guider’s · contents guider’s link 2013 vol.3 ... play in furthering the aims and ideals of the...

Guider’s LinkVol. 3 2013

Helen Storrow 2013Fiona Gaule and Trisha Murphy report from Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland

Thinking DayPhotos from the All Section National Thinking Day

Spotlight on BullyingWhat can we do about Cyber-Bullying?

“We had such an enjoyable day at Mellowes with lots of fun activities. The children were kept busy all day. The staff interacted very well with our girls and encouraged them to have a go at all activities. There is an excellent and diverse programme of indoor and outdoor events. From the moment our group arrived we were made welcome and we felt like we got VIP treatment. We are already looking forward to our next visit to Mellowes”

Marie MulhallSt Canices Girl GuidesSunday 24th March 2013

Athboy Co. Meath

Cygnet/Brigíní

Day Visits/Sleep Over’s

Full details available

046 9433921

[email protected]

www.mellowes.ie

Buíon Canice Brigín Easter Bunny Experience

Contents Guider’s Link 2013 Vol.3

Please scan the QR code with your smartphone to access our website

2 & 3

4 & 5

6

7

8 & 9

10

11 & 12

13 - 15

16 & 17

18 & 19

20 - 22

23 & 24

25

26 - 29

30 - 32

33

34

34 - 42

43 & 44

Chief Commissioner’s Address

Contacts

Noticeboard - Upcoming National Events

Noticeboard - Feedback from the NEB

Bullying Report

Resource Dates/Training

Fathers Day Crafts & Ideas

Games

Cygnet Section

Brigín Section

Guide Section

Ranger Section

Outdoors

International

Development

CGI goes Green

PR

Around Ireland

CGI Event Booking Form

8

11

30

28

www.girlguidesireland.ie 1

Chief Commissioner’s Address

Cecilia BrowneChief Commissioner (since 13thApril)

Let me say how proud and honoured I am to have been appointed Chief Commissioner by National Council.

On behalf of the Catholic Guides of Ireland I would like to thank Catherine for her dedication and hard work over the last 4 years and I wish her many more happy years in Guiding.

I also have to thank everyone who encouraged me to take up the position and I am humbled by the many messages of congratulations and promises of support I have received since my appointment.

I can only promise on my honour and with the grace of God to carry out my responsibilities to the best of my ability.

However the Catholic Guides of Ireland is an Association and every member has a part to play in furthering the aims and ideals of the Association.

I look forward to working with everyone in providing a safe and fun filled Guiding Programme that will enable our members to achieve their full potential both as individuals and citizens of the ever changing and challenging world we live in.

“Our Guiding Future - Our Challenge”

Cecilia BrowneChief Commissioner

Because the Girl

"Because the girl has a need,We have an obligation.

Because the girl had a choice,We must be her better choice.

Because the girl has high expectations,We must excel.

Because the girl wants to explore,We must be her guide.

Because the girl want to belong,We must open our arms.

Because the girl is searching for direction,We must be her compass.

Because the girl encounters times of turmoil,We must be her safe haven.

Because the girl is tomorrow’s woman,We must care today.

Because of the girl,We exist. "

2 Guider’s Link vol.3

Catherine Lenihan Outgoing Chief Commissioner

As I have come to the end of my term of office as Chief Commissioner I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone with whom I have worked and who have helped me over the past 4 years, my fellow National Officers, the National Executive Board, the National Office staff and the Development Officers. Thanks also to all those who, when asked, took up positions on the NEB and various committees. A special thank you to my daughter, Suzanne Mason, for her patience in listening to me and also for all her driving skills. Many thanks also to all those who made me so welcome when I visited the various events, Masses, celebrations and enrolments around the Country. It has been a great honour for me to have held this position which was not a role I had ever envisaged for myself. I would like to wish Cecilia all the best as she heads into her term as Chief Commissioner. I hope she gets as much enjoyment out of the role as I did.

There have been many highlights for me and also achievements accomplished by the Association during my term. The pictorial record displays some of these.

I will look back on the last 4 years and realise that my Guiding Spirit and determination have helped to give me a period in my life that I can regard with great pride and happiness.

Catherine LenihanOutgoing Chief Commissioner


Contacts

You can contact the National Office by calling 01 661 9566 or by emailing any of the following

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

Laura Saunders National Office CoordinatorAntoinette Hosback Finance OfficerYvonne Nulty Administrative AssistantEmma Maloney Communications AdministratorPamela Behan Development OfficerEmer Johnston Development OfficerSuzanne Mason Development Officer

Chief Commissioner

Asst. Chief Commissioner

National Treasurer

National Secretary

Cygnets

Brigíní

Guides

Rangers

International

PR

Development

Training

Outdoor

South-Western Region

Eastern Region

South-Eastern Region

Northern Region

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

brigíní@girlguidesireland.ie

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Please contact CGI Commissioners and/or your Region directly regarding any queries you may have


Child Protection Contacts

Eastern RegionCatherine MonaghanAnne Murphy Clare O’Brien

South-Western RegionMarion GleesonMaria Dowling

South-Eastern RegionBarbara Ryan Aideen Moran Northern Region Josephine Higgins Martha Mc Grath Sarah Mc Manus Carol Ewings Maire Mc Grath

086 2710931086 2710951086 2710953

086 2710941086 2710950

086 2710958086 2710952 07581644947 07581644899 07581645481 07581644860 07581639739

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

Closing date for next issue is Tuesday 4th June 2013Please note that submissions are subject to editing

Shop Special Offers

Shop special offers from

National Council will last

until the end of May.

Please see the CGI

website for prices.


Noticeboard Upcoming National Events

BFG Camp

Advanced Mountaineering

Residential Board

Ranger Day

Guide and Ranger Camp

Chief Commissioner Award Ceremony

NEB

Guiders Conference

International Selection Day

Guide PL Training Weekend

NEB

An Dushlan

17th - 19th May 2013

8th - 9th June 2013

7th - 9th June 3013

29th June 2013

28th - 30th June 2013

21st September 2013

22nd September 2013

4th - 6th October 2013

12th October 2013

18th - 20th October 2013

9th November 2013

15th - 17th November

Noticeboard Regional Training Dates

Please contact your Region for more upcoming training events. Please note these courses are open to all members. Please contact the Region in question if you would like to take part in one of them.

Eastern Region (Dublin)

South Eastern Region (Wexford)

South Western Region (Cork)

Northern Region

South Western (Cork) 4th-5th October

11th-13th October

27th-29th September

13th-14th September

TBC

Guider Course (formerly called Basic Training Course)

First Aid Training Course


Noticeboard Feedback from NEB

Key Decisions from NEB March 2013

• Our motto for this year is ‘Our Guiding future – our challenge’.

Uniform updates:• Metal P.L and A.P.L badges will remain for the Guide section, however, cloth badges in the same design will be introduced for the Brigín section.

• Rank badges are as follows:

• White Centre - Assistant Guider• Red Centre - Guider• Purple Centre - Unit Leader• Light Green Centre - Commissioner at Regional Level

(eg. Responsibility for Brigíní)• Dark Green Centre - Commissioner at National Level• Light Blue Centre - Regional Commissioner• Dark Blue Centre - Chief Commissioner

Only the highest badge should be worn

• Highest Rank Badge• Longest Membership Badge• Longest Service Badge• An Dushlán Badge/Other Training badges as

applicable (only one should be worn)• Wagggs World badge

• Badges to be worn on tab are as follows:

Section updates:• A new challenge for the Cygnet section to be introduced based on Road Safety

• New communications badge to be introduced for the Brigín section.

• Brigin PL training manual to be piloted in the autumn.


This is the second of three articles to focus on Bullying and Resilience in Young People. We’ve teamed up with Sandra Hogan from AWARE, the national charity supporting people through depression, to shed some light on this difficult issue and on depression in our girls, and we hope it helps you in your Unit.

