Girl guides learn methods to make changes
AGirl Guide member is required to undergo a compulsory three-month community work service project to be eligible for the Queen’s Guide award.
To prepare guides for community work, the Girl Guides Association Malaysia (GGAM) recently collaborated with the Joint Committee of Girl Guides in Denmark (PFD) to conduct a series of Social Innovation Workshops.
Themed ‘Design for Change’, the objectives of the event include encouraging participants to develop creative solutions in addressing the needs of their community and to create a positive impact on the participants to become responsible citizens.
Attended by 282 Girl Guides from all over Malaysia, the workshops featured The Social Innovation Programme developed by PFD.
The Danish speakers introduced the Girl Guides to the elements of guiding methods and the proper preparation needed to start off a project which included the four phases in the ‘Design for Change’ methodology.
The training saw Girl Guides engaging in educational games and performing a roleplay based on their local community issues.
Learning about the methodology, Ainul Mardhiah Yusof, 16, from SMK Seri Bintang Utara said: “Firstly, we would detect problems in society and then start planning on how to solve them. The third phase is where we start taking action and execute our plan. Finally, we share what we have accomplished with the community.”
“This training is a great platform for future leaders to create change and now I have a better understanding of how to interact with society,” said Ainul Mardhiah.
For SMK Convent, Ipoh student Ishani Vmanivannan, the workshop provided her with a clearer vision to help her community.
“The facilitators did not spoon-feed us ideas and solutions. Instead, we were just given a small nudge in the right direction.
“My team came out with a brilliant idea, an Eco-Brick Sunflower Patch due to the overwhelming usage of plastic in the world. Thus, we came up with a cool idea to reuse plastic bags and plastic bottles to make Ecofriendly bricks,” said Ishani.
Ashwini Muniandy, 17, from SMJK Chan Wa, Seremban said the training gave her an opportunity to broaden her horizons.
“Upon learning the collaborative sorting method at the training, my group members and I were able to pick a topic of interest for our project easily. The social innovation can help introduce new solutions to social problems when conventional approaches have not allowed results.
“I also learnt that as leaders, we need to play a vital role to support each other,” said Ashwini.
GGAM Training Council chair Joyce Ong Choon Kim said that the collaboration promoted an exchange of ideas and skills.
“It also encourages the practices of the four phases in designing and implementing self-directed community projects. Following this, we will ensure that girls and leaders share and apply their knowledge with their members and also non-members in their outreach programmes.
“Eighty five Ranger Guides working for their Queen’s Guides award will be incorporating the knowledge and skills gained in their future community service project,” said Ong.
PFD Social Innovation Project steering committee member and trainer Susanne Kolle said that they designed the methods to empower girls and young women to create positive change.
“As the girls are the experts of their local areas, we expected them to select the issues relevant to their community. The participants displayed how ambitious they are in the impacts that they were aiming for.
“We also see this training as an opportunity to share the guiding beyond our own movement. Our advice is to take it one step at a time, start small and then go big. We are confident that the girls are able to create a positive impact in the society,” said Kolle.
The series of trainings were held in four zones, namely Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.