Girls World Forum Day Three!

Today was another incredibly busy day at the Girls World Forum. We started off bright and early with a session on project planning and what the chaperones' role is in the girls' projects. I found that really helpful because I wasn't too sure what my role was in there projects and project planning. Overall it made me really excited to see what my delegates plan to do after the Forum.

Next I had a very cool experience at a place called JourneyWorld. It is built like a miniature city with businesses, a town hall, a bank, and a town square. It really sparked an interest with me because it reminded me of a facility we used to have called Kidtropolis. I think that the skills we learned and the fun we had is something that we should harness back home and build a facility like that for girls to use. I think that I might look into how much it would cost to have a centre built like that. I was a utility manager AKA a gas meter reader which was pretty fun. I was so impressed by the set up of the building and the program that went along with it. Here is a link for a virtual tour and more information about JourneyWorld. http://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/journey-world/a>d

When we got back to the hotel we had a few sessions called "internal actions" where we did a session on creating things out of recycled plastic bottles, lids, containers, etc. AKA arts and crafts. It was a nice way to relax after a long day but I felt like we did not have enough time to finish anything. Then there was a session about women in politics and how to get into politics as a young woman (my favourite subject...) It was interesting but I get really fired up about quotas of women in politics and voting for someone based on their gender. Anyways it was a pretty good day but the evening was even better! :)

Tonight was International Night and it was the most fun I have had in a long time. The Canadian delegates made quite an impression in our toques, mittens, red shirts and our Canadian table with flags, stickers, Inukshuks, and beavers and of course a moose crossing sign :) We had a great dinner and then had the opportunity to tour around all of the other booths and try the foods, hear the music, watch the dances, and see the artifacts from all of the different cultures around the world. My favourite part of the event definitely had to be when we were doing the chicken dance that everybody knew and we were all having a good time and then it came to the change in the music where it gets a bit slower and Helen and I started pretending to fly around like birds. Then we looked around and saw that everyone else was doing the hoe down. We both fell over from laughter and could not breathe. As I explain it now it does not seem that funny but it was hilarious!

There was also a photo booth set up where we could take pictures and we got some great ones. Here they are!

Our honourary Canadian Paige!

Trying to play hockey on the African Savannah...

Girls World Forum Day Two!

We got up bright and early to head to the Brookfield Zoo for Millennium Development Goal #7 today and despite a chaotic start to the morning we got there in one piece and started off with a trip to do the dolphin part of the zoo. We had a few speeches from managers of the zoo and other organizations that work with the zoo and Girl Scouts. Then we saw a modified dolphin show where they did "tricks" that help with their health like being in the position to get blood drawn or an ultrasound.

We separated into patrols and had sessions on climate change, water, and deforestation. The first one I went to was about climate change and it was pretty interesting. It seemed a lot like the kind of things I learned about in biology so it was a bit of a review, but it seemed like the other girls and chaperones learned a lot about climate change and global warming. Then we went into the water session where girls had a bucket of water that represented all of the water in the world and it was slowly divided out to show how much saltwater, freshwater, and potable water is in the world. There was then another seminar where we learned about a website called mywaterfootprint.org where you can calculate how much water you use in a day. I will definitely be checking that out when I get home.

We had a bit of time to explore the zoo before lunch so we went and saw the monkeys and the rain forest exhibits which were very interesting. We had lunch next and it was an All American Picnic aka hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, beans, Girl Scout cookie, pop, ice cream, and watermelon.

It was very...American. :)

We had a session about deforestation and big cats and the palm oil crisis and orangutans. It was definitely my favourite part of the zoo trip. We learned about some of the symbols that are used to show what products do not hurt the habitats of animals. I will be looking into the use of palm oil in foods and products I use and hopefully reduce how much I use or only use certified palm oil that does not destroy habitat for orangutans.

When we got back from the zoo we had some free time to do some shopping and looking around so we did that for a bit right before our boat cruise/tour of Chicago. I am so happy we did that because I saw some awesome sights and also got a few decent photos (despite the fact I had to use my iPod because I am an idiot and forgot my camera at home.)

 

Overall it is was a great day- I had a lot of fun and learned a lot too! I am looking forward to the take action projects tomorrow and I will never be able to say thank you enough for asking me to be the chaperone on this amazing trip!

Girls World Forum Day One!

After the first day of the Girls World Forum I feel a brand new sense of inspiration and excitement about all that has happened and is happening in the WAGGGS world. I remember what it was like the very first day of the YWWF in 2010 the loud and energy filled music, the dimmed lights and colorful backgrounds- all of it just felt the same except I was not only excited for myself, also for the other Canadian girls and all of the girls at the event. All of the flags paraded in without a hitch and I got all emotional (as I always do) at the sight of just how big this incredible organization truly is.  145 flags were displayed and it was a sight that I will never forget. 

Then we had some great speakers from WAGGGS and an inspiring young woman named Sejal Hathi who founded the organization Girls Helping Girls. She had a lot to say and I am definitely going to check out more about the organization and spread the word. Her information is here. www.empoweragirl.org

Next we broke into various sessions- the girls in their patrols learning about Millennium Development Goal #1- eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The chaperones got together and had a session about the MDGs as a whole and did some really cool activities which I will definitely be using at home! We had lunch and then did a few more sessions about WAGGGS and how it is organized. I also was able to have a mini reunion with the YWWF2010 delegates who are serving as chaperones as well. It was awesome! We shared a few memories and got caught up on each others lives which was really nice.