Bullying can be an issue for some young people, as has always been the case during the teenage years where people and friendships are changing and being ‘part of the gang’ seems so important. However, there are now further outlets for bullying e.g. social media, and this brings extra pressure and can make it more difficult to ‘escape’ from the bullying for even a short period of time.

Being resilient and having good self-esteem (see last issues article) can help a child to deal with bullying or indeed to deal with issues or clashes before they lead to bullying. For a child who is being bullied, acknowledging upsetting thoughts and feelings is important, and the key is to focus on helpful action, e.g. telling a parent/teacher, involving themselves in activities and surrounding themselves with people who make them feel good about themselves.

Cyber-bullying: Prof Mona O’Moore, TCD • Cyber-bullying like traditional bullying

has the potential to kill (as seen in numerous recent youth suicide cases)

• New technologies eg. Digital and Social Media are positive for communication but be aware they can have a darker side. The only way to prevent and counter cyber-bullying is to give young people greater awareness, coping strategies and good online citizenship.

• What do we know of cyber-bullying?

1. Aggressive deliberate act by individual/group using electronic communication.

2. Primarily indirect rather than face to face /may even be anonymous.

3. Contrast to traditional bullying: can reach large audiences / for indefinite time.

4. In 2008 1 in 4 girls (1 in 6 boys) involved in cyber-bullying

5. Text-messaging most common among girls (camera and video clips among boys).

6. Cyber-bullying is an extension of traditional bullying. Majority of young people involved are also involved in traditional bullying.

7. However, traditional bullying is still at least twice if not three times as common as cyber-bullying.

8. Cyber-bullying like traditional bullying prompts a strong reluctance on the part of young people to report it. This makes it very difficult to provide support: especially for those who are both cyber and traditionally bullied as this increases the risk of depression, low self-esteem and loneliness. Don’t be afraid to ask the girls!

9. Having friends, while a deterrent to being bullied offline carries no significant protection against being cyber-bullied.

10.Young people involved in all kinds of bullying make up 3 main groups, namely, pure bullies, pure victims and bully-victims.

Bullying

About Aware: Aware is the national organisation providing support, information and education around depression. Services include support groups nationwide and online; a loCall Helpline (1890 303 302), and an email support service ([email protected]). The organisation also provides a free secondary schools awareness programme (Beat the Blues). The programme focuses on positive mental health and coping tools. For more information on Aware’s services, see www.aware.ie


Guiders are well placed to make a difference to their girls well-being and to shape their attitudes and values towards responsible behaviour and active citizenship, both qualities of which are critical to the prevention and intervention of cyber-bullying.

What can we do about Cyber-Bullying?

Firstly... Get involved and help us further develop our Anti-Bullying Policy. CGI already has an anti-bullying policy which sets a zero tolerance or acceptance to all forms of bullying, e.g., homophobic, racial, sexual and cyber-bullying with procedures for reporting and for investigation. However we want to make this as cohesive and relevant as possible, so we need the help of you and your girls. Please consider letting your Region know that you’d like to be involved.

Secondly... Strengthen Understanding and Capabilities Young people need to be given a greater awareness of cyber-bullying, the causes and effects and the capabilities to prevent and deal with incidents. They need to become more informed about digital safety and ‘netiquette’. They also need to be made aware of the different coping strategies and their effectiveness in dealing with cyber-attacks. Young people should also be made aware of the legal consequences of cyber-bullying and the risks of prosecution.

Thirdly... Work Together- Share your knowledge. Guiders need to actively collaborate and develop links with parents and guardians so that they can contact them when appropriate. Young people need to be made aware of external agencies where they can seek information, advice and guidance and indeed counselling if affected by cyber-bullying.

Fourthly... Change behaviours Guiders need to be actively involved in creating a social environment which is at all times positive and rewarding. Every opportunity should be taken to promote a culture of respect and tolerance of diversity and individual differences. They need also to promote a culture of disclosure, taking the stigma out of bullying and empowering all in their care to report incidents of bullying to a trusted adult or indeed the Gardai/police. They should also be empowered to take action when they are witness to their peers being cyber-bullied.


Training

Mary E. LawlorNational Commissioner for Training

Onthe9thand10thMarchtherewasaTrainingSupportTeamMeetinginLeixlipwherebothnewandexperiancedTrainersattended.Thenewlynamed(BASIC)GuiderCoursewasdiscussedingreatdetail.Allmoduleswerediscussedandaftersometimeitwasdecidedtorenameandupdatesomeofthemodules..

TheTrainingteamwereverykeenandfullofgreatideasandworkedveryhardoverthetwodays.AllhavegonehomewithlotsofworktodoandwillbekeepingintouchbyYammeroverthenextfewweeks.

ThenextNationalCourseisAnDushlanandwillrunfrom15th-17thNovember.TheguidelinesforthiscoursewereinVolume1oftheGuider’sLink.

The11TrainersthatdidtheirTrainingtheTrainerCoursehavaefinallysentintheirlastassignmentandhopetohearfromFETACbytheendofApril.Welldoneandgoodlucktoall.

Resource Dates Here are a few upcoming dates that can be used as inspiration when planning your programme for the next few months.

May

JuneSchool finishes and it’s great for camping1st National Trails Day www.nationaltrailsday.ie5th World Environment Day UNEP www.unep.org/wed10th -16th National Carer’s week15th- 23th Bike Week www.bikeweek.ie16th Father’s Day20th World Refugee Day UN www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/21st Summer Solistice – longest day of the year23rd St. Johns Night – get those bonfires burning www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StJohnsEve.html

Brain month, Month of Mary, Skin Cancer awareness, teach your girls to be SunSmart! 3rd-5th National Weekend of Ceili Dancing Newry Co. Down3rd-6th There are three walking festivals across the country:The Long Walk Home – the Fr. Peter McVerry trust for homeless young people is walking the length of the Grand Canal. Join in!Ballyhoura international Walking Festival in LimerickKerry Camino/ Dingle Way with special certs for those that make it all the way!3-6th May Fr. Ted festival Kilfenora Co. Clare4th The Big Sing as part of Cork Choral Festival – no experience needed and a great way to nab that Choral badge4th Zorrofest – a celebration of Irish – Mexican links in Wexford town. If you miss Mexico after the big trip, there’ll be food, Spanish guitar, dancing and a big fiesta4th World Labyrinth Day (events in Castleblaney Co. Monaghan)4th Three Legged Race world record attempt at Cootehill Cavan and other centres across Ireland.5th World Hand Hygiene Day. If you didn’t already do the handwashing activity from the WTD booklet with your girls today will be the perfect day.7th-8th Celebrating Diversity Athy, with craft workshops9-11th Bratacha (Festival of Flags) Dun Laoighre www.bratacha.com 11th Parade of Flags 4th-19th World Fair Trade Day www.ftrn.org/wftd/13th-19th May National Volunteering week and Walk to school week19th-25th May Dementia Awareness Week (Northern Ireland)30th May – 3rd June Bloom Dublin


A simple-to-make picture frame for Dad - a great gift for Father’s Day.

Supplies needed: • Light card • 3 small photos • Glue • Scissors

1. Using large bubbly letters write “DAD” on a piece of heavy paper. Make sure the holes in the “D” and “A” are large enough to display your photos.

2. Cut out the word “DAD.”3. Glue the photos onto the back of your

frame. Write the names of the people on the backs of the photos.

4. Cut out two almost-triangular pieces of heavy paper - they should be about the same length as your letters are high. These flaps will be attached to the back of the frame to keep it standing.

5. Fold over the top 1/2-inch of each flap.6. Glue the almost-triangular pieces of

heavy paper to the back of the frame.

Father’s Day Crafts and Ideas

I Love You THIS Much

Dad Picture Frame Craft

© 2013 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. All rights reserved.

