guiders link 2015 vol 1

www.girlguidesireland.ie 1

Guider’s Link2015 Vol. 1

FREE BEING ME TRAININGS KICK-OFFPage 28

ALL SECTIONS OUTDOOR DAY PULL-OUTPages 23-26

2 Guiders Link Vol. 1

CONTENTS

International Commissioner's Message 3Noticeboard 4National Events 6Cygnet Section 12Brigín Section 14Guide Section 16Ranger Section 18Training 20Outdoors 22All Sections Outdoor Day Pull-out 23Free Being Me 28Members' Council 29International 30Diversity 36Around Ireland 38Safeguarding our Members 43Contacts 47

Don't forget to send your photos and articles for the Guiders Link to: [email protected].

Closing date for the next issue is Wednesday 1st April, 2015.


During 2014, we were busy promoting and training leaders in the ‘Free Being Me’ Programme. This is a worldwide initiative and I’m

sure you will have noticed the many photos on Facebook and Twitter, from all across the globe, of girls and leaders, just like us in Ireland, completing the FBM activities. We often speak about being 1 in 10 Million, so imagine what a difference 10 million voices can make to a cause, in this case, breaking the Image Myth. Keep an eye on the Guider’s Link, CGI website or Facebook for more information.

Each year on 22nd February, World Thinking Day (WTD), girls participate in activities and projects with global themes to celebrate their sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in other countries. WTD is an opportunity to celebrate international friendship, learn about and take action on important issues and fundraise in support of the WTD Fund. Each World Thinking Day theme lasts all year and your girls can earn a WTD badge at any time during the year.

The 2015 WTD theme is ‘Develop a

global partnership for development’. 2015 is the last in a series of WTD themes focusing on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the last element of the WAGGGS Global Action Theme, “together we can change our world”. Through the Global Action Theme (GAT), WAGGGS members have been taking action on the MDGs since 2009.

This year, WAGGGS has created a board game to help Girl Guides and Girl Scouts celebrate on World Thinking Day. It is perfect for playing together at a group meeting or as part of a WTD party or special event. Each Company will receive a pack but it is also available to download. WTD badges will be available from the National Office for 60c per badge, including postage.

In 2015, I encourage you all to hold events within your Unit, Area or Region to celebrate World Thinking Day. The important thing is to get together to recognise the day and being part of such an important movement. You can download more information on WTD at

http://www.worldthinkingday.org/en/home

An important part of celebrating World Thinking Day is to raise funds for the World Thinking Day Fund.

The WTD Fund helps girls’ voices to be heard globally, delivers leadership training to young women and gives support for Girl Guide and Girl Scout organisations around the world. So please explain to the girls where the money goes and what it is used for.

In 2014, many of our members had the experience of visiting World Centres or attending camps abroad or visiting interesting places. Many thanks to all the Leaders involved who have given so much of their personal time to take members away.

Don’t forget to start planning for future International opportunities – camps, visits to World Centres, plant the seeds in your Guides heads now and encourage your girls to start a saving scheme. The CGI International Handbook is available to help with your planning. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any support or advice.

Yours in Guiding, Yvonne Browne.

International Commissioner

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSIONER'S MESSAGE


RESOURCE DATES

REGIONAL TRAININGS

NOTICEBOARD

World Thinking Day 22nd February 2015

International Women's Day 8th March 2015

International Day of Families 5th May 2015

Global Day of Parents 1st June 2015

World Refugee Day 20th June 2015

International Day of Friendship 30th July 2015

Child Protection Awareness Training (South-Eastern Region)

21st March 2015

Warrant Training Spring 2015 (TBC)

Members Council Residential 7th-8th February 2015

Guider Course 20th-22nd March 2015

Outdoor All Sections Day (Regional) 12th April 2015

National Council 25th April 2015

Guide and Ranger Camp 26th-28th June 2015

Ranger Day 27th June 2015

CCA Ceremony 19th or 26th September (TBC) 2015

Cygnet and Brigín Leaders Day 10th October 2015

Guide PL Training Weekend 6th-8th November 2015

Ranger Weekend 13th-15th November 2015

An Dushlan 13th-15th November 2015

UPCOMING NATIONAL EVENTS

Watch out in the near future for information on the Green Ribbon Campaign which we are delighted to be taking part in again this year!

GREEN RIBBON


From 3rd January 2015, all cheques must be made payable to 'Catholic Guides of Ireland', written in full.

Cheques made payable to 'CGI National Office' or 'C.G.I.' will not be accepted by the bank and will be returned.

This is due to a security upgrade initiated by the Bank.

NEWS FROM THE NEB• Emphasis was placed on safeguarding

• Barbara Ryan was co-opted as Nat Commissioner for Development in November

• It was noted that the National Treasurer resigned in November

• A presentation was given to the NEB from “Online Guide Manager”

• A presentation was given to the NEB about the implications of the Charity Act

• A number of CGI policies are to be reviewed

• The NQSF implementation plan is to be merged with the Operational Plan

• National Quality Standards for Voluntary Led Groups is to be rolled out to all Regions asap as Companies who receive grants from their local ETB’s may have to complete this to receive grant monies.

• Reminder: Rangers should be Garda Vetted when they reach the age of 17-and-a-half and should also submit a Parental Consent Form with their application. All forms are available from the National Office.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Moya Hinds1920–2015

It is with great regret that we mark the passing of our long time member and commissioner Moya Hinds. Moya had been a member of the Catholic Guides during her time at school in the Louie Convent in Kilkeel and

in 1971 she came back to guiding in the Diocese of Down & Connor to help reorganise the internal structure. She was passionate about giving girls the skills to be strong, independent and confident women and she believed that Guiding did make a difference to the lives of girls and young women. She was an enthusiastic and tireless volunteer and was instrumental in helping spread Catholic Guiding to many other Diocese in the North of Ireland.

Moya had a great compassion for, and interest in, young people. She believed in young people; she valued young people and she always wanted the best for young people. Her life, her work and her commitment impacted on the lives of many thousands of Guides, Leaders, and volunteers over the years. Moya had

a wonderful way of enthusing people to support whatever she was doing and many people found themselves roped in to help out, just because Moya asked.

Over the years she became deeply involved in the voluntary youth sector in Northern Ireland, she was an active member and one time chairperson of SCOYO and its successor Youthnet, this work was recognised by the award of an MBE for services to youth in Northern Ireland. She was committed to community relations work with young people and was always open to and willing to learn from others. She valued the many friendships she made within the sector and I know will be greatly missed not only by her colleagues in CGI but by everyone who knew her and has a story to tell.


Brigín Badge DayThe Brigín Day took place in Harrington Street, Dublin on Saturday 22nd.

90 Brigíní took part on the day. After a few Icebreaker Games the girls were divided up onto 3 groups and they did the following badges on rotation

• Needlewoman Badge, the girls learned to thread a needle, sew on a button and make a Christmas decoration for the tree.

• Irish Dancing Badge, the girls learned some basic Irish dancing steps then they learned a simple Set dance which all 90 girls performed at the end for our Chief Commissioner.

• The next badge the girls did was the New Diversity

Badge. The girls learned that while we all look different – different skin colour, nationality etc. we are all the same underneath.

The Day ended with the Songster Badge – we had a campfire led by Maria Carroll (Eastern Region). Each company brought along their 2 favourite campsongs.

A great day was had by all. Each Brigín went home with 4 new badges which they should now be able to sew on themselves.

Suzanne Stuart National Commissioner for Brigíni

NATIONAL EVENTS


National Guide Weekend The National Guide Weekend took place in Larch Hill Scout Centre in Dublin on 21-23rd November. 34 Guides and 14 Leaders from South-Eastern Region and Eastern Region took part in the Guiding Christmas Experience Weekend.

The aim of the weekend was for the Guides to meet new friends, learn something new and build on their existing skills, all through a Christmas themed weekend. The Guides gave their expectations on the expectations tree and also to have fun.

On Friday the Guides were welcomed to their weekend with welcome packs on the bed with their weekend survival kit, Christmas neckerchief and woggle. The Guides played themed icebreaker games including wrapping a member of the Patrol in wrapping paper and we had a fashion show.

Over the weekend the girls were divided up into Christmas themed Patrol for all of their activities. The Guides also had challenges over the weekend to complete to earn their Christmas badge. There was a Christmas tree that the girls decorated over the weekend with their expectations for Guides for the Guide Support team to discuss.

