Irish Girl Guides

Ireland Involved Awards

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:57:00 GMT

The Ireland Involved Awards 2010 organised by Volunteering Ireland is now taking nominations for outstanding volunteers. Ireland Involved is an awards scheme that makes a difference, showcasing the work of volunteers across the country and celebrating Ireland’s volunteers!

If you know of an outstanding volunteer, nominate them for an Ireland Involved Award. Visit www.irelandinvolved.ie for nomination forms and more information.

Nominations close on 1 October 2010

Volunteers can be nominated for work in any of the following categories:

Arts, Culture & Media: Organisations such as libraries, galleries, theatres, drama groups, cultural centres, film and photography groups, heritage groups, community radio, etc.

Health & Disability: Organisations working with and for people who are ill or disabled, mentally or physically (or both) to improve quality of life.

Children & Young People: Organisations working to provide for the welfare, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people.

Campaigning & Awareness Raising: Organisations whose core focus is on human rights, awareness raising and campaigning around injustice.

Community: Organisations which are community based such as community centres, schools, church groups, neighbourhood groups, etc.

Education & Training: Organisations which focus on literacy issues, adult education, language skills, life skills support, etc.

Social Work: Organisations which cover a range of fields including homelessness, the prison service, asylum seekers, domestic violence, hospices, drugs, victim support, etc.

Animals & Environment: Organisations which are involved in working with animals in both a therapeutic and a caring context, as well as organisations which are focused on environmental issues and/or sustainability.

International Development: Organisations involved in overseas development activity which engage volunteers from Ireland.

Sports & Recreation: Organisations such as sports clubs, recreation centres, leisure clubs/centres, hill walking groups, fitness, play groups, dancing clubs, etc.

Click here to begin the nomination process. Dont forget to read the conditions! Girls under 18 must have parental consent to be nominated.

IGG needs a volunteer PR Officer!

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:47:00 GMT

We need someone who just loves Guiding and wants to see Guiding expand and be promoted everywhere! We know we do great stuff in our Units and we know the girls get so much out of it. But do the public know this? We reckon more people should know about the wonderful work that our volunteers do and about the fun that our youth members (and Leaders!) have. If you want to be part of this adventure then please get in touch.

Our P.R.O will look after the Public Relations team and will get support from the Communications Officer in National Office. Here are some of the exciting challenges on offer:

Encourage local PR at all levels within the organisation
Encourage and train Leaders to speak out positively about Guiding
Prepare and supervise the production of publicity material (with the support of National Office staff)
Most importantly - let everyone know about our Centenary in 2011!

So if you like the sound of this, or know someone that does then don't wait any longer, contact National Office or your Regional Commissioner. We are eager to meet you!

The Big Knit (deadline extended)

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:16:00 GMT

Do you and your Unit want to help out Age Action Ireland this winter?
Have a fun relaxing programme night and complete badge work at the same time...

You may have heard of the Big Knit campaign that Innocent Drinks are running to raise funds for Age Action, by knitting as many tiny hats as possible. For every behatted bottle that they sell, 25 cent will go towards the worthy charity and raise awareness of looking after our elderly during the cold winter months.

Did you know that 2000 people over 65yrs die each year in Ireland, due to cold related illnesses? Innocent are trying to collect 80,000 so they need lots of help to raise their target!

If your Unit would like to work towards new Badges, why not take a night out of your programme to sit around and learn the relaxing hobby of knitting. You could invite your nearest Trefoil Guild to give you a hand!

Badgework Brownies	Badgework Guides
-Handcraft -Hobby	-Craft -Irish Handcraft -Needlecraft (Knitting) -You could also start ‘Care of the Elderly’

Don’t delay however as the closing date is 10th November 2010. More details can be found on www.innocentdrinks.ie/thebigknit. Download the Big Knit Booklet and get started...patterns range from beginner to intermediate to advance.

Once you are done knitting, send your hats to "innocent Big Knit 2010, Fruit Towers, 120/121 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2"

stating:

how many hats you have knitted
contact name, address and phone number
email address
the date you sent them in

Happy Knitting!

Calling all Journalists

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:41:00 GMT

Calling all Journalists!

Would you like to report from inside the European Parliament in October? Are you aged 18-30? Then apply to be part of this fantastic workshop:

Workshop for Young Journalists: “The journalist: an endangered species?”
12 - 14 October 2010, European Parliament, Brussels

Deadline for applications: 19 August 2010

Why has the number of journalists in Brussels dropped from 1,300 to 752 in the past five years? How can we ensure that there is adequate media presence monitoring the work of politicians across the EU? And just how are the financial crisis and increasingly advanced technology affecting European journalists?

If these are questions that interest you then we invite you to apply to become one of the 50 young journalists, aged between 18 and 30, reporting from inside the European Parliament in Brussels from the 12 - 14 October 2010.

