A gift for our hosts

All the delegates attending the European Scout and Guide Conference on Norway this week, have been looked after by a wonderful host team from the Norges Speiderforbund (Norwegian Guide and Scout Association) and Norges KFUM-KFUK -Speidere (YWCA-YMCA Guides and Scouts of Norway). 

The hosts had a team of 28 amazing volunteers, who have done a variety of tasks from meeting everyone at the airports, moving tables and chairs, organising the social events during the week, shuttle buses and entertaining us at the closing ceremony (with the Trucker's Hitch). They were a truly amazing team and nothing was ever too much trouble!! 

As a thank you, the Girlguiding delegation made a donation to the UNHCR in their name. Caroline and Charlotte presented a certificate to Vermund, who was the chair of the host team. 

Thank you from Caroline, Rebecca, Valerie, Charlotte, Emma and Laura

Joint Guide and Scout conference

The final afternoon of the conference arrived and it was back to the joint conference.

Votes were cast for the European Guide and Scout conference 2019, and the winner was...... Croatia! We look forward to experiencing their hospitality in 3 years time. We also hope that Malta who unfortunately missed out this time will look to hosting it in the future.

Further voting then commenced for motions including one around formalising the recognition of work we do with Refugees.  It was amazing to hear the passion individuals had for working with everyone in their country no matter who they were on where they come from. This showed Guiding and Scouting at its best, that we really are for everyone and and want to make the world a better place.

Charlotte became head teller for these votes meaning she had the responsibility to officially record and hand over the results of the voting. A great job well done!

It all too quickly came to the end when the batton was handed over to the new Chairs of WAGGGS and WOSM for Europe.

The future of our joint work between WAGGGS and WOSM within Europe is exciting and will provide many more opportunities for our members within the UK. Exciting plans are already being made for Roverway  2018 in the Netherlands.. make sure you don't miss out on this fantastic WAGGGS and WOSM event!

WAGGGS Conference last session

This morning was the last WAGGGS conference session of our time in Norway and this means it is voting day. Over the past few days delegations have been huddling in corners, usingWhatsApp and huddling in corners and lobbying others to support their motion or amendments. This is the serious bit of the conference. 

Each country gets one vote, no matter what size they are. Some votes are for full members and others are full and associate members. Everyone has to vote and we do have an abstention option. 

As a delegation we supported a number of motions relating to the financial budget and how we hold the region committee to account. Caroline also spoke to explain one motion we had proposed. 

This morning was a truly fascinating for those of us who were new to conference and a great mandate for the new committee. The next three years are going to be a great opportunity to build on the fantastic work of the outgoing committee to strengthen and grow the region. 

Something fishy...

Something fishy has been going on tonight...a well deserved Silver Fish award for Amanda Medler!

Congratulations Amanda on this truly deserved award. You are inspiring and we are so appreciative of your unwavering patience, dedication and hard work.

Amanda has been an inspiring role model to so many in guiding. At all levels, from the Guide Unit she continues to lead on a Friday night through to the Member Organisations she has supported, she has made an amazing impact. 

In preparing for Amanda's award, we received wonderful messages from Amanda's Guides and Rangers:

"We would not be able to do so much as a unit without having great leaders like Amanda who ensure we are having a fantastic time and keeping safe." (Farah - Guide)

"When my patrol and I decided to bake cookies Amanda made sure we followed safety procedures in the kitchen.  At a recent charity fund raising event, where we packed customers' shopping, Amanda very kindly bought us water and chocolates as a treat as we were working so hard." (Karina - Guide)

"Amanda has given me the amazing opportunity to go on holidays, both residential and abroad or either short periods or longer periods of time.  These trips include trips to locations such as Spain and France as well as a more local camp holiday in Tolmers.  As a result of Amanda making these trips possible, I have learnt a wide range of things, such as learning about different cultures, how to communicate with others and most importantly how to have fun!" (Charlotte - Ranger)

"Amanda has a very busy lifestyle, with her work commitments and her wide involvement within Girlguiding, but despite these taking her on around the world trips Amanda dedicates her Friday evenings to planning and running the 6th A Headstone Guides and Rangers meetings before sometimes catching the next plane/train the same evening to her next adventure. 

Within my daughter's time at the 6th A Headstone Guides Amanda has supported and encouraged my daughter to participate in activities she would not have been confident to do before joining."

Read about some more of Amanda's fantastic work facilitating Europe Partnerships.

Europe Partnership Working

We were proud to share in and hear about one of the many Europe Region success stories today.  

Girl Guide and Girl Scout Associations from the United Kingdom, Finland and Denmark, with mentoring from WAGGGS, got together to share their experiences in assisting the Belarus Association.

