Innovate Brands Hatch 2011

Innovate is a residential event for Senior Section members. Here you get the chance to discuss various issues within Girlguiding, try out new activities, meet new people, enjoy evening activities, raise money for charity and eat lots of food (which I did) and stay in a nice hotel. Here is what I got up to.

Friday.
Everyone started arriving from about 6pm. We checked into our rooms and sorted out forms and name tags. Some people were lucky enough to get their own room and I was one of them (only because my room mate couldn't make the event). Dinner was a great opportunity to sit down with other people and make new friends and also hear about their guiding experiences. There was also a lot of cheesecake for desert which was very tasty. After dinner we went to the evening entertainment which was a Mad Hatters Tea Party. We was put into small groups and moved around the room to the different activities. The activities included pin the smile on the Cheshire Cat, croquet with hedgehog bag and flamingo mallet, making origami roses, tea tasting, finding the door mouse, making towers out of cards and many more. These were a great way to get everyone to start talking to each other and a nice way to start the weekend.

Saturday.
After breakfast we split up into our APW groups for the first session. These workshops are used to discuss issues relevant to Girlguiding UK and to come up with ideas and opinions which will then go back to CHQ. I took part in the WAGGGS Stop The Violence campaign where we discussed ideas of ways to get all sections in guiding involved and aware of the campaign. I found this very interesting and we all had some great points to put across.

 After lunch we went off to do our first Why Don't You (YDU) session which gives you a chance to try new activities that you wouldn't normally choose or get to do. I chose to do Zumba as I have tried it once before but wanted to give it another go. Zumba is a great way to excerise, the routines are fun and easy to pick up and you do feel like you are getting a really good work out. After a quick break and shower it was off to the next YDU session which was backwards cooking. This involves cooking on an open fire without using any utensils. We made sausages which you wrap in tin foil with a bit of oil and put on the fire, baked beans which you only need to take the paper off and open the tin and then put them on the fire to cook and lastly we made chocolate cake in an orange skin, that one tasted the best.

Later after some free time we all got dressed into our childhood themed outfits for dinner which was a lovely three course meal. I went as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard Of Oz and even brought along Toto. Once dinner had finished we moved on to the evening entertainment which was based around the film Narnia. The room had been decorated with Christmas trees and even the famous street lamp. The evening consisted of a disco, a silent auction and professional photos which all proceeds went to the charity Action For Children, making conker friends and toffee apples and a chance to watch old favourites like The Clangers in the tv room.

Sunday.
Again in the morning we split off into our groups again (Stop The Violence). In this session we focused on creating activities for each section in guiding on this topic to raise awareness and get them involved in the campaign, these would later be put in the guiding magazine in April 2012 hopefully ad of course we had to suggest a badge. After working hard all morning we had lunch and moved on to the Fringe which was where we could find out about all the different opportunities there is for Senior Section and a chance to get some help and advice. The Chief Guide, Gill Slocombe also made an appearance and had a chat to us about what she wants to do for guiding. After the farewell presentation it was time to say goodbye.

I had such a great weekend and made lots of new friends of whom I hope to stay in contact with. I would like to thank the planning team for all their hard work which defiantly paid off.

So that's Element 4 for Service to Guiding for my Queens Guide completed and another badge for my camp blanket!