On Saturday morning after breakfast the girls enjoyed Samba Drumming with Stephanie Pawula. Larch Hill never sounded so good and alive with music. The girls used a variety of drums during the session and also learned to warm up and cool down after their session. Before lunch the girls creatively designed Christmas crafts, their Christmas tree bauble and Christmas stocking.

During the afternoon the Guides cooked up a Christmas punch and Christmas sandwich in a backwoods cooking session with Emily McCann and Phil Dempsey, the girls really enjoyed building on their existing outdoor skills. The Guides could be easily found in the backwoods area with the Christmas cooking scent over Larch Hill. The girls took part in the Building Olaf Challenge, each Patrol was given the equipment for indoor snow and asked to build the Frozen character, the Patrols really showed the team-building and creative skills in the challenge followed by a snowball fight. The girls took park in a wide variety

games including Santa’s Little Helpers and Building a Reindeer.

We were delighted to be joined by our Chief Commissioner, Cecilia Browne, for our Christmas night including a fabulous Christmas dinner cooked by the Chef for the weekend Sarah Browne. There was such a variety of food and plenty of it, which made it feel like a real homely Christmas dinner.

This was followed by a traditional campfire with each Patrol singing their Patrol song and skit. The girls were really excelled with their talents in creating wonderful and meaningful skits and songs. One skit in particular showed what the girls have learned in their “Free Being Me” programme. The Guides ended their evening with Christmas entertainment with popcorn before bedtime.

On Sunday morning they set off in their Patrols on a treasure hunt around Larch Hill, where the Guides were asked to find a reindeer, it was interesting to see where some of the Patrols found him.

The Camp was closed with a Guides Own and Awards Presentation where each Patrol wrote their own prayers and reflections. Each Guide and Guider received their certificate of completion of the National Guide Weekend 2014 - A Guiding Christmas Experience, and that it was.

The feedback from the Guides after the weekend was positive and the Guides would like more events where they can meet up with different Regions.

I would like to thank all of the Guide Support team for their continuous support and help, and the leaders and Guides for attending my first National Guide Weekend. Look forward to seeing you all at Camp Funtastic.

Geraldine Conway National Commissioner for Guides


Ranger Weekend The Ranger event held in the Share Centre, Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh from 14 – 16th November, 2014 was very well attended with more than 70 Rangers registered to attend.

The weekend was represented by three of our Regions, Eastern, South Eastern and the Northern Region. It was fantastic to see such representation for a large amount of Companies/Units.

On Friday night the weekend started with introductions and ice breaker games. A short introduction about the ‘Free Being Me’ programme was presented to the Rangers my Maeve Heaney from the Northern Region. The Rangers were then given the task of making a ‘memory box’ from the weekend.

On Saturday the weekend began with a number of ‘Team Building’ activities. After lunch the girls were given the opportunity to choose the activity that they wanted to partake in either indoor / outdoor. The girls also had the opportunity to go swimming during the day. In the evening we had a visit from our Chief Commissioner Cecilia Browne. After dinner Cecilia was formally introduced to the girls and she gave a lovely inspirational talk to the girls.

On Saturday evening the girls had a relaxing evening doing various art and craft activities. This was followed by a campfire before very much needed bedtime.

On Sunday morning we had ‘Guides Own’ and this was followed by even more activities.

This activity involved the girls making their own boat which they had to take to race on the lake. It was an incredible sight to see the girls build their own boats from a few pieces of wood, tubing and a large sheet of plastic. However in the Guiding spirit they took on the challenge and produced a boat. There were various names given to the boats though naming your boat ‘Titanic’ it could be believed that it was doomed from the start, and it was.

A very massive ‘Thank You’ to each and every Ranger. They took part with such enthusiasm and it was because of this that the weekend was so successful. Oh and the weather was FANTASTIC.

Patricia Derwin National Commissioner for Ranger Guides


STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-18Our Strategic Plan sets out our vision and priorities for the next five years.

We need your help distributing it throughout CGI.

CGI STRATEGIC PLAN 2014–2018

FRONT

131125 - CGI Strategic Plan v2 6-page gatefold.indd 3

19/12/2013 11:32:08

Request your copies now through the National Office!


Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and

wonderful New Year. We have a lot planned for the Cygnets this year and I look forward to seeing many of you at the different events. Hope you all have fun with the spring time themed crafts and activities in this the first edition of the Guiders Link for 2015!

Yours in Guiding, Erica Tyndall.

National Commissioner for Cygnets

Leprechaun Hot Potato Game

This is a group game

• Have the Cygnets sit in a circle.

• Play traditional Irish music and let them pass around a potato that they pretend is hot.

• Children pass the potato as fast as they can.

• Whenever you stop the music, the child holding the potato puts it in the centre of the circle and does a Leprechaun jig.

• Then pick up the potato, hand it to another child and begin the game again.

Green Thumbs

Now is a great time to get planting those spring time bulbs with the Cygnets. Try planting some baby daffodils or snow drops and let the Cygnets see them grow. Don’t forget to water and feed them!

CYGNETS

To the winners of the Cygnet Christmas Card Competition ... Well done to all who took part it was very hard to make a decision.

I was really impressed with the entries and a huge thank you to all the Cygnet Companies that took part.

Prizes will be making their way out to the winners.

Cygnet Christmas Card Competition Winners


CRAFTS

Paper Plate Bunnies

You will need

• Paper Plates• Glue • Pink Pipe Cleaners• Pink Cotton Balls• Makers or Crayons• Foam or wooden shapes • Pink & White Cardstock

Instructions• Cut out the bunny ears shape

on the white card stock and a similar shape in the pink card stock only slightly smaller and glue together and attach to the back of the paper plates. The raised side with be the front of the bunny.

• Using foam or wooden circle shapes decorate your eyes and

glue onto the plate.

• Stick on your cotton ball nose and the bunny whiskers using the pink pipe cleaners – don’t glue right to the end only about half way or to the edge of the plate.

• Lastly draw on your mouth and you’ve made your paper plate bunny.

• As an alternative and by using the same steps you could cut out eye shapes in the bunny and by attaching elastic you can make Easter Bunny Masks with the Cygnets.

Spring Bracelets

Use pre-cut craft foam stickers or shapes for a quick and easy spring bracelet craft for Cygnets to make and wear. Or cut your own shapes and get sticky with glue!

You will need

• Craft foam

• Hook and eye fasteners

• Foam stickers (flowers and butterflies) or other embellishments

Instructions

• Cut a rectangle of craft foam 1 inch wide and long enough to go around your wrist with an inch

to spare. If you like you can cut the edges of the rectangle into a pattern.

• Stick the eye fastening to one end of the front of the bracelet, and stick the hook fastening to the back of the bracelet at the other end.

• Decorate with the foam stickers or other embellishments, to create unique spring time bracelets.

Rainbow Necklaces This is a fun and really great craft that won’t take a long time to do but the Cygnets will have a lot of fun making their own necklaces.

You will need

• Thick Tread or Fine Ribbon

• Foam coloured circles

• Hole Puncher

Instructions

• Cut lengths of the tread or ribbon that will be long enough to fit over the girl’s heads when tied together at both ends.

• You can buy in most craft shops pre-cut foam circles in different sizes or you can cut out the circle shapes from sheets of foam.

• Using the hole puncher on each circle, the cygnets can then thread through the circles to create individual Rainbow necklaces. Tie the two ends together to secure.


BRIGÍNÍMothers' Day Crafts

Foam Flower Paperclip Book Mark

You will need

• Jumbo Paperclips• Coloured Foam Sheets• Glue Dots or Glue• Glitter (optional) Instructions

• Cut out 2 Flowers of different colours (one slightly bigger than the other)

• Place the larger Flower behind the top of the paperclip – use

glue dot/Glue to hold in place.

• Place the smaller flower to the front of the paperclip (glue dot/glue will hold in place)

Hi all,

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to a fun Guiding year in 2015.

I look forward to seeing a lot of you over the coming months at National and Regional events

Yours in Guiding, Suzanne Stuart.

National Commissioner for Brigíni

Mother’s Day is coming, so why not make some of these home-made beautifying gifts to celebrate.

Honey Mask

• 1 egg yolk• 1 teaspoon of olive oil• 1 teaspoon of honey Instructions

• Blend ingredients thoroughly together

• Apply the mask to a well cleansed face and leave for 15 minutes

• Rinse off with clean, cool water.