As part of her work on the WAGGGS Europe Region Committee, Vice-chair - Amanda Medler - identified funding restrictions and legislative requirements in Belarus which meant that they could not work towards their aims. To help, she facilitated partnerships between Belarus and the European countries. 

In the UK, Girlguiding counties Hampshire North and Lincolnshire South have been supporting Belarus for decades. They provide funds and resources to allow the association to fulfil their programme and provide for their members. 

(Caroline and Charlotte with Olga, Chair of Belarus National)

We were so pleased to hear about the development in Belarus and share in the successes of the UK and the other countries. 

Our new Europe Region WAGGGS Committee!

A huge congratulations to Laura, our new Europe Region WAGGGS Committee Vice-chair! 

We are so proud of Laura in her appointment to this thoroughly deserved post. She has amazing skills, experience and dedication. We are excited for her and the future of Europe Region WAGGGS under this fantastic new committee.

Congratulations also to our friend Marjolein Sluijters in her appointment as Europe Region WAGGGS Committee Chair. 

Congratulations to all of the Europe Region Committee, we are looking forward to working with you and supporting you to develop the Region and achieve its incredible aims!

Election Time

It's time for the vote - good luck Laura!

Roll call!

Lunchtime fun

Can you guess which of the delegation have been having fun in the WAGGGS photobooth!?

Second Day of Conference

We kicked off today in a slightly rainy Norway with some breakout sessions looking back at the work done by Europe Region WAGGGS over the past triennium.

Emma, along with Scouting Netherlands, delivered sessions on the Gendered Leadership project...

alongside sessions on Diversity, Gender, Growth and the Northstar Pilot.

We then heard from Anita Tiessen, Chief Executive Officer for WAGGGS give a passionate and visionary speech on the future and ambition of WAGGGS. 

A truly international evening

We wanted to share this photograph with you from the International Evening...meet the joint conference! Can you find our delegation? Hint: look for the flowers...

International Evening

Saturday night at conference was International night. This is an opportunity for every country to dress up in National dress and share food and drink specialities from home.

We joined the UK Scout delegation to share such delights as shortbread, welsh cakes, tablet, fruit cake, elderflower cordial and Wensleydale cheese.

We all had the opportunity to network and visit each delegations table and try some amazing food and drink. We tried a huge variety of cheese, from amazing feta cheese from Greece to local cheese from here in Norway. A few delegations had pancakes on offer, which are always good! 

There was huge variety of things on offer and here are just a few;

Pickled fish

Cheese

Bread

Cured and smoked meats

Sausages and meatballs

Baklava 

Cakes

Turkish delight

Sweets

Both UK delegations chose to wear our home nation rugby shirts, this allowed us to share the make up of the UK and also links to the international village night being held on Sunday (more on that afterwards!). 

First Day of Conference

It was a busy first day of conference - so busy we didn't have time to blog! Here is a run down of some of the things we got up to during the first day...


We opened the joint conference and confirmed the UK's presence! 

Once we had approved rules of procedure, recommendations and tellers we had an address from the Chairs of WAGGGS and WOSM; Nicola and Joao.

We heard from all of the candidates for the Europe Committees for both WAGGGS and WOSM. The candidates shared their vision for their European organisations, and told us the skills they can bring. We are supporting Laura who shared her passion for our patchwork region!

Between some of the speeches we took part in some interesting energisers... Here our friends at The Scout Association stretched out!

We set up our colourful exhibition stall; showing everyone what we are up to and how we are being our best!

Then it was time to open the WAGGGS Europe Region Conference! We welcomed guests - Albania Bulgaria and Croatia - who we are really excited to have join us.

We had a very interesting keynote speech from Dr Michele Paule on the WAGGGS Europe Gender Leadership project which the UK was proud to be part of in the form of Girlguiding Scotland.

We then heard from the Europe Region committee on the themes of the Europe strategy and work which had been done so far. The Region launched a short film to introduce their very exciting mainstreaming tool!

Overall, we had a very interesting and busy day, but it wasn't over yet...

Here we go!

The Joint Conference has just started, you can follow a live stream of the conference here!

Caroline confirming our attendance at the roll call.

The whole delegation in Norway and the Conference is open!

The whole of the UK delegation is finally here in Norway (even if we have luggage missing). We have hosted a joint reception with The Scout Association to celebrate the Senior Section Centenary and the Cub Scout Centenary. 

The conference has officially been opened in a ceremony that involved a meal, some speeches and a the sawing of a wooden pole!!

Our patchwork region

When thinking about standing for the WAGGGS Europe Region Committee I started thinking about our Region; what do we need and what could I bring to support the development.

