The Tribune

By DONITRA DAVIS

FIFTEEN girl guides and ranger guides along with nine leaders from Nassau and Abaco are heading to London next week as the Bahamas Girl Guides Association continues to celebrate its centenary.

The two-week trip is to give guides and leaders a greater knowledge of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS) and its goals and mission. The Bahamian party is scheduled to leave on July 29 and return on August 11.

The Guides and Rangers making the trip had to meet certain criteria and raise a portion of the funding for it. The group organised a steak-out in February and raised over $15,000 from sales where a percentage of the proceeds was assigned to girls according to their personal ticket sales. Guides and Rangers have also undertaken other fundraising activities such as car washes, bake sales, patio sales and a souse-out.

The UK tour was chosen as it is the birthplace of the world movement, which started in 1910. Now the association has 10 million members in 146 countries. The Bahamian group will be visiting Pax Lodge in Hampstead, North London, one of the four world centres owned by WAGGS and next to the movement’s international headquarters. A “place where strangers are soon friends”, Pax Lodge is a convenient base from which to explore London and will provide a wide range of day and evening activities for the Guides and Rangers.

The Bahamians will take part in the Pax Lodge pinning ceremony and visit three guide activity centres to learn skills and interact with other Guides and Scouts and share their experiences. The Guides will also take place in a traditional Girl Scout Swap - “Building Friendships at a Swap”. The exchanging of keepsakes started long ago when Guides and Scouts first gathered for fun, song and making new friends. Swaps were widely exchanged at national girl scout senior roundups in the 1950s and 1960s and nowadays some describe the types of objects now preferred as swaps by calling them “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere”. Swaps are still where the Girl Scouts meet each other and promote friendship.

The London trip is one of many activities during the BAGA centennial celebrations, which are held from October 2014 for a year under the theme “One Hundred Years of Influencing Lives”.

The Guides are taking part in such activities as the Centennial badge challenge, special Christmas Carol Service, Centennial national camp for Girl Guides, Centennial pack holiday for Brownie Guides, Centennial Badge Challenge Ceremony and the closing Centennial Ball on October 23.

The Bahamian party comprises:

Guides (all from 76th pack, sponsored by St Ambrose): Shadae Johnson, Althea Simmons, Zoe Rolle, Deja Cox, Dayna Pratt, Erin Pratt, Dehavilla Moss, Aretha McDonald. Plus Ava Richardson (7th, of Wesley Methodist).

Rangers: Caitlin Pratt (76th, of St Ambrose), Shante Russell (Abaco, of Abaco Central High), Tyzel Cunningham (Abaco, of Abaco Central High), Samia Adderley (9th, of St Francis Joseph), India Sweeting (26th, of Queen’s College), Gabrielle Pintard-Newry (36th, of St George’s).

Leaders: Sonia Adderley (Bahamas Girl Guides Association Deputy Chief Commissioner), Avis Richardson (7th of West Divison Commissioner), Leja Burrows (76th of West 2 District Commissioner), Helen Sweeting (26th of East 2 District Commissioner), Ursula Pratt (76th Sunflower Leader and First Aider), Keva Nairn (76th of Brown Owl and trip organiser), Carol Martinborough (Abaco, of Abaco Central High), Aniska Cox (76th, of St Ambrose), Deja Burrows (76th, of St Ambrose).