Get the Guides to trace their hand prints on coloured card. On the top (left hand) write Dad(dy) Remember –In between have a long strip (as long as their outstretched arms if you can manage!) with ‘I love you THIS much!’ on it. Fold the long strip like an accordion so that the two hands fall together.


Dads ‘stacheRequired: • Clean glass screw top jar – the bigger

the better.• Comedy moustache template

Make sure the jar is clean, scrub off any remaining labels. Stick on a moustache from the template and have either a label or writing saying “Dad’s ‘stache”

King of the GrillRecycle an old white t-shirt into something cool. You could also use old bedsheets and sew apron strings on to them after cutting to

size. Hem if your Guides are up to it! In the central chest area use Handprints in yellow, brown and orange overlapping in a circle with the palm in the centre and the fingers fanning out. In the end you should have a Lion’s face and mane. Add eyes in black marker or sew googly eyes on.Write ‘My Dad is King of the Grill’ underneath.

Mix Tape OK the cassette days are gone but you could still make a playlist for your dad – think of his favourite songs, songs that remind you of good times together and songs that make you think of him with the lyrics. You can make the playlist or add some radio style intros in between.

I love you because:Make a big colourful ‘Daddy I love you because… ‘ poster – give your girls big sheets of paper to write a reason on and photo them against the backdrop.

Poem - Footprints“Walk a little slower Daddy,” said a child so small. “I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,Sometimes they’re hard to see;So walk a little slower Daddy,For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,You’re what I want to be;Then I will have a little childWho’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,And know that I was true;So, walk a little slower, Daddy,For I must follow you.”


GamesGames don’t have to be complicated- why not play some old style games: Hide and Seek, Kick the Can, Tag, TV Tag [if you were about to get tagged you knelt down and shouted the name of a TV programme so you couldn’t get tagged - you can’t use the same programme twice!], Blind Man’s Bluff, and Red Rover

Capture the FlagThis game is most fun when played with a large group. Split the group into two teams, each team having a flag or other marker at the team’s base. The object of the game is to run into the other team’s territory, capture their flag and make it safely back to your own territory. You can tag “enemy” players in your territory, sending them to your jail. They can be sprung from jail by a member of their own team running into your territory, tagging them and running back, with one freed person allowed per jail break. It is sometimes played that all the people in jail could hold hands and make a chain back toward their own territory, making it easier for members of their team to tag them. You can also play a similar game called Steal the Sticks. It had almost the same rules, but several sticks were used instead of one flag.Number of Players: A large group.Equipment: Two flags or other markers

The Scream Race Equipment: None but this is REALLY an outdoor game Ages: 5 and up

Get the girls to line up, like a race. They are to run as far as they can on one yelled breath. Get them to take a good breath before hand. When they have to stop screaming, they are to sit down where they are. (This game is said to be a great energy user, but you might need earplugs!)


Quick Frozen Critters

A long and slightly complicated game

Equipment: Cones or jumpers to mark game area limitsBeanbags or cards to represent food Two colours of neckers or ribbons to show teamsHula hoops for camouflage areas.This game will illustrate the challenge for animals searching for food in a dangerous world, and how effective camouflage strategies can be.

Getting started:• Mark the play area boundaries using four cones. Divide

the girls into two groups – rabbits and foxes.• There should be one fox for every six rabbits.• Give each fox one of the colour ribbons; have them tie

these around their upper arm to mark them as predators.• Give each of the rabbits one of the remaining ribbons; have

them tuck these into their back pockets to represent their life.

• Line up all the rabbits at one end of the playing area.• At the other end of the field, scatter the beanbags. These

are food items.• In the middle of the playing area, scatter the six hula-

hoops. These are temporary hiding spots that the rabbits can use.

• The foxes begin the game spread throughout the playing area. They may not enter the hula-hoops, nor can they guard them.

Playing the game:• In order to survive, each rabbit must collect three food

tokens. However, they can only take one token from the other end of the playing field at a time, and make it back to their starting point before returning for a second or a third.

• The foxes need to tag two rabbits and collect their scarves in order to survive.

• “Dead” rabbits sit on the side-lines until the end of the round In order to cross the playing area to get to their food supply, the rabbits will have to be crafty! There are two ways they can avoid being tagged by the foxes.

1. They can “freeze” (they must stand as still as possible); the foxes cannot “see” frozen rabbits and must ignore their presence (i.e., no guarding frozen rabbits!).

2. Rabbits can also jump into the hula-hoop in order to avoid being tagged – but only one rabbit per hoop at any one time!

• Each round of the game lasts 5 minutes. This will help encourage timid rabbits to come out of their hiding places in search of food… because if they don’t have enough at the end of the round they’re dead!

Elements An easy way to teach or think of nature

Equipment: • Bean bag or Frisbee Formation: circle

Select a person to go into the middle. The person in the middle calls out one of these four words, EARTH, WATER, AIR or FIRE. The person in the middle throws the bean bag to someone in the circle. The person catching the bean bag must name something living in the element called out e.g. Earth- bear; Water- shark; Air- pigeon. If FIRE is called out the person catching it says nothing and returns it as soon as possible. You have 10 seconds to give an answer, and no repeats! If you can’t answer, you go in the middle. Variations: Select a continent before the game starts; all answers must come from that continent or go through the alphabet for living nature names.


Rattlesnake Equipment: • Plastic container with a lid • A few dried beans to make

a rattle• A pair of (clean) tights with

one leg cut off. The main part of the tights should be stuffed into the toe of the cut off leg and tied in there so that it can’t move.

• A blind fold.Formation: CircleAges: 5 and up

Choose one person to be the Snake and one to be the Rattle. The snake gets the tights which they hold by the cut end and they are blindfolded. The rattle gets the container with the beans. The rattle must rattle their beans the whole time! And they must stay inside the circle! The snake is to strike using her ears to aim the pantyhose leg by swinging it. When the rattle gets hit by the snake, their turn is over and play is passed on (snake chooses new snake, rattler chooses new rattler). Suggested to limit the amount of time to about 10 minutes.

Blind Eagle

A game for camp – when it’s twilight but not campfire time – yet…

Play this game in a large field or meadow. Blindfold one player (the Eagle) who stands in the middle of the field, holding a flashlight. One other player stands next to her and acts as her assistant. The other players form a large circle around the edge of the field, and, on a signal, begin to stalk toward the Eagle as silently as possible. If the Eagle hears anything, she aims her flashlight in the direction of the sound, snaps it on, and yells “Freeze!” All players stop. The Eagle’s assistant checks to see if there are any players standing in the ray of light, those so caught are out of the game. The Eagle is not to swing the torch around in circles – it should be like spokes rather than the wheel rim.Remaining players continue stalking forward. The first one to touch the Eagle is the winner.

Hide and Go Beep

Another game for camp – when it’s twilight

When it’s too dark to play hide and go seek, get out your personal radar for a game of Hide and Go Beep! Locate one another by sound: Hidden players must beep every 30 seconds or so. Just count to 30 and beep. Remember, locate an open space where players won’t trip or run into unseen objects.


Cygnets

Let’s go to the Beach!Let’s hope that this summer is a good one. A trip to the Beach is a perfect activity (and fits nicely into the Outdoor and Enviroment sections). Here are just a few ideas for when you get there.

Drawing in the sand

Find a nice flat stretch of sand. Get each girl to draw a picture.

Rock Pool Investigation

There is often a lot of marine life in rock pools along the seashore. Various types of seaweeds, sea creatures, crabs etc. Get the girls to see how many different things they can find.

Seashell Hunt

Get the girls to see how many different kinds of shells they can find.

In activities such as Rock Pool

investigation & Scavenger hunts

always ensure that there is adequate

supervision and that the Cygnets don’t

go out of sight etc.

The post of Cygnet Commissioner is currently vacant. If you think you'd like a shot at the job please let us know!