Participants will experience three days of creativity and innovation through political discussions, hands-on media workshops and invaluable insights into the European Parliament, European media and the so-called ‘Brussels bubble’ itself! They will interact with high-level European politicians, professional journalists and experts and engage in intercultural exchange through practical work and evening cultural activities.

Over the course of the three-day workshop, each journalist will each produce a report on the topic of the seminar through their medium of choice - audio, video, print, online or photography.

Get more information on applying from Jean-Marie international@nyci.ie 014255945. The deadline for applying is 19th August 2010.

Then prepare yourself to report from Brussels on the most important question facing young journalists – are we an endangered species?

The call is open to young journalists that are citizens or legal residents of an EU country. Travel will be reimbursed by the European Parliament. Please note that in order to receive a lump sum covering your accommodation and meals you need to provide a copy of your press card or a letter from the editor stating that you work as a journalist. Journalism students and interns need to provide a letter from their university or from the organisation they are interning at.

The workshop for young journalists is organised by the European Parliament with the support of the European Youth Press.

European Conference 2010

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:26:00 GMT

Monday 19th July

“Greetings from the WAGGGS Europe Conference. There are four of us here from IGG and our delegation is made up of Emer O’Sullivan, Finola Gallagher, Sheila Linden and Therese Joyce together with four members of CGI. Together we make up the CIGA Irish delegation. Some sections of the conference are held jointly with WOSM (World Organisation Scout Movement). The Irish delegation to the WOSM conference has four members of Scouting Ireland.

We arrived in Brussels on Friday night. The conference began on Saturday afternoon so we had the morning to explore Brussels. Of course we had to try the Belgian chocolates first thing! The conference began with an orientation for the members who haven’t been to a European Conference before. This was followed by a networking session where we all divided into groups depending on our roles in our associations. I met with Chief Commissioners from all over Europe. It’s a great way to find out about what is happening both in WAGGGS and in other countries.

On Sunday the conference sessions were all held jointly between WAGGGS and WOSM. This makes for a very big crowd of about 450 people in a conference centre. There’s a heatwave in Brussels at the moment and so many bodies in a room makes for a lot of heat. There was a lot of discussion on the joint work done by both the Guide and Scout Europe Committees. We had speakers from the European Youth Forum, UN Volunteers to name but a few.

On Monday we started our WAGGGS Conference. We reviewed the Operational Plan for the last triennium. We elected a new WAGGGS Europe Committee. We had discussion groups on what the Region should prioritise for the next triennium.

Unfortunately, internet access isn’t great in the hotel, so our updates are not as frequent as we’d like. The photo above is of the CIGA Delegation".

Regards,

Emer O'Sullivan

Tuesday 20th July

Still surviving the heavy heat.

Lara Tonna was confirmed as the next chair of the European Committee and her deputy will be Pascale Vandersmissen.

There were addresses by Mary McPhail (CEO) followed by Margaret Treloar (Chairman) from WAGGGS World followed by a question and answer session on WAGGGS World issues to a panel including these and other World Board members.

A presentation on Eurolife 03 was given by Finna Sigurdardottir from Iceland who headed the organising team. She synopsised the planning process and the programme itself, highlighting both the difficulties and the joys.

Various member organisations presented projects they were justly proud of, ranging from a photographic competition among the Baltic countries, to a survey of girls’ attitudes in the UK and fundraising in Portugal.

The afternoon was spent on sundry consultation and discussion sessions aimed at giving feed back and suggestions to the Regional Committee so they may best meet the members’ needs.

Therese Joyce

Tracks and Trails of Ireland TV series

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:29:00 GMT

If you are interested in hillwalking and the outdoors, you might like to see the new series of programmes that RTE has produced.

A new Series of TV programmes titled Tracks & Trails of Ireland will run on RTE 1 over the next 5 weeks.

The Series has been produced over the past few months and features a number of well know people out walking and cycling on trails around the country.

The running order for the series is as follows:

Episode 1 - Friday 16/07/10 @7.30pm RTE 1         Featured Trails :        Beara Way / Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork
Episode 2 - Friday 23/07/10 @7.30pm RTE 1          Featured Trails :       Great Western Greenway + Burrashoole Loop Walks / Co. Mayo
Episode 3 - Friday 30/07/10 @7.30pm RTE 1          Featured Trail :         Bluestack Way / Co. Donegal
Episode 4 - Friday 06/08/10 @7.30pm RTE 1          Featured Trails :        Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails / Co. Limerick   & Cork
Episode 5 - Friday 13/08/10 @7.30pm RTE 1          Featured Trail :          Dublin Mountain Way / Co. Dublin

Certificate in Youth Arts

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:57:00 GMT

NUI Certificate in Youth Arts 2010/2011

The Certificate is a part-time, year long university accredited course of study in Irish Youth Arts Practice. The Certificate aims to introduce those working in the non-formal education sector to the concepts, principles and practice of youth arts using a context and practice approach.

