Introducing.... Louise

Hello, I’m Louise – after dithering about these past few years, I decided in 2014 to stop ‘just thinking about doing it’, so I attended INTOPS and applied for GOLD. It worked out well, as here I am, a member of the fabulous GOLD Team Malawi 2015 and buzzing with anticipation and excitement for our forthcoming project in the summer. I’ve been very lucky to have been away with Guiding before, however I have a sneaky suspicion that this is going to be completely different.  Apart from a brief stop on the continent of Africa, this part of the world is going to be a brand new experience for me, which adds to the excitement – I love a good adventure, eek, I can’t wait!

I’ve been in Guiding a while; I joined as a Brownie back in the early ‘90s (the era of culottes and sweatshirt) and haven’t left.  Now I’m a Brownie Leader and have been Brown Owl in Caddington (near Luton) since 2007. I’m trying to avoid creating expectations for my GOLD experience, so it’s all about being open-minded and prepared for anything.

Can someone tell me the difference between Turquoise Surf and Hawaiian Blue?

Last weekend Team Malawi had our second phone conference. It was really great to catch up with everyone - once again everyone has been working really hard with fundraising, preparing for second briefing and spreading the word about GOLD!

Our biggest accomplishment since our last phone conference was the completion of our challenge badge pack (now available from any team member or by emailing goldmalawi2015@outlook.com). The badges that go with the challenge are taking longer to be produced than we were anticipating, but we can take any pre-orders so just contact a member of the team or email the group directly to order yours. The challenge badge has been a real team effort and has four sections: Culture, World Guiding, Songs & Games and Animals and the Environment, plus a PR challenge for all sections at the end. We can't wait for people to start our challenge, so send us pictures and updates as you work through it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GOLDMalawi2015 and Twitter: @GOLDMalawi2015

A lot of our time was also spent finalising details for second briefing, but more on that later!

Perhaps the biggest decision of the evening was what colour kit to go for. The choice of hoodie colour in particular was so vast and the difference between 'Turquoise Surf' and 'Hawaiian Blue' was a little too trivial for some of us. Despite our best efforts, we only managed to narrow the colours down to two choices, so will have to make the final decision at second briefing.

It wasn't long before our 2 hours was up and we had to leave the catching up until the next time. Luckily for us, that isn't far away as we are heading off on second briefing this weekend!

Keep an eye on our social media accounts over the weekend as we try to keep you updated with our briefing. Also please take a look at our challenge pack which at the moment is available from the team members directly or from our team email: goldmalawi2015@outlook.com

GOLD love,

Alice and Team Malawi x

Introducing.... Alice

Hello! My name is Alice, I am 20 and I live in Shropshire. I am in my second year at Durham University studying Biology. I hope to work in medical research when I graduate. I have been a member of Girlguiding since I joined Rainbows at 5; I am now a Brownie leader with 4^th Durham City St Johns Brownies and a peer educator with Shropshire and Durham South counties. I have recently been presented with my Queen’s Guide Award in September 2014 which was so much fun to do. As a young adult member of Girlguiding, I really love being involved in big events with other senior section members and it is often these times where I have amazing experiences as well as making some of my best friends. My only travel experience is through guiding – I was lucky enough to sail across the North Sea twice in the Tall Ships Races with members of the senior section from Shropshire and West Mercia.

I am looking forward to so many things about GOLD but in particular just embracing the culture, which I know will be very different to what I have experienced before. I am the Written Documenter, so will be keeping you all up to date with our activities via the blog and social media – make sure you follow them all!

Random fact about me: I made my promise in senior section half way down an abseiling tower!

If I were an animal I would be: A giraffe

One food I cannot live without: It has to be Cheese

GOLD love,

Alice

Introducing.... Emily

Hi, 

I am the other Emily in the group and am very excited to have been selected to take part in GOLD 2015 and travel to Malawi. I haven’t done any travelling with Girlguiding yet and am looking forward to making the most of such an amazing opportunity. 

I am originally from Suffolk, where I helped with the 1st Constable Rainbows and the 22nd St Margaret's Brownies. These are the same units that I originally came up through myself. I have moved to Bristol, where I am now helping with the 1st Hanham Rainbows which I absolutely love! 

I went to the University of Worcester where I studied Archaeology and Heritage Studies with American Studies; I am starting at Bath Spa in September to do a PGCE in Primary Education. 

Food I can’t live without: Avocados and Chips (my very guilty pleasure) 

Introducing.... M

Hi, I’m M. There are two Emily’s  in the team so to avoid confusion, we tossed a coin (in fact a cent) for choosing a nickname. I’m really pleased to be a part of GOLD Team Malawi 2015. I’m looking forward to getting to know the other 5 team members, who are all really nice, helping guides out in Malawi and having a good time.

I started as a Rainbow and went through all the sections. I am now leading a lively but fun bunch of Rainbows in West London/Middlesex, whilst trying to complete my Queen’s Guide Award before I turn 26.

I’ve travelled as a senior section member with SSAGO to Iceland and Switzerland but am looking forward to travelling to Africa and experiencing the culture there.  My role in the team is the treasurer - to barter for bus fares and ensure we have enough money to buy resources for training.

If I were an animal I would be an Elephant, as they seem wise.

I don’t have a favourite food, but I do love blackcurrant squash!