Mermaid Legs

Cygnets may be a nervous of being completely buried in sand but try giving them mermaid legs out of sand instead

LeapFrog

You may well have more space to spread out at the beach than in your normal meeting hall so try those games you always think of but can’t get around to like LeapFrog or the big ring games.

Seashore Scavenger Hunt 1. A piece of Seaweed2. A dead crab3. A smooth white stone4. A round shell5. A long shell6. A feather7. Something black8. A piece of wood9. Something interesting10.Something starting with the letter “C”

Feel free to add your own clues if you want!


Brigíní

Suzanne StuartNational Commissioner for Brigín Guides (since 13thApril)

EnvironmentDid you know 5th June is World Environment Day? Why not make that your meeting theme for that week - here are a few ideas you could do at your meeting!

Patrol CollageThe members of each patrol should bring in recyclable items and create a patrol collage using only what their patrol brought!

Story TimeGive each girl 5/6 words associated with the environment and ask them to write a story that includes all the words - read them out when finished - send them to Guider’s Link for publishing!

Recycled Magazine HolderMaterials: empty cereal box that is larger than a magazine, ruler, marker, pen or pencil (for making a cut line), scissors, paint - OPTIONAL (for decorating): old magazines, scrap paper, scrap ribbon or wool, hole punch, markers, glue Instructions:• Decide how tall you want the front of the

magazine holder to be: Measure and mark that distance on each side of the box. Draw a line connecting the dots across the narrow side of the box. Usual is about 30cm tall.

• Draw a diagonal line connecting the line you measured on one side to the opposite corner at the top of the box. Repeat on the other side. Cut the top portion of the box off along the lines you just drew.

• Paint the entire outside of the box with acrylic paint: Depending on the colour you choose it may require two coats to cover properly. Decorate your box however you like. Suggestions: use markers to draw and colour pictures on your box, cut out pictures from old magazines and paste them on the box, cut fancy shapes from scrap paper and paste them to the box, make paper beads and string them onto wool or ribbon. Use a hole punch to make a hole along the edge of the box and then tie the wool or ribbon onto the box.

• To make paper beads – cut waste magazine pages into bunting triangles (try 3cm wide at the base, 5cm high). Wrap the triangle around a knitting needle and glue the end.


World Environment Day Word Search


Guides

Freda MulherinNational Commissioner for Guides

Next Guide Event

National Guide & Ranger Camp 2013Camp HollywoodDate: 28th- 30th June 2013

Girls it was a long time ago by now but I had a fantastic time meeting you all and seeing you stretch your boundaries at the National Thinking Day Event back in February.I hope to see many more of you at Camp Hollywood at the end of June.

Til then,Freda Mulherin

This time of year is wonderful to make inroads into the O (Outdoor) of CHOICES. There are always fantastic ideas in the Outdoor section of the Link but here are a few more for you to get stuck into for the Elements Award.

• Write a Scavenger Hunt in your Patrols for a younger Section

• Practice pioneering – it’ll come in useful at Camp Hollywood! Research Sensory Gardens for your local residential care centre. Remember to be careful about poisonous plants!

• Another thing worth researching is foraging – the lost art of finding edible wild foods in our cold and rainy climate – and there are lots, without having to worry about scary mushrooms. http://wildfoodmary.wordpress.com/ is a good starting point. Remember your country code and leave some behind for next season – unless of course it’s Japanese knotweed. (Some easy ones to find to start with are the knotweed I mentioned, wild primroses and fairy potatoes/ pignuts or young nettle tops – full of vitamin C!)

Pioneering


Tries to conserve water in the home

Knows a female scientist

Uses the right size burner when bringing a pot of water to boil

Has taken science classes in school

Has been inside a greenhouse

Enjoys gardening

Has made her own cosmetics

Has visited a water treatment plant

Has been skiing Has been on a sailboat

Has been to a waterfall

Knows someone in a water-related career

FREE SPACE Does not let the water run while brushing teeth

Drinks tap rather than bottled water (filtered is OK!)

Does not let the water run when washing face

Has been to the Ocean or Sea (depends on where you are in the country!)

Can name all five oceans

Has taken swimming lessons

Likes to do environmental activities with her Company

Drinks 6-8 glasses of water every day

Has used a well to draw water

Knows three ways to save water not mentioned here

Knows how clouds are formed

Can do the fisherman’s knot

• Air: You can make a solar balloon out of four black bin liners- Use the ones with the wire ties, not drawstring or handles. It also helps if they are as thin as possible but strong and black. (Might be a good idea to try different patrols using different brands). Cut off the seams at the bottom and join them together into one long tube, securing with wide masking tape. You might need to start the inflation with a hair dryer Seal the bottom well and tether your balloon to an anchor. The heat from the sun will cause it to rise as the black plastic attracts the solar rays. Some people use these as weather balloons and attach a small note at the bottom with tracking information. You can find more detailed instructions at www.solar-balloons.com/howto.html

• Fire: A second balloon idea is to see if you can make those Chinese sky lanterns out of some old lampshades – but be aware that they are illegal to launch in the vicinity of an airline corridor, and of course as always be careful with naked flames. There’s a how to on these at the same site as above.

• Water Wonders Bingo Each girl gets a bingo sheet like the one below. Then the Guides must get the Patrol Leaders or Guiders to sign off on each square which identifies something water-friendly that that person does. First girl with a complete card wins!

Water Wonders Bingo


• Earth: Make your own paper – a messy activity!

Paper is something we use every day to write on and is an item that often goes to waste. Did you know that you can make your own paper from waste paper? It’s easy, saves paper from going to landfill, saves you buying more paper and gives you some cool looking paper that is completely individual every time.

Materials• Lots of old newspapers, catalogues, and

other paper products• A large tub (e.g a baby’s bath, a wheelbarrow)• A whisk or egg beater.• A bucket• A big bowl• A colander• A flat surface on which you can lay your

paper pulp to dry (e.g an old table)• A sponge

Directions1. Rip your waste paper into stamp sized

pieces. Rip enough paper to make around 6 cups full.

2. Put your ripped paper in a bucket and add 6 cups of hot water. Stir and leave the mixture to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.

3. Take out a few handfuls of the soaked paper and put it in a bowl and add extra water.

4. Beat the paper with a whisk or egg beater.5. Tip this mixture into your large tub.6. Repeat steps 3- 5 with the rest of your paper.7. Collect around 2 cups of the paper pulp in

the colander and allow the water to drain out. Use your hands to squeeze out excess water.

8. Put black plastic out on a flat sunny surface like your garden (the black plastic will dry the paper faster), or Lay your paper pulp onto any flat surface.

9. Flatten out the paper pulp using your hand and a sponge. Get your pulp as flat and thin as possible – you may want to use a heavy object to help flatten it.

10.Leave your paper out to dry in the sun.11.Repeat steps 7- 10 with the remaining pulp.12.You can also add dried flowers, glitter, food

colouring or even hundreds and thousands to make your paper extra special.

13.Once your paper is dry you can use it as wrapping paper, to make cards or to write a nice letter to a friend.


Rangers

Nicola TougheyNational Commissioner for Rangers

Hi Everyone I am really looking forward to seeing so many Rangers at Camp Hollywood and the Ranger Day in June. Don’t forget to keep the weekend of 15 - 17 November free for the Ranger weekend, full details will follow in the next Guiders Link. Nicola

National Guide & Ranger Camp - Camp HollywoodAre your Rangers attending Camp Hollywood? If so, there will be an opportunity for them to bivouac on the Friday night, either as part of their Outdoor Award or just for fun. Bivouacking is a temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area.

Each person will need to bring:• Survival Bag (These are available from

camping shops and will cost £3.50 / €5)• A warm sleeping bag• Warm P.J’s and spare socks

This is not compulsory and Rangers have the option to either bivouac or camp with their Unit, however, it is great fun and I would encourage as many Rangers and their leaders as possible to take up the challenge. If you and your Rangers are up for the challenge please send an email to [email protected] to let me know numbers.


