Having been involved with Girlguiding for 22 years, Steph, or
Sunflower to her Rainbows, is a passionate advocate for Girlguiding and the
positive impact a girls-only safe space can have on the millions of women that
are engaged with Guiding globally. Everywhere in the world is an opportunity to
make new Guiding friends and there is a unique friendship between guiders that
lasts a lifetime!
It is this passion and enthusiasm that Steph is most looking
forward to sharing with the Aruban women that we will be working with this summer.
The highlight for Steph in all these years with Girlguiding was to achieve the
Queens Guide Award, although there are so many fantastic experiences to choose
from!
So to better introduce Sunflower Steph, here is her road to GOLD:
‘My Girlguiding life started at the age of 6, when my mum was
asked by a fellow church member to help set up a Rainbow unit,
as Brownies and Guides were already established.
From Rainbows, I continued on to Brownies and then to Guides where I completed my Baden Powell Award (highest award available to a Guide) enjoying the camps, crafts, games and meeting lots of new people.
Following a year out due to shift work, I returned to complete my adult leadership qualification at the Guide unit I had attended. After completing my ALQ I was very keen for a new challenge, with a bit of website surfing I found out about the Queens Guide Award. The Queens Guide award was definitely a challenge, seeing myself and 3 willing friends walk 50 miles over 4 days while learning about Guernsey history; focussing on the German occupation and liberation in World War 2. I also travelled to Sri Lanka as part of my award to help at two preschools that a Guernsey charity has supported since the tsunami hit in 2004. On completion of the award I travelled to London where it was formally presented by Gill Sloecombe, Girlguiding Chief Commissioner.
The journey continued with the role of Guernsey International Adviser and it seemed the best way to advise others of places to visit and to teach others about WAGGGS was to experience it myself! First on the list was Sangam in India where I celebrated the 47th birthday party, visited and helped at the mobile crèche community project and was part of a team organising activities and crafts for 100 visiting children from the neighbourhood. Next up was Our Cabana in Mexico where I saw the Giant Monarch butterfly migration, celebrated World Thinking Day and was part of a team running activities for the local community to visit the centre. I then ventured to Pax Lodge in London where I joined other Guernsey leaders and multiple teams from across the UK to play live Monopoly. Last but by no means least, Our Chalet in Switzerland, the oldest of the WAGGGS World Centres, where I joined a team of leaders from across the UK and Europe to prepare Our Chalet for the next season with lots of cleaning.
Having visited all the World Centres - excluding the newest Kusafiri in Africa, I began speaking to all the Guiding members I could about travel opportunities available in Girlguiding and that's when GOLD grabbed me. I attended the selection weekend, which although exhausting was amazing, however, had no confidence that I would be offered a place. Then mid-December I received the email that caused great excitement- I'd been offered a place on 2016 GOLD Team Aruba.
And here we are, let the adventure begin!’
From Rainbows, I continued on to Brownies and then to Guides where I completed my Baden Powell Award (highest award available to a Guide) enjoying the camps, crafts, games and meeting lots of new people.
Following a year out due to shift work, I returned to complete my adult leadership qualification at the Guide unit I had attended. After completing my ALQ I was very keen for a new challenge, with a bit of website surfing I found out about the Queens Guide Award. The Queens Guide award was definitely a challenge, seeing myself and 3 willing friends walk 50 miles over 4 days while learning about Guernsey history; focussing on the German occupation and liberation in World War 2. I also travelled to Sri Lanka as part of my award to help at two preschools that a Guernsey charity has supported since the tsunami hit in 2004. On completion of the award I travelled to London where it was formally presented by Gill Sloecombe, Girlguiding Chief Commissioner.
The journey continued with the role of Guernsey International Adviser and it seemed the best way to advise others of places to visit and to teach others about WAGGGS was to experience it myself! First on the list was Sangam in India where I celebrated the 47th birthday party, visited and helped at the mobile crèche community project and was part of a team organising activities and crafts for 100 visiting children from the neighbourhood. Next up was Our Cabana in Mexico where I saw the Giant Monarch butterfly migration, celebrated World Thinking Day and was part of a team running activities for the local community to visit the centre. I then ventured to Pax Lodge in London where I joined other Guernsey leaders and multiple teams from across the UK to play live Monopoly. Last but by no means least, Our Chalet in Switzerland, the oldest of the WAGGGS World Centres, where I joined a team of leaders from across the UK and Europe to prepare Our Chalet for the next season with lots of cleaning.
Having visited all the World Centres - excluding the newest Kusafiri in Africa, I began speaking to all the Guiding members I could about travel opportunities available in Girlguiding and that's when GOLD grabbed me. I attended the selection weekend, which although exhausting was amazing, however, had no confidence that I would be offered a place. Then mid-December I received the email that caused great excitement- I'd been offered a place on 2016 GOLD Team Aruba.
And here we are, let the adventure begin!’
We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Sunflower Steph and perhaps
you are interested in finding out more:
Interested ingetting involved with Girlguiding locally? You never know where it
might lead you!
