So long, and thanks for all the fish!

It's finally here, with both sadness and joy this is our final blog post as GOLD Team Aruba 2017. Sadness that it's coming to an end, but overjoyed with everything we've gained and the chance to share this with you through this blog.

This past weekend we headed to Sheffield to debrief on our project, and our journeys as a whole, whilst elsewhere in the country five new team members were receiving emails notifying them of the adventure which awaits them in 2018. The team leader will also be chosen and find out in the next couple of weeks.

Helen, Amy, Bridget, Laura and Pippa were full of mixed emotions as we reflected on our experiences, including sadness that Rachel was unable to join us for this final leg (sending all our best wishes in her direction). From preparing a summary of our time in Aruba to sharing country themed activities with other teams (an inflatable Flamingo race!), it was a much needed opportunity to think about the successes and challenges of coming together as a team and undertaking a project on the other side of the world. It was also a chance for us to think about what each of us might do next to share the GOLD love and take on new roles and opportunities in Girlguiding and beyond.

One of the activities that we enjoyed the most was a chance to make a video of our top tips for next year's GOLD Team Aruba. We'd thought ahead and done some filming in Aruba - the actual video will remain a treat for next year's teams at their first briefing. However, in the meantime, we're going to share some of our tips (some from the video, some a bit more frivolous) here for you to enjoy!

1. Arubans are really friendly - be open and approachable and make time to chat and you'll soon make firm friends!
2. Take the opportunity for a magical mystery tour with members of the APG, but also don't be afraid to explore as a team. There's only a few main roads so it's difficult to get lost once you're familiar with them. 
3. Pack plenty of suncream and insect repellant.
4. If you get grouper that hasn't been de-boned, pan-fry it and then it'll come off the bones easily. 
5. It's hot in Aruba, so take a coolbag and ice packs to keep your water bottles cool when you're out and about during the day.
6. It's also usually very windy so avoid floaty skirts. 
7. Take your swim wear everywhere, especially to camp. You never know when an impromptu beach trip will happen. 
8. Learn a few words of Papiamento - masha danki, bon dia, cabrito stoba, arroz con pollo, pastechi...
9. $50 worth of shrimp is a lot of shrimp. But the shrimp is really good.
10. Savour every moment and enjoy every sunset!

Sharing the GOLD love,

Pippa, Amy, Bridget, Helen, Laura and Rachel
x

Songs, Games, Activities and More!

It's been over seven weeks since the end of our unforgettable time in Aruba, and just two more until our team will be reunited for our debrief weekend in the UK. So we thought it time for a little housekeeping on the blog and to find out if there's anything else from our project that we could share.

For your convenience and interest we've gathered together links to some of our previous posts about activities:

• Our favourite parachute games can be found here.
• Some of our favourite songs can be found here. 
• There's a few confidence building activities in this post. 
• Suggestions for recruiting more leaders can be found in this one. 
• And some of the energisers we used can be found here.

But this isn't a full list of everything we did - if there's a song or game that you'd like the instructions for, leave us a comment on here or send us a message on Facebook. 

In Aruba, we ran several activities and sessions related to helping girls get involved in the planning of their own programme. Since our return we've found a few resources that might help leaders do this (wherever you are in the world). You can find activities for all age groups in this 'Participation on a Plate' resource from Girlguiding and there's a few more on the Girlguiding Activity Finder - in fact there's all sorts of other activities in there too for inspiration!

That's all for now, but stay tuned - we'll have another update from our debrief weekend later this month before we hand over this blog to next year's team! 

Challenges Complete...and more!

GOLD (Guiding Overseas Linked with Development) is about developing guiding through our project, but also about developing ourselves. We've gained a whole variety of new skills during our trip: driving on the right, surviving parachute games in 30 degree + heat, perfect sunset photography, effective sun cream application, ant infestation management, half-decent cocktail making and, in Helen's case, avoiding allergy-inducing cats! However, at the start of the trip we set out with six specific challenges in mind, one for each member of the group. In true teamwork fashion, though, we helped each other out in their completion. Now we're back in the UK, we can reflect on our accomplishments:

Laura's Challenge = To read a book

Largely on our rest days, Laura made some valiant attempts to devour Malala's autobiography and has progressed through a few chapters. However, more noteworthy, instead of reading a book Laura has essentially written one, with her final hours waiting for a connecting plane back to Scotland spent getting up to date with her trip diary - a mammoth feat!

 

Amy's Challenge = To not get sun burnt

This is where the sun cream application skills came into their own. Despite two slighted toasted days (the sun on the beach and in the pool is not to be underestimated), Amy was by and large successful in remaining burn free. Her diligence was admiral - suggesting that a hat would be a sensible precaution against uncomfortable burns even when swimming at sunset.

Rachel's Challenge = To get a selfie with a donkey

It is safe to say that Rachel went above and beyond converting her challenge to a collection of selfies with the wildlife of Aruba. Donkeys, cats, lizards and even Speedy Gonzalez the tortoise made the list! A picture's worth a thousand words:

Bridget's Challenge = Beach Yoga

Not enough? How about sunset beach yoga? We all got in on Bridget's challenge (because why wouldn't we...) and over the three weeks developed passable tree and triangle poses. Perhaps by debrief we'll be attempting full on sun salutations but it just won't be the same without the sand between our toes.

Pippa's Challenge = Find the Jamboree Attendee's

This one was partially accomplished early on as we met Rose-Ann on the very first day of training in Aruba. She was 17 at the World Scout Jamboree in the Netherlands in 1995, and we later discovered that one of the leaders with the group was her mum. We also found many young women keen to attend the 2019 Jamboree in the USA - so the cycle of international guiding encounters will hopefully continue!