Next Ranger Event

National Guide & Ranger Camp 2013Camp HollywoodDate: 28th- 30th June 2013Check out the Outdoor pages for all information.

Ranger Day 2013Date: 29th June 2013Closing Date: 31st May 2013

Ranger CompetitionDesign a Link Badge for Guides to Rangers

CGI currently has a link badge for Brigíní who were Cygnets, and for Guides who were Brigíní, but there is no link badge for Rangers who were Guides.

We would like our Rangers to come up with a design for a link badge.The design should be A4 in size.

Each entry should include:• Ranger name• Unit• Whether the design is intended to be a

cloth badge or a pin

Please either send your entry to the National Office for the attention of Nicola Toughey or email your design to [email protected]

All entries must be received by 30th June and a prize will be awarded for the winning entry.

Cygnet to Brigíní Link Badge

Brigíní to Guide Link Badge


Outdoors

Emily McCannNational Commissioner for Outdoors (since 13thApril)

Hi all

My name is Emily McCann and I am the new Commissioner for Outdoors, I am looking forward to meeting many of you over the next few years at various camps and activities. Can I say a massive thank you to Mairead Quinn who is the out-going Commissioner and you will get a chance to thank Mairead yourself as she is camp chief for Camp Hollywood in June in Larch Hill.

Emily McCann

Now that the hour has changed I hope you are all taking advantage of the bright evenings and getting out and about for your meeting times, remember all these activities will count towards your Outdoor Award. In the next edition we will be reminding you of the Outdoor Award and the criteria for gaining this award. In the meantime if any of you are taking part we would be delighted to get your feedback to [email protected]

Plans are all under way for Camp Hollywood and if you are one of the lucky Ranger or Guide Companies to have applied we really hope you are looking forward to it, keep an eye on the post for details of work you will need to do in advance, we promise you this is going to be a fantastic Camp and an experience you will remember for many years to come. So make sure you have your glad rags on and Hollywood here we come……..

For the ‘Fire' element of your Award you could try your hand at solar ovens – using the heat of the sun to do your cooking for you. It might sound crazy in Irish weather, but it’s all about using what you can get to the best degree, and we Guides know all about that!Here are a couple of websites with instructions for solar ovens that you can use to cook your smores, make sure and send us a photo of how you did and definitely one of ye enjoying your smores. http://desertchicaramblings.com/2012/08/diy-solar-oven-smores-kids-science-experiment or http://climatekids.nasa.gov/smores/

Or for not-hot days (of which there might be a few…) you might like to try a Hay Box, an old (WWII) method of conserving cooking fuel. Basically you bring your pot of stew/ rice/ Bolognese to a short boil and then take it off the heat and insulate it, so that it continues to cook with the heat energy already inside! You can find a how-to here: www.instructables.com/id/hay-box-cooker/ or a deeper discussion here: www.rootsimple.com/2011/12/hay-boxes-or-fireless-cookers/


International

Yvonne BrowneInternational Commissioner

Thinking Day

On Saturday, 23rd February 2013, 570 members of CGI came together in Dublin Diocese HQ to celebrate Thinking Day. The planning team were delighted with the attendance, particularly as Ireland was a focus country for WAGGGS, it was great to have such a good turn out. There was a great atmosphere and enthusiasm from everyone throughout the day.The planning team invited Amanda Medler, our country contact with WAGGGS, to come and attend the day and to give an introduction on WAGGGS to all the girls attending the day.There was a joint theme for Thinking Day 2013, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 ‘Improving Maternal Health’ along with celebrating/educating on the World Centres.

• Cygnets: Pax Lodge• Brigini: Our Chalet• Guides: Sangam• Rangers: Our Cabana

The day started with a colourful opening ceremony with boxes being passed through the crowd representing each of the MDS’s along with flags of the 5 focus countries, these were followed by the Candle lighting ceremony to take a few moments to remember our sister


guides and girl scouts also celebrating that day.Each section had different age appropriate bases throughout the day. The objective was that each girl attending Thinking Day would take part in a - Physical Activity (for example dancing or games)- Craft Activity- Educational- Senses Activity – Try new food/make something with food.

€411 was raised for The World Thinking Day Fund and a further €168 was raised by the Guide Section for the Door Step School in India. Along with the main activities, an International Expo was also held, in conjunction with IGG. This was a great opportunity for our members of Guide and Ranger ages, along with all the leaders present, to see the opportunities which are available to them. Those exhibiting at the expo were between 17- 30 and had all represented CGI at an International Event, this allowed those attending Thinking day to speak to participants about their experiences.

The day came to a close with a few words from our Chief Commissioner and then each girl in the hall was asked to present a friend beside them with a special Thinking Day wrist band as they tied the wrist band on their friends wrist they were asked to make a promise to do something nice during the following week in relation to one of the MDGs. After this each company was presented with a special Thinking Day candle that can be used again in the future.

The day was a great success and it certainly gave our members an opportunity to feel not only part of a national organisation but of a world wide movement.

It will be great to see the enthusiasm from the day spread to participation in future International Events. Thanks to everyone who was involved with making the day a great success

Yvonne Browne


Helen Storrow

On the 23rd March 2013, two girls from CGI and Shauna from IGG set off on our journey to Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland. We were unsure of what to expect from our trip and the Helen Storrow seminar. In Geneva airport we met our first fellow participant, Yanna from the Carribean who was anxious to see her first ever snow fall. From Geneva we set out by train to Bern and then onto Frutigen and then a bus and mini bus drive later we were in Our Chalet. The volunteers greeted us happily and showed us around. We all fell into bed exhausted from a short day of travelling in comparison to others and wondered what would be in store for us the following day.

Sunday and the first day of our seminar started with a beautiful opening ceremony where participants and facilitators introduced themselves and we proudly held the Irish flag. It was amazing to see the 35 flags around the circle held by participants and facilitators each representing a different country. Gifts were presented to the facilitators and we started off the day. We were broken into Patrols to come up with a name and chant, following the theme of ‘Women and a greener future’ names such as I – PLAN, Team Planet, Green Angels, The Sustainable Six and Fireworks were born. The Patrols became our families over the week, we completed tasks together which were assigned to the Patrols each day.

Our Chalet is an example of environmentally friendly living with every chance to recycle and reuse being exploited. One of our jobs was to monitor waste each day along with water and electricity usage. We were also responsible for the Our Chalet blog which went up on the WAGGGS site every night telling the world of the progress we were making. Following a few ice breakers, we started with some leadership activities looking at what we thought a leader was, it was fascinating to hear the role of leaders in their respective countries and how they had come to where they were today. In Lebanon for example if you wish to take on a career in social work the law states that you must be in Guiding or Scouting for at least three years.

The following days were filled with sessions on leadership and advocacy, conflict resolution, management, membership strategies, environmental issues and WAGGGS. We discussed the importance of informal education in Guiding and the week showed just how effective that informal education can be, the sessions were infused with action and adventure whether we were working as a team to build an igloo in the snow, create snow art, building a human tower or just representing a symbol for a greener leader.

On the second night we had our international night were we proudly showed the Irish flag and did some Irish dancing! As part of the European region we

performed a game of ‘Would I lie to you?’ with the other contestants. Everyone believed me when I said that you could drive a tractor at sixteen in Ireland but then again they also thought Shauna was telling the truth when she said St Patrick was from Ireland! We learned Hula dancing and a beautiful African clapping game which stuck in our heads for the rest of the week!


On day three we visited a local adventure park, the hike there in the snow through the picturesque mountains was an adventure in itself but once there came the true test! We had the opportunity to zip line across the side of a bridge and across a valley, walk across the valley on a tight rope walk and then abseil from the bridge! The experience was absolutely amazing and something we will never forget! The facilitators did an excellent job of coaxing and encouraging and each participant tried at least one of the activities and many tried two or all three!

