Celebrating leadership in Guiding!
In March Girl Guides Australia were pleased to welcome Trish Manten as Chief Executive Officer. Trish joins GGA after 15 years in senior leadership roles successfully leading multi-regional teams in global businesses. Trish’s collaborative attitude – along with her successes and skills in effective stakeholder engagement, business management, and marketing – make her the ideal person to lead the management of GGA.
Trish joins Janet Torney (Chair) and me to form the senior leadership team of Girl Guides Australia. One of the keys to leadership in Girl Guiding is collaboration, and this will be no different for our team. We are excited for what the future holds as we work collaboratively to lead Guiding in Australia to empower girls and young women.
The WAGGGS Juliette Low Seminar (JLS) has been a flagship international leadership event since 1932. Excitement for the new format of the event is building, and significant planning is underway for JLS 2019. There will be 20 JLS events held throughout the world at the same time in November, and Australia will be hosting one of the hubs in Sydney. We will have three global facilitators from Argentina, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia for the event who will work with two facilitators from Australia at the Australian hub; Linda Elezovich (GGWA) and Luisa Simeonidis (GGNSW&ACT) are the Australian facilitators and Belinda Allen (GGNSW&ACT) is the Logistics Manager for the GGA hub. Susan Campbell (GGV), Bronwyn Hughes (GGNSW&ACT), Melissa Reoch (GGV), and Rosemary Waite (GGT) will be facilitating at different JLS hubs throughout the world.
As the number of JLS events has increased this year, we can offer the opportunity to more young women to attend the program. Girl Guides Australia has 18 members registered to participate at various hubs around the world including Australia, Poland, USA, Madagascar, Oman, Ireland, UK, Taiwan, and Thailand.
If you would like to support these young women to participate in an opportunity of a lifetime you can donate to a special appeal that has been established by Girl Guides Australia, the Young Women in Leadership Appeal. Donations are tax deductible. Further details can be found on the Girl Guides Australia website. In 2019 funds will be used to support participants from Australia attend JLS Global Hubs. Through the appeal we have already attracted specific donations to fund four young women from the Cook Islands to attend the Australian JLS hub. Thank you to all who have made a donation in support of developing leadership in women.
As it is a special year for JLS, Girl Guides Australia is building a JLS Alumni list. Were you or do you know anyone who has attended a JLS event? If so, we would be pleased to hear from you. Please send us an email with details to guides@girlguides.org.au.
Guiding is back in full swing for 2019. It is wonderful to get reports and see through social media the variety of activities Guides across Australia are enjoying. April will be no different, with lots of Guiding fun planned and some States have special activity days. I know Guides will be very visible in the community participating in ANZAC day ceremonies and services.
Wishing you all the best as you continue to play our great game of Girl Guiding.
Rosemary Derwin
Chief Commissioner