Helen's Challenge = Handstands

Practised first in the pool and then on the beach (for health and safety reasons), Helen's handstand really came on leaps and bounds during the trip. Photographic proof:

Whilst these challenges were a little bit of fun that kept us motivated throughout our project, we also did some serious learning. 

Speaking for myself, though I'm sure some of it's the case for the others too, nearly four weeks after leaving the UK I am coming back having learnt more about guiding, more about the world and more about myself. Things I would never have learnt without this opportunity and people, places and experiences I will never forget. This time last year, due to a variety of personal circumstances, I was reluctant to put myself forward for a GOLD project, but looking back now I am so pleased and relieved and ecstatic that I did. We never know what the future holds for us as individuals until we live it, but through guiding we enable girls and young women to discover their full potential and others often do the same for us. Each and every person I have met and worked with on this project has taken their guiding light, shared its glow and illuminated potential paths. I still don't know where my life will be headed next, but I have so much inspiration of where I could go. 

"No one can pass through life, any more than you can pass through a bit of country, without leaving tracks behind, and those tracks may often be helpful to those coming after in finding their way." 

- Robert Baden-Powell 

Pippa x

#LeadersOfAruba Now and In The Future

One of the aims of our project was to develop the leadership skills of existing and new adult leaders and those of older Padvindsters and Pioneers in Aruba. During our trainings and other activities we've met so many amazing current and future leaders who we haven't been able to showcase in our blog posts so far. Soon we will depart back to the UK, but the APG continues working year round and below are just some of the awesome women who make that happen:

As the sun is setting on our project...

The final two days of our project have seen us work closely with APG board members in a training day and evening evaluation session. Overall, both our GOLD team and the board members felt that it has been a tremendously successful project making a significant contribution towards the shared aims and objectives of the project.

Due to Hurricane Irma our flight home today has been cancelled and we will now be enjoying some unexpected adventures in Aruba for the next four days. The project feels as though it has passed so quickly and there is so much more to the story of what we've been up to that we have yet to share. With that in mind we'll continue to update the blog with a few more resources and posts over the rest of the week so keep checking back. Leave us a comment if there's something in particular you'd like to see - maybe a song or a game from one of our sessions?

The sun is beginning to set on our project, but like the sunsets we've enjoyed in Aruba, that's not the end. Next week a group young women will gather in Northern Ireland for Go for Gold and from there a team will be selected to continue this project into it's third year. We wish them the best of luck and will hand over the baton in a few months time.

Before that, when we're back in the UK, we'll have a few weeks to try and return to the normality of our lives before we are reunited for our debriefing weekend in Sheffield in November. The time will be a chance for us to reflect on our experiences here, both in terms of the project and in terms of how we have all grown as individuals and as a group. However, many things we are already certain of: we have made life-long friendships, we are a formidable team, and we will have more amazing experiences together in the future.

I like being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017 because...

During the last three weeks we've played a lot of circle games asking participants what they like about being a leader, being a girl, being a Padvinster or a Kabouter. As we approach the end of our project (we have our final evaluation with the board this evening) we felt it was time to ask "Ami gusta ser un mucha GOLD Team Aruba 2017..." (I like being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017 because...):

Amy likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because I got to enjoy an APG camp. Having experienced many Brownie pack holidays and Guide camps in the UK, I was very excited to see what an Aruban camp would be like. From start to finish, it did not disappoint and I had such a great time. I loved getting the time to interact with the leaders and girls that attended and got the chance to know them better. The girls taught us a lot about the island's languages, culture and people (whilst also beating us at Dobble and Quartet)."

Bridget likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because I have made friendships which I hope will last a lifetime. I've had the opportunity to work with inspirational girls and young women and been welcomed like family. This project has been a constant reminder of how much we all have to learn from each other and that was never more obvious to me than n our training sessions. Each training session we met passionate and dedicated volunteers who not only engaged totally in activities but also shared ideas, stories and lessons with us about guiding in Aruba and the Western Hemisphere. I feel that as a team we go back to the UK richer in knowledge and friends. 'Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other GOLD.'"

Helen likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because I have had the opportunity to get to know inspirational women who are passionate about improving the lives of young women and girls. Over the last 3 weeks I have been working with my incredible team of leaders from the UK and I have watched us grow as a team and develop our training skills together. I cannot thank my 5 new friends enough for all of their hard work. As well our amazing team I have had the opportunity to make new friendships with the awesome volunteers in Aruba. The APG have been like a family to us over the last 3 weeks and we couldn't have had a successful project without them."

Laura likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because swimming in the Caribbean Sea is awesome! Our favourite swim had to be on Saturday afternoon during our camp; after a very busy sweaty day (average 'feels like' temperatures of 40c throughout our stay here!) we cooled off with a dip in the sea. I think we had as much fun as the girls and it was truly magical to watch the sun go down with our new Guiding friends."

Pippa likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because during our time in Aruba the leaders and girls have shared their culture with us, taking us to see landmarks from the lighthouse to the anchor, and to events from the Carubbian Festival to the cultural parade in Brasil. We've been introduced to some delicious dishes: arros con pollo, cabrito stoba, and pastechi; and attempted to recreate the Aruban fried rice we tucked into at camp. We've been able to travel far off the tourist track, learnt a little Papiamento along the way, and are indebted to the girls and women we've met who have made our trip into a true exchange of cultures."

Rachel likes being a member of GOLD Team Aruba 2017...

"...because I have made the most amazing guiding friends in the UK who I would never have met without being part of GOLD but I have also made the most inspirational guiding friends internationally from the moment we landed in Aruba being picked up at the airport to our first leader training session, the Padvindster camp, the visits to the girls at their first unit meetings back after vacation and finally to our last training with the APG board. Everyday of project I have made new friends, laughed until our stomachs ached and passed our six smiles around the island and I have loved every part of it."