On the fourth day we went outside for more outdoor challenges, looking at working in a team and discovering how the participants worked best and reflecting on which role they felt they worked the best. We had a reflection period every day which enabled us to debrief on the day whether personally or in groups and this was a great opportunity to write down as many ideas as we could. The next night was the Swiss night, where we were entertained by a local musician who played the Alpenhoorn, the accordion and also yodelled a song for us! No Swiss evening is complete without some fruit and some chocolate fondue and this was a reason in itself to visit Switzerland!

As the planning team were unable to arrange the hike up the famed wood carver’s shop, this family of father and son came down to Our Chalet with their beautiful pieces. We had the opportunity to have our names burned into a wooden woggle as a constant reminder

of the journey we had taken.Friday was World Water Day and we all did our part to see ways that water could be conserved and we looked at the countries that have had the more issues with water conservation and drought. We also recorded videos for WAGGGs on the new Water challenge badge book which has been brought out by the UN Youth initiative and showing tips on how to conserve water and why to conserve water. For Earth day we also created a video with a dance which we performed as a group outside Our Chalet.

Over this week we learned a lot about the power of Girl Guiding and how it can make a differenceand that we are bonded with young women all around the world by Guiding. Our closing ceremony held on Saturday night was a very sombre affair as everyone spoke of what they had taken away from the seminar. As eager as everyone was to start their projects, no one wanted to leave. We lived in a bubble of bliss for this week, meeting wonderful people and learning

in different ways about how much of a difference we can make in the world.The programme director Katie Scales said it best when she sang ‘We are ten million voices singing, we are one voice and we are singing, we are not alone’.

That we have had the experience of a lifetime is an understatement. We are so extremely grateful to CGI for the opportunity that this trip has given us and we look forward to sharing our learning, our ideas and our projects with our association. We also urge young Guides and Guiders to reach out to these opportunities which can give you the opportunity to learn, to meet new friends, to travel around the world and can change your life so irrevocably.

Fiona Gaule (Eastern Region)Trisha Murphy (South Western Region)


Development

Northern Region’s Members Council

Venue: Castle Saunderson Scout Centre, Belturbet, Co. CavanDate: 1st – 3rd March 2013

As Development Officers, we were invited to attend the Northern Regions Members Council Weekend in Castle Saunderson Scout Centre, Cavan, which was held from 1st – 3rd March 2013. 29 Children were present on the weekend of which the breakdown of each Section was as follows, Rangers – 6, Guides – 15, Brigíní– 8 and 10 Guiders, representing the three Areas in the Northern Region.

Each Unit had chosen girls to go forward to their Area Day at which the girls taking part in the weekend were chosen to represent their Area.

Over the weekend the girls took part in various activities involving Team Building and great mixing and bonding took place. On the Saturday night the first vote took place and on Sunday morning the successful 20 candidates were announced. They then had a chance to tell the others why they thought they should be on Members Council. Following on from this each girl voted for one Ranger, one Guide and one Brigín and this is how the final 12 representatives were chosen for Members Council. The final selection represented a good mix of age ranges and areas. These 12 then also chose a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary.

We were delighted to attend the weekend and are looking forward to developing the Project for roll out nationally.

Pamela BehanEmer JohnstonSuzanne MasonDevelopment Officers

Cyber Bullying Talk On Thursday the 7th of March Pamela and I attended a Cyber bullying talk which was hosted by Minister Frances Fitzgerald. It was a very interesting couple of hours with different speakers discussing various aspects of Cyber Bullying.

The first speaker was Simon Grehan from Webwise which is an agency of the Department of Education. He began his talk with a five minute You Tube video on the story of Joe. This is a very powerful video which shows the effects bullying can have on a young person.

When bullying occurs there are certain rules that should be followed. These are:

1. Don’t respond to the message 2. Keep the message. If necessary keep a diary

with all the details3. Block the person who sends message if by

text. This is possible with O2. 4. Talk to someone you trust whether it be a

parent, teacher, youth worker etc.

The second speaker was Patricia Cartes Andrea who is the head of safety for Facebook. She spoke on safety issues with the use of Facebook. Facebook does not allow under 13’s to use its service so there is a report button on the application where you can report underage use. This button is entirely confidential.

You can also report specific images or posts which will then be examined and removed if not appropriate. You can set your personal settings so that no one can tag you in a photo without you approving it first. It is also very important that under 18’s give their correct age as Facebook automatically treats those aged 13 – 18 differently to adults.

For more information on safety on Facebook use any of the links below

• Facebook.com/safety

The post of Development Commissioner is currently vacant. If you think you'd like a shot at the job please let us know!


ISPCC’s Shield Bullying Campaign On Monday the 4th of March I attended the launch of the ISPCC’s Shield bullying campaign. The launch consisted of a talk by David Coleman who is Clinical Psychologist and the presenter of RTE’s Bully Proof who spoke about bullying in Ireland today and how cyber bullying is becoming much more prevalent. This was followed by a talk from a school principal from Kilinarden in Dublin who spoke about her experiences of bullying within the school environment and their ways of combating it with help from the ISPCC. The Shield campaign is being rolled out nationwide with adverts on radio, in papers, on television etc. There are badges available to buy from major retailers including Pennys and M&S.

Suzanne MasonDevelopment Officer

• Facebook.com/Fbsafety• Facebook.com/Security • Facebook.com/Facebook

The third and final speaker was Debbie Scales from the Jigsaw centre. This is a Clondalkin based centre run by the mental health agency Headstrong

One of their aims was to offer education to offer confidence skills to people to enable them to support young people in distress. They have a Youth Advisory panel who are involved in all aspects of Jigsaw from recruiting staff to painting, choosing premises etc. There is also a Parents Advisory panel.

This was a very informative evening on a topic that we all need to make ourselves more aware of.

Suzanne MasonDevelopment Officer


Report from EU Youth ConferenceFrom Monday 11th March to Wednesday 13th the EU Youth Conference and Meeting of Directors General was hosted by Ireland as part of the EU Presidency. The Conference was held in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It was attended by young people and policy-makers from the 27 Member States of the EU as well as a number of visiting delegates from outside the EU. The Conference was hosted by Ms. Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.

One of the aims of the Conference was to promote the understanding that the contribution of quality youth work provides to young people’s development, well-being and social inclusion.

CGI was invited to attend with an information stand on Tuesday 12th March. After having set up our display of promotional material we were then invited to attend two plenary sessions, both of which covered the topic of Social Inclusion. The first session was from young members, and leaders from Hi-Rez Youth Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow. The second session which also covered the issue of Social Inclusion was by Michael Barron, BeLonGTo Youth Service Ireland. Both sessions were very interesting and well received by all delegates.

The participants then went into a number of different workshops. After their morning workshop sessions they were then free to come and view the various stands of Youth Groups in Ireland which were on display including our own. The response we got was great especially from people from overseas who came to talk to us about their own involvement in Guiding in their own country. There was also some interest from people who would like to become involved in Guiding here.

Members of Buí Bolg Drama Group from Wexford provided the lunchtime entertainment for the delegates. Indeed some of these members were aware of Guiding in their area and expressed an interest and took away some of our Recruitment information. After lunch we had a few more visitors to our stand with lots of questions about our Association.

On the whole this was a positive experience and it is always great to promote CGI in whatever way we can.

Pamela BehanSuzanne MasonDevelopment Officers

Development


CGI Goes GreenAs the weather gets better and the sun gets brighter it might be a good time to try some cleaning recipes. Did you know… that the air quality IN your home can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside? VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) from flat-pack furniture, high-street clothing, carpets, paints, aerosols, and cleaning products can exacerbate asthma and disrupt hormones leading to early puberty, infertility difficulties, and even cancer. [Greenpeace is fighting a Fashion Duel on this very topic at the moment http://v.gd/fashiondetox]

Unfortunately many of the chemicals in household cleaning products are anything but ‘safe’. If they were handled in industry people would be wearing the kind of suits you last saw on ‘Outbreak’. But green and safe alternatives are easy to come by… here are a few recipes from MotherEarthNews.com and mnn.com

For an all-surface homemade cleaner, dissolve 4 tablespoons baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)in 900mls warm water. You can also just sprinkle baking soda directly on a damp cloth or sponge, and scrub, or add some dry salt for an extra burst of power. This can replace most abrasive cleaners.