Facial Freshener

• 1 Camomile teabag• Boiling water Instructions

• Put the camomile teabag into a mug of boiling water

• Cool in fridge

• When cool apply to face with cotton wool

• Lasts for two to three days.


Easter Games

Easter Bunny Says Played similar to “Simon Says”.

• The player up at the top is the Easter Bunny and she will say “Easter Bunny says hop on one foot”.

• The other girls will hop on one foot.

• The player says “Stop”. The girls keep hopping on one foot until she says“Easter Bunny says stop”.

• Repeat for additional instructions such as babystep forward, backwards, turn around, sit down etc.

Walk the egg You will need

• 2 Hard boiled eggs• 1 Spoon for each girl

Instructions

• Divide girls into 2 teams and get them to form a line.

• The first person on each team puts an egg on her spoon and passes it to the next person in the line.

• The egg goes all the way to the end of the line and then comes back to the front of the line to determine the winner.

Egg Rolling You will need

• Hard boiled eggs

What to do

• Have the girls first decorate their egg with markers or paint.

• Designate a racing track and have the girls roll their eggs.

• First to reach the finish line is the winner.

Bunny Hops• Practice your bunny hops before the game.

• When someone shouts “Go” the bunnies leave their burrows and hop about.

• One Brigin is chosen to be the Fox , and when leader shouts “Catch” the fox runs on all fours trying to catch a bunny before they reach their burrows.

Easter cooking

Easter Nests

You will need

• Pre-made meringue nests• Cooking chocolate• Chocolate chicks, mini eggs or jellybeans to

decorate Instructions

• Use pre-made plain meringue nests

• Melt the chocolate

• Fill the centre of the meringue nest with the melted chocolate

• When nearly dry, add a painted egg or mini eggs to fill

• Enjoy!


Valentines Quilling heart card

You will need

• Thin strips of red or pink card • A4 white card or pink for the

card • PVA glue• Pencil

Instructions

• Fold A4 card in half to make the card. Then draw out the heart shape or design onto the front of your card. Then roll up the strips of paper into shape glue into shape before gluing onto the card.

Mothers' Day craft : Spring/seaside candle

As Spring is here and we can get out and about why not collect visit the beach for a Spring walk and collect,

• Sand

• Pebbles

• Small shells

Bring them home and arrange what you have collected into a glass jar and add in a candle. Wrap some ribbon around the top of your jar with a little note, with love on Mothers' Day 2015.

GUIDES

Hi Everyone,

I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Hope you are all ready for

a busy Guiding year for 2015. As Spring has approached I would love to see some of your Sections picture for your Spring Activities email them to me at, [email protected].

Yours in Guiding, Geraldine Conway

National Commissioner for Guides

International Women’s Day is the 8th of March 2015 with the theme “Make it happen”. I would like you to design a poster or collection of images of what you are going to make happen or achieve in 2015 as a Guide. Please send all your entries to Mrs. Geraldine Conway, c/o CGI National Office, 12 Clanwilliam Terrace, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2.

Closing Date: Friday 13th March 2015

COMPETITIONTIME!


Easter Cooking

Homemade cream eggs

You will need

• Mixer• Scale• Popsticks • Microwave ( to melt chocolate)• Bowl • Parchment paper • 170g golden syrup • 58g butter, room temperature• 375g icing sugar• 1 teaspoon vanilla• 1/4 teaspoon salt• Yellow food colouring• 1 bag milk chocolate chips Instructions

• Cream together the golden syrup, butter and vanilla. Sift in

the icing sugar and beat until well mixed.

• Once mixed, separate the filling into whites and yolks! Take out about a third of the filling and stir in some yellow food colouring. Put the two bowls in the fridge, as they're easier to work with once they've set a little.

• Keep your hands clean and cold. Make little yolk balls out of the yellow mixture. Place them on some baking parchment. Put them back in the fridge or even the freezer to firm up.

• When the yolks are ready, you

can start embedding them in the whites. Scoop an amount of white filling out and flatten it into a circle. Place the yolk ball inside, and wrap the white around it. Place them in the fridge.

• Melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts until just melted.

• Skewer the fillings and dip them into the chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, you can dip them again for an extra chocolatey shell!

Thinking day Happy Thinking day everyone! As we think about all of our Guiding friends all over the world on this special day. Why not play traditional games from around the world?

Pakistan: Ounch (up), Neech (down)

What You'll Need An outdoor space with lots of obstacles like tree stumps, a slide, a swing, rocks, or sturdy benches or an indoor space with chairs or a stage.

How to Play

• The game begins with one child as "It."

• She chooses either ounch (up) or neech (down). If she chooses neech, then the ground is not safe; runners can be tagged out unless they are ounch, up on something like a stump or a rock.

• The opposite is true as well: If "It" chooses ounch, then the ground is safe so everyone remains on the ground.

America: Pickle

You will need

• Two bases ( 2 chairs in your hall or blanket for each team)

• Soft ball

Instructions

• Set up the two bases about 20 feet apart. • Divide the group into two groups one at each base,

pick one person to be “on”. The game started by the two kids who were “on” tossing the ball to each other.

The object of the game is to time running from one base to the other without being tagged by the ball.

If you were tagged then you were "on" and the game continued, usually until all the girls are too tired to run anymore.

18 Guiders Link Vol.1

Recycled jars You will need

• 2 or 3 artificial butterflies in various colours (as desired)• Green moss• Hot glue gun and glue sticks• Wire cutters• Cardboard – from a spiral notebook, cereal box or anything else you

could recycle from• Glass jar(s) that you have on hand• Twigs You will want to choose sections of twigs for the butterflies to sit on. You can use any jar that has a wide-mouth opening.

Instructions

• Trim down the twigs to fit inside the jar. Use wire cutters to give the twigs a nice, clean edge.

• Then, select the butterflies you would like to use, and arrange them onto your twig as desired. Glue them to the twig using hot glue. Make sure they are really secure, as you will not be able to make changes once they are inserted into the jar.

• Insert your butterfly twig into the jar. Do not glue the twig, it should stay fine.

• Some of the moss is going to fall down into the interior of the butterfly jar. That is okay. It will settle back down to the bottom when you turn it upright. That is it! Do as many jars as you would like for your display.

RANGERSHi Everyone,

Hope you all had a really great Christmas. I hope that you have a Happy

2015. If you made any ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ (I wish you luck keeping them).

I would love to say a big THANK YOU to all the Rangers and Leaders who attended the Ranger weekend in the Share Centre in November. The feedback from the evaluation forms was very positive. As this was my first weekend to hold a Ranger event I feel very proud of all of the Rangers and their Leaders who attended the weekend. The Rangers took part with great enthusiasm in the activities and their leaders were a great help and support to the girls. I felt rejuvenated about guiding after the weekend.

Let’s hope that 2015 is a great year for our Ranger events.

Yours in Guiding, Trish Derwin.

National Commissioner for Rangers


Recycled Tee Shirt Pillow

For this Pillow you can use old t-shirts that are in good condition that you may have out grown or accidentally shrunk in the wash. With a little creativity these Pillows could be a fundraising project.

You will need

• Old t-shirt• Filling• Needle and thread or craft glue

Instructions

• Start by laying out the shirt flat on a table.

• You can either sew the edges or glue them, the choice is yours, however stitching will be more durable. Glue or stitch the bottom of the shirt and the arm holes closed.

• Leave the neck area open for the filling. A soft fibre fill stuffing will work well, but you can use other items such as beans, foam chunks or old rags.

• Gently fill the shirt until it is nice and plump looking, then either glue or sew the neck hole closed with small stitches.

• You could always add some Guide badges for a fun effect.

Woven Placemat Basic weaving skills can turn basic sacking into a pretty and practical woven placemat that can be used over and over again. This is a perfect project for camp craft time.

You will need

• Burlap (sacking)• Assorted yarn and ribbon• Large blunt needle or tacky glue• Scissors Instructions

• Cut sacking into 30cm x 45cm pieces.

• Fringe the ends by pulling off pieces of the sacking all around the four sides.

• Select a strand of sacking about 2.5cm from the bottom edge, grab it firmly and pull it all the way out. Discard.

• Pull out additional pieces until you have gap a little thicker than a piece of your ribbon.

• Weave the ribbon in and out of the burlap (sacking) in this space. Don't try to go in and out of each strand but do a pattern such as "Skip 5, weave down, skip two weave up, etc." Repeat 2.5cm from the top edge.