Further thinking and talking to some members from the 39 countries within Europe I discovered we were a patchwork region, and here’s why…

We have many differences

Different sizes

Different shapes

Different ways to deliver our vision

Despite our differences we are brought together to make a difference in the world and to individuals. What brings us together is…

We have many similarities

Same vision

Same method

Same ethos

We cannot achieve great things without the support of others. Support comes in many different ways from…

• Member Organisations
• WAGGGS World
• WOSM
• Other Non- Governmental Organisations
• Commercial companies
• Individuals

And can provide us with…

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Funding
• Friendly support

As a region we need to continue to embrace our patchwork analogy as we all bring different things to make an impact on the world, particularly within Europe.

To our patchwork region I bring my patchwork of skills to help us achieve our vision together. From leadership and decision making, to being the voice of young women, to adapting programmes, I believe I have the skills to support us in achieving our goals and impacting even more young people’s lives. Furthermore I am excited and committed at the prospect of doing so.

I haven’t just thought about our patchwork region, I’ve made it and will be asking Member Organisations at the conference to contribute to it.

For those of you who won’t be able to join us here’s a preview with an explanation….

Keep an eye out for how Member Organisations contribute to my patchwork bag over the conference!

Things we didn't know about Norway

Fact finding about your destination happens for any trip and we have been finding out about Norway!

• Norway’s formal name is Kongeriket Norge

• The people of Oslo, Norway donate the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in London every year in gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during WWII

• In 2008, Norway knighted a penguin now known as Sir Nils Olav

• The archipelago of Lofoten in Norway is north of the Arctic Circle. Yet because of the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude, it is teeming with life and has the largest deep water coral reef in the word

• Norway gets 98-99% of its electricity from hydroelectric power, more than any other country

• Beerenberg, at 7,306 feet (2,227 m), on Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea, is the Norway’s only active volcano

• Norway is not a formal member of the European Union, having opted out during a referendum in November 1994

• In 1895, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish founder of the Nobel Prizes, stipulated that the Peace Prize was to be awarded by a committee appointed by the Storting, the Norwegian governing body. The Norwegian Peace Prize Selection Committee selects a Peace Prize winner every year. The award ceremony takes place each year on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, and celebrations are held on that date both in Stockholm and Oslo

• Norway’s flag is red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the ends of the flag. The vertical part of the flag is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag). The colors recall Norway’s past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue)

Things you should know about WAGGGS and Europe Region WAGGGS

• WAGGGS stands for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts;

• As a diverse movement it represents 10 millions girls and young women from 146 countries;

• Girls and young women worldwide are supported and empowered to achieve their fullest potential and become responsible citizens of the world;

• Guiding all over the world in each of its five regions - Arab, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe  and Western Hemisphere;

• Girlguiding is one of WAGGGS' founding members along with 25 others - Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, India, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and Yugoslavia.

• Symbolising WAGGGS is the World Badge:

• Europe Region supports 62 national Girl Guide and Girl Scout organisations;

• Uniting 39 countries; and

• Reaching more than one million young people.

• Our Chalet and Pax Lodge, are two of WAGGGS' World Centres are in Europe Region;

• Pax Lodge is also situated next door to the World Bureau; the International Headquarters of WAGGGS;

• Every member of Girlguiding is also a member of WAGGGS.

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@UKIntGuides 

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@International.Commissioner

Meet the delegation - Caroline

I'm Caroline Davis, International Commissioner for Girlguiding UK. Over the past five years I've had the privilege of championing international experiences and building links with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). It's been a tremendous journey and I've learnt so much along the way.

I live in Wimbledon in South West London and just yesterday witnessed the front of a local Thai restaurant being covered in fake grass - all part of the build-up to the world-famous tennis tournament taking place here in a few weeks' time.

Before then, I will be immersing myself in another hub of international excitement, joining Guides and Scouts from across Europe at the conference in Norway. I am looking forward to the inspiring conversations ahead about all that European Guides and Scouts have achieved over the past three years and how our organisations can make even more of an impact in the future.

Every Girlguiding international trip offers opportunities to gain unique experiences and there is always a great buzz when exploring new places with other guiding members. One of my favourite experiences was watching Guides from my unit mingle with Canadian Girl Scouts on our first night staying at Our Chalet. They each had so much to share with each other and it was lovely to see their surprise at what they had in common, despite leading different lives in different parts of the world. Other highlights from guiding adventures have included meeting lemurs, showering from a bucket in the rainforest and learning how to eat a mango without peeling it.

