3rd week of training, Lilongwe

We've reached our third and final week of training! We are back in the capital city of Lilongwe and are staying in the Malawi Girlguides headquarters.  So far we have finished two training days.  Similarly to the previous weeks we began with leadership.  The girls were very responsive and as they are slightly older this week, it easier to communicate in English.  They worked especially well on a project called 'my county'- where they had to create their own set of laws.  These included free scholarships for all Girlguides and no discrimination.  Today we have been working on camp skills, as many of the girls have never been away with Girlguiding.  They have learnt knots, pioneering, map reading and even set thier own treasure hunts at the end of the day.
We're continuing training in Lilongwe for another three days.  Thursday is a very exciting day for the Malawian Girlguides as they have been invited to the Africa Union Summit-a meeting between all of Africa's presidents including Joyce Banda.  MAGGA was chosen out of the Malawi's youth orginisations and 250 Girlguides will give a presentation on why the organisation is important to young girls.  Everyone here is very excited and it is a great week to be with MAGGA.  This morning we even met Margret - the president of MAGGA.
We shall hopefullly update you soon with how the rest of the week goes.  We've had the most amazing time and so sad training is coming to an end!
Malawi love xxx

Hello from Mzuzu!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to a very photo heavy post in our blog. Sorry for not updating more regularly! We have been so busy with training that we haven't had chance to visit an internet cafe!

We have just finished our training at Mzuzu - where we had an absolutely amazing time. We met some wonderful girls and ladies and they were all very welcoming. Unfortunately we were only able to train there for 3 days as the girls could not afford the transport and packed lunch for a full 5 days. But luckily we knew this and the beginning of the week and were able to plan accordingly and cram all our training into 3 days!

Gemma playing Splat-Bang!

 Day 1 - We began our training on Leadership. The girls and leaders did some excellent role plays where they dealt with difficult situations that a leader may face. By lunchtime we knew we would only be training for 3 days, so we began to train on public presentation.

Emma pins on name badges

 Public presentation included tips on how to speak in public and how to behave in an interview. The GOLDies acted as different candidates - good and bad. The girls thought it was hilarious and enjoyed Thea's bad dress sense and messy hair.

Rachael and Glory hold up a group profile

 

The girls enjoyed playing games outside and learning new songs, although they also taught us some!

Alice plays Foxes and Chickens

Day 2 - On day 2 we split into 2 groups. 3 GOLDies taught Teenage Health whilst the other taught the Rainbow Programme to the leaders. Teenage Health was lots of fun, and a good opportunity to talk about a subject that can be taboo. The girls certainly had lots of questions for our anonymous Q&A box! The Rainbow training also went really well and the leaders responded well to the Rainbow jigsasw, 4 Ls and 5 essentials. In the afternoon they were taught craft and activities they could run with their own Rainbow units.

 

The girls make up their own games, using random objects

Becky and Alice tie friendship knots with their new friends!

Day 3 - Our final day was split into Camp Skills and Craft for fundraising. In the morning the girls learnt how to tie knots and had a mini pioneering challenge!

Emma helps build a pioneering structure

Which patrol has the tallest structure?!

Grace looks for hidden string outside to make the longest cat tail in a wide game

 

 

 The girls also learnt how to use a compass and what to take on camp. They had fun trying to direct each other when blindfolded and the GOLDies even made up a camp game called Leader's Coming (in the same style as Captain's Coming)!

Thea helps Deborah to crochet

 In the afternoon we moved onto fundraising. We began by brainstorming ideas and then discussing the pros and cons of each. Then we began 3 craft activities - Crocheting, Newspaper beads and Bead brooches. We finished with an overall evaluation for the week.

A big group photo of all the leaders, guides and GOLDies

Another group photo of the leaders and GOLDies

We all had an amazing time in Mzuzu and were really sad to leave. But soon we shall be in Lilongwe to begin our 3rd and final week training. Just before we leave the North we're going to visit Lake Malawi at Nkhata Bay and are all very much looking forward to it!

Lots of GOLD and Malawi love,

Team Malawi xxx

Our first week in Malawi!