• Continue with other pieces of ribbon or wool. When weaving wool, you can either use a large blunt needle or stiffen the end of the wool with tacky glue to create a stiff point.

• Weave until you are happy with the overall project. Trim ends.


TRAINING

I hope everyone is settling well into 2015! Many thanks to the

Guiders who completed their Guider Intermediate Course in November, the Training Team were very impressed with you and how well you participated all weekend. We have two courses for Guiders coming up in 2015, the first is the Guider Course (see advert) and the second is the An Dúshlán course (Nov 2015) for anyone who has already completed their Guider Intermediate Course. As part of An Dúshlán, Guiders are asked to complete a project which can be of benefit to CGI, some of the previous projects are now available on our website and I’ll highlight one in each of the Guider’s Links this year.

Mandy Bradley National Commissioner for Training

An Dushlan Projects

The first project I’d like to share was presented by Suzanne Breen from South-Eastern Region. Suzanne’s project is on fundraising, there’s plenty of helpful hints and guidelines for Units to follow to fundraise for their Unit or Company. Here’s an extract:

For our youth members to reach their full potential we provide a diverse programme of activities, ranging from team games, through hikes, to international camps. To run these activities requires equipment, training and transport. As member’s weekly subscriptions are the only regular source of income, Units need to fundraise to cover all these costs, this enables the Unit to make Guiding more affordable for all girls.

Suzanne’s booklet contains five detailed checklist for running small , medium , and large fundraisers.

Some of these can be organised quickly and easily , others will take more planning , while some will require a substantial amount of organisation .

The main legal requirements

covering asking members of the public for funds are briefly mentioned, but you must always check the up to date position by referring to National guidelines and the ICTR website.

Each checklist covers what you need to consider in choosing an event, how to plan the event, what to do at the event, and how to make sure after the event, everything has been completed. Sample advertising flyers, letters to parents, requests for sponsorship, and thank you letters to sponsors are included in the appendix.

Use checklists as your starting point; after reading them, also read the additional ideas at the back and then let your own imaginations run wild. For your fundraising to be successful, your events need to be that little bit new, that little bit different, and then they will be talked about in your community.

Follow the link to see Suzanne’s full project: http://bit.ly/150XCzB

For Guiders in Northern Region contact the Northern Region Office for help with legal requirements/guidelines.

REMEMBER!


TECH TIPS

CGI Tech Tips

How to Create a Table

One of the things Suzanne encourages us to do when fundraising is to keep a checklist of what you’re doing. The best way to do this is to create a table. We can also use tables to keep the details of the members in our Units.

The quickest way to add a table is to select the size you think you want on the Table grid.

1. Click the Insert tab, click Table, and then move the cursor over the grid until you highlight the right numbers of rows and columns.

2. Click, and the table appears in the document.

Name Section Address Parent/

Guardian

Contact No.

Cara Bear Brigíni New Forest Mammy

Bear

1234567

3. To add a row/column, right click and click on insert, then choose where you want the row/column to go.

Name Section Address Parent/

Guardian

Contact

No.

Health

Form Yes/

No

Cara Bear Brigíni New

Forest

Mammy

Bear

1234567 Yes

These tips are for Microsoft Word – use the help option in your word document for advice on how to create tables if you use a different programme.

If you missed the Guider Course run in your Region, sign up now for the Guider Course which will be held in the Springfield Hotel, Leixlip, March 20-22.

Meet people from all around the country and learn all about CGI and start your training to become a CGI Guider.

Cost: €50 per person, bookings and payment to National Office by 28th February. Complete booking form at back of link or online.

EVENT Cost: €50

Closing Date: 28th February 2015GUIDER COURSE

22 Guiders Link Vol. 122 Guiders Link Vol. 1

Happy New Year Everyone!

Welcome to 2015 and what is going to be a great year for the Outdoors

in CGI. We have our all Sections Outdoor Day on April 15th and I am really looking forward to loads of photos and reports on the activities you choose to do. You have the pull out in this issue of the Link which we hope will give you plenty of ideas to choose from and maybe inspire you to do something different. Make sure that everyone knows that CGI is Out and About in April.

In June we have our National Guide and Ranger camp in Castle Saunderson and we hope to see a lot of you at that Camp.

In June we have our National Guide and Ranger camp in Castle Saunderson and we hope to see a lot of you at that Camp. The theme of the Camp is Fun and along with the Guide and Ranger Commissioners – Ger and Trish and I intend the camp to be just that...lots of fun. We are going to work along the lines of TOE camp this

year and have the camp catered for. We hope this frees the Guiders up to have lots of fun as well and make it easier for Companies to travel to camp. Please drop us an email to register your interest in the camp and we will provide regular updates to you as activities are confirmed so you can keep the girls informed. If you are interested in being part of the Camp Planning Team just drop an email to [email protected] and we will be in touch.

So apart from taking part in Out and About and Camp Funtastic I hope you are starting to plan your Outdoor activities for the spring and summer season and are planning a summer camp…definitely the highlight of everyone’s year.

Springtime!

As our animals come out of hibernation why not take the time to discuss the various animals that hibernate and are coming back to life with your girls. Maybe do a project on them and have each Patrol be that animal for this term.

I hope you are starting to plan your Outdoor activities for the spring and summer season!

World Wildlife Fund

Check out the WWF and maybe look at adopting an animal…Snow Leopard or Polar Bear or Penguin….. loads to choose from and an excellent opportunity to get the girls to learn about endangered species. The theme to this year’s World Thinking Day is ‘Take Action Together’ so let’s get together and help save these animals for future generations.

National Spring Clean 2015

Don’t forget to register any events you are doing for National Spring clean and get CGI some publicity for them. Always good to have our members out and about and doing some community work.

I have included a game that should help you with some team work and knot work for your girls.

Looking forward to hearing all about Out and About and to meeting many of you at Camp fantastic.

Emily McCann, National Commissioner for Outdoors

OUTDOORS

ALL SECTIONS O

UTD

OOR DAY 2015

OUTAND

UTABOWITH CGI

ALL SECTIONS CENTREFOLD

Hike: what type of hike says you?

Incident/ First Aid Hike: get the help of the local Order of Malta or similar and turn your hike into an incident hike with mini bases along the way where the girls get to practise their first aid (work on their badge and fulfil CHOICES elements). If you out a bit of planning and thought into this it will become a great hike.

Rescue Hike: Your girls arrive at their hike destination but it’s been turned into a swamp area… the girls have to get to the other side and must use there ingenuity and the items they find lying around the edge of the swamp to cross the area without falling into the swamp, they will also need to rescue the stranded person in the middle of the swamp. Use your imagination…

Teddy bears picnic: Take those teddys bears on a hike as well as a picnic …..As Winnie the Pooh said

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.” - A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Beach combing: go for walk, hike, stroll on the beach and gather what has been washed up on the tide … make a beach collage … make sure to take a photo!

Beach hike, make sand castles…. Build a frozen scene ... make a sand Olaf.

Beach Clean: get out those gloves and rubbish bags and do a beach clean

Forest hike: Get out and about in our fabulous forests ...what can you see ... what leaves can you find…how many different trees ... any squirrels.

Sli Na Slainte walks: meaning path to health..Check out their web site www.irishheart.ie and there are plenty of walks all routed out for you and you can pick which ever loop suits your Company.

Look up walks on the web sites… www.irishtrails.ie and www.walkni.com

WHAT'S THIS YEAR'S ALL SECTIONS DAY ABOUT?

WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE CGI OUT AND ABOUT DAY?

Aim of the day To get all Cygnets, Brigini, Guides, Rangers and Guiders out and about.

How? You can stroll, walk, hike, cycle, scooters, run, which ever you prefer.

Who with? You can do your activity as a Region, as an Area, as a Unit, as a Company, with other Company’s – it’s totally up to you but we want you out there on the 12th April 2015.

How do I register? You will find the registration form on the website at www.girlguidesireland.ie/go/members/forms/outdoor-forms.

Make sure you fill it in fully as we need to know how

many youth members and guiders you will have on your activity so we can order the badges.

Once you have registered your event, we will order the badges and we will have them out to you as soon as possible.

On registration you will receive some Hi Vis jackets for your Patrol Leaders and the Guiders. We hope these will make you very visible out on your activity. You will also receive a press release where you can you fill in your own relevant details and send it as many papers and local radio stations as possible. Make sure you send in as many photos as possible to [email protected].