Mildewed shower curtains will respond to a soak in vinegar before machine washing. Vinegar will also de-limescale your kettle and your shower-head too, and even revive black clothes that may have gone a bit grey to Goth fabulousness.

To clear clogged drains, pour some baking soda & vinegar down the drain, followed by 750ml boiling water. Mixing baking soda & vinegar creates a bubbling, fizzing chemical reaction.

(Never use this with a toxic drain cleaner!)

If something boils over in the oven, cover the spill with salt immediately. It will dry to a crusty and easy-to-remove powder when the oven cools down.

Nontoxic microwave cleaner: Steam clean a microwave with a bowl filled with a sliced lemon in hot water. Run the microwave for five minutes and then towel off with a clean cloth.

Bleach-free sanitizer: Clean and sanitize wood or plastic cutting boards by rubbing lemon juice over the surface, let sit for 10 minutes, and rinse.

Skin-safe silver polish: Clean silver with a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Rub onto surface, rinse with warm water and dry with soft cloth.

Totally Nontoxic tarnish remover: Gently boil Guide badges or other brass in a 50/50 vinegar and water mix to remove tarnish. Boiling vinegar will remove heavy-duty tarnish, or the green residue from commercial products.

Healthy leather cleaner Mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts food-grade linseed oil to clean leather. Rub on the leather and leave overnight. Buff with a lint-free cloth. NOTE: If you Google green cleaning recipes

many use Borax. This has also recently been removed from shelves by the EU for the same hormone disrupting reasons as other cleaners and is best avoided! Use an equal amount of baking soda or just Google ‘Borax-free’.


Around Ireland

PR

Karen DevileeNational Commissioner for Public Relations

The days are getting longer and we’re all dying to bust out of our Guide halls and back into the outside world. I hope you find something inspiring in these pages to try with your girls - see you out and about!

Eastern Region

International Night Buíon Naomh Ailbhe Clonee Guides, Dublin

Buíon Naomh Ailbhe Clonee Guides had an International night on the 20th Feb and it was a fantastic way to start off our meetings in our new venue of Phibblestown School Hall. Each Patrol worked hard to illustrate the culture, language, fashion, history and cuisine from each country. They were a big hit with the Brigíní who came to visit the displays. The great food samples of pizza, French cheese and crackers, German chocolate and American cupcakes went down a treat! The girls worked hard preparing this and it turned out really well. The girls did this as part of their Bronze Choices badge and also for Thinking Day. I am very proud of all of them and look forward to a great Award ceremony in June when they all achieve bronze!

Fiona Gaule


Hiking in Howth!Clonee, Leixlip and Raheny Guides, Dublin

On the 3rd of March 2013 three Guide groups got together on a sunny morning in Howth! Clonee Guides and Leixlip Guides were met at Howth train station by the Raheny Guides and the fun began! With Yvonne leading the way we made our way up and along the cliff head on the beautiful loop pathway. With forty-five Guides and one Ranger in tow we climbed higher and higher and took in the breath-taking views! We stopped half-way for some lunch in a picturesque setting where we also stopped for the picture above. Following the hike we had the important job of stopping in to visit Wrights fish and chip shop for some well-earned treats! The girls truly enjoyed themselves as did the leaders and I would like to thank all that got together to make this day possible, including Yvonne Browne, Laura Kirwan (Raheny), Sinead Halpin (Clonee) and Barbara Daly and her adult helpers (Leixlip). I loved seeing the groups get together as it shows us what guiding is really about, the idea that we are part of an association and we do not stand alone. I greatly look forward to our next joint adventure!

Fiona GauleClonee Guides

Buíon St Cecilia Guides, Leixlip,Dublin

Buíon St Cecilia Guides, enjoyed a wonderful day at Xtreme in Carton House Maynooth, on the one sunny day we've had this spring! Activities included zip lining, vertigo tree climbing, a low ropes course and a high ropes course. The instructors were brilliant, and it was the best day ever!

Barbara Daly


Buíon Clothra Brigíní and Cygnets, Dublin

In November the girls participated in some market research for Keelings Group. The girls tasted the fresh fruit, apples, pears and satsumas and then commented on the packaging and the Lazytown characters. All the girls received 5-a day wall charts. The Brigíní are embarking on healthy eating, exercise and beauty regime. They are seeing the benefits and are learning that beauty comes from within, all as part of earning their ‘Health and Beauty’ badge.

Buíon Clothra Cygnet group making masks and flags for the parade!

December saw the girls visit the Butlers Chocolate Factory in Clonshaugh and everyone really enjoyed the visit. Just think of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory - now: think of smelling, tasting and decorating chocolate. The girls saw a film about chocolate history. The girls were inspired by the story of Marion Butler, an adventurous business lady who founded the company in 1932. From the gallery they could see the chocolates made in the factory and had a sneak preview of the Easter Eggs. The girls completed a quiz and then experienced the highlight of the tour, decorating your very own chocolate Santa. Guess who popped in to say hello, only Santa himself. The girls visited Santa in the Café Grotto and wrote their letters. If you love Chocolate this is a visit you cannot miss.

To end the year the girls all participated in a Nativity Play which was told through the eyes of the angels. The girls made their angel wings and costumes at their meetings. The auditions for the role of Mary were very competitive. The Cygnets joined in as angels and the Brigíní had the bigger parts. It was a lovely play and it was great to see the families turn up to support the girls.

Lorraine KirwanGuider Beaumont Brigíní.

St. Patricks DayBuíon Clothra Cygnets, Dublin


Brigín Easter Extravaganza

On Saturday 23rd March 184 Brigíní descended upon our Headquarters in Harrington Street for our Easter Extravaganza. Brigíní from Clontarf, Ringsend, Greenhills, Tallaght, Clonee, Baldoyle and Drimnagh were represented. The day started off with a song of course, and then some great Icebreaker games, including one with all 184 girls getting into a big circle in alphabetical order and a huge human roller coaster. Next it was time for an Easter Egg Hunt with a difference. They each had to pick a balloon from a bag, sit on it to burst it and find all the letters for EASTER EGG HUNT and stick it on to a special Easter poster. The noise of the bursting balloons, and shrieks of excitement when the letters were found was ear bursting. There was also some special Easter Egg Stickers planted in the balloons, and these also got a spot prize. The first four teams to fill in their chart were the winners of lovely chocolate bunnies. After lunch, there was the Disco, where all the Brigíní and Guiders bopped ‘til they dropped, with a friendly dance-off by all the groups. A huge bumper raffle ended the day, with lots of spot prizes. A great day was had by all and it was great to see the hall full with so many girls making new friends. A huge thanks to all who attended on the day and all who helped make this day such a great success. A special word of thanks must also go to Marie Maguire who provided a lovely lunch to all the leaders. Make sure to look out for our next fun event!

Linda Mc Neela Eastern Region Brigín Commissioner

Hiking SeasonBuíon Banrion na hEireann, Aughrim Street, Dublin

As the weather was brightening up (was till recently at least!) we have been going on a few more hikes to really get into the spirit of Guiding. Our hiking expert Niamh planned a particularly fun one in Wicklow in February. The day began with the usual grumbling about it being too early to be up on a Sunday, but once we were on the bus all thoughts of lost sleep were gone.As we walked along the foliage filled path, one girl was quick enough to spot a frog camouflaged amongst the leaves right beneath our feet, stopping everyone from possibly crushing him. Before we continued on it seemed only right to name him before we said goodbye he was named Robert the Guide Frog.Mid way we stopped for lunch, where for not the first time, some dogs that were being walked decided they liked us and sat with us till their owners called them back. After this we moved on continuing our hike where a new love of crossing bridges became apparent as we crossed the river twenty three times along the route (some might have been crossed twice due to looping around).When at last the hike came to an end, a stop off was made in the local shop for ice-cream to keep us refreshed in the lovely cold weather and so the day ended on a happy high.