Words to sum up my Girlguiding experiences are:

Inspiring       Rewarding        Varied

Pictured (middle) with the UK delegation to the World Conference in Hong Kong in 2014

Meet the delegation - Emma

Hello!

I'm Emma, a Council Member and Lead Volunteer for the Europe Region WAGGGS Gender Leadership Project for Girlguiding Scotland. 

I am looking forward to the conference to meet Girl Guides and Scouts from all over Europe, and to discuss how we are going assist WAGGGS Europe in achieving its goals.

I am particularly excited to speak to other members about the gender equality work I have been lucky enough to be part of as a member of the Europe Region WAGGGS Gender taskforce. This is an important part of our strategy and is particularly topical worldwide. 

Some of the most exciting and memorable international experiences I have had were with Girlguiding. I particularly loved my experiences with GOLD in Armenia and The Gambia. Having the ability to work with another member organisation, making connections and helping them to further their goals, is a really unique way to experience another country.

Girlguiding to me is...

Empowering

Inspiring

Exciting

We are supporting Laura!

All of us in the UK delegation are excited to be supporting Laura West (née Ede), former lead for Girlguiding UK's Peer Education programme, in her campaign for election to the WAGGGS Europe Committee. The Committee is responsible for achieving the goals of WAGGGS within Europe and for helping Member Organisations in the region to develop and grow. Laura is one of ten volunteers from across Europe standing for office and the elections will be an important part of the conference proceedings.

Laura’s proven that she can act as an inspiring advocate for guiding and can deliver strategic projects, with specific expertise in programme development. She has served as a great role model for girls and young women in the UK and she would do a fantastic job motivating and exciting members across Europe if elected to the next WAGGGS Europe Committee.

You can find out more about Laura’s aspirations in her blog on the Girlguiding website. Below are a few facts about the breadth of experience she holds.

1. Leadership and decision making

Laura has:

• led Girlguiding UK's flagship Peer Education programme, which supports young members to explore issues which are important to them, such as healthy relationships, through sessions delivered by their peers.
  
• made decisions, following consultation with girls and young women, about the strategic development of the Peer Education programme, with the goal to extend its reach to benefit more of the 327,000 Girlguiding UK members aged 7-25.
  
• restructured the governance of the Peer Education programme to make it more effective and strategically-focused.

2. Acting as the voice of young women

Laura has:

• acted as a role model to young members of Girlguiding UK and served as an advocate for the organisation externally, engaging audiences at high-level events including the Women in the World London Summit 2015 and speaking to national media including The Independent.
  
• led consultation with 500 Girlguiding UK to seek their views on the priorities for the Peer Education programme.
  
• worked in partnership with the national Department of Health, the police and local government authorities to develop programmes to support young people and families.         
  

3. Adapting programmes

Laura adapted the WAGGGS Free Being Me programme to make it relevant for the membership of Girlguiding UK, enabling Peer Educators to deliver sessions to young members.             

4. Assuring the quality of programmes

Laura has ensured that Girlguiding UK programmes are relevant and inspiring, and that the delivery is of the highest quality. She developed peer education materials with this focus and personally trained around 500 young members to ensure they had the confidence, skills and knowledge required to lead activities.

5. Working in partnership with staff

Through changes in ways of working between volunteers and staff within Girlguiding UK, Laura developed effective relationships with staff to achieve maximum impact in the delivery of the Peer Education programme. 

Meet the delegation - Valerie

Hello!

I'm Valerie Le Vaillant, I am Girlguiding's Chief Guide, a senior Volunteer and Chair of Trustees.

I am from Deal in East Kent and I can actually see France from my house!

I am most excited about attending the conference to help WAGGGS Europe Region to make Guiding even more successful, by increasing and widening its membership base.

One of my favourite Girlguiding trips was to the 2010 International Centenary Camp at Leeds in the UK.

You might be surprised to know that I can juggle and I love eating sherbet filled flying saucers!

Three words which I think sum up Girlguiding for me are

Fun

Adventure 

Friendship

Meet the delegation - Charlotte

I am Charlotte Makanga and I am from a small village in north west Wales called Y Felinheli. I am fluent in both English and Welsh and speak both languages at work and at home every day!

My current roles in Girlguiding are as a Guide Leader and I am the International Commissioner designate.

My favourite trips with Girlguiding have been going on GOLD to Bangladesh on the two occasions I went. It was absolutely  amazing! It was great working with the Bangladesh Girl Guides on 2 fantastic projects with teams that are now friends for life! 

The first team had Christmas there and I'll never forget singing frosty the snowman in 30 degree heat and being woken up at midnight on Christmas morning by the Bengali Rangers singing and with gifts.  