We will have a competition for the best photos from the event. Select your best photo from each Section and an overall Unit one and email them with your Company name and contact number to [email protected] looking forward to seeing loads of great photos.

SAFETY WHILE OUT WALKING

Read the Mountaineering Ireland walking safely leaflet

We will be sending this out to all companies with your Hi vis jackets but if you want to have a look at it, it is downloadable on their website.

Always remember BE SAFE BE SEEN!

LEAVE NO TRACE

As always the 7 principles of Leave No Trace must be taken into account when planning any activity.

At the heart of Leave No Trace are seven principles for reducing the damage caused by outdoor activities.

As Guides we have a responsibility to follow the leave no trace principles and leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos.

Heritage walks /hikes: visit your local heritage park and build some history into your day. Contact the park in advance and see if they do interactive activities, recreating battles or showing how people lived in the Iron Age or Stone Age.

Light houses: Visit a local light house and as part of your hike/day out find out the history of the light house and the importance of light houses over the years especially before radar became the norm. Look them up under look up www.cil.ie to find out where the light houses are located in all parts of Ireland.

Think outside the box:

Do something different to mark being out and about with CGI.

• Coasteering

• Canoeing

• Kayaking

• Sleepover

• Bivvy out (weather can be good in April)

• Cycle (make sure you wear helmets)

• Spring Camp

• Climbing wall-Rock Climbing

• Orienteering –perfect time of the year for it

• Mountain biking

• Sledding – who needs snow??

• Sking – is there a dry ski slope near you?

• Obstacle hike/walk

• Night hike

• Nature scavenger hunt/Bug hunt

• Campfire – how many companies can you get together for a campfire? Make sure its someplace public so you are all seen and heard

• Community project – contact your local park or tidy towns committee…they will love having volunteers for a service project

HOW TO PLAN YOUR EVENT

PLAN DO REVIEW• Depending on the section

meet with your Guiders or Pl’s

• Decide on the activity you want to do

• Allocate Responsibilities

• Checking on venue

• Do you need permission to use venue/walk/hike etc?

• Register your event with CGI

• Do an information note for all members

• Fill out appropriate forms

• Appoint photographer for the day

• Send off the press release

• Check out if there is a cost?

• The mode of transport

• Start and finish time

• Appropriate clothing

• Enjoy the activity

• Send the photos to CGI

• Sit down again after the event and review the event,

• Did it work

• Did the girls enjoy it

• Was it cost effective

• Did the Guiders enjoy it

Hopefully this has given you some ideas on how you can celebrate being out and about with CGI and you will all have a great day. We are really looking forward to seeing plenty of photos and reports on the great day out we all had. Enjoy and share!

Emily McCann, National Commissioner for Outdoors

GOOD LUCK!


Ice Rescue

This Activity can be used for any age, just change the requirements to suit your group.

Required

For each Patrol: 10 foot rope, blanket, staff or pole

Preparation

Place equipment in a pile for each Patrol in the back of the room.

Note

Reinforcing knot work, teamwork, and first aid.

Patrols form up in Patrol lines on one end of the room.

One girl from each Patrol is volunteered to be the victim that has fallen through thin ice. She goes to the far end of the room to meet with a game leader. The game leader tells them the scenario that they have fallen through the ice and are very cold. If they are rescued from the ice, they still need to act cold and weak - best acting gets 2 bonus points for their Patrol. The victims lay down on their stomachs facing the rest of their Patrols.

Explain the situation to the Patrols that some people have fallen through the ice and they need to each save one of them. They have about 2 minutes before it will be too late

to save them. Judges will determine if any of the rescuers also become victims and if a victim is saved or not. (If someone walks out to the victim or gets too close, she falls through also.)

The Patrols should notice and use the equipment - staff to reach, rope to tie bowline and throw to victim, blanket to warm victim once recovered.

As Patrols walk or crawl out, judges should give indications such as "You hear the ice cracking." Patrols should lay flat and crawl out and then reach.

Once recovered, Patrol should warm with blanket, treat for shock, and call for medical help.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY


Girls of CGI and IGG showcase Free Being Me on RTÉ2

Upcoming Free Being me training dates

Free Being Me is continuing to be a great success with our Leaders, Brigins and Guides. Leaders around Ireland managed to complete the programme with 386 girls before Christmas. This was a great start to Free Being Me, and this is only the beginning!

Free Being Me has since featured on News2Day on RTÉ with Brigíns, Brownies and Guides represented from I.G.G and C.G.I. Orla Walsh, the presenter from New2Day, spent some time with the girls and asked what they thought about Free Being Me and their experience of the programme. The girls were brilliant and really showed what Free Being Me was all about as well as their art work from the programme on the walls. If you missed it, you can catch it again on RTÉ Player.

We will have lots more exciting upcoming news about Free Being Me, so be sure to like our Facebook page; Free Being Me Ireland for all the latest news and events!

If you haven’t considered Free Being Me for your Unit, now is the time to do it as national training events are being held very soon!

Upcoming trainingsThe Free Being Me Committee will be holding day training events in the following locations in 2015 (Belfast date TBC):

February 7th

• Dublin (Trainer: Nicola)

• Cork (Trainer: Marg)

• Galway (Trainer: Hannah)

• Sligo (Trainer: Helen)

• Belfast (Trainer: Maeve)

Each event will run from 10 am – 4pm and will cost €12. This will include lunch and a copy of each Free Being Me booklet. Venues TBC.

If you would like to sign up for the event or have any questions, please email [email protected] with the county and the trainer’s name in the subject title. Also, training events are open to all members age 16 years and over so keep Rangers informed of training events in your region.

What is Free Being Me?Free Being Me unmasks society’s beauty myths - exposing air-brushing and challenging unhealthy body talk. Through a series of fun, interactive and thought-provoking activities, girls are challenged to stand up and take action to stop unhealthy body ideals affecting the next generation of girls. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and the Dove Self-Esteem Project set up the programme with the vision of creating a world free from appearance-related anxiety by boosting the confidence of a whole generation.


MEMBERS COUNCIL

Support for Members' Council in your RegionWould like to receive support for Members Council activities that took place within your Region in the last year?

Then please apply by forwarding a short report with accompanying receipts to the National Office.

Support is only available where receipts have been provided. Limits may apply.


History of World Thinking Day

Each year on 22 February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World

Thinking Day. World Thinking Day was created in 1926 at the 4th Girl Guide/Girl Scout International Conference. Conference attendees agreed there should be a special day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation for the international friendship they find in our Movement. The delegates chose 22 February as World Thinking Day as it was the mutual birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement, and his wife Olave, who served as World Chief Guide.

At the 7th World Conference in 1932, held in Poland, a delegate suggested that since birthdays traditionally involve presents, girls could show their appreciation and

friendship on World Thinking Day, not only by extending warm wishes to each other, but also by offering a voluntary contribution to the World Association to support Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting in other countries. Olave wrote to all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts asking them to donate just one penny, and so the World Thinking Day fund was formed. Since then, funds you send to the WAGGGS’ World Thinking Day fund support the development of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting around the world. Funds ensure the delivery of non-formal education programmes, assist Member Organisations with their projects, support young women to develop leadership and advocacy skills and help grow and share the Movement with more girls and young women around the world

Since 2009, each World Thinking Day has been themed on the Millennium Development Goals focusing on the Millennium Development Goals raises awareness of the theme and encourages girls, young women and members of all ages to make a personal commitment to change the world around them.

Happy New Year to Everyone!

I hope you have all had a good Christmas and are busy making

plans for Thinking Day 2015. We are publishing Thinking Day packs for each Company again this year and they will be with your shortly.

A lot of work is being done on the Free Being Be Programme at presents, and hopefully you may have even taken part in the training that has been taking place on the Free Being Me Programme. This is a great programme for all the girls and I encourage all of you to do it with your girls.

Plans for Roverway 2016 are coming along well so keep an eye out on the Roverway2016-Guide Contingent- Ireland facebook page for more info.

There are plenty of camps and opportunities available so if you are looking for a new challenge or something different to do during 2015/2016 why not consider taking part in an International Camp.

Finally I would like to wish our participant Sarah Slevin from South West Region the best of luck as she heads to Sangam in February to represent CIGA at the Juliette Low Seminar, you will be able to read more about her experience in the next edition.

