Brownies and knowing they’ll grow so much more. 


How do you think Girlguiding is viewed?
I think it’s viewed by a lot of people as a part of childhood, and my friends are often surprised that I’m still involved and get so much out of Girlguiding. 


How do you balance studying and Guiding?
I have a very forgiving unit leader who understands that university work sometimes has to take priority. Thankfully, I don’t have to do much planning so I can use rainbows as a couple of hours break from university work each week. 


What has been the toughest bit about GOLD so far?
It’s been another time commitment to juggle, along with all the other things that I say yes to! Luckily, my team are very understanding and forgiving when I forget to do things, and I’m finished university now so I can really get stuck in to GOLD.


What has been the best bit about GOLD so far?
 Meeting some fantastic leaders and making friends with people from all over the country at different parts of their lives, but all having Girlguiding and wanting to give something back in common.


Don't forget to find us on Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with all our progress whilst on project in August 2016!


https://www.facebook.com/GOLDteamaruba/
https://twitter.com/ArubaGOLDies16

What does GOLD mean for our local communities?

The months that have followed our selection to GOLD, have been packed full of preparation and fundraising. What has this meant for each of our communities?

Community Fundraisers: Helping to spread the word about GOLD and to challenge out-dated views of what Girlguiding is able to offer. Team Aruba have held table-top sales, a date lottery, afternoon tea, wine tasting and more. Alexandra used her wine tasting evening to help young professionals understand more about Girlguiding.

Visiting other units: As a Rainbow leader, I would never have had a reason to visit Brownies or Guides before GOLD. It's great for them, and grows my guiding knowledge! Steph has been busy visiting many units in Guernsey, and she has sold hundreds of our badges.

Inspiring Guides: Miriam has been sharing her GOLD journey with her Guides, and with university friends!

 'They were impressed that the trip wasn't about typical travel related things, but about equipping girls just like them to be leaders of the future. I think some were even a little jealous they couldn't come with me! People are always shocked how much Girlguiding offers adults.'

In this way, each GOLD project has both a local and an international legacy!

Say Cheese for Volunteers' Week!

 

Our wonderful team come from all over the country and we became involved with GOLD because we all currently volunteer with Girlguiding UK.

June 1st - 12th is Volunteers' Week so we wanted to share some photos of each of our team volunteering with Girlguiding! If you think you might like to volunteer, you can find out more here:

 

http://girlguiding.org.uk/get_involved/volunteer/why_volunteer.aspx 

 

 

 

GOLDen hearted Miriam!

Favourite guiding moment?

The promise ceremony for Guides in Guyana GOLD 2013! The girls came to training sessions and at camp, at the end of our three week stay, they wanted to be part of Girlguiding. They made their promise in the rain forest between the most incredible torrential downpours and under a canopy of parrots. I felt so proud to be part of such an amazing organisation.
It is a memory that will stay with me forever!

Why do you volunteer?

I love passing onto my Guides the skills and experience gained from Girlguiding volunteers and through Girlguiding opportunities. It is so much fun, a great talking point, gives you skills for life, new friends, and even world travel!

I have been a member of Girlguiding since Rainbows but I tagged along to things when I was much younger, because my Mum has been a leader for many years.
Girlguiding has been a constant in my life despite moving around the country and I am now leader of 36th Stephenhill Guides in Sheffield. Over 2 years we have grown from 16 girls to 36. I have recently done my ‘Going Away With Licence' and I have just received my five year service badge!

What is special about Girlguiding?

The people! I have been inspired by so many people in Girlguiding…
LEADERS: My first international experience ever, I had only ever been to Wales and had never been on a plane!
SNOWY OWL: Still sends me updates, really cares about what I am up to and also helping me fundraise!
MUM: Always on the phone to give support and last minute planning ideas- particularly when I am trying to plan Guides five minutes before girls arrive!
GOLD FRIENDS: My Guyana team and leader, current and past GOLD coordinators who believed in me, GOLD 2016 leaders, my GOLD Aruba team; I cannot wait to share this adventure with you!
GUIDES: Showing why Girlguiding is special! We always have fun, even after all day in the library revising. You inspire me to be a better leader and remind me not to take things too seriously.

Why did you apply for GOLD?

I heard about GOLD when Judy Ellis, one of Shropshire’s old County Commissioners and Grandma of GOLD, explained the wonderful work that has been done over the years. I met several GOLDies who were so enthusiastic about their experiences of sustainable development with girls and young women overseas that I was inspired to apply to INTOPS (now Go for GOLD).

How do you balance studies and Guiding?

Being a student Guide leader is hard but helps you to break the student bubble. You can get caught up in student life and it is refreshing to do something different, it enables me to explore parts of Sheffield and build new connections that I would never have found as a student.
I am training to be a Speech and Language therapist at the University of Sheffield and have lots of placements, assignments and exams. I'm as organised as possible and super flexible with plans. My housemates are great; helping with cutting out and providing packed teas when I don’t have time to pop home before Guides.
I think my Guides value the fact that I am a student; I have been asked about University life, and hopefully, I am breaking some of the parent’s stereotypes of students too!

What has been the toughest bit about GOLD?

In Guyana I was super sleep deprived, covered in mosquito bites, sun burnt and very hot. After an intense day of training that hadn’t quite gone to plan, all I wanted to do was sleep/ have a little cry. I then broke a chair (by accident) and it all got a bit too much. After ice cream, a bit of singing and relaxation I felt much better and turned a rubbishy situation into a great one…. our training the next day was fabulous!

What has been the highlight of GOLD so far?

I have really grown in confidence through GOLD. Starting as a nervous 17 year old who had never really travelled, knowing little about anything outside of the UK, I now truly feel part of a global organisation. I have Guiding friends from all walks of life who are passionate about changing the lives of girls and young women by providing them with a unique girl only space.
I have the confidence to say yes to exciting opportunities, like leading GOLD Aruba!

What have you learnt at GOLD that you have shared with your unit?

“Don’t sit next to Fred”, “Toaster, Microwave, Elephant” and “Fox and chicken”; fantastic games taught to me by the wonderful Clare, from Guyana 2013. My Guides absolutely love them and at least one of them is played every week!

GOLD? What is it and why do we want to tell you about it?

What are you doing?

GOLD is an Overseas Guiding project linked with development that usually lasts 5 years. A team goes overseas for 3 weeks each year, delivering training in a country that has requested our support. In our case, Aruba needs help becoming a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts – WAGGGS. We will also be focussing on growing Guiding in Aruba and raising the self-esteem of all the women and children we engage with.

Why are you going?
We applied along with a few hundred other girls who are currently active in Girlguiding in the United Kingdom. After written application in July, intense selection weekend in October, we found out we’d been selected in Dec 2015. Once selected, you are matched to a country based on your personal strengths and experience. It is a really incredible feeling to have been selected!
 

Why do you have to fundraise so much?

The project costs include; flights, key equipment, uniform, resources, and travel costs for all briefing weekends, where girls travel from all over the country to meet and plan training for our expeditions. If you'd like to sponsor us, or run our fabulous badge pack, we'd love to have your support!
 

 

Who are you going with?

It is an opportunity for adult women all over the United Kingdom, and this year there are girls from a wide range of areas, including Scotland, Wales and Guernsey. Team Aruba 2016 is made up of representation from the following areas:

 

          Hertfordshire          Sheffield          Guernsey          York          Halifax          Chesterfield

 

 

Involved in Guiding already and aged between 18 and 30 years of age? Why not apply to GOLD 2017!

http://new.girlguiding.org.uk/latest-updates/opportunities-with-girlguiding/gold-2016-1