International adventures with deputy chief guide Sally Kettle
Sally Kettle on her recent trip to Roverway and international adventures in guiding
I’ve got a confession to make… I tried to trade chief guide Tracy for a necker!
What is it about international events that push you into a badge swapping, necker-trading frenzy? By day 2 at Roverway - an 8000 strong Guide and Scout camp held in Stavanger, Norway – I was quite prepared to trade Tracy, and our tent, for one of the Portuguese delegation’s gloriously patterned neckers. That said, as soon as I left, the UN-style negotiating with delegates for their neckers suddenly didn’t seem so urgent.
I also went to Stavanger with a stack of badges to give away, thinking I’d come back with a lighter rucksack. But no… I’ve easily returned home with 3 times more than I brought. This includes my favourite, the ‘My 1st International Trip’ badge. You may be surprised to know that even though I’m a hardened adventurer, Roverway was in fact my very first international with Girlguiding. I wasn’t alone in that either - many of our UK contingent were there for their first time too.
Participants travelled across Norway in multi-nation patrols – some hiked, some sailed, a patrol from Italy even turned up on red scooters! Participants were aged between 16-22, and from countries as far away as South Korea and Australia. Many European countries were also represented, creating a delightful hubbub of languages and multi-coloured uniforms - not unlike the Olympics.
International experiences are a real opportunity to stretch your own boundaries and try something more challenging than the norm, especially for those girls pursuing their Queen’s Guide award. But opportunities like Roverway aren’t just for young members. As part of the international service team, adult volunteers from across Girlguiding signed up to clean loos, provide first aid and serve reindeer stew, to name but a few of the roles that helped keep the pop-up ‘village’ going. It’s a great way to gain an international module for your Going Away With License too.
I spoke to one of the international service team (IST) and she told me she’d gone on her first international when she was 16. She’d taken time out of guiding to finish her education and pursue a career. However, she’d recently come back to the movement as a leader and thought volunteering for Roverway would be an amazing way to give something back, especially as her own experience had been so fantastic. She said she really didn’t realise how much went on behind the scenes. These activities are largely unseen by participants, but incredibly important for ensuring everyone had an amazing adventure, which was both fun and freeing.
Tracy and I spent much of our time at camp meeting these incredible volunteers. This included head of contingent Nicola Candlish and her contingent management team, as well as the ISTs sitting at gates, picking up litter, serving up pannenkoeken (a Dutch pancake). I think it’s safe to say all of them were tired after weeks of planning, sleeping in tents and starting shifts at 2am. It takes a lot to travel away from your families and give your time to ensure every participant leaves an experience like this lighter of heart and fuller of friendship. It really can be life changing and a much-needed rite of passage for young people, many of whom were deeply affected by the pandemic. And who knows - perhaps some of the Guides enthusiastically dancing to Europop in the German tent will be returning in the future to help at someone else’s very first international event.
For now, I’m wondering how I’m going to make time to stitch all my new badges onto my camp blanket, whilst trying to explain to my family why I’ve got 5 new neckers! I’ll also be thinking of all the adventures girls will have had closer to home this summer, from camps and unit holidays to jamborees and days out. All of them are great preparation for an international experience, whether you’re a young member or a leader keen to take your girls abroad.
Find out how to be an active part of our international guiding community.