Next was a delicious dinner and an open bus tour of Chicago where we saw the beautiful architecture and landmarks of a city I am slowly falling in love with. :) We saw the Willis (Sears)Tower, amazing churches and cathedrals, theatres and skyscrapers, Oprah's former houses and of course Lake Michigan. We had a fantastic tour guide who included not only what the buildings were but also the history behind them, stories to go along with the buildings, and pop culture references like which restaurants celebrities like to eat in and where movies were filmed. It was a great way to end the official part of the day.

Next the Canadians decided to venture off to Navy Pier to see the rides and the sights and sounds of the pier. We got a great picture in front of the enormous Ferris Wheel and had a great ride around. I am so impressed with these girls and they are a lot of fun to be with! Overall despite the nasty humidity it was a fantastic day and I cannot wait for the trip to the zoo tomorrow!

Annual General Meeting!

I had a very exciting weekend in Calgary as I attended the Girl Guides of Canada Annual General Meeting. The weekend started off bright and early at 8 AM where I hopped on the Red Arrow bus and enjoyed the comfy seats, snacks, and WiFi. (I am not advertising I was just really impressed that I could surf the web on a moving bus!) I was able to travel with one of the girls who is attending the Girls’ World Forum in Chicago this summer. We started off our adventures in Calgary with a lunch with all of the facilitators for the girls engagement session, provincial commissioners, national board members and other member of the national team which was very nice. I picked up a couple of crests and then checked into the hotel. I have never stayed in a hotel by myself so that was very exciting. Next was the member engagement meet and greet which was very cool because I met a lot of girls and leaders from across the province. They all seemed genuinely happy to be there and I think that it was important for them to have their voices heard later on in the afternoon. I collected a few more crests and had a few conversations with girls and adults in the smoking hot room and then headed downstairs for the member engagement (the part I was most excited for).  I found my table and met the scribe and waited for girls to come and sit down. I had a wide variety at my table- some Guides, Pathfinders, and Rangers who all had something to say about our programming, uniforms, camps, and paperwork. We started off by introducing ourselves and some of our interests and positions within Guiding. There were large pieces of white paper on the walls where girls had to write what confidence, courage, resourcefulness, and making a difference meant to them. Some of the answers were quite profound and I wish that I took pictures of them to share; hopefully they will be up on the national website soon. Then we had a sort of script to follow with questions and conversation starters about program, badges, and the best things about Guiding. It was amazing how quickly the two hours went by and I was blown away by what the girls were saying. They had so many great ideas and I cannot wait to see how they will be put into action.  There was a bit of a break between the member engagement and the general meeting so I took the time to relax and get ready for my speech. I was a little bit nervous not because I was speaking, but rather because I had given a very similar speech (well it was the same with a few tweaks) and there were several people who have already heard it. Overall I think that I did I okay and now I will have to make a new presentation if I do another one but that is okay. J I hope that I was interesting and made a few good points and I enjoyed giving the speech. The banquet was after that and it was delicious! It was a lot of fun with laughs and great conversation. I loved meeting and chatting with other guiders and it was great to put faces to names on Twitter! I was exhausted by the end of the night and my face hurt from laughing so I think that is a wonderful thing
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GGC AGM! Not just an acronym!

This weekend I will be in Calgary participating in the annual general meeting for Girl Guides of Canada. I will be leading a members engagement table for a part of the day and then will give a brief 15-20 minute presentation about the YWWF2010 in the evening. I am really excite to have this opportunity and also connect with Girl Guides around the country to hear what they have to say about GGC. It is hard to believe that I still have something new to say about the Forum every time I speak even if it is a year and a half later. I hope that my presentation will be a source of inspiration for others to continue working on projects or start their own for projects to achieve things that are important to them!

And now for some shameless self promotion... Follow me on Twitter (@girlguidechange) for updates while I am at the AGM and of course I will update on the blog after the fact.

 

While I am talking about ways to connect with me I want to talk a bit about my website www.girlguideforchange.com. This website is about nine months old and is supposed to serve as a platform for members to talk to each other about their MDG projects and even just to connect with girls and women from around the world. But no one is signing up! L I want to have a contest for the first 10 people who sign up to win an exclusive Girl Guides for Change Prize Pack which will be delivered free of charge right to your address! If I saw something like this I would be pretty excited! If anyone has any suggestions about how to make my website better please let me know as I would love to get more people involved and talking!

What do you think?

I am trying to make my blog posts more interesting by adding pictures, videos, and other things. Also I am trying out shorter posts so they don’t take as long to write and I will write more often. What do you think? What would you like to see next on Girl Guide for Change? Please let me know either by filling out this poll or commenting below!

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Little Swiss Miss!

 

 

 

My little sister (well she is 20 so I guess not so little) left for Our Chalet this morning to spend the entire summer in Switzerland as a volunteer. Not only am I insanely jealous that she will have this incredible experience I am also really proud of her for taking this life-changing journey on her own. I did a session at Our Chalet in July of 2007 and it was so much fun! The white water rafting, mountain climbing and campfires were completely up my alley and I loved visiting a place that even though I had never been there before, felt like home.

 

Heather is one of the summer volunteers and she will be at Our Chalet as a summer assistant along with other girls from around the world. I guess I am making this post to be a bit braggy about my sister, but also to encourage all of the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts who read this blog to try and go to a world centre because it is an incredible life-changing experience and I would recommend it to anyone. Go well and safely!

http://www.ourchalet.ch/en/home