The application deadline is July 7th 2010. A group workshop will take place on 21st July.

Full syllabus and application form can be found on http://www.youtharts.ie/cert

Competition for Camp 2012 Name and Logo

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:41:00 GMT

Camp 2012 needs a name and logo - can you help?

What should Camp 2012 be called?
Can you design our logo?
Do you have a great idea?

All suggestions for names and logos should be sent to the Camp Team c/o National Office or by email to camp2012@irishgirlguides.ie

Closing date for entries - 1st July 2010. The winner will be announced in September Trefoil News.

IGG receives Certificates of Appreciation

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Thu, 20 May 2010 11:06:00 GMT

The Irish Girl Guides took part in various activities in 2009 to do with the International Year of Astronomy. We have been recognised by both Universe Awareness International and the International Astronomical Union.

Read September 2009 Trefoil News to see what Lucan Guides and CGI got up to when they visited the Dunsink Observatory. Various Units have had the pleasure of hosting Deirdre Kelleghan, astronomer and artist, to teach girls of all ages about planets and stars and show how to capture colourful sketches on paper.

Click on the images below to view in a larger format.

Universe Awareness International

Visit www.unawe.org for great resources

International Astronomical Union

IGG receives Gold Health Quality Award

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:49:00 GMT

The Irish Girl Guides were presented with a Gold Standard Health Quality Award at the recent Branch Weekend in All Hallows College, Dublin. IGG is the only youth organisation in Ireland to receive a National Gold level Award. The award was presented by Deiniol Jones, Assistant Director of the NYCI. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Emer Costello, was their special guest on the day. The Lord Mayor is a former Guide and she spoke of her valuable time in Guiding, which contributed to her leadership skills that she uses today.

The Health Quality Award mark is a standards framework developed by the National Youth Council of Ireland which aims at enhancing best practice and a high standard of quality in all aspects of Health Promotion. IGG successfully attained all 15 of the quality standards to receive the Gold award.

Deiniol Jones from NYCI in congratulating IGG, stated:

“This Gold Standard Award is evidence that the management and volunteers of IGG are committed to quality standards in health promotion and the well being of all the young people they work with. This award represents extensive work and reflection to ensure that proper procedures and policies are in place to maintain a health promoting environment for all the young people and staff. IGG have used this opportunity to build on the good work that has been going on for many years and to ensure that their work is in line with national and international best practice in the area of Youth Health Promotion. I have every confidence that IGG will continue to provide a healthy and safe environment for young people and staff and that health promotion will remain a key priority.”

Thinking Day Activities

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:57:00 GMT

Thinking Day Activities - Has your Unit got something exciting planned for Thinking Day? No matter how big or small, the PR Committee would like to know. Perhaps you are going to have a dawn hike to see the sunrise, have a joint event with local Scouts or maybe you are going to have a special ceremony at your meeting place. Also if any of your members are going to be participating in A-wear-ness Day activities, we'd like to know too. So please email webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie and fill us in!

Swine Flu Guidelines

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:09:00 GMT

In order to to try to limit any spread of the disease, at Unit meetings please follow these best practice guidelines.

If you need any further information, please consult www.swineflu.ie

Please continue with your meetings as normal unless advised not to by the local HSE representatives or IGG nationally.

IGG in the Media

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:09:00 GMT

Recently our members have had their fair share of media appearances, both on radio and television! Just before our Taster Day team travelled around the country with the 'Give Guiding a Go' workshops for the public, our Outreach Development Officer Catherine O'Connor spoke to Gerry Ryan on his morning radio programme all about Guiding and what it has to offer.

You might also have seen a large group of Ladybirds, Brownies, Guides, Senior Branchers and Leaders featured on Winning Streak on its first show back of the season on September 12th. The National Lottery wanted to feature a group who got funding from their local VEC and the Carlow group spoke very well, outlining the great opportunities they have through Guiding.

Four fantastic Brownies from Drogheda appeared on the Afternoon Show on October 27th to help the Chef make some tasty Halloween Treats. The girls certainly did the organisation and their Leader, Finola Gallagher proud. Clips from the girls appearance can be seen by clicking here and here.

And that's not all, we were also represented on the Den on RTE by Asha, a Brownie from Dundrum Brownies, who was very enthusiastic about all her Brownie Badges, you can watch the video here.

New Irish Girl Guides Website

webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:03:00 GMT

The Irish Girl Guides have just launched our new website on www.irishgirlguides.ie. There are great new features including loads of activity ideas for your Unit, a photo gallery and a Unit Locator map. Check back often to see the latest news, updates and opportunities. We want to know what you think of the new website. Contact us at webmaster@irishgirlguides.ie