Training the National Board & Recruitment and Retention training

Our main objective here in Peru is to help the Asociacion Nacional de Guias Scouts de Peru (ANGSP) with some of the problems they face regarding recruitment and retention of volunteers. We will be delivering three types of trainings:

• Leadership trainings, run by Heather and Emma, to improve the quality of guiding and the support available for adult volunteers. 
• Sessions for trainers, run by Katherine and Hannah, to support the Peruvian association providing leadership trainings, after the GOLD project finishes, and to enable more trainings to take place in the provinces.
• Sessions on recruitment and retention techniques, run by Claire and Caroline, identifying what the needs are, overcoming barriers volunteers may face, as well as looking marketing materials and social media.

Claire and Caroline ran the two 3 hour sessions. The first was focused on recruitment, exploring the topic of flexible guiding. We discussed the reasons people volunteer in guiding and how this can be used in recruitment. Caroline facilitated a mapping exercise to help identify the association's strategic recruitment needs.

The second session focused on volunteer retention and marketing. We discussed volunteer recognition and supporting volunteers through mentoring. After that, we explored how the ANGSP is seen by the public in Peru and how they would like to be seen. We talked through the differences and used them to help develop key messages and the outline for a marketing strategy.

Both these sessions took place in the evenings, both following on from a four hour session in the afternoon. Even though they ran ´til late, all particiants were eager to attend the sessions, all leaving continuing their discussions and buzzing with enthusiasm the days trainings.

And we're off!

After enjoying the sunshine in London today, we've made it to Heathrow and are finally on our way!

We're not sure when we'll next have access to the internet to keep you updated, but watch this space or enter your email address into the box on the right of your screen to receive a notification when we write a new post! 

For now, our chariot awaits - our plane seems to be nicknamed 'The Magic Red Carpet'! 

See you on the other side. 

Lots of GOLD love, 

Team Peru

Challenge yourself!

Songs, games and pretty badges

After third briefing, the Brownies and Guides in Chingford, where Caroline is a Brownie Leader, have been busy earning their GOLD Peru 2014 Challenge Badges!

Our pretty badges!

6th Chingford Brownies, who are all aged between 7 and 10, have had several different sessions around the topics of GOLD and Peru.

Some of the letters to Peruvian Brownies and Guides we
have received from units taking part in the challenge

As well as writing letters to Peruvian Brownies, they have learnt some Spanish, discovered some Peruvian culture and found a new favourite game – llama, llama, alpaca (instead of duck, duck, goose). The Brownies had great fun making Peruvian shapes in their sixes too – there were some very inventive versions of Machu Picchu!

But they didn’t neglect the GOLD side of the challenge badge either – they loved having a go at panning for gold and each six created their very own treasure hunt, complete with prizes, for the other Brownies to have a go at.

6th Chingford Brownies panning for GOLD... 

...getting their hands dirty...

...and loving it!

Caroline also visited the nearby Guide unit for an evening to run some Peruvian-themed activities. As well as sharing some Spanish songs and games she learnt in Chile on her previous GOLD project with the Guides, aged 10 to 14, Caroline also showed them lots of exciting photographs and talked to them about the international opportunities available for young women just like them through guiding. One of the Young Leaders will soon be old enough for GOLD and may even apply for INTOPS.

Caroline then ran a few activities to help the Guides understand what our GOLD project is trying to achieve. One of the activities, focussed on the topics of leadership and the importance of communication, went down so well that we will probably use it on the National Board of the Peruvian Guide Association during our project!

Chingford Guides leading from behind

Getting the giggles

One leader, at the back of each group, has to direct their blindfolded team around an obstacle course without talking – with some pretty hilarious results! However, once the giggles died down, the Guides were quick to draw on the lessons they learnt from the race. Hopefully our trainings will be just as effective in Peru!

Making it to the other side!

The Guides will be completing the badge in the autumn.

If you fancy having a go at the Challenge Badge, either by yourself or with friends or your unit, you can still order badges up to 18 July 2014. 

Lots of GOLD love,

Team Peru

Third Briefing

Planning underway....

Claire and Caroline planning recruitment sessions

Third briefing has really put our brains to the test. It has been an intense weekend of researching, planning, preparing resources and of course, sitting up chatting all into the early hours...

Hannah and Katherine planning training sessions

Heather and Emma planning leadership sessions

Project leader Caroline has guided us through the planning process. We have all made amazing progress and met our target for having all the training sessions planned!

Linlithgow Loch with the palace in the background

In between planning, Hannah took us out for a walk around Linlithgow to get some well needed fresh air. As a history geek, Caroline got rather excited by the palace on the edge of the loch - Mary, Queen of Scots was born there!

We are extremely grateful to Hannah and her family for inviting us into their home this weekend. We have been very well catered for and never allowed to go hungry. The amazing meals definitely kept us quiet, especially the ice cream sundae and sticky toffee pudding!

We really appreciate the effort that has gone in to keeping our stomachs full. Thank you very much!

Our first flag photo in Hannah's garden

With another briefing weekend done, we are all feeling well prepared and even more excited for Peru. Just one more briefing weekend before we go!

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Peru

Second briefing

Games and giggles (with some serious training in between)

Second briefing in April found us making our way up north (or down south for some of the team!) to Bramhope, near Leeds. Most of us arrived late into the night to find the campsite surrounded by a wreath of rather surreal fog.