Aoife


South - Western Region

Dilly Guides the Way St Colmcilles Unit, Carraig na bhFear,Co Cork

Dilly the Guide dog and her trainer Elaine popped into our meeting for a visit,The girls were thrilled, Elaine told us all about the important work that a guide dog has to do. Dilly is fourteen months old and has completed four months of her on going training to be a guide dog for the visually impaired or an assistance dog for an Autistic child.Dilly was a shinning example of a well trained guide dog she was very friendly and very obedient and we hope she will be successful at the end of her training, Every year we like to introduce the work of a different charity to the girls, we research their work and learn about what they do and where the money we donate is used, This year the unit donated € 150 ,00 to the Irish Guide dogs as part of our Christmas Charity donation. Elaine and Dilly were delighted with the donation and invited the unit to come to their centre in Cork for a visit. The girls are very excited.

Miriam Spillane


St. Brigids Day MassSt. Ursulas Guides, Blackrock, Cork

Molly wrote this for her Writers badge and it was judged of such a high standard she read it for the reflection at the South Western Region St. Brigids Day Mass.

Snowflakes

My mom always says that no two people with Autism are the same. Whenever she says this, I always think of snowflakes, no two the same; each one unique.My brother Seán was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (a form of Autism) in 2011. Seán finds everyday tasks such as getting dressed, playing a game, or even having a conversation with someone difficult. Seán doesn’t fully understand feelings and how we show them. He gets very anxious when we have to leave the house, even if it's just to go to the shop. He gets anxious when he's in school, at parties or when someone comes to visit our house. These all bring Seán towards whats called a sensory overload, some people refer to these as 'meltdowns', but in our house we call it 'high alert'. A sensory overload is when a certain smell, touch, sound or action makes anxiety for him and he reacts in a way most of you wouldn’t understand and misinterpret as a tantrum.When this happens to Seán, he starts shouting and screeching, he kicks, bites, punches and starts hurting himself by biting his arm, bashing his head off the ground or punching the wall. When this starts happening, he screams really loudly. My mom and step-dad and brother have to try to calm him down again. This is really scary when it happens, but soon again he's okay.When Seán does these things, its not that he's being bold, he doesn’t even realise he does these things when he's in high alert. When we put pressure on Seán's body this sometimes calms him down, Seán likes to call this 'Squishes'. Other times, that doesn’t work and we have to try to distract him by watching a movie with him or playing Lego with him.Having a bath also calms Seán down as he likes the feel of the water. Seán's clothing is another issue; he likes things that are soft, and doesn’t like things that are itchy or rough on his skin. Food is another thing. Seán asks for food a lot, but most of the time, he isn’t even hungry. Seán needs to keep his mouth going all the time, for this he has a 'chewy'. A 'chewy' is a pen-shape object made of a special material made for autistic children to chew on. When Seán has his meals, they need to be made in a certain way, if not Seán gets upset because it’s a change in his routine. You're probably thinking,' Why go through so much trouble for one child?' But the thing is, it's not only Seán's routine, it’s our family's routine too. Without it, our day would make our lives so much more difficult. Autism not only affects the person who has it, but everyone around them. It's not selfish, and it's not giving Seán more attention, it's giving Seán his vital needs, just like he needs food, water and sleep, he needs all this, he needs a routine. Because Seán is a beautiful snowflake, his Autism is part of what makes him unique, it makes him who he is and to be honest, if I had the chance, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Molly Kinane7th November 2012


St. Stephens Company, WatergrasshillCork

Thinking DayOn Saturday February 23rd, both Brigíní and Guides gathered for a special ‘Thinking Day’ meeting. The meeting started with a candle ceremony, followed by the girls sharing all they had learned on the different countries, and an international fashion show. It was great to see all the effort everyone went to and great fun was had by all. Prizes were awarded for the best dressed Brigín, Guide and best-represented country.

St. Patricks DayThankfully the rain held off as everyone gathered for the Cork City St. Patricks Day Parade, with all Companies participating ensuring CGI demonstrated great colour, with their flags from all around the world, in keeping with this year’s theme, i.e. “The Gathering : Hands across the water”. The newer members in particular were amazed at all the people who turned out to see them and cannot wait for next year’s one already!! Talent ShowFor the second year running, the Regional talent show was held in Watergrasshill Community Hall. Ten companies participated, with great support from a jam packed hall of families and friends, a well supported Easter Egg raffle in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland at the interval and St. Stephens Brigíní representing the home community well, with their hip hop dance routine to Robbie Williams ‘Candy’. Special thanks to Guide Lia Cummins for the choreography.

Easter Card Competition;The Brigíní showed their creative side, as can be seen from some of the entries in our Company Easter card competition. The judges had quite a challenging time in deciding a winner ; )

Linda Fitzpatrick


South - Eastern Region

Wexford Town Ferns

St. Patricks Day - It sure was a day in the ‘Sunny South East’ for our St Patricks Day. Not a drop of rain in sight. Wexford Town Unit took part in the parade along with other Guide companies. We had our Rangers, Guides, Brigíní and Cygnets taking part. The girls were so proud to be out marching for the Girl Guides.

Thinking Day - Some Rangers and Guides dressed for the occasion while others sampled food from Switzerland and we had games from Mexico.The Brigíni played pick the flag and had to make the flag from their chosen country, and not to be outdone the Cygnets dressed up in a variety of costumes and tasted from different countries.All closed their night with a small Thinking Day ceremony.

St Matthew Cygnets are busy getting ready for the Easter Bunny by making nests with chocolate eggs in them .Well done to all.

Lisa Kavanagh

St. Patricks Day,Cork


Northern Region

On a recent Cinema Trip to Lisburn Omniplex to see Tinkerbelle. We had a great time and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the film. Afterwards we had lunch at McDonald's, Sprucefield

St Oliver Plunkett, Brigíní and Cygnets, Lurgan

All ready for St Patrick's Day

Our Lady of the Angels in Kilkeel hosted an animal themed fun day for Cygnets from Drumaness, Loughinisland, Castlewellan, Ballynahinch and of course Kilkeel. The Cygnets had fun playing games, making grass heads and making sculptures with jumping clay.

On 12th and 14th March we had a wear green to Guides night for our Cygnets and Brigini. The girls really got into the spirit of the occasion including some dying their hair green. The girls dined on green buns and green juice and made St. Patrick Day cards.

On 19th Match our Cygnets made Easter bonnets and had an Easter bonnet parade. The Easter bunny even left a trail of eggs to find!

J.A. McBurney

Our Lady of the Angels KilkeelCo.Down

Gorey, Ferns

Its been a busy time in Gorey, our annual Enrolment took place on Wednesday 13th March, with 7 Cygnets, 12 Brigíní and 14 Guides being enrolled not to mention our new Guider Geraldine

Byrne who was enrolled on the night by Ferns Commissioner Sharon Drennan. Thanks to Sharon for travelling up.

Despite the terrible weather we had a good turnout for the parade, thanks to Kilmuckridge who joined us on the day!Well done to Brigín Guider Ruth Byrne who took part in a Beat 102 & Gravity Adventure centre competition in a bid to win 20 day passes for Gravity. There were 4 youth groups competing and it involved an archery competition, which despite never picking up a bow and arrow before, she won! Of course taking no pleasure in beating the Scouts! Thanks to all involved.

Karen Mc Cann


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