The second time I went as a leader we trained on an island in the south of the country called Bhola. To get there we travelled by bus, then boat then auto rickshaw and trained some amazing guides in one of the most remote places I've ever been. The welcome was so warm and fantastic- really amazing.

I am excited about so many things for the conference! I cannot wait to be with Guides and Scouts from all of  Europe making decisions and helping to shape the next 3 years of Girl Guiding and Girl scouting in the Europe region.

Three words I would use to describe my Girlguiding experience are 
Inspiring

life-changing 

FUN!

Dwi'n siarad Saesneg a Cymraeg a dwi'n defnyddio yr ddwy iaith bob diwrnod yn gwaith ac adref! 

Meet the delegation- Laura

Hello!

I'm Laura West, a Guide Leader and soon to be a Senior Section Leader (unit for 14-25 year olds) for a new unit opening in September. I am also lucky enough to be the UK candidate for the WAGGGS Europe Committee, and hope to be voted on to the committee in 12 days (not that I'm counting!). I cannot wait to attend another international event, and one that is so important in planning and agreeing the direction of WAGGGS Europe.

There's a lot to look forward to at all conferences, but the highlight for this conference for me will be talking to members from other Member Organisations,  hearing what they are doing, sharing great ideas, and discussing and agreeing the work of WAGGGS Europe for the next 3 years. Although I have to add the international evening will also be a highlight as there's nothing else like it! You will have to watch out for our blog to see what 'national dress' we decided on this year!

This September will mark my 20th year as a member of Girlguiding UK and WAGGGS! When thinking about my favourite Guiding trip or event it is therefore quite hard as I have so many wonderful ones to choose from! I think an international trip I was part of in 2006 to Japan has to be near the very top. It was a trip which really opened my eyes international Guiding and Scouting and made me realise "wow I am part of something massive and it has so many amazing opportunities". From this trip I was so excited about the opportunities available and actively went about find them myself (however this did result in me attending a jamboree as IST which was flooded out the following year!!). Aside from this our group is still all great friends, and we are looking forward to our 10 year reunion just after I return from Norway!

Guiding has given me so much I am really looking forward to yet another amazing opportunity, which hopefully will enable me to support and benefit many many more members. If I had to sum my experience over the last 20 years up in three words I would say:
AMAZING

UNFORGETTABLE

LIFE-CHANGING

I'm 'jumping' with excitement for the conference to begin in Norway and looking forward to seeing members from WAGGGS and WOSM there!

Meet the delgation - Rebecca

I'm Rebecca Cook, Deputy International Commissioner, and I'm very excited that in less than two weeks Guides and Scouts from across Europe will be gathering in Oslofjordem, Norway. The conference programme is packed with opportunities to share ideas and shape the future of the Europe Region.

I was appointed Deputy International Commissioner in 2011 and since then have worked with a fantastic team on projects that aim to encourage and equip more UK members to travel overseas with guiding. We also build links with other WAGGGS Member Organisations to support their development and to give UK members the chance to benefit from being part of our very special worldwide movement. I was also the Lead Volunteer for Euro Hop, an event that was part of the Big Brownie Birthday in 2014.

I've been involved in guiding since I was a Brownie. I am a Brownie leader and trainer from York. I love being able to enjoy getting messy and laughing with them during our meetings. It’s also a great feeling after a long day at work to see a Brownie come running in excited to share some news or looking forward to the exciting activity planned – especially if it involves lighting fires and/or food!!

My favourite guiding trip was a trip to Bermuda with Guides back in 1999. We had the most amazing time and camped right next to the beach. We took part in some amazing activities including midnight swims and afternoon tea with the Governor!

I work full-time as the Administration Controller for Portakabin Ltd. This involves a variety of responsibilities including managing the modular fleet of buildings and supporting tender submissions. As you can imagine I use lots of transferable skills from and to guiding.

The theme for the European Conference is 'Connect, Grow, Impact'. As we finalise our plans, the UK delegation is focusing on part one. I look forward very much to being there soon and networking with over 30  countries from across Europe and although I know I won’t want to come home, I look forward to returning home inspired and full of enthusiasm to use in all my guiding roles!!!

Delegation bonding!

Delegation bonding!

Our delegation met up in London on 14 May for some delegation bonding. 

Unfortunately, Valerie was unable to join us but we are excited to have the full delegation together soon!

We had an interesting day reviewing the papers for the conference and planning for the international evening (we're sure you can't wait to see what we have planned!).

Our day discussing conference business would not be complete without an international flavour so we rewarded ourselves with a trip to an Austrian restaurant complete with cowbells, Edelweiss and lederhosen...(evidence below).