Hi Everyone,

This is Team Malawi speaking to you from...Malawi!!! We have arrived safely in country after a very long plane journey. We traveled down to Blantyre (in the south) on Monday and began training on Tuesday.

We have been working in a local primary school where the girls are on camp. They are a mixture of Guides, Rangers and Leaders who are very eager to learn.

On our first day we held a workshop on Leadership and Public Presentation. The girls really enjoyed this, and at the end of the day gave speeches in groups on 'Why you should join Girlguiding in Malawi'. Many of them said Girlguiding helped them to learn life skills, and how to respect each other. They also thought it was a safe space, where they could make friends and have fun.

On the second day we ran sessions on camp skills. We had sessions on typical camp knots, equipment and traditional camp songs. They all thought it was strange we would bring a groundsheet for rain!!
We also trained the Leaders on the Rainbow programme. We discussed the 4 L's (Look, Learn, Laugh, Love) and the WAGGGS principles. We also held a Q&A session so they could learn more about how and when to have Rainbows.

So far everything has been really positive and we have been having lots of fun with MAGGA. We hope that this continues in the next 2 weeks of training. We shall update you soon with photos to follow!

Lots of love from Malawi!

Team Malawi 2013 xxx

Third briefing!

Third briefing is a time when a GOLD team spends time as a group of 6, rather than with all the other projects. So for our final weekend together Team Malawi travelled to Thea's house in Taunton. We have to say a big thank you to the Saunders family for letting us stay!

The weekend was all about final planning and preparation for the trip and we spent a lot  of time putting together our training sessions for project. The 5 main things we will be focusing on in our project are: Leadership, Public and Self presentation, Camp Skills, Teenage Health and Craft. We will also be supporting the creation of Rainbows in Malawi.

On Friday evening we made a plan with all the things we needed to do over the weekend and made resources that explain the different branches of Girlguiding in the UK and information about our home lives.

On Saturday morning, Thea and Alice set up the group bank account for our project. The day continued as we put together activties and games that would cover the aims of our project and would go towards making full training sessions. We set up the kitchen as our office and all worked from our computers. Time went really quickly, as we all got so involved in our research. The most fun was learning the Rainbow Song and actions together, so we could teach leaders in Malawi!

Before we knew it Sunday was here! We had lots of little tasks to do such as deciding our transport to Heathrow and a Q&A session with Thea where we asked many, many questions about her project last year! But like any GOLD project we must expect the unexpected! We even had time to partake in the GOLDie tradition of making group pants, which we tie dyed.

Top Row (L-R): Thea, Gemma and Rachael
Bottom Row (L-R): Alice, Becky and Emma

Here is a group photo in our GOLD uniform along with our mascot Bregta. Just like your typical school yard group, her name is made up of our initials!

The next time you hear from Team Malawi will be when we are on project, from July 26th - so be sure to check here regularly or subscribe to our blog (receive emails whenever we update) by submitting your email address in the 'Follow by Email' bar at the top right of the page!

Second Briefing

Between first and second briefing we began to have phone conferences and use our Facebook group to stay in touch. This was a great way to feel as though we were all still together - even if we were miles across the country!

Second briefing took place 26-28th April and this time it was like a big family reunion after being apart for 2 months! We had lots of fun during the weekend and shared lots of ideas and information with the other GOLD teams - as this would be the last time we would all be together before our projects.

Over the course of the weekend we began to plan resources to take to Malawi with us and gave each team member a list of things to prepare before 3rd briefing. We had training for how to deliver workshops and also training that was specific to our role. We also learnt about Stop the Violence as many of our countries use the WAGGGS programme.

Team Malawi dressed as the Great British Bake Off!

The evening activities were really fun, with each country preparing an entertainment for the other girls. We did the Great British Bake Off, where our contestants had to answer questions about the show to earn ingredients and then turn one member of their team into a cake!


We also said goodbye to Carrie, who is the International Events Co-ordinator for Girlguiding. She is moving on to a new, exciting job but we will be sad to see her go as she helped us so much with our project and fundraising.


All the Team are currently working hard with University deadlines, essays, exams and A-Levels. But soon they will all be over and then it is full-steam ahead with 3rd briefing and on to MALAWI!

First Briefing!

