A week in the Maldives

A week in the Maldives

It’s now Monday and it’s been a week since we landed in Malé.

We are now experts at eating all kinds of fish and spice and have visited 5 different islands already!

On Wednesday (Day 4) we held a session with Guides in Hulhumalé where we focused on teamwork and decision making. One of the activities we delivered was called ‘Disaster Strikes’ were the Guides had to decide on 5 items to take with them on a deserted island. By working in a team and deciding on why each item was important to them they were able to develop their ability to make important decisions in a short space of time.

On Thursday (Day 5) we held our first two sessions with the Stars (aged 5-7)  teaching them new songs and games they can play. One of the games we played was called ‘Head Catch’ which focused on co-ordination - where the Stars had to catch the ball with their hands when they heard the word ‘Head’ and hit the ball with their heads when they heard the word ‘Catch’. 

We also had the honour of meeting the Minister of Education for the Maldives and shared with her the aims of our GOLD project, how the partnership with MGGA was formed and the impact we hope to make in the lives of girls and young women across the Maldives.

We will be travelling to a new island next week!

If you haven’t already, follow our journey on:

Twitter: @goldmaldives

Facebook: @GirlguidingGOLDMaldives

Instragram: @goldmaldives2019

Our first few days in the Maldives

Our first few days in the Maldives

Spice o Spice!

Day 1

After we landed in Male International Airport we were welcomed by members of the Young Leaders of the Maldives Girl Guide Association (MGGA).

We were gifted with several lovely gifts and food to eat. We then headed to our apartment at Hulhemale via taxis to start planning our sessions.

 Day 2:

We travelled to Malé to visit the  MGGA Headquarters were we met members of the Executive Team. We went over our plans for the sessions that we would run during our three week stay.

Day 3: Our first Day of Sessions!

Little Maids

We visited Ahmadhiyya International School to kick off our first session Tuesday morning.

With 63 energetic little maids we were ready to build their confidence and decision making.

Though we planned to buy our lunch, we were pleasantly surprised when we visit JS School and the school offered us lunch whilst 6 of their students performed a national dance for us in-front of their parents and other students.

Guides

Between 2pm and 5pm we held our first session with 8 Guide units across Malé who learnt how they can improve their team working skills within their Guide units and in the community.

We are excited for our next session! 

Our final 2 members - Introducing our Written Documenter and Photo Co-ordinator 

Written Documenter - Adeola

Hello everyone!

My name is Adeola and I am the Written Documenter for GOLD Maldives 2019. I will be overseeing all the blog posts and social media content.

My guiding journey started in 2013 as an adult volunteer. I didn’t know about Girlguiding until I moved areas. I started off as a young leader helping out at a local Rainbow Unit and then a Brownie Unit.

I eventually went off to Uni in Wolverhampton and didnt get involved for the first few months of Uni. Towards the end of my first year, I then joined as a Brownie Helper and became a Brownie Leader. Now back in London, I am a member of the Rangers Section and will be training to be a leader. I have learnt so much in the UK and I am excited to share this with the Maldivian Girl Guide Association! It will be my first international experience with Girlguiding UK!

Photo and Video Co-ordinator - Lottie

Hi! 

My name is Lottie and I'm the Photo and Video Co-ordinator for GOLD Maldives 2019. I'm a Guide leader in Manchester and a Scout leader in Wigan, and I've been in Guiding since I was a Brownie. I've never been on an international trip with Guiding, but I have taken my Scout troop to the Netherlands and will be taking them to Switzerland later this year - so I appreciate what an amazing opportunity being able to represent Girlguiding UK abroad is.

 I absolutely love to travel and explore the world! I can't wait for the experiences I'll have with the team in the Maldives and the friendships I'll make, as well as capturing those moments, the amazing places we'll see, and the fun we'll have!

If you haven’t already, follow our journey on:

Twitter: @goldmaldives

Facebook: @GirlguidingGOLDMaldives

Instragram: @goldmaldives2019

Meet Our First Aider and Treasurer

First Aider - Lyndsay

Hi Everyone!

My name is Lyndsay and I am the First Aider for GOLD Maldives 2019. I will be making sure we all stay as safe as we can when we are in the Maldives and will be the first responder in case of any injuries. I’m also going to be making sure we all wear our sun cream and are drinking plenty water because it is going to be hot when we are on project!

My guiding life started at the age of 5 as a Rainbow and then I became a Brownie, Guide, Senior Section member and then a leader in training with 9th Alloa Guides in Scotland. I have since moved down to England where I am a leader in training in Worcester. In my life away from Girlguiding I am a physiotherapist.

I have been on internationals with Girlguiding before, but GOLD is going to be a bigger challenge than any that I have been on. I am really looking forward to going on project and working with the Maldives Girl Guide Association!

Treasurer - Rachael

Hi everyone!

My name is Rachael and I am the Treasurer for GOLD Maldives 2019, making sure we stay on budget and have enough money to eat whilst on project! 

I've been a member of Girlguiding since I was a Brownie, took a break whilst I was at university and got straight back in to being a unit leader of the 12th York Brownies just over 3 years ago. I love watching girls grow in confidence and seeing the impact Guiding has on their life! I will always remember the county trip I was lucky enough to be involved in 2003 when I travelled all the way to Australia for 4 weeks - I loved seeing how Guiding takes place in Australia and made some life long friends. This experience really helped to shape the person I am today! I am excited to meet members of the Maldivian Girl Guide Association and see what adventures we will have on our GOLD project this year.

Introducing Our Team Leader and Training Co-ordinator

Sophie - Training Co-ordinator

Hello I’m Sophie and I’m the Training and Resources Co-ordinator for GOLD Maldives 2019. I have been involved with Girlguiding since the age of 7 when I became a Brownie. After that I moved onto Guides and then became a young leader with the Brownie unit which I now run in Romsey, UK. I have never been abroad with Girlguiding so I am really looking forward to this experience! I can’t wait to learn more about the Maldives Girl Guides and take on the challenges that GOLD will bring!

Alyson – Team Leader

Hi, my name is Alyson and I am the Team Leader for GOLD Maldives 2019. I have been involved in guiding since I was a rainbow, and now I am an assistant Guide leader and a Ranger leader in Chester, UK. My GOLD journey began back in 2016, when I went on a first-year project to Estonia. You never know what to expect on project, but I enjoyed every minute, it was amazing. I have made friends for life and memories to treasure. I look forward to my next GOLD adventure with Team Maldives 2019 and making many more memories.

Six Girlguiding Ambassadors are heading off to Maldives and we are all excited. 🇲🇻🇬🇧

We have all come from different parts of the UK from London to Glasgow!

Our aims in the Maldives will be:

• To improve the external image of Maldives Girl Guides Association

• To assist in the retention of current leaders

• To develop the Young Leader section

• To develop confidence, leadership and decision making in girls

We  first met at our first briefing in Kettering in February over a weekend and then again in April for our second briefing in Cuffley.

We have now concluded all three briefings and cannot wait to put all of our ideas into practice!

We have gotten to know one another, delegate team roles and plan sessions for our project.

We hope you will join us on this exciting journey and watch out for our next post introducing our team roles!

Follow us on:

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/GOLDMaldives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlguidingGOLDMaldives/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldmaldives2019

✈️✈️

From the GOLD Maldives Team 2019 🇲🇻🇬🇧