B1.18 WAGGGS World Centres

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This meeting plan was shared with me by another Guider.

Program Connections:
  • Key to Girl Guides
    • 2. Thinking Day and Guide/Scout Week
 KeytoGirlGuides

 

6:00 - 6:05 pm

  • Circle songs (attendance/dues)
  • Brownie opening song
  • Brownie Promise

6:05 – 6:10 pm

  • Sing “A Singing Game for Thinking Day!” *see song sheet

6:10 – 6:20 pm

  • How can we celebrate our links to Brownies and Girl Guides around the world?
  • A. Find out why we celebrate Thinking Day and Guide-Scout Week.
  • Lord Baden-Powell, was born in England more than 150 years ago.  He wrote a book about camping, first aid and enjoying nature.  Boys loved the book, and soon Lord Baden-Powell started Boy Scouts.  Then girls wanted to join Scouts, so Lord Baden-Powell’s sister Anges helped start Girl Guides.  When Lord Baden-Powell married Lady Olave Baden-Powell, she started to work with Girl Guides too, and became World Chief Guide, helping to spread the Movement to girls and women all over the world.  Lord and Lady Baden-Powell shared the same birthday.  They were both born on February 22nd! On this day our Brownie friends all over the world celebrate Thinking Day.
  • C. Find something out about the four WAGGGS World Centres.
  • WAGGGS, which is headquartered in London, England, links 144 national Girl Guide and Girl Scout Associations, representing a total membership of more than 10 million individual members throughout the world.
  • The WAGGGS World Centres are meeting places with eating and sleeping accommodations for the use of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from all over the world.  There are four World Centres:
    • Our Chalet, Switzerland
    • Our Cabana, Mexico
    • Pax Lodge, England
    • Sangam, Indian
  • Read ‘World Centres Action Game’
  • E. Find out how the Canadian World Friendship Fund (CWFF) helps Brownies and Girl Guides all around the world.
  • Girl Guides of Canada maintains and administers the CWFF to support WAGGGS projects.  These include: the World Centres, Mutual Aid, World Thinking Day Fund, assistance to countries starting or re-establishing Guiding and assistance to WAGGGS countries suffering from natural disasters.  It also provides financial assistance to girl and adult members selected to represent Canada at international events and for girls from other WAGGGS countries visiting Canada, through the In Travel grants program.  Contributions to the CWFF are voluntary and may be made at any time.

6:20 – 6:25 pm

  • B. Participate in a Thinking day or Guide-Scout Week celebration.
  • We are going to celebrate Thinking Day by taking an imaginary trip to one of the WAGGGS World Centres and learn about India.
  • Sangam, which opened in 1966, is the newest of the 4 world centers.
  • The name, Sangam, comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, which means “coming together”.
  • When entering Sangam, you will see 3 arches, which represent the three-fold Promise.   Above these arches, you will see another 10 arches.  These represent the original Guiding/Girl Scouting Laws.
  • *see picture of Sangam
  • Sangam is in Pune, India.
  • Brownies in India are called Bulbuls, after a cheerful, brightly coloured bird.  The members meet in flocks and each Six Group is named after a different bird.
  • Bulbuls are age 6 – 10.
  • Bulbul Promise
    • I promise to do my best
    • To do my duty to God and my country,
    • To keep the Law of the Bulbul Flock and
    • To do a good turn every day
  • Bulbul Law
    • The Bulbul gives in to the elders.
    • The Bulbul is clean and courteous.
  • Bulbul Motto
    • Do your best.
  • Bulbuls wear either a royal blue dress with brown leather belt and groups scarf or royal blue skit with white blouse and group scarf.  Bulbuls also wear the Bharat Scouts and Guides woggle, a cloth promise badge and black shoes.
  • The national flag of India is in tri-colour of deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom.  The saffron (flower of the saffron plant is used as a flavouring in cooking and to get an orange-coloured dye.) stands for courage, sacrifice; the white, for peace and truth; the green for faith and chivalry.  In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Buddhist wheel or Charkra.
  • India has 18 official languages with Hindi being the most widely used.  English is used for official purposes in government offices and places like that.
  • The religion of more than ¾ of the population is Hindu.
  • Currency is Rupee’s.

6:25 – 7:05 pm

  • Take a trip to Sangam:
  • Station #1 – Craft (15 minutes)
    • Each girl gets a piece of tissue paper with fish pattern attached.  Cut out the shape of the fish and carefully remove the pattern.  Make a fan out of matching construction paper. *Put name on fish and fan
  • Station #2 – Sari tying (10 minutes)
    • Women wear a sari which is a brightly coloured piece of silk or cotton cloth many metres long which is wrapped around the waist and then draped over the left shoulder.
    • *each girl to pick out sari
  • Station #3 – Food (10 minutes)
    • Traditionally, sugar and coconut are given as an official welcome to homes in India.  The bindi (red dot in the middle of the forehead) is put on the forehead of guests.  Food is always received and eaten with the right hand.  Food is often prepared and eaten while sitting on the floor.  It is cooked over fires.
    • *put bindi on each girl
    • *serve curry/rice/naan bread
  • Station #4 – Culture (while girls are eating)
    • Education in India is free, but many children the same age as Brownies will be working
    • Many children who go to school use slates rather than books and only go to school two or three years
    • India has a very dense population
    • Most people travel by bike, camel, rickshaw or elephant; there are not many cars
    • Many live in small houses, shared with their animals
  • Station #5 - ‘Hindi Song’ (5 minutes)
  • 7:05– 7:15 pm        Fish/Fan game
    • Divide girls into four teams.  Mark a starting line at one end of the room and a finish line at the other.  The first girls place their fish on the floor at the starting line.  Using their fans, they blow the fish down the room.  When they cross the finish line the next girl begins.  Whichever team gets all the fish across the finish line first wins.

7:15 – 7:25 pm

  • Balloon game
  • Have the Brownies sit in two lines facing each other.  Each girls feet must touch those of the player sitting opposite her.  The leader tosses the balloon to the players.  Each side must try to hit the balloon over the heads of the opposite line.  If the balloon touches the floor behind the line, it is counted as a goal to the team facing in that direction.  Once a team scores a goal, or if the balloon is lost, the game is restarted.

7:25 – 7:30 pm

  • Brownie closing song

Supplies

  • Toad stool
  • Cell phone
  • Dues bag
  • Brownie binder
  • Clock
  • Badge bag
  • Attendance clipboard
  • Owl
  • Chair signs & pins
  • Meeting plan
  • Dues record
  • Camp envelope
  • Scissors
  • Black felt
  • Fan paper
  • Staplers x 2
  • 13 x saris
  • Curry/rice/naan bread
  • Plastic spoons
  • Styrofoam cups
  • Bindi dots
  • Balloons x 2
  • ‘Hindi Song’ song sheets
  • ‘A Singing Game for Thinking Day’ song sheet
  • World Centres Action Game story
  • Picture of the world with 4 world centres/countries
  • Picture of Sangam
  • Tissue fish with pattern
  • Safety pins