Yours in Guiding, Yvonne Browne.

International Commissioner

INTERNATIONAL


The Catholic Guides of Ireland is a member of the Council of Irish Guiding Associations (CIGA). In the 1970s, the Catholic Guides of Ireland and the Irish Girl Guides, with assistance from the World Board of WAGGGS, began working towards coming together in a form that meant CGI could be members of WAGGGS.

In December 1992, it was agreed to establish Comhairle Bantreoraithe na hEireann or Council of Irish Guiding Associations.

In July 1993, at the 28th World Conference held in Denmark, the Council of Irish Guiding Associations was ratified as a full member of WAGGGS and was recognised as continuing the Full Membership first gained by the Irish Girl Guides, in 1932.

The Council consists of the Irish Girl Guides and the Catholic Guides of Ireland.

The CIGA committee consists of four members of IGG and four members of CGI, with two members of CGI resident in Northern Ireland as observers and two members of GirlGuiding Ulster as observers. The chair positon rotates between the two Associations, each of which nominates either the secretary or the treasurer.

The committee meets on a regular basis. It promotes joint activities and work between the two Associations and encourages strong dialogue amongst the family of Guiding. The ‘Free Being Me’ Programme and the

Joint Service Project to Sangam are the latest joint ventures CIGA are supporting.

The CIGA logo represents the interlinking of the two Guiding Associations and the sharing and cooperation that is taking place.

CIGA celebrates 21 years

On the 22nd November the CIGA AGM was held in Trefoil House. After the business of the meeting concluded Nicola Mangan from CGI gave a short presentation on the Free Being Me Programme and the progress so far. As it was the 21st AGM of CIGA the occasion was marked with a special Cake.

The CIGA logo represents the interlinking of the two Guiding Associations and the sharing and cooperation that is taking place.


The Academy, Belgrade. 2014

I had the privilege of attending The Academy 2014 in Belgrade in November. What a fantastic week! It really shows you what a huge global movement we are part of. There was loads to learn throughout the week. I attended workshops including Growth and Development, Recruitment and Retention, Youth Empowerment, Leadership Development in the Youth Programme and Strategic Planning. The facilitators running the sessions were inspirational and were available all week to "pick their brains". I have loads of new ideas to share and I hope to put some of them into practice.

Everyone was really friendly and we were very well looked after by the Serbian Host Committee and the organisers from WAGGGS and WOSM. We were treated

to some social events over the week, the highlight of which was a treasure hunt around Belgrade City. We had to find 11 different landmarks and first team back were the winners. It was a wonderful opportunity to do some sightseeing even if it was a 10 hike! The Serbian themed night was very informative and of course the International Night was great fun. We had a fantastic night at the Closing Ceremony when email addressed and hugs were shared.

We had a peer group meeting each evening before dinner where we discussed what sessions we had covered that day. Our peer groups were made up of people doing similar roles in our own organisations so it was good to see how things are done across

Europe. We became a close group of friends towards the end of the week and worked together as a team.

I made some great memories and some new friends while I was there. In fact, we could be expecting a group of Scouts from Finland to land in Ireland next year! I've offered to help to plan activities for a camp for one of the Units with one of the friends I've made. She even taught me some Finnish.

I would highly recommend this training course. There’s so much more for all of us to learn. Thanks so much to CGI for giving me this opportunity. I'll remember it for ever!

Ruth Byrne South East Region

Upcoming Camps

Overtures-Edinburgh Closing date for applications to International Commissioner 2nd February

http://overture.europak-online.net/

10th-12th April 2015

Bonn Germany 2015 [email protected] 30th April 2015-3rd May 2015

Olave 2015 [email protected] 1st August-8th Aug 2015

Your Up 2015- Strasbourg, France http://caravane.sgdf.fr/rubrique-jamboree-you-re-up

16th-23rd July 2015

Peak 2015 http://www.peakcamp.org.uk 25th July-1st August 2015

Guiding Mosaic 2016- Alberta Canada

http://www.guidingmosaic.com/ 9th-17th July 2016

Flame 2016 - Foxlease England www.flame2016/org.uk 23rd-29th July 2016

Charnwood 2016 - England www.charnwood.org 30th July-6th August 2016

Essex Jamboree 2016 http://www.eij.org.uk/ 30th July-6th August 2016

Pinakarri - 2016 Austria www.pinakarri.at 1st-11th August 2016

Roverway 2016 http://www.roverway2016.org 3rd-14th August 2016

TRIP REPORT


CALLING ALL RANGERS! Roverway 2016 is not that far away and it looks like it’s going to be an amazing camp!

The camp will run for 11 days, from the 3rd to the 14th of August 2016. The paths will last 6 days and take place in a variety of destinations all over France! The last 4 days of the camp will be spent at Jambville, just outside of Paris, with the other participants from all over Europe. The organisation team are focusing on 3 main themes for the camp: co-construction, European citizenship and commitment. They are also looking for suggestions on what people would like to see at the camp or any ideas relating to the 3 themes. Check out the Roverway 2016- Guide Contingent- Ireland for more information and to leave suggestions for us to pass on to the planning team. Looking forward to seeing you there!

ROVERWAY HEAD OF CONTINGENT ANNOUNCED

CGI are delighted to announce the Head of Contingent & Rover/Ranger Rep for Roverway 2016.

Ruth Byrne (South East Region) has been selected as HOC and Caoimhe Mc Namara (Eastern Region) will be the CGI Rover/Ranger Rep.

© Copyright 2012 The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland). Girlguiding Leicestershire County Registered Charity number 521779.

Leicestershire

LEICESTERSHIRE

CHARNWOOD 201630TH JULY - 6TH AUGUST

THE SCOUTS AND GUIDES FROM LEICESTERSHIRE invite you to join them at the

8TH INTERNATIONAL JAMBOREE

OUR SUBCAMPS HAVE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES TO SUIT THESE AGE RANGES:

SCOUTS (10.5 to 14) GUIDES (10 to 15)

EXPLORERS (14 to 17) Rangers & Young Leaders (14 to 17)

STAFF 18 AND OVER - we would love you to join us too

at the historic home of Lord & Lady CrawshawWhatton House, Long Whatton near Loughborough, Leicestershire, England

Over 3,000 young people will take part in one of the most exciting Scout & Guide camps in the world, where they will make new friends, have the opportunity to take

part in new and exciting activities and experience a truly unique atmosphere.

You are invited to bring your Guides, Rangers, Scouts or Explorers as a unit/ troop.

To register an interest and receive further information on how to join us,

go to the website WWW.CHARNWOOD.ORG

To join the Staff team you just have to be over 18, register on the www.charnwood.org website and let us know your preferences on the team or teams you

would like to work with.

Leicestershire is in the middle of EnglandThe nearest airport to the camp is East Midlands

Airport – then Birmingham AirportHowever you travel and wherever you arrive we will

help - you just have to ask

See our Charnwood 2016 website at WWW.CHARNWOOD.ORG for more information or

contact the International Team on [email protected]

CHARNWOOD 2016

CHARNWOOD 201630TH JULY - 6TH AUGUST 30TH JULY - 6TH AUGUST

CHARNWOOD 2016

CHARNWOOD2016

CHARNWOOD2016

CW16

CHARNWOOD2016 CW16

PANTONE021c

PANTONE7408c

PANTONECool Grey 11c

CHARNWOOD2016 CW16

Social Media Profile Images

SUN RISE COLOURS

CAMP FUNTASTICNATIONAL RANGER AND GUIDE CAMP

26-28TH JUNE 2015

Castle Saunderson, Co. Cavan

Cost€50 per youth €20 per adult

Travel€12 per

participant

Closing date for applications -1st May 2015

Join us for this exciting Carnival style Camp, fun and friendship guaranteed!

Programme activities, t-shirt and camp neckerchief and much much more included.

Register your interest at [email protected]

Goal To experience the effects of inclusion and exclusion in a simulated activity.

Time15 minutes

MaterialsBlank mailing labels or blank name tags, cut in half. Make as many labels as you have girls.

On the labels, write, “Smile at me,” “Say, ‘Hi,’” “Pat me on the back,” “Shake my hand,” “Give me five,” and “Give me an “okay” sign.” Use other responses that are typical for the group. On 10 percent of the labels, write, “Turn away from me.”

Procedure

Begin the lesson by asking girls if they think we sometimes label people because they belong to different groups.