Our first briefing was lots of fun! It was held near London on 22nd-24th February. Everyone was a little nervous as it was the first time we would be meeting in person since INTOPs and the first time we would meet our leader Thea.

However, everyone seemed to click straight away and we all got on really well. We had lots of things in common and the conversation flowed. Throughout the weekend we learnt more about our own GOLD project and also the 7 other GOLD projects in 2013. We learnt about working together as a team and how important it is to be open and honest with each other. We made our group charter and picked out colours for our uniform, after much debate!!

Above is our very first group photo together - there will be many more to come! As you can see we were the pink team as part of our evening activities and Thea was Paddington Bear!

It was great getting to bond over the weekend and it already felt as though we had made lifelong friends.

The Team!

Team Malawi 2013 is made up of 6 young women. Here is a little information about ourselves.

Name: Thea
Role: Leader

I went to Malawi last year on project, and had a fantastic time.  It was my first time traveling outside Europe, which was a little daunting at first but the country is such a wonderful, warm friendly place, it was amazing.

I am currently in my fourth and final year at uni studying Fashion knitwear and knitted textile design at Nottingham Trent Uni.  It was a sandwich course so had a whole year out in industry where I worked for a swatch company knitting fabrics that sold to large fashion companies.

I am extremely crafty and love making and sewing things in my spare time, I also enjoy cycling, baking, exercise(may be not enjoy so much) and Guiding!!! So when I am at home in Taunton, Somerset I help at my local Brownie pack where I am Boobook Owl.  

Name: Emma
Role: First Aider

Hello! I’m Emma! I’m 22 years old and am studying medicine at the University of Leeds. I’m currently taking a year out from my medicine degree to do a BSc in International Health. I’m a leader at a Guide unit and a Senior Section unit in Leeds. On the GOLD Project I am first aider, looking after the health and wellbeing of the team.
I have visited Africa before, but this is my first visit to Malawi and I’m excited to help promote guiding and develop MAGGA! I’m also really looking forward to experiencing the culture and the food! x

Name: Rachael

Role: Secretary

I'm 25 and currently doing a PGCE in Modern Languages at Bath university. I love teaching, although it is really hard work! I did my undergraduate at St Andrews up in Scotland in French and German but I am originally from Lancashire - so I've lived all over the place in the UK recently! I spent a year living in Germany and a year living in Quebec to improve my French and German and I love traveling and living and working abroad.

In my spare time I help out with youth work at church and I love figure skating! It's an obsession. I'm hoping to start competing in a few years time. I also love knitting  - my Mum has a knitting business and spins and dyes all her own wool, so I always have a plentiful supply!

Name: Gemma

Role: Resources

Hey! I’m Gemma, I’m 21 and from Sheffield, currently I am a student at the University of Huddersfield studying surface design on my placement year. I am super excited although a little nervous about our Gold project, as this is my first experience travelling internationally with girl guiding!! My role is the resources preparing and gathering resources for our various training in Malawi. I’m looking forward to seeing Africa and its culture and meeting lots of new guiding members with my lovely teammates :)!

Name: Alice
Role: Treasurer

Hi my name is Alice. I’m 18 years old and I’ve been a brownie leader for three years . I’m in year 13 where I’m studying Maths, Biology and Chemistry A level. I hope to study adult nursing at university in September. In guiding I’m a young leader in brownies and I’m trying to complete my adult leadership qualification. I’m also trying to complete my queens guide award. I love playing sports and I also love travelling, I have been to Australia with girl guides.   I can’t wait to go to Malawi with girl guides and see a new country and learn all about it!

 

Name: Becky
Role: Documenter

Hello! I'm Becky, I'm 20 years old and I am just about to graduate with and English Literature degree from Cardiff University. So, as you can imagine I love reading!
I'm very involved in Girlguiding. When I moved for University I became a Brown Owl, which has been really fun but when I move back home I am going to be running my old Guide unit - scary! I am currently working on my Queen's Guide and am a member of Llais Y Ddraig - the Welsh Junior Council of Girlguiding.
I have been to Africa 3 times before but never to Malawi and I have never visited a country for so long either! I'm super excited to learn about the culture and make lots of new Girlguiding friends.