History of the Australian Guide Program

Please follow the link below to view my report.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByGG-Sp-u_l3OEsxMWtRZVdUd2M/view?usp=sharing

Project Uplift: Bra Drive Wrap Up

Thanks for all the support ladies!

The bra drive I was running for Project Uplift officially ends today, being my 30th birthday and the last day I can work towards my Olave Challenge.

As of 9am, I currently have the following:

• 122 bras
• 6 nursing bras
• 1 pair of board shorts
• 10 pairs of new underwear
• 6 pairs of socks

I am delighted at the amount of bras donated, I had only expected to collect around 30, so this number blew me out of the water! Many of the bras came from women who I did not know and had 'heard the word' from Guiding friends. All of the bras donated were in good condition and have been sorted and ready to be transported to the transport company which will take them to the next destination.

Following on from my bra drive, I have decided to be a drop off point for Project Uplift. The current drop off points in South Australia are in Mt Gambier and two other addresses in Adelaide, so I am hoping this will be helpful.

Project Uplift transports bras to women in the Asia-Pacific region. If you would like your bras to be donated on a more local level, I believe Essentials 4 Women SA are supplying new bras to homeless women. Another group, Bras for Bali, also collect bras to go to Bali, and are looking for people to help transport them. If you're looking for a community challenge, this might be an idea for you.

In terms of a challenge, running a bra drive has had the following ups and downs:

• many people were keen to spread the word, often thanks to their social media
• some friends collected bras in their workplaces or from their Guide units for me
• I had attempted to set up an extra location for drop offs, but didn't receive a response, and didn't follow it up. This could have been a really good option for people
• my Guide unit, Plympton/Kurralta Park collected a large amount of bras quite easily by using their social media tools and reminding Guides and adults about it
• logistically, it was tricky to collect some donations, sometimes donors had to rely on someone else to pass on their donations, some of which are yet to be passed along my way. Others wold have been happy to donate but my location was too hard to get to
• the Project Uplift website had many great tools to help assist on running a large bra drive, including posters and information to pass on
• I started the bra drive just before my daughter was born, so sometimes I have been a bit distracted, and probably would have herded the would be bra donations that were located too far away to drive to, but having a baby has changed my priorities a bit so I have had to rely on the kindness of others sending the bras my way 
• A $10 donation sends 100 bras to their donation, which I hadn't budgeted for, so I used our recycling money towards this.

In conclusion, thanks to everyone who has donated, or yet to donate bras to this really special cause! I am excited to be able to give a large donation of lightly loved bras to the project.

Project Uplift Update

For the Our Community Challenge, I have been running a bra drive to support the work of Project Uplift.

Drop off boxes all ready to go!

So far I have collected around 55 bras plus a few extra goodies such as bathers. I asked my Guide Unit to help donate as well as some fellow Olave members and friends. Everyone has been super 'supportive' of this campaign.

Pottery class: Evaluation and gallery!

In August I started a 5 week pottery class. This was a huge challenge for me because I was super pregnant at the time and spent most of the day waddling around. Other than that, it was wonderful to try something new. Pottery is great in lots of ways - sensory - it feels amazing, creativity - making and producing works of art and useful things, sustainability - it is clay after all!

Work in progress:

Finished work:

Self Development Challenge: Pottery Week 1 Update

This week I started my Self Development challenge, which is working towards finishing a fifteen hour pottery course. My course run by WEA Adelaide on Tuesday mornings.

This week we made pinch pots which is one of the most basic items you start making in ceramics.

I enjoyed experimenting with some really basic tools on the edging.

After an hour or so we were then introduced to coiling techniques. I decided to make a flower pot, and discovered that I actually forgot to put a hole in the bottom of it when I started! I used a knife to cut out shapes, which was very similar to ideas other students in the class had.

The finished product! I am very happy with this one.

 Our tutor, Mary, encouraged us to buy some tools for our course, so I purchased a pottery tool kit at Eckersley's on Friday. I also called into Urban Cow Studio and was highly inspired by some amazing ceramic creations.

This challenge is for... Self Development
Grow as individuals through pursuing opportunities for SELF DEVELOPMENT
Participants of the Olave Program are encouraged to develop themselves and their
abilities. The Olave Program is designed to extend and challenge participants to go
beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone. As a result, they develop their personal skill
and abilities, taking on things that they would have otherwise thought impossible.