Tell them that the labels we put on people often limit their participation in groups.

Tell girls that you are going to give them each a sticker. Tell them that you will put it on their foreheads so that they cannot see what it says.

Distribute the labels randomly. Ask everyone to remain quiet and not reveal to each other what their labels say.

When everyone has a label, ask girls to get up and mill around as if they were in the lunch room at school or at a party. Remind them that they should not reveal what is on anyone else’s label.

Let girls mingle for 4 to 5 inutes, then ask them to return to their seats without looking at their labels.

Discussion

Ask girls the following questions:

1. How were you feeling?

2. Without looking at your label, do you know what it says? How do you know?

3. All of you who think you have the “Turn away from me” label, please come and stand together in front of the room. How did you feel?

Allow girls to look at their labels now. Explain that all of us have experienced times when we felt like we were wearing a “Turn away from me” label —when we felt left out or targeted.

However, some groups experience this more than others, even regularly. What are some groups in your community that get targeted or left out? What groups in society

seem to have a “Turn away from me” label on them? (Some examples include people with disabilities, people of a different religion, people of a different race, people who speak with an accent, and underprivileged people.)

Remind them that no one said anything negative to them; it was just in our nonverbal communication—our body language and our expressions.

Without words, they got the message.

Point out that 94 percent of all communication is nonverbal. We need to pay close attention to our body language and nonverbal expressions as well as our words.

End with the following additional questions:

• What can we do to change our nonverbal behavior to help everyone feel included?

• What do people from groups that are left out or excluded sometimes do? (Sometimes they get together and form their own groups and isolate themselves; perhaps this happened during this activity.)

• Any new thoughts about why members of excluded groups act in society the way they do?

• Any new insights on how being in an oppressed group feels?

Label Activity

DIVERSITY ACTIVITY


Smile at me. Pat me on the back.

Give me five. Say, 'Hi'.

Shake my hand. Give me an 'okay' sign.

Turn away from me.

Give me a hug.

Ask me how I'm feeling.

Nod in my direction.



AROUND IRELAND

SOUTH-EASTERN REGION

Skin Care and Make-up Lesson at Piercestown

St. Martin's Piercestown Guides and Rangers enjoyed a Skin Care and Make-up Lesson at which the girls got lots of useful information and practical advice from local make-up artist Tara Molloy and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to practice and use materials.


CGI, IGG and Scouting Ireland attend Bullying Workshop

Guiders from the South-East Region joined with members of IGG and Scouting Ireland at a Bullying Workshop funded by the Wexford Voluntary Youth Council.

The workshop was designed to help leaders who work with young people and covered:

• Bullying and its affects

• Bullying and technology – Cyberbullying – Trolling

• What is presently working at controlling Bullying

• Respect for each other as adults

• Legislation and rights.

St Matthew’s Cygnets - Wexford Town Unit

The Cygnets have had a crafty start to the 2014/2015 year. The first big craft night was a loom band night, where the Cygnets took great delight in teaching the Leaders how to make bracelets. Then there was the making of Hallowe’en masks, with the intention that the masks would be worn for the Clonard and Wexford Town Cygnets’ Hallowe’en party, but instead plenty of princesses and witches, along with some cats and a HULK turned up! Then the Christmas Tree Competition, where plenty of glitter was required. Finally, Olafs made from socks and rice proved to be a big hit! The Frozen theme continued with the Christmas party where there were 4 Elsas. One of the four told us that she needed food NOW and on being told she’d have to wait, put her head on the table for a minute or two and then lifting it and with arms outspread declared “ But I’m QUEEN ELSA!!!”.

Straight faces were maintained with difficulty! Santa arrived to the delight of all but one of the Cygnets, but even she managed a peek at him eventually from the other side of the room.

"Plenty of princesses and witches, along with some cats and a hulk turned up!"


Raheney Rangers discover Dublin

Raheny Rangers discover Dublin City and have a special enrollment for their newest members in the Long Room of Trinity College - Saturday 14th November 2014.

EASTERN REGION


Buion Naomh Iosaf Lucan Brigíni and Guides at their recent enrolment on Monday 24th November.

Chief Commissioner awarded by CDYSB

CGI Chief Commissioner, Cecilia Browne, was awarded an outstanding volunteer achievement award by the CDYSB (City of Dublin Youth Service Board) for her years of service to her local Unit, Buíon An Leanbh Prague Raheny, and to CGI as an organisation. The awards were presented by Kevin Humphries TD, Minister of State, Department of Social Protection and Jacinta Stewart, Chief Executive Officer CDETB on Friday 14th November 2014.


Holy Rosary Guides - Lagan Area

In October, Holy Rosary Guides went to Edinburgh. The trip began with a 6.30am start at the airport. Late leaders aside, we made the flight and landed in Edinburgh and were very excited to get the tram into the city. After a preview of the sights we dropped our bags and embarked

on our adventure. We packed lots into our four days; Castle adventure, Arthur's Seat in gale force winds, Greyfrier's Bobby, National Museum, Our Dynamic Earth, bowling, shopping, cathedrals and ghost tours

NORTHERN REGION


Safeguarding our Members

Please note, due to difference in legislation in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, separate Policies, forms and guidelines are in place. This information is only for members in the Republic of Ireland.

For Members in Northern Ireland, please see the Safeguarding Policy for Northern Ireland on the CGI website or contact the Northern Region office.

It is vital for the safeguarding and protection of all members, that the following information is read, understood, and followed by all adult members in the Association. If you need any clarification, please contact your Region or the National Office.

Garda VettingTo comply with the National Vetting Bureau Children and Vulnerable Persons Act 2013, all adults in CGI who have regular supervision/contact in the provision of leisure or physical activities to children or vulnerable persons must be vetted. Failure to comply is an offence under the act. The act does allow for persons who assist occasionally and on a voluntary basis in certain activities or events not to be vetted. However, if adults are going to be present in your Unit on a regular basis or attend a residential event with children/young people, they must be vetted. All forms are available from National Office, from your Region and on the CGI website.

Who needs to be vetted in CGI?All adults in CGI who are over 18 (e.g. all existing Guiders, Trainees, new volunteers, Adult Helpers and Rangers aged 18+). Parents who help out on a very occasional basis don’t need to be vetted, but cannot attend a residential event with children/young people if they are not vetted.

Retrospective VettingUnder the National Vetting Bureau Children and Vulnerable Persons Act 2013, all existing active volunteers must be vetted regardless of how long they have been in the Association.

Rangers aged 18 years and overAll Rangers aged 18+ must be vetted. This process should begin 6 months before the Ranger turns 18 to ensure they can attend residential events. It is up to the Guider to ensure the Ranger sends completed forms to the National Office prior to a residential event (including Unit or Company Camps). If applying prior to turning 18, a consent form must also be completed (see Appendix 6 of Safeguarding Policy or on the CGI website). The Ranger should also complete the Ranger 18+ Form (see Appendix 7 of Safeguarding Policy or on the CGI website). This is a basic cover sheet to accompany Garda Vetting to provide contact details and identify which Unit the girl belongs to.

New volunteersAll new volunteers must be Garda Vetted and complete the Volunteer Application Form (Appendix 2 of Safeguarding Policy or on the CGI website) as soon as possible. They may start to volunteer in a Unit while they await the return of their Vetting, however, they must be supervised at all times by trained Guiders and never left unsupervised. New volunteers cannot attend a residential event with children/young people if they are not vetted.

Residential EventsTo attend a residential event (where youth members will be in attendance), all adults (including parents/ adult helpers) must have fully completed the Garda Vetting Process prior to attending (i.e. they must have received the letter back from National Office stating they have been successfully vetted). This process can take some time so it is up to the individual to ensure they send their vetting to the National Office in plenty of time before the event. Units should ensure they have appropriate numbers of adult helpers that have fully completed the Garda Vetting process and Volunteer Application Form so they can have people in reserve to attend residential events if needed. Please also refer to ratios in Outdoor/Safeguarding Policies.

When do I find out that I have been successfully vetted?A letter will be issued to each person stating they have successfully completed the Garda Vetting process. Volunteers should show this to their Unit leader.