Luckily, Saturday morning dawned much brighter and we were able to get on with our day - packed to the brim with trainings and plannings!

The first thing we were met with was the sad news that (unsurprisingly), Team Ukraine's GOLD project would not be going ahead this year due to events in the host country. They still proceeded to deliver a very entertaining and informative session on guiding in the Ukraine - through the medium of lentils!

Team Ukraine's session

The rest of the teams also delivered interactive sessions on guiding in their host country. Our training on Peru involved making Peruvian-themed shapes out of the people in the team, as well as (re)learning how to tie friendship knots - alongside a more serious presentation on the challenges faced by our host association in Peru.

Team Malawi being Machu Picchu - complete with selfie-taking tourists!

Team Ukraine tying friendship knots

After a morning of learning all about the other countries that GOLD is going to this year, we had a great training session on how to deliver trainings by a 4 Peer Educator, involving a rather messy jam sandwich game.

A trainer from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (also know as WAGGGS) came to refresh our knowledge of the structure and organisation of the world association and to remind us of all the great resources that WAGGGS provides for leaders and girls across the world. Lots of these will come in useful when we plan our trainings for Peru!

After that, we had some more team time, where we started to get the nitty gritty details of our project down on paper (and eat lots of biscuits).

To round off our jam-packed afternoon, we had sessions on working with interpreters and facilitation skills from our leader Caroline, Anna and Carly.

By dinner time, the trainings were starting to take their toll - but things soon got more lively, as our Saturday evening entertainment this time was a Big Brownie Birthday party!

Team Peru as Brownies

Carly, Anna and our cooks for the weekend

Being GOLDies, there had to be themed games to go along with the fancy dress. Each team had come up with some challenges based around different Brownie badges.

There was dancing (for the entertainer badge), a relay race to plan a party (for the hostess badge), Good Evening Friend Brownie - international style (for the world traveller badge), a country-themed trash fashion competition (for the designer badge), a sack race around some books (for the booklover badge), cream pies (for the circus skills badge), a swimming race involving flippers and bubbles (for the swimmer's badge) and yet more dancing (this time for the dancer badge)! 

Some of the trash fashion designs

Circus skills badge

After that, we just had the energy to pose for a group shot and a quick tidy-up before we collapsed into bed!

The final group shot of all the 2014 GOLDies

On the Sunday, we woke up nice and early to crack on with our training. First, we learnt more about what our group roles involved.

There was a training for all the documenters on PR and photography, a finance training for leaders and treasurers and a first aid training (in a teeny cupboard of a room that was on the warm side...).

The rest of the weekend was mostly 'team time', when we started to brainstorm ideas for the topics we're delivering trainings on in Peru - leadership skills, training skills and recruitment and retention, both for the national board and the local councils.

We ended the day with an inspirational talk from Anna, the GOLD Co-ordinator, and a slideshow of photos of our GOLD journey so far.

As we trekked home, heads full of these inspirational words, we could hardly wait for third briefing - find out what happened there in the next instalment of our blog!

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Peru

First briefing

And so the adventure begins!

Our first ever team photo!

After finding out that we had been selected for GOLD after INTOPS, we first met as a team at First Briefing at Tolmers in Hertfordshire in February.

We spent much of the weekend getting to know each other as a team, diving straight in with the important things in life: we do all like chocolate, right?! Who drinks tea? Does anyone talk in their sleep?

Anna, the GOLD Co-ordinator, and Carly, representing Girlguiding, were on hand to guide us through the weekend and all the team leaders delivered trainings on different topics.

An energiser in between trainings in the sunshine

The leaders of Team Guyana and Team The Gambia walked us through our GOLD journey - and pointed out that it never really ends! Once a GOLDie, always a GOLDie.

Emma from Team The Gambia and our GOLD journey in footsteps!

We were introduced to the different group roles and decided who was going to do what - you can read more about the roles of different team members on our Meet the Team page.

Team Peru in deep discussion over the important things in life - team kit colour!

After trainings on fundraising, PR, kit and packing, we had an evening of Winter Olympics themed entertainment - complete with events to bring out our competitive side.

The team after warm-up...

Getting competitive during leg ice-hockey

Ice dancing to Bolero

Team Peru winning the biathlon

Teams Latvia and Cambodia in a close-run bobsleigh race

All the 2014 GOLDies (that's people who go on GOLD by the way)

Peru, Cambodia, The Gambia and Malawi team leaders as the Jamaican Bobsleigh team

After a close-run series of events, Team Peru emerged victorious!

The victorious Team Peru with our medals

On the Sunday, we had more trainings on health and wellbeing and culture shock. There was also lots more team time involving sweets, where we began to plan our challenge badge.

Hannah, Claire and Katherine during a rainier Sunday energiser

That was all we had time for. After a busy weekend, we all headed home, buzzing with ideas (or perhaps that was caffeine...) and ready for our GOLD journey to begin in earnest.

Lots of GOLD love,

Team Peru

Hello and welcome!

Hi all and a big welcome to our blog!

Check out our Meet the Team and What is GOLD pages to find out more about who we are and what we're doing.

We were all selected for GOLD after an INTOPS selection weekend. We all think that GOLD is an amazing opportunity for young women in Girlguiding - not that we're biased... If you are interested in being considered for a future project, check out the Girlguiding website.

We will keep you updated with our project along the way. Have a look at the 'Track our adventure' page to find where in the world we've got to!

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Peru