To satisfy this component, you are required to develop a new skill or interest, or
improve upon an existing skill or interest. 

Chosen Components 1 & 2

I am about to send off my form for Olave Challenge today, so here is what I have chosen to explore:

Celebrate and develop a deeper understanding of Guiding through knowledge of our HERITAGE AND TRADITIONS.

Guiding has a strong and rich history. It is through celebrating the past and developing an understanding of where Guiding has come from that we can appreciate the modern
Guiding Movement.

To satisfy this component, you are required to explore the connections/links
between Guiding past, present and future. These connections may be local,
regional, national and/or international Guiding.

 

I have decided to research the introduction of the Australian Guide Program, and in turn, the rebranding of Girl Guides  Australia in 1996.

 

-As a young woman who has returned to Guiding after this time I find it incredibly interesting that such large changes were made to the Program, but I also would like to learn about the impacts, both positive and negative, it had on the Guiding community. It would be wonderful to discover what has been successful, and also learn from other Leaders about what has changed for them.

 

-Learning about this would help inform my conversations with parents and other adults about their years as a Brownie, and help answer questions about Guiding traditions.

 

-I hope to collate this information and publish it online on my Olave Challenge blog. I also hope to be able to write a short report and have it bound and stored in the State Archives.

Grow as individuals through pursuing opportunities for SELF DEVELOPMENT
Participants of the Olave Program are encouraged to develop themselves and their
abilities. The Olave Program is designed to extend and challenge participants to go
beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone. As a result, they develop their personal skill
and abilities, taking on things that they would have otherwise thought impossible.

To satisfy this component, you are required to develop a new skill or interest, or
improve upon an existing skill or interest.

I have decided to take a 15 hour pottery course with WEA Adelaide to satisfy this component. I have always been interested in visual art, and would like the opportunity to develop new skills in this area.

Aims of course: Learn all the basic techniques - slab building, press moulding, coiling, and wheel work. Glazing and simple yet effective decoration techniques covered.

Our Community Challenge

Our Community
Support OUR COMMUNITY through voluntary service to Guiding and the wider world.
As individuals in today’s society, participants of the Olave Program are members of
multiple communities, including their local community, Guiding and family communities, as
well as the global community. All members of a community have rights and responsibilities
within their communities. One of the key responsibilities of every Guide and Olave
Program participant is to provide service to their community.
 
This challenge focuses on voluntary service, an important aspect of Guiding.
Participants of the Olave Program are encouraged to be agents of change within their
communities by speaking out, doing and educating on the issues about which they are
passionate.
 
To satisfy this component, you are required to participate in sustained regular
community service involving a minimum of forty hours over four months. This may
involve commencing a new service role, extending an existing service role (for
example, if you are currently a Leader you may consider running an event
involving unit(s) other than your own) or undertaking a variety of service projects.

For this aspect of the Olave Challenge, I have decided to run a bra drive to support the work of Operation Uplift.

As I have not received approval to begin my challenge yet, I have just came up with a few ideas to make the drive as successful as possible, as well as easy to fit within the award guidelines.

- I plan to run the bra drive, along with Olave members, at the end of May. We have ANZAC Day, followed by May as biscuit selling month, and I would like to get lots of publicity for the drive.

- I will need to start saving boxes and baskets to take to different location drop offs. The two Units I work at will help me collect bras, but I would also like to include other Units in our area, Guide House as well as some local schools or businesses nearby.

- I imagine this will take a lot of co-ordination on my part, and think I will get well over my forty hours in terms of community service!

- In October we are running an Olave Conference and intend on running a service project during our time. Bra sorting is a timely process and this would be an ideal activity because many hands make light work.

- After the Conference I will take the sorted bras to a transport company in Cavan who then take them to Tennant Creek to be distributed in the Northern Territory. Operation Uplift also services counties in the Asia Pacific Region, but given our location (and the fact we don't live on the Eastern Seaboard), this makes perfect sense.

For now this is about all I can do, other than do some research and get well informed about running a bra drive. I have some very eager people alongside me. I'm excited!