Recruitment ProceduresIt is necessary to vet Guiders to provide a safe environment in our Organisation. Garda Vetting is just one part of the recruitment process for all volunteers. A proper selection procedure is one of the most sensible and effective ways of assessing a person‘s suitability to work with children and may in itself act as a deterrent to potential abusers, as well as help choosing people who are suitable for working with children. Having a good standard of practice in our Association means that people are more likely to wish to join. Care, therefore, needs to be taken to ensure that anyone who may be unsuited to working in such an environment is not selected. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that everyone participates in a selection procedure even though they are recognised as people of good standing. The following steps on the next page are therefore considered necessary to ensure good practice for all adults aged 18+ in CGI.

Notes on Adult Recruitment• It must be stressed to the applicant that they are

obliged to attend necessary training programmes within the Association.

• In order to work with youth members of CGI all volunteers must complete our Child Protection course as soon as possible but this must be within the first year of volunteering.

• All volunteers coming into leadership should attend an induction course (Introduction to Guiding) and should be under the direct supervision of a trained Guider for at least a year AND until they have completed the Guider Training Course (formerly Basic Training)

• They should complete the Guider Training Course (formerly Basic Training) as soon as possible. Untrained Leaders can volunteer for a maximum of 2 years, they must then complete the Guider Course.

• If a Guider wishes to transfer to another Unit, a recommendation slip (see Appendix 4 of Safeguarding Policy) from her previous Unit Guider will be requested.

Volunteer Application Form Page 1 of 2

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Catholic Guides of Ireland

For Child and Adult Protection, it is essential that all new volunteers complete this form

This form must be returned with completed Garda Vetting Form to: Safeguarding Dept, CGI National Office, 12 Clanwilliam Tce, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2

CGI Safeguarding Policy Statement By adopting and using the Safeguarding policy, the Guiders of CGI will be raising the standards of care for the children and young people entrusted to them. The Catholic Guides of Ireland is fully committed to safeguarding the well-being of its membership. At all times members should show respect and understanding for each other’s rights, safety and welfare and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the principles of the Association. We are committed to ensuring that our volunteers and staff are carefully selected, trained and supervised and that our children and young people, Guiders and parents/guardians know how to voice their concerns and fully utilise the complaints procedure if they find there is something they are not happy about.

Code of Behaviour As an adult within the Catholic Guides of Ireland it is expected that you should always;- • Listen to and respect everyone as an individual. • Provide a good example of acceptable behaviour. • Be positive in your conversations, this helps to reaffirm and encourage positive behaviour. • Respect everyone’s right to personal privacy, show understanding when dealing with sensitive issues. Never do

things of a personal nature for a child or young person that they can do for themselves. • Be sensitive to the fact that physical contact of a comforting or assuring nature is a valid way of showing concern

and care but you make sure your actions cannot be misunderstood or cause offence. • Adhere to the rules and recommendations of the Association’s Safeguarding Policy and Guidelines especially in

relation to Adult /Child and young person ratio’s • Be aware that children and young people can sometimes hero – worship or develop a “crush” on adults working

with them. This type of situation needs to be handled sensitively so as not to cause feelings of rejection or encouragement. Always seek the advice and support of the other adult leaders in your group.

• Empower children and young people – discuss with them their rights, what is acceptable and unacceptable, and what to do if there is a problem.

Adults should never: - • Act in ways intending to shame, humiliate, belittle or degrade a child/young person or group of children/young people. • Give car lifts on your own to young people unless it is unavoidable. • Allow jokes or conversations of a sexual nature in the presence of children and young people. • Show favouritism or become over involved with one particular young person or a particular group of children or

young people.

For Unit Leader Use Only Name of Unit: ……………………………………………………………. Region: ………………………………………………………. Approved by: …………………………………………………………….. (Signature of Unit Leader) ID Check yes Reference 1 Checked yes Reference 2 Checked yes

For Volunteer to Complete Is there any reason why you cannot work with Children and Young People? yes no

1. I agree to undertake the necessary leadership/child protection training appropriate to my role 2. I agree to follow the above Guidelines and those set out in the CGI Safeguarding Policy

Signed by applicant: ………………………………………………………………… Date: …………………………………

Garda Vetting Parent/Guardian Consent Form

Garda Vetting Application Form

Volunteer Application Form


Ranger 18+ Form Page 1 of 1

Please sumbit this form with your Garda Vetting form and Parental Consent Form (if under 18) and return to National Office in the stamped addressed enveloped provided.

Notes for Unit Leaders: All Rangers aged 18+ must be vetted. This process should begin 6 months before the Ranger turns 18

to ensure they can attend residential events. Garda Vetting can take up to 6 months so it is up to the Guider to ensure the Ranger sends completed forms to the National Office prior to a residential event (including Unit or Company Camps).

If applying prior to turning 18, a Parental Consent Form must also be completed. All forms are available from your Region, from National Office and from the CGI website.

This form must be returned with completed Garda Vetting and Parental Consent forms to: Safeguarding Dept, CGI National Office, 12 Clanwilliam Tce, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2

For Ranger to complete Contact Details Name: Current Address:

Phone Number: Email: Date of Birth:

Unit Details Name of Ranger Company/ Unit:

Region: Over the coming year I would like to: (please tick one) Stay as a Ranger Guide Become a Trainee Don’t worry if you aren’t sure yet! This is just for our database. If you aren’t sure then just select the first option. Once you want to go on to a volunteering role, you will need to complete the Volunteer Application Form, available from your Unit leader. When do I find out that I have been successfully vetted? A letter will be issued to you stating if you have successfully completed the Garda Vetting process. You should show this to your Unit leader.

Existing Members New MembersRanger 18+

- wants to stay in Rangers

Ranger 18+- wants to go on to Guid-er Training / Leadership

role

Brand new volunteer aged 18 or over

STEP 1:6 months before turning 18:

Give the Ranger the following forms:

• Garda Vetting • Parental Consent for

Garda Vetting Form • Ranger 18+ Form

If they decide to move on to a leadership role, follow steps in next column.

STEP 1:6 months before turning 18:

Give the Ranger the following forms:

• Garda Vetting • Parental Consent for

Garda Vetting Form• Ranger 18+ Form

When the Ranger turns 18, give them the follow-ing form to complete:

• Volunteer application form (following steps in the next column)

STEP 1:Talk to the potential volunteer! Unit Leaders / Guiders should use the set of questions in the Safeguarding Policy (Appendix 9) to get to know the potential volunteer to see if they are suitable.

Define the Role: This involves thinking through what exactly you consider the role of the new volunteer to be and what skills will be required to enable them to perform effectively.

Give them the New Volunteer Packas soon as they show interest. The potential volunteer completes the forms in the pack and returns to National Office immediately:• Garda Vetting • Volunteer application form

(Unit Leaders must check ID and References and mark this on the form before the volunteer returns it to National Office)

Step 2:Once the above forms are received, a letter is issued from the National Office accepting the volunteer “pending completion of recruitment process”. The untrained volunteer can start in the Unit but must be accompanied at all times by trained Guiders and never left unsupervised. They must not attend a residential event with Children/young people.Step 3:Once vetting is received back from Garda Vetting, a letter is issued to the new volunteer. They must show this to the Unit leader.

Ranger 18+ Form Safeguarding Policy



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CONTACTS

NEBChief Commissioner [email protected]. Chief Commissioner [email protected] National Secretary [email protected] [email protected]íní brigíní@girlguidesireland.ie Guides [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Region [email protected] Region [email protected] Region [email protected] Region [email protected]

Child ProtectionEastern Region Catherine Monaghan Anne Murphy Clare O’Brien

086 2710931 086 2710951 086 2710953

South-Western Region Marion Gleeson Maria Dowling

086 2710941 086 2710950

South-Eastern Region Barbara Ryan Aideen Moran

086 2710958 086 2710952

Northern Region Josephine Higgins Martha Mc Grath Sarah Mc Manus Carol Ewings Maire Mc Grath

07581644947 07581644899 07581645481 07581644860 07581639739

Staff

Laura Saunders National Office Coordinator [email protected] Hosback Finance Officer [email protected] Yvonne Nulty Administrative Assistant [email protected] Geoghegan Communications Administrator [email protected]

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Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the National Lottery.

CGI National Office12 Clanwilliam Terrace, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2Tel: (01) 661 9566 • Fax: (01) 676 5691Email: [email protected]

CGI Northern Region OfficeSt. Francis De Sale, Beechmount Drive, Belfast BT12 7LUTel: 048 9031 3639 • Fax: 048 9031 3639Email: [email protected]

www.girlguidesireland.ie

Charity Number: CHY 7958

guiders